Activity & Service Fee Purchasing Guidelines

General Purchase Guidelines
Off Campus Food Vendor Purchase Request
On Campus Food Vendor Purchase Request
Contractors - Performer, Speaker or Event Equipment Rental Purchase Request
Printed Items, Promotional Items Purchase Request
Online Purchase Request
Technology Purchase Request
Campus Department Purchase Request
FAU Trademark Business Cards or Name Badge Purchase Request
General Merchandise, Amazon, Office Depot Purchase Requests
Staff Travel and Event Travel Purchase Request



General Purchase Guidelines

Return to Top

  1. In order to access A&S Funding, individuals from SG, A&S funded departments, programs and student organizations (RSO) approved for A&S fee funding, must complete Fiscal Training once a year.
  2. All Activity and Service Fee (A&S) purchases must be pre-approved via Owl Central and by the FAU purchasing department where applicable, prior to doing business with a vendor.
  3. Purchase requests must be submitted to the Activity and Service, Accounting and Budget Office (ASAB), at least 7 business days prior to an event, with the exception of on campus food vendor purchases which must be submitted at least 5 business days prior to an event. Requests submitted outside of the provided timeline must include a non-routine justification signed by a Student Affairs representative; advisors will assist students with this step.
  4. All purchases made in the State of Florida must be tax exempt.
  5. With the exception of pcard purchases, only do business with vendors registered with FAU (Only professional staff have Pcards). Registered means the vendor is in the University's Finance system, Workday.
  6. Unless prior permission is given for staff to be reimbursed, all purchases are made via Pcard, with on Campus vendors or via the University’s Requisition/Purchase Order process.
  7. Purchases made for giveaways and prizes are subject to a $100 maximum per item and a list of recipients must be provide to the Activity and Service, Accounting and Budget Office.
  8. All printed and promotional item purchases must be made with vendors that are licensed and registered with FAU. Licensed means the vendor has permission from University to produce licensed FAU materials. Registered means the vendor is in the University's finance system, Workday.
  9. With the exception of printed items from the on campus, Toshiba office, printed and promotional items cannot be made on pcard.
  10. All purchases for performers, speakers, and equipment rental must be accompanied with an executed contract signed by the vendor and FAU legal representation. It can take up to 2 months to obtain an executed contract. Student Affairs’s contract process must be followed. No student or professional staff should sign a contract.
  11. Except where food waivers/permits have been obtained, all catering purchases must be made with FAU’s on campus food vendor, Chartwells. Davie Campus does not have Chartwells but must still have food permits.
  12. All beverage purchases must be Coca Cola products.
  13. All office supplies must be ordered from Office Depot.
  14. Office supplies cannot be ordered from Amazon.
  15. Food items requiring food waivers/permits cannot be purchased using a Pcard. Pre-packaged foods can be purchased on Pcard.
  16. A&S Funds cannot be used to purchase food/refreshments for standing meetings. Do not use the word meeting in your purchase request; the request will be denied.
  17. A&S Funds cannot be used for fundraisers, gift cards, vouchers, cash awards or scholarships.
  18. A&S Fees cannot be used to purchase alcohol, firearms, drugs, weapons or used for political campaigns.
  19. A&S Fee purchases should not be personal in nature and should provide benefit to the general student body.
  20. Staff travel must be pre-approved via an Owl Central purchase requests. If traveling with students, an approved Notification to Travel letter must be included with the request.
  21. A Spend Authorization must be submitted and approved in Workday prior to travel for all staff travel approved for funding and the approved funding paper must be attached to the Spend Authorization. Each professional staff traveling must complete his/her own Spend Authorization.
  22. A&S Fees cannot be transferred to off campus or agency accounts by any means.
  23. A&S Fees shall not be spent to directly benefit non-FAU students, excluding the use of A&S monies by Student Government for the following purposes:
    1. Recognition of faculty and staff who have assisted in SG endeavors including Advisors for Student Organizations.
    2. Recognition of non-FAU persons and or entities that have assisted with SG endeavors.
  24. All A&S Fee funded events must be open to all students.
  25. All A&S Fee events should be available to students at no cost except where SG charges a fee for certain events.
  26. Any alleged acts of fiscal irresponsibility must be reported to the ASAB Office.
  27. For A&S purchases not made on a p-card an invoice for payment must be submitted to ASAB via Owl Central or to FAU accounts payable, no later than 5 business days after receiving products or services.


