UC Procurement AI Assistant
The UC Procurement AI Assistant is designed to make it easier to get answers to your procurement and UC Policy questions. While the assistant is still in its initial release, it already offers helpful guidance. Your use of the tool, along with your feedback, will directly shape how it improves and expands. With Berkeley leading this effort, we have a unique opportunity to guide future enhancements that will benefit the entire UC system.
Once you log in to BearBUY, you can access the AI assistant directly from your Shopping Dashboard, where it’s available under Organization Messages. This new AI tool reflects Berkeley’s ongoing commitment to making UC administrative processes easier to navigate. By using AI thoughtfully, we aim to improve efficiency, support better decision-making, and continuously enhance the tools you rely on.
A built-in feedback form allows you to easily submit comments or suggestions. As you explore the tool, you’re welcome to include minimal sensitive information—classified as P1 data. However, please do not include any low, moderate or highly sensitive information—anything above the P1 classification level. For more guidance, visit Berkeley’s Data Classification Standard page.
Travel and Entertainment Processing
The target audience for this new site is event planners, travelers and preparers who submit approval requests to the EVCP office, however there are links to campus policies and FAQs that are relevant for the broader campus community. Those involved in travel and entertainment planning and reporting can familiarize themselves with some common pitfalls and thus avoid situations where expenses cannot be reimbursed. The goal is to reduce back-and-forth between the preparer, reviewer and the traveler or host, leading to faster approval turnaround times and fewer instances of needing to correct forms, re-collect signatures, or spend additional time obtaining acceptable forms of documentation after the fact.
The site also includes pilot versions of:
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a pre-approval form for exceptional entertainment to guide event planners through the documentation process
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a per-person cost calculation sheet for complex entertainment events
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a form generator for meals and events at The Faculty Club and the Women's Faculty Club
with more to come.
Please visit https://evcp.berkeley.edu/programs-resources/travel-entertainment-guidelines
Project Work and Temp Professional Services
Supply Chain Management has partnered with UpWork so that departments may hire professional Freelancers for projects or occasional work. This could be especially useful for researchers as the contracting and payment process can be very slow due to our processes.
Essentially you put your SOW in Upwork, get a quote and select an individual, select the individual/quote create a Req for Upwork, and issue the PO. UpWork has Insurance, will pay the individual/contractor, and performs Visual Compliance checks and Background checks if needed. More information can be found at https://supplychain.berkeley.edu/getting-started-upwork-bearbuy
Research Streamlining Initiative by Professional Schools Region (ProS)
The Research Streamlining Initiative is the result of a working group composed of ProS staff who volunteered their time and efforts to document some of these processes that were cited as the most pressing “pain points,” to resolve some discrepancies, and to surface solutions being exhibited on other UC campuses.
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Vetted Vendors list, which includes vendors with current CoIs on file, and categorized by area of procurement, with their Vendor ID added to the spreadsheet.