Table of Contents

Related Resources

• Master Finance Sheet: WARG Financial Ledgers

• EMS Purchase Protocol: E3 Engineering Machine Shop Purchase Protocol

Important Notes

• You must get the approval of a sub-team lead before you make any purchase by creating a post in #⁠ops-purchase-reqs. Please ping your lead in your message.

• When choosing sources of funding, please use the sources that expires first. To verify the expiry of funds, consult the WARG Financial Ledgers spreadsheet > “EngSoc, MEF & WEEF Funds Ledger” sheet > “Total left (according to raw sheet)” column.

• For purchases over $100, please try to use the procurement process to minimize reimbursement time.

• All WARG purchases should be billed and delivered to our team bay:

Shipping Address

The following address should be used when shipping any WARG purchases:

Waterloo Aerial Robotics Group
Engineering 5, 1006
200 University Ave W
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1

If a contact phone number is required, please use Sarah Feeney’s number: 519-888-4567

General Purchasing Procedures

You must follow the steps described below when making any purchase for or on behalf of WARG.

Step 1: Approval

Please request and gain the approval of a Team Lead before you make any purchase via Discord by creating a post in #⁠ops-purchase-reqs. For each item, please indicate the following information:

1. Item link (if available) and quantity

2. Funding source (WEEF/EngSoc/MEF/Team Funds)

3. Funding account

4. Estimated cost

5. Ping relevant Leads and Directors

Step 2: Purchasing

Purchases can either be made via procurement or reimbursement. Procurement via the university’s financial manager should be used whenever possible. Reimbursement is logistically complex and should only be used when absolutely necessary.

Please see the section below corresponding to your chosen purchasing method.

Step 3: Filling out Ledgers

The WARG Financial Ledgers must be filled out after the purchase is completed. See specific instructions applicable to WEEF / EngSoc / MEF / Team Funds purchases. Important Notes:

a) Please record one Vendor per row, even if you’re currently making one big purchase from multiple vendors, and you’ll be using the same funding account.

b) Please record purchase cost in CAD.

Step 4: Receiving Items

In your #ops-purchase-reqs thread in Discord, send photos of the received item(s) and indicated where they were stored in the bay.

Procurement Procedure

Procurement purchases require the approval of the sub-team lead or director. If a purchase is being made by a team lead, the approval of another lead or director is required.

The procurement process is designed to alleviate individuals of financial burdens for purchases over $100. However, all purchases should be made via procurement if possible.

Step 1: Select Items

If possible, please add all items to a cart and copy the cart URL. Please ensure that your URL carries forward all the items in your cart. If your URL opens to an empty cart, please add the items to your cart using an incognito browser or clear your cache and cookies.

If a cart link cannot be created, you must provide a link for each product in your procurement request email. You must also indicate the quantity and price for each product, especially because the price can fluctuate between the time you send the email and the time the purchase is made.

If you have a pro-forma form from the vendor, who quoted the prices and quantities of everything you’ll buy, please send the pro-forma form document instead of a URL link of your cart.

Step 2: Procurement Email

Send an email to uwarg@uwaterloo.ca using the following template:

Hello,
I hope this email finds you well.
WARG’s [your sub-team] team would like to order:

• [Product Full Name] / [Size] (if applicable) / Company / [Price] / [Quantitiy] / [URL]

• [Insert new bullet for each item in order]

The total cost of this order is $[cost] CAD. Please bill to [account name]. Please let us know the purchase’s final cost, as some items may change prices from the time this email is sent to when the purchase is made.
Thank you for your assistance.
Best,
[Your name]

For example:

Hello,
I hope this email finds you well.
WARG’s electrical team would like to order:

• XT60PW-M - Transfer Multisort Elektronik – electronic shop (~$25) QTY(25) https://www.tme.com/ca/en/details/xt60pw-m/dc-power-connectors/amass/

The total cost of this order is $25 CAD. Please bill to “WEEF - EE PCB Components – W22-241”. Please let us know the purchase’s final cost, as some items may change prices from the time this email is sent to when the purchase is made.
Thank you for your assistance.
Best,
Georgia Westerlund

Your email email will be validated by the operations team before being forwarded to the SDC’s financial manager. Operations will copy your email address on the message so you’ll be notified of a reply.

Step 3: Fill out Ledgers

WEEF: Consult the WEEF Funds section and follow steps 1,3,4 there regarding account selection, filling out the internal ledger, and obtaining the table of allocation.

MEF: Consult the MEF Funds section and follow all the steps there, except filling out the expense claim form (see note below). Since the item(s) haven’t been purchased yet, please enter the estimated purchase cost on the excel sheet as the cost. And, mark the status of your purchase as “Awaiting final cost” under the purchase status column. A WARG representative will update the actual purchase cost on your behalf after the purchase is complete.

Team Funds: Consult the Team Funds section and follow all the steps there. Since the item(s) haven’t been purchased yet, please enter the estimated purchase cost on the excel sheet as the cost. And, mark the status of your purchase as “Awaiting final cost” under the purchase status column. A WARG representative will update the actual purchase cost on your behalf after the purchase is complete.