Off Campus Food Vendor Purchase Request

Return to Top
To make a purchase with an off campus food vendor, use the following steps to prepare your purchase request for submission to ASAB:

  1. Verify that your vendor is registered with FAU at least 30 days prior to your event
    Contact ASAB, asab@fau.edu, to verify that the vendor is registered with FAU. If your vendor is not registered ASAB will assist you with getting the vendor registered.
  2. Obtain Quote from Vendor
  3. Obtain a Food Waiver and a permit from the Business Services Office
    Food Waivers and permits should be requested at least 17 business days before your event to allow enough time to submit your purchase request to ASAB. Business services requires at least 10 business days to process food waivers and permits. Click here to obtain a Food Wavier Application and click here to obtain a permit. (Only a permit is required for the Davie Campus)
  4. Obtain an approved event registration
    The event registration should be made at least 17 business days before your event. Event registration is done via your organization’s or department Owl Central page.
  5. Submit your purchase request to ASAB
    Your purchase request must be submitted via Owl Central at least 7 business days prior to your event and must contain the following:
    1. Completed Expense Justification Form (not required for RSOs)
    2. Itemized Vendor Quote (Quote cannot be expired)
    3. Approved Food Waiver/Permit
    4. Approved Event Registration
    5. For a New Supplier include the following with your request:
  6. Non-routine Justification form signed by a Student Affairs member, for those purchases being made outside the submission deadlines.
  7. ASAB will notify you regarding your approved purchase along with next steps to follow to complete your purchase request.


On Campus Food Vendor Purchase Request

Return to Top
To make a purchase request with an on campus food vendor, use the following steps to prepare your purchase request for submission to ASAB:

  1. Obtain Quote from Vendor
    At least 20 days prior to your event visit https://fau.catertrax.com/ to obtain a Chartwells quote.
  2. Obtain an approved event registration
    The event registration should be made at least 17 business days before your event. Event registration is done via your organization’s or department Owl Central page.
  3. Submit your purchase request to ASAB
    Your purchase request must be submitted to ASAB via Owl Central at least 5 business days prior to your event and must contain the following:
    1. Completed Expense Justification Form (not required for RSOs)
    2. Itemized Vendor Quote with agreement # (Quote cannot be expired)
  4. Non-routine Justification form signed by a Student Affairs member, for those purchases being made outside the submission deadlines.
  5. ASAB will notify you regarding your purchase along with steps to follow in order to complete your purchase request.


Contractors-Performer, Speaker or Event Equipment Rental Purchase Request

Return to Top
A performer, speaker or event equipment rental purchase is used when you bring a performer, speaker, or artist to campus or you rent equipment such as staging or lighting for an event. Use the following steps to prepare your purchase request for submission to ASAB:

  1. Obtain Contract Endorsed by FAU Purchasing
    You should obtain the contract at least 2 months prior to your event. For more information on obtaining or submitting contracts to be endorsed by purchasing, student organizations and SG should contact their advisors; all others should visit the Student Affairs’s contract webpage at https://www.fau.edu/student/sa-contracts/. If a vendor is not a corporation or an LLC, in addition to the contract an Employee vs Independent Contractor Checklist must be completed and signed by the RSO or SG advisor, department advisor or director were applicable.
  2. Verify that your vendor is registered with FAU
    Contact ASAB, asab@fau.edu, to verify that the vendor is registered with FAU. If your vendor is not registered ASAB will assist you with getting the vendor registered.
  3. Obtain an approved event registration
    The event registration should be made the same time you begin the contract process for the event. Event registration is done via your organization’s or department Owl Central page.
  4. Submit your purchase request to ASAB
    Your purchase request must be submitted to ASAB via Owl Central at least 7 business days prior to your event and must contain the following:
    1. Completed Expense Justification Form (not required for RSOs)
    2. Approved Event Registration
    3. Contract endorsed by vendor and FAU legal
    4. Applicable FAU Addendum, completed by vendor
    5. For a New Supplier include the following with your request:
    6. Non-routine Justification form signed by a Student Affairs member, for those purchases being made outside the submission deadlines.
  5. ASAB will notify you regarding your purchase along with steps to following in order to complete your purchase request.


