UCIBuy+

UCIBuy+ was updated over the weekend, introducing key enhancements to improve accessibility compliance, streamline approval notifications, increase transparency in purchase order distribution, and enhance procurement flexibility.

Accessibility Compliance Update

To support evolving federal and university accessibility guidelines, Purchasing Requests and PALCard Exception Requests now include redesigned accessibility screening questions. These new questions will more accurately identify purchases requiring accessibility review and support clearer workflow tracking and status visibility.

For more information about digital accessibility compliance, see Vice Chancellor Kirsten K. Quanbeck's message from April 20, 2026, as well as the Preparing for an Accessibility Risk Review page of the UCI Accessibility website. 

What's New?

• Users will be prompted to answer updated accessibility screening questions, including expanded review criteria wording to clearly reference software, websites, online platforms, services, and equipment. We’ve also added a new confirmation acknowledgment question regarding accommodation responsibility.
• Depending on your answers to the questions, updated workflow will automatically route the request for a required accessibility review when:
  • More than 10 users will use the product or service.
  • The product or service will be used by the public.
  • The product or service will be used by individuals with disabilities.
  • The department does not confirm accommodation support responsibilities.

• The Supplier Validation section now includes updated Accessibility Review Status values to better reflect review progress and exception handling.

Enhanced Workflow Email Notifications

To support faster approval processing, workflow notifications have been expanded to provide more useful information directly in email communications. Users can use this feature to improve inbox filtering and prioritization. It also gives greater visibility into approval responsibilities.

What's New?

• System emails from UCIBuy+ related to approval and workflow are more detailed. The new emails are easier to filter using inbox rules and have improved readability.
• Financial Approver 2 and Financial Approver 3 notifications now display account or org value information directly in the subject line.

Viewing and Managing PO Distribution

With this update, Purchase Order distribution information is now visible to all users, granting more transparency into order distribution information. Additionally, authorized buyers can now edit supplier emails for NON-CATALOG suppliers only. These changes should reduce the need for downstream corrections and improve buyer efficiency.  

What’s New?

• Buyers can now manage PO Distribution directly on requisitions, based on role permissions. The authorized roles are:
  • Central Buyers
  • Central Procurement Managers
  • Department Buyers
  • Specialty Buyers
• Warning messages are displayed upon checkout to remind key submitters to NOT modify catalog supplier distribution settings. Additional guidance and help text have been added throughout the distribution management process.

Required Training: Watch this short PO Distribution Training video before attempting to manage PO distribution information.

Payment Terms Management

Payment terms are now visible to all users and can be updated directly from requisitions for authorized procurement personnel. This should improve purchasing flexibility, reduce post-submission adjustments, and grant greater visibility into supplier payment requirements.

What's New?

• Payment terms are visible to all users, and buyers with the following roles can update Payment terms directly on the requisition:
  • Central Buyers
  • Central Procurement Managers
  • Specialty Buyers
• UCIBuy+ now also includes additional validation and guidance to help prevent invalid custom values.

Central Buyer Assignment Improvements

The system now assigns a single central buyer for most form-based requisitions. This update aligns system behavior with Central Procurement business practices and should reduce confusion among central buyers and minimize duplicate approval routing.

What's New?

• Form-based requisitions now route based on the commodity code associated with the line containing the Purchasing Request form.
• Additional commodity codes on the requisition on other lines will no longer route to additional central buyers.
• Catalog orders continue to route by commodity code at the line level.
• Routing to Central Buyer for Freight Fees and Material Packing & Handling commodity codes has been removed.

This release introduces enhancements to PALCard workflows, strengthens validation controls between Purchasing Request (PR) data and intake forms, and improves data governance for key custom fields. The update is focused on reducing approval redundancy, improving compliance, and preventing data inconsistencies.

PALCard Exception Form Enhancements

• Added Division field with IR division selection.
• Removed unnecessary Privacy and Insurance questions for P3/P4 scenarios.
• Added conditional guidance messaging for:
  • Software-related P3/P4 selections
  • Data access-related P3/P4 selections

PALCard Exception Workflow Logic Improvements

• Added Certified UISL review to PALCard Exception workflow, enabling unit-level review and conditional bypass of OIT InfoSec review for low-risk items.
• Adjusted InfoSec routing to skip OIT InfoSec review when Certified UISL exists and protection level is P1/P2.

Supplier Data Validation Improvements

• Introduced validation warnings for mismatches between PR values and Purchasing Request intake form data.
• Applies to:
  • Supplier validation fields (SSPR, Small Business, Export Control, InfoSec, Privacy, Accessibility)
  • Covered Services flag
• New validation messages triggered for blank or “Not Applicable” selections that conflict with intake form data.

Custom Field Enhancements

• Restricted ability to set personal default values for critical custom fields:
  • Purchase Class, Agreement Type, Wage Rules
  • SSPR, Small Business, Subject-to-Review fields
• Removed existing saved defaults from user profiles.

After-the-Fact PO Custom Field Updates

• Standardized values to organizational-only selections:
  • Goods/services completed
  • Goods/services already started
  • Unauthorized signature
• Removed free-text and user-created values
• Updated permissions:
  • Edit access limited to Department, Central, and Specialty Buyers
  • View-only access for other roles

PALCard Validation & Compliance Controls

• Added checkout validation rules informing users about PALCard Exception forms when:
  • Purchase exceeds $5,000
  • Restricted items are included
• Introduced explicit validation errors for inconsistent or invalid field selections across multiple compliance categories.

PALCard Workflow Simplification

• Removed redundant central reviewer approval steps (e.g., FM, EHS, Equipment, InfoSec) for PR-based PALCard requests involving restricted items or >$5K.
• Eliminated “Finalize PALCard Purchase” step for IR9007 – Libraries.

Behavior Changes

• Users can no longer:
  • Set personal defaults on key compliance-related fields
  • Enter free-text values for After-the-Fact PO
• Certified UISLs will be instructed to reject PALCard Exception requests with P3/P4 classification