Procurement Services Auxiliary Services

Guidance

The following guidance applies to the Research Card (RCard):

  • The use of the RCard must adhere to specific Purdue University guidelines and policies as well as any special requirements of the project supported by the sponsored funds. In the event of non-compliance or abuse of the RCard, privileges will be suspended or terminated. Card holders, business offices, operation centers or central procurement staff are responsible for reporting non-compliance to Procurement Card Services for deactivation.
  • The RCard may be used for grant-funded purchases, and the limit for each transaction is $4,999. The intent of the card is not to circumvent the purchase order process, which is required for all items equal to or over $10,000. Splitting transactions to circumvent Purdue’s purchasing policy and procedures is strictly prohibited and will result in revocation of the card.
  • Projects may have various restrictions based on funding sources. Projects that have restrictive line-item budgets that require purchases and other activities will need to be carefully reviewed by the business office before incurring certain expenditures. The purchaser may not charge unallowable costs or costs generally considered indirect, such as offices supplies, unless specifically provided in an approved budget.
  • All purchases will be made after consideration and review of the current preferred vendors to ensure discounted pricing and diverse vendors are being utilized properly.
  • The following types of items may not be purchased with an RCard, regardless of the dollar amount:
    • Capital assets (any tangible item costing $5,000+ with an expected useful life of more than one year)
    • Chemicals or hazardous materials as defined by federal, state and city laws, including compressed gases, radioactive materials, nucleotides, peptides, growth media, controlled substances, restriction enzymes or biological organisms
    • Personal transactions
    • Personal service payments (due to tax reporting issues), including gift certificates, gifts for service, PayPal and MTurk (will need to be approved prior to purchasing)
    • Restricted commodities (PDF) listed in the Procurement Services Delegation Manual, including software and computers
    • Used equipment from auctions or eBay. Please contact Procurement Services for assistance with these types of purchases.
    • When a written agreement needs to be signed by a representative of the university, including a single purchase where legal terms and conditions are involved