Fiscal Year End may be full of dates and timelines, but today, we're highlighting five incredible procurement resources available to you for FYE and YEAR-ROUND! These tools and resources are designed to make your daily work smoother and more efficient - so please take advantage of them - we're ready to help!
Weekly Office Hours – Get Your Procurement Questions Answered
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UPST Office Hours (Tuesdays, 11 AM – 12 PM)
Every Tuesday, UPST hosts virtual office hours where you can get real-time answers to your procurement-related questions. Representatives from various UPST teams are available in breakout rooms to provide direct support. These sessions are informal, conversation-based, and don’t follow a formal presentation. You can move between breakout rooms as needed, making them a great resource - especially during Fiscal Year End. If you haven’t attended yet, consider joining the next session whenever you have questions or need guidance.
The following UPST teams are available during office hours:
- Accounts Payable
- Bank Card
- Contracts
- Requisitions & Purchase Orders
- Service & Quality (including Business Associates)
- Supplier Relationship Management
- Travel & Expense
Register for an upcoming session or sign up for the full series now.
Concur Office Hours (Mondays, 3 PM – 4 PM)
Need help navigating Concur? Join the virtual office hours every Monday - no pre-registration required. Simply drop into the ongoing Zoom meeting to get live support.
Coffee Hour with Administration and Finance (A&F)
Once a month, the UMass President’s Office A&F department hosts a session to discuss current and upcoming projects, system-wide transitions, and important updates. These meetings are open to all UMass community members, including leadership, faculty, and staff. In the months of April, May, and June, the sessions are dedicated to important dates and processes related to FYE, so mark the dates now!
Register for an upcoming session or watch past recordings on the UPST website.
Custom Training – Tailored to Your Needs
UPST regularly offers training sessions, including our bi-weekly BuyWays training. But did you know we can customize sessions to meet your department or team’s specific needs? Need to know how to enter and submit a requisition? How about submit direct payments and invoices, create a contract request, or submitting a supplier request? If your team has recurring procurement questions or unique challenges, we’re happy to create a training session just for you.
Email us to discuss your training needs, and we’ll take it from there.
Case Self-Service – Track Your Requests Anytime
Want an easy way to check the status of your procurement requests? Our self-service case system lets you view all your submitted cases—not just those with UPST. You can check updates, follow up on requests, and stay informed on case progress.
Bookmark this Self-Service link for quick access to all your cases.
24/7 Support from Buddy – Your AI Procurement Assistant
Buddy, UPST’s AI-powered virtual assistant, is available 24/7 to help with procurement-related questions. You can find Buddy on any UPST webpage in the bottom right side. Buddy can assist with:
- Answering questions related to UPST website content
- Using the Payment Status tool
- Providing Commodity/Account Code Crosswalk support
- Creating a Case
- Procurement policy guidance (Bank Card Use Standards, Procurement Policy, BTE Policy)
No need to wait for business hours - Buddy is here whenever you need support.
These five resources are here to make procurement easier and more efficient for you. Take advantage of them, and as always, help is just an email away. Reach out to upst@umassp.edu with any questions or concerns.