Date:    April 19, 2004

To:       Provosts, Vice Presidents, Deans, Directors and Department Chairs

From:   Karen Kavanagh
            Executive Vice President for Administrative Affairs

Re:      Incidental Retail Purchases Using Personal or Petty Cash Funds

Effective immediately, the personal funds purchase policy has been amended to allow the reimbursement of personal funds for incidental retail purchases up to $500, including sales tax. The revised policy can be found by accessing the purchasing guidelines for "small dollar incidental purchases" and "personal funds purchases" at http://procure.rutgers.edu . Similarly, individuals may also be reimbursed for these purchases from petty cash funds.

This change gives departments the authority to purchase appropriate and necessary retail items up to $500 in a convenient and expeditious manner. Purchases made with personal funds will be reimbursed provided an itemized receipt is attached to an approved Travel and Business Expense Report (TABER). Reimbursement from petty cash funds should follow the policy guidelines in University Regulation 6.1.7 available online at http://ruweb.rutgers.edu/regulations/ .

Departments should be aware that personal and petty cash funds may not be used to purchase the following:

        *       Alterations or repairs to buildings
        *       Non-University standard interior or exterior building graphics
        *       Furniture, carpeting, and window treatments
        *       Consulting services
        *       Equipment requiring a utilities hook-up
        *       Controlled substances, radioactive materials, or hazardous waste disposal
        *       Importation of equipment
        *       Inspection of service of fire suppression systems
        *       Leases
        *       Plaques to be affixed on buildings or University-owned property and monuments
        *       Graphic design services for the creation of a new logo, word mark, nonstandard
                business cards or stationery, or visual identity

Departments should continue to use the standard University purchase order as the primary procurement method; business-related purchases from personal funds should be made in limited instances.

Questions about reimbursement with petty cash funds may be directed to the accounting office at 732/445-2029; questions about reimbursement for incidental retail purchases may be directed to the individual campus purchasing departments:

        New Brunswick/Piscataway       732/932-4375
        Newark                                    973/353-5338
        Camden                                   856/225-6140