May 22, 2023

Supply Chain Management News

May 2023

Dear Campus Community,

  

Supply Chain Management (SCM) would like to inform you of important updates and events. 


This month's features:  


  • Coming Soon! Bears that Buy Open Office Hours: Here to Make Purchasing BEARable
  • NEW! Fisher Scientific: Next-Day Delivery
  • NEW! Fisher Scientific has partnered with Neta Scientific to support Federal Research projects
  • NEW! Fisher Scientific’s Sustainability Efforts
  • REMINDER: Do not close After-the-Fact and Payment Request POs
  • NEW! Systemwide Agreement Available in BearBUY!



If you have any questions, please contact the BearBUY Help Desk at 

510-664-9000 (options 1, 2) or bearbuyhelp@berkeley.edu for immediate assistance.


Thank you for your continued support, 

Supply Chain Management

Visit Our Website

Coming Soon! Bears that Buy Open Office Hours: Here to Make Purchasing BEARable

Do you need assistance with Purchasing and using BearBUY, or do you have general questions that you would like to ask?


SCM is pleased to announce a new remote open office hour program based on the concept, Bears that Buy Open Office Hours: Here to Make Purchasing BEARable!


Representatives from Supply Chain Management will be on hand to listen to your questions and provide information about purchasing at Berkeley. We encourage you to submit questions in advance on this Google sheet.


The open office hours will be held every 3rd Tuesday of the month from 10:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.


Please join us at our first remote office hour on Tuesday, June 20, 2023!


Instructions and Zoom URL:



NEW! Fisher Scientific: Edge Program

Fisher is increasing the number of products available for next-day delivery.  Please use the Punch-out catalog and place orders by 2:00 p.m. so it can leave the warehouse the same day. Orders placed after 2:00 p.m. ship the next business day.


Look for the Edge icon to see if products are available for next-day delivery.  Real-time inventory levels are also visible from the Punch-out catalog.  See the Edge Program Flyer for more information.


NEW! Fisher Scientific has partnered with Neta Scientific to support Federal Research projects

Fisher Scientific is helping Berkeley to meet Federal Small Business goals by offering access to the TCI Chemicals and Thermo Scientific Chemicals portfolios through the hosted Neta Scientific catalog. Please see the Neta-Fisher flyer for more information and to see how you can improve your small business utilization without changing your supplies or incurring added costs.

NEW! Fisher Scientific’s Sustainability Efforts

Look for the leaf icon when browsing to find products that are part of our Greener Choice program.



  • Find Sustainable Products Through the Greener Choice Program
  • Recycle Used PPE and Lab Products
  • See the Environmental Impact of Different Products with ACT Labels
  • Reduce Energy Use with ENERGY STAR-Rated Products
  • Reduce Waste with Paper Coolers


See the Sustainability flyer for more information.


REMINDER: Do not close After-the-Fact and Payment Request Purchase Orders (POs)

POs created using the After-the-Fact or Payment Request form auto-create vouchers for payment. The PO is not dispatched to BFS, ONLY the voucher is dispatched to BFS. Please do not attempt to close these types of POs because a duplicate voucher is created when the POs are finalized.  These transaction types do not result in an open lien balance so there is no business need to close these documents.

NEW! Systemwide Agreement Available in BearBUY!

We are pleased to announce a new systemwide agreement available in BearBUY supporting Berkeley’s Net Zero sustainability goals! This agreement is for:


  • Supplier: Brailsford & Dunlavey, Inc.
  • Specializes in technical guidance, facilitation, and modeling support to track and report zero emissions by 2025.
  • Contract #: 2020002467
  • Supplier Contact: David Karlsgodt 
  • Email: Dkarlsgodt@Bdconnect.com
Helpful Hints
Order Status

If you need assistance with determining the status of your order in BearBUY, visit the How to Find the Status of Your Order page on the SCM website. 

Please note that your SCM assigned Buyer will not receive the requisition until it has been approved by the department Org Node approver.
Expediting an Order

If an order warrants expedited handling, please change the priority on the requisition to "Urgent". If you have already submitted the requisition, please contact your assigned Buyer via email and be sure to include the requisition number.
Who is My Department's Assigned Buyer?

If you are unsure of how to start your purchasing transaction, contact your Buyer for assistance by using your Org Node and Department Name to find your assigned Buyer located in this matrix.
Splitting Chart of Accounts (COA) At Header Level Vs. Line Level

Splitting COA at the Header Level will apply the split to all lines on the PO. 

Splitting COA by Line Level allows you to customize COA percentage allocated to that specific line.

BEST PRACTICE for Subawards
  • Line 2 should always be set at the Header Level Chartstring using Account Code 57810.
  • Line 1 should be overridden at the Line Level Chartstring using Account Code 57811.

For any questions on how to split a COA, please contact your regional purchasing team: https://regionalservices.berkeley.edu/home.
SCM Service Level Turnaround Times

Urgent requests will be handled on a first-in-first-out basis. Standard turnaround time (Service Level Agreements) for purchase and contract types are available on our Service Level web page. 

Please be aware that contract negotiations with suppliers may cause delays.
Ship To Address vs Final Destination

A Ship To Address is the address that is sent to the supplier. When the supplier is delivering items, they will deliver to the ship to address (which is also visible on the PO they receive).

A Final Destination code is an address only associated to UC Berkeley. Final destination code are used when departments have a central receiving location. The ship to address is the central receiving facility. When the packages are received, the department central receiver looks the PO up in BearBUY and looks for the final destination code. The final destination code is then the office/room number of where shopper needs the items. Final destination codes are never sent to the supplier and are NOT reflected anywhere on the PO.  
BearBUY Resources
Below are links to the BearBUY homepage, instructional aids, training courses, and information on how to create Service Now tickets for BearBUY related issues. 
Whether you are an experienced or a new BearBUY shopper, it is always best practice to take the BearBUY: Basics for Shoppers training if you haven't already.

To take this ESSENTIAL training, please click on this course #: BEESS950-Online