Authorized and Unauthorized Purchases

The Purchasing Card (P-Card) is intended to facilitate miscellaneous, on-the-spot purchases that cannot go through the Purchase Order (PO) process. The P-Card is not intended to replace or bypass the Ignite Marketplace or PO process. Items purchased using the P-Card that are available in the Marketplace will not receive Baylor contract pricing. Cardholders should contact Procurement and Payment Services with any questions related to approved suppliers and appropriate payment methods. 

Purchases from international suppliers, for both goods and services, are not allowable on a Purchasing Card unless advance approval is obtained via the Foreign Supplier Purchase Request Form.

Allowable Purchases

1. Books/periodicals/magazines
2. Business/group meals
3. Catering orders with Chartwell's or Approved Caterers under $2,500
4. Conference registration fees
5. Emergency repairs
6. Florists
7. Local hotels for university guests
8. Professional dues & memberships
9. Shipping/freight/postage/couriers (imports that require customs must be pre-approved by Baylor P2P team)
10. Toll tag purchases or invoice payments (for Baylor owned or leased vehicles only) 

Unallowable Purchases

1. Alcohol or alcoholic beverages
2. Capital equipment (single item costing $5,000 or greater)
3. Cellular phones, phone services, or phone accessories
4. Charitable contributions
5. Computer hardware
6. Construction and renovation
7. Consulting services
8. Copiers, copier parts, and copier consumables (University-wide contracts exist for these items)
9. Faculty and staff travel expenses (Baylor's Travel Card is the preferred payment method for business travel expenses)
10. Firearms/ammunition
11. Gasoline or other fuel
12. Gifts/Gift Cards- refer to the Tax Manual
    1. Gifts to students may have an unintended effect on their financial aid
13. Individual social and merchant memberships which include a potential personal Cardholder benefit, (for example: Baylor Club, Sam’s Club, Amazon Prime, or LinkedIn memberships)
14. Insurance policies and premiums
15. Laboratory animals and animal-related purchases
16. Legal services
17. Non-conventional lodging
18. Personal expenses not related to university business
19. Prescription drugs or other controlled substances
20. Printing projects that exceed $10,000
21. Purchases for goods or services from foreign suppliers
22. Radioactive and hazardous materials
23. Real estate leases/purchases
24. Recruiting/temporary hiring services
25. Software not approved by ITS
26. Tax payments
27. Trade contractors