Grant Expenditure

Purchases orders are required for purchase of goods and services over $5,000. A purchase order is a guarantee from SFSU to pay a future invoice and is used to purchase supplies, equipment, services and so on. It should be set up in advance of the purchase (before an invoice is issued).  

To initiate a purchase order, obtain a quote from the vendor that will provide the supplies or services and send it to the grant support coordinator or grant administrator assigned to your project. We will use this quote to create a requisition in the CSUBuy system. Once approved, Procurement and Support Services issues the purchase order. 

Once the purchase order is issued, you can send it directly to the vendor to initiate the transaction. Once the vendor fulfills the order, the invoice will be circulated for approvals before payment can be issued.  

Confirm with your grant administrator whether a Procurement Card (P-Card) is recommended for your project, then complete a P-Card application. We will review and forward the application to Procurement and Support Services. If approved, you must attend a mandatory training before receiving the card. 

Cardholders must follow all guidelines, submit monthly reports for approval and return the card at the end of the project. The card will be cancelled if monthly reports are not submitted on time or if purchases are not permitted.  

A P-Card cannot be used to pay for hotels, transportation, firearms, hazardous chemicals, pets or gifts.  

In cases where payment via Procurement Card is not feasible, a direct payment for allowable transactions may be made for SFSU obligations up to $5,000. Consult with Accounts Payable for more information on allowable transactions. 

Employees who have spent their own money (up to $1,000) for certain project-related expenses can be reimbursed by submitting a request along with the required supporting documents via business reimbursement. Check with your grant administrator or grant support coordinator for expenses that can be reimbursed (services cannot be reimbursed).

Travel authorization is required for all employees and students prior to making reservations for airlines, hotels or car rentals. For more information about authorization, booking and reimbursement, contact your assigned grant administrator or Travel Services. Per SFSU policy, all travel must be approved and booked through Concur. 

ORSP Human Resources supports grant-funded faculty, students and staff. Contact an ORSP human resources administrator for more information on faculty reimbursed release time and additional pay or to learn about hiring procedures for students and staff.  

Subrecipient 

• Responsible for programmatic decision-making
• Responsible for adherence to applicable compliance requirements of the sponsored project
• Performance is measured against whether objectives of the sponsored project are met 

Vendor 

• Provides goods and services within normal business operations
• Provides similar goods and services to many different purchasers
• Provides goods and services that are ancillary to the sponsored project
• Operates in a competitive environment  

Independent Contractor 

• Not a CSU or SFSU employee and not hired as one
• Engaged in a distinct occupation, profession, business or trade not regularly part of University business
• Conducts work for an agreed-upon fee
• Does not only provide services to CSU or SFSU
• Supplies own tools, materials and workspace
• Not subject to compliance requirements of the sponsored project 

Special Consultant 

• Individual hired as an SFSU employee to complete a professional assignment which requires particular knowledge, ability or expertise
• Appointed when no other appropriate CSU classification is available 

Honoraria 

• Honoraria are primarily used to pay speakers and trainers related to a project and must be approved by SFSU Human Resources
• Honoraria are issued in a single, one-time payment
• SFSU staff are not eligible to be paid via honorarium 

Stipends 

• Stipends are payments to students and faculty for scholarship, training and professional development 
• Stipends for SFSU students must be approved by the Office of Student Financial Aid before payment can be issued on the 15th of each month
• Stipends for SFSU faculty must be approved by the Office of Faculty Affairs & Professional Development before payment can be issued
• SFSU staff are not eligible to be paid via stipend 

Tuition 

• Tuition can be paid to students (undergraduate or graduate) enrolled at SFSU
• Tuition can be paid in full and partial amounts
• A request for tuition to be covered for an individual student must be sent to your grant support coordinator prior to the start of the semester for which tuition is to be covered
• Final tuition amount (if full) is determined after the census date