Printed Item or Promotional Item Purchase Request

Return to Top
Printed items are publications, flyers, posters, signage, and banners. Promotional items are giveaways such as cups, pens, and t-shirts. Use the following steps to prepare your purchase request for submission to ASAB:

  1. Obtain printed item approval (No approval is needed for promotional items). At least 45 days prior to your event, obtain approvals you may need as follows:
    • RSOs – contact your advisor to obtain approval for printed items.
    • SG – contact your advisor to obtain approval for printed items.
    • All Others – submit a ticket to Student Affairs Marketing to obtain approval printed items.
    NOTE: Printed and promotional items must be made with vendors that are not only registered with FAU but that are also licensed. For a list of vendors, search key words Licensee by Client from the FAU homepage.
  2. If for an event, obtain an approved event registration
    The event registration should be made at least 17 business days before your event. Event registration is done via your organization’s or department Owl Central page.
  3. Submit your purchase request to ASAB
    Your purchase request must be submitted to ASAB via Owl Central at least 7 business days prior to your event and must contain the following:
  4. Completed Expense Justification Form (not required for RSOs)
  5. Approved Event Registration (were applicable)
  6. Itemized Vendor Quote (Quote cannot be expired).
  7. Approval for printed materials
  8. Copy of mockup
  9. For a New Supplier include the following with your request:
  10. Non-routine Justification form signed by a Student Affairs member, for those purchases being made after the event has passed.
  11. ASAB will notify you regarding your purchase, along with steps to follow in order to complete your purchase.


Online Purchase Request

Return to Top
Online purchases are used to make purchases online on a purchasing card, except where the pcard guidelines prohibit. Only professional staff can use their pcard to make these types of purchases. Use the following steps to prepare your purchase request for submission to ASAB:
PLEASE NOTE: Food (other than prepackaged snacks), promotional, publication, or printed items (other than Toshiba on campus) can NOT be ordered online or purchased via P-card. Amazon and Office Depot orders must be submitted as general purchases.

  1. Provide list of items to be purchased
    At least 20 days prior to your event, fill the shopping cart on the website in which you would like to make the purchase and print out the cart. The print-out must contain the name of the website on it, itemized cost, and a total.
  2. If for an event, obtain an approved event registration
    The event registration should be made at least 17 business days before your event. Event registration is done via your organization’s or department Owl Central page.
  3. Submit your purchase request to ASAB
    Your purchase request must be submitted to the ASAB vial Owl Central at least 7 business days prior to your event and must contain the following:
  4. Completed Expense Justification Form (not required for RSOs)
  5. Approved Event Registration were applicable
  6. Copy of online shopping cart
  7. Non-routine Justification form signed by a Student Affairs member, for those purchases being made outside the submission deadlines.
  8. ASAB will notify you regarding your approved purchase along with next steps to follow in order to complete your purchase request.


Technology Purchase Request

Return to Top
A technology purchase is the purchase of computers, software, etc. Use the following steps to prepare your purchase request for submission to ASAB:

  1. Obtain a quote from Student Affairs Information Technology
    Submit a ticket to Student Affairs Technology at the following link to request a quote for the items you wish to purchase: http://www.fau.edu/student/technology/ (only a professional staff can submit a ticket).
  2. Submit your purchase request to ASAB
    Your purchase request must be submitted to ASAB via Owl Central and must contain the following:
  3. Completed Expense Justification Form (not required for RSOs)
  4. Vendor Quote from SA Marketing (Quote cannot be expired)
  5. For a New Supplier include the following with your request:
  6. Non-routine Justification form signed by a Student Affairs member, for those purchases being made outside the submission deadlines.
  7. ASAB will notify you regarding your purchase, along with steps to follow in order to complete your purchase


