General tips:
- Create a Purchasing Grover as early as possible (minimum of two weeks) and provide: event date and times, number of expected attendees, details about the required meals, and your desired catering.
- Work with Library Fiscal Services to order all food through Publix, Aramark, Classic Fare or PO to other suppliers. Fiscal will pay using the fund/account established by Conference Services. If you don't have funds from UF Distance & Continuing Education (DCE) to utilize, contact your chair or Associate Dean to identify funds you can utilize prior to the availability of registration funds.
- Food can be ordered from any vendor, but UF/Approved vendors are preferred: https://www.bsd.ufl.edu/catering/Caterers or https://uf.catertrax.com/
- If you choose to work with a new (non-approved) supplier, it is possible to have them listed as an approved vendor, but it takes time (1-5 days, or longer). Or you may ask the vendor if they can provide a “good faith” invoice to be paid after the event. The vendor setup is required to complete a W-9 and other related forms, then return to Fiscal Services. http://www.fa.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Supplier-Application-03-2019.pdf
- Generally speaking, if the vendor is not a UF authorized vendor or is unwilling to become one then it will be employee reimbursement only and the receipt should be routed to the Administration Dept if paying with Endowment Funds or to Fiscal if paying with any other type of Fund for Fiscal to pay receipt. Sales tax on food is reimbursable only if there is a clear business purpose.
Payments:
- Each of the payment types require event ad, list of attendees, signed receipt of who is getting reimbursed.
- Preference is to work with Library Fiscal Services to pay in advance (PO), employee reimbursement (for a non UF approved vendor) or Publix card.
- Paying with Foundation Funds, send receipt, event ad, and list of attendees via email to the Admin Dept. Misty Colson mcolson@uflib.ufl.edu and update Grover Ticket.
- Paying with any other type of funding send to lib-fsvcs@ufl.edu withholding the signed receipt of who paid, attendee list, flyer, and chartfield.
Additional:
- Beverages must be Pepsi products including Gatorade, Aquafina/etc : https://administrativememo.ufl.edu/2017/09/pepsi-contract-reminder-7/
- If Alcohol is at an event, the following form will need to be submitted prior to purchase approval: https://www.uff.ufl.edu/docview/?docid=2431
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Catered events require an event flyer & list of attendees as part of the support documentation.
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Your Chair or Associate Dean can help with identification of chart-fields/funds. Allowable funds for purchasing food include: 171 Foundation; 191 Student Government; various Auxiliary funds, various grants, if designated prior.
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Discretionary or Appropriated funds cannot purchase food.
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For smaller events (unless it is Starbucks Coffee through Classic Fare or pizza from a restaurant), food funding can be requested through the PR and Marketing Discretionary Fund at https://communications.uflib.ufl.edu/resources-for-library-employees/discretionary-fund-request-form/ (approx. a $200-250 max) and you can pick up small orders at Publix or place an order to be delivered through the Butler Plaza West Publix catering department (preferred). Publix catering will only deliver if a sandwich tray or bakery tray is included in the order.
- Consider offerings that include: Gluten-free, low/no sugar, vegan. A good mix can be: raisins, Lara bars, mixed nuts, dove dark chocolate, and/or fruit, depending on the event.
A few caterers/restaurants you might consider:
- Burrito Famous (taco bars is an easy way to serve picky eaters. They have a $12/pp taco bar that is excellent).
- Celebrations Catering (reasonable prices).
- Cacciatore Catering (the official caterer for the UF President. Expensive, but fabulous food for important events).
- Classic Fare (easy to process as it is a UF vendor, although more expensive. Work with Greg on having Classic Fare bill us directly. They will accept a chartfield instead of billing us with a PO).
- 5-Star Pizza or Dominos Pizza