On Campus Department Purchase Request

Return to Top
An on campus department purchase request is used to pay or reimburse an on campus department other than Toshiba and the campus bookstore. Toshiba can only be paid with a pcard and the bookstore via pcard or requisition; use the following steps to prepare your purchase request for submission to ASAB:

  1. Obtain Quote from Department
    At least 30 days prior to your event, obtain a quote from the department providing the service or goods. For postage, obtain estimated cost at https://postcalc.usps.com/.
  2. If for an event, obtain an approved event registration The event registration should be made at least 17 business days before your event. Event registration is done via your organization’s or department’s Owl Central page.
  3. Submit your purchase request to ASAB Your purchase request must be submitted to the ASAB via Owl Central at least 7 business days prior to your event and must contain the following:
  4. Completed Expense Justification Form (not required for RSOs)
  5. Department Quote
  6. Approved Event Registration were applicable
  7. Non-routine Justification form signed by a Student Affairs member, for those purchases being made outside the submission deadlines.
  8. ASAB will notify you of regarding your purchase, along with steps to follow in order to complete your purchase.


FAU Trademark Business Cards or Name Badge Purchase Request

Return to Top
Use the following steps below to prepare your purchase request for submission to ASAB for official FAU Trademarked business cards or name badges:

  1. Obtain Price Business card prices can be found on the ASAB Business Card Form (https://www.fau.edu/sg/asab/documents/asab-business-card-form-2024.pdf) or Click here to download a name badge form.
  2. Submit your purchase request to ASAB via Owl Central Your purchase request must contain the following:
    1. Completed Expense Justification Form (not required for RSOs)
    2. Business card proof https://www.fau.edu/sg/asab/documents/asab-business-card-form-2024.pdf or name badge form
  3. ASAB will notify you regarding your purchase, along with steps to follow in order in to complete your purchase.



General Merchandise, Amazon, Office Depot, CDW, B&H Purchase Requests

Return to Top
General purchases are those purchases that do not fall in any of the above categories; Use this to make Amazon and Office Depot order. Use the following steps to prepare your purchase request for submission to ASAB:

  1. Verify that your vendor is registered with FAU
    At least 45 days prior to your event, contact ASAB, asab@fau.edu , to verify that the vendor is registered with FAU. If your vendor is not registered ASAB will assist you with getting your vendor registered.
  2. Obtain Quote from Vendor
  3. If for an event, obtain an approved event registration
    The event registration should be made at least 17 business days before your event. Event registration is done via your organization or department Owl Central page.
  4. Submit your purchase request to ASAB
    Your purchase request must be submitted to the ASAB via Owl Central at least 7 business days prior to your event and must contain the following:
  5. Completed Expense Justification Form (not required for RSOs)
  6. Itemized Vendor Quote (Quote cannot be expired)
  7. Approved Event Registration were applicable
  8. For a New Supplier include the following with your request:
  9. Non-routine Justification form signed by a Student Affairs member, for those purchases being made after the submission deadlines.
  10. ASAB will notify you of your approved purchase along with steps to following in order to complete your purchase request.



Staff Travel and Event Travel Purchase Request

Return to Top
Use the following steps to submit pre-approval for Staff Travel expenses and event expenses related to travel:

  1. Gather your estimated trip cost to include but not limited to: Airfare, hotel, ground transportation, etc.
    Obtain this information at least 30 days prior to your trip
  2. Obtain approved Notification to Travel (includes waivers)
    At least 30 days prior to travel, if students are traveling, obtain an approved Notification to Travel at www.fau.edu/studenttravel
  3. Obtain copy of event agenda or proof of event
  4. Submit your purchase request to ASAB
    Your purchase request must be submitted to the ASAB via Owl Central and must contain the following:
    • Completed Expense Justification Form (not required for RSOs)
    • Copy of event agenda or proof of event
    • Completed Staff Travel Form
    • Estimated Cost (if charter bus is being used, a copy of the executed contract)
    • Approved Notification to travel and waivers forms were applicable
    • For a New Supplier include the following with your request:
    • Non-routine Justification form signed by a Student Affairs member, for those purchases being made after the submission deadlines.
  5. ASAB will notify you regarding your purchase, along with steps to follow in order to complete your purchase.