Reimbursement Procedure

Reimbursement should only be used in the rare cases when procurement is not possible or impractical. Please save your bank statements, documents, shipping address, tracking number, etc. Make sure documents such as bank statements include your name, to verify you are the purchaser.

• Claim numbers are auto-generated and should be unique, there should only be a list of numbers with no other symbols.

• Gas reimbursement should be placed in the "Travel" category, Others are for all other expenses.

• There needs to be a signature on the claimant section.

• The bank statement needs to show your name, date, and last 4 digits of your card. If your bank statement isn’t ready yet, you can show a screenshot from your account showing the transaction (as long as the transaction is completed and not still in “pending” status).

• Receipts provided need to show the date of purchase and match the last 4 digits of the credit card.

• Everything needs to be combined into a single PDF file. You can use: https://combinepdf.com/

• If you are attaching an e-statement as proof of purchase, please blur out the unrelated transactions.

Amazon Orders

You can use the Amazon order summary details instead of the invoice; it has all the required information.

 Finding Amazon Final Details

Amazon-specific instruction and photo credits go to Sarah R. Feeney

Source-Specific Purchasing

Using EngSoc funds require the approval of a sub-team lead. If a purchase is being made by a team lead, the approval of another lead or director is required.

Step 1: Verify Remaining Funds

Verify that the account you are trying to purchase from has funds remaining. Please consult the WARG Financial Ledgers > EngSoc, MEF & WEEF Funds Ledger > Total left (according to raw sheet).

Always use the oldest possible account that is applicable to your purchase. EngSoc funding expires after 1 year from the date it was first provided.

Step 2: Make Purchase

Please save the following information when you make your purchase:

a) The invoice or Order confirmation showing the supplier name and date of purchase, etc.

b) Shipping confirmation or packing slip for the order if the invoice does not show the item has been shipped.

Fill out the sponsorship claim form, put the sponsorship claim form, invoice/order confirmation, and credit card statement into a single pdf, then drop the doc share link on the claim form.

Step 3: Fill out Ledgers

Item/service that requires purchase → Save your receipt. Please provide the following:

I advise you to look over the EngSoc Sponsorship Claim Form attached below to ensure you record/have all the information needed from your purchase to fill out the form. On the receipt it must be clear you paid for the item. You must also include a credit card statement showing the expense (also showing that YOU paid for it).

3. Fill in the “EngSoc, MEF & WEEF Raw” page of the excel spreadsheet, up until you finish filling out the “Purchase Authorizer Name” part.

EngSoc:

Note:

• On the sponsorship claim form, FILL OUT ANY CELL THAT HAS AN X, FILL OUT THE REASON FOR REQUEST AND FILL OUT THE EXPENSE TABLE.

• If the invoice does not show the item has been shipped, please also provide the invoice/order confirmation with the shipping confirmation or packing slip in the pdf.

Step 4: Email Claim Form

Using your university email address, send your sponsorship claim form and receipt to uwarg@uwaterloo.ca using the following template:

Subject line: "EngSoc Reimbursement for [account used]"

Hello,

I am submitting a claim for WARG's EngSoc [account number, name of item] reimbursement. I have attached the required documentation.

I, [your name], certify that all expenditures in this claim adhere to the University's policies, were incurred by me for University purposes, and have not been/will not be reimbursed from another source.

Thank you for your assistance.
Best,

[Your name]

Operations will then forward the email to vpfinance@engsoc.uwaterloo.ca for you. We will copy your email address on the message so you’ll be notified of a reply.

WEEF and EngSoc funds require the approval of a lead. In the case that the purchase is made by a lead, the approval of another lead is required.

• This process is based on reimbursement. For procurement, please see steps 1, 3, and 4 that are specific to using a WEEF account to make a procurement request.

• If possible, ship items to the WARG bay. The full address can be found above.

1.Verify that the item you are trying to purchase has funding, always use the oldest possible funds as they expire. Please go to: WARG Financial Ledgers spreadsheet > “EngSoc, MEF & WEEF Funds Ledger” sheet > “Total left (according to raw sheet)” column.

1. WEEF funding expires after 2 years

   1. EngSoc funding expires after 1 year

2. Item/service that requires purchase → Save your receipt. Please provide the following:

a) The invoice or Order confirmation showing the supplier name and date of purchase, etc.

b) Shipping confirmation or packing slip for the order if the invoice does not show the item has been shipped.

I advise you to look over the Expense Claim Form attached below to ensure you record/have all the information needed from your purchase to fill out the form. On the receipt it must be clear you paid for the item. You must also include a credit card statement showing the expense (also showing that YOU paid for it).

3. For both WEEF reimbursement and procurement: Fill in the “EngSoc, MEF & WEEF Raw” page of the excel spreadsheet, up until you finish filling out the “Purchase Authorizer Name” part.

For WEEF reimbursement only : Fill out the expense claim form (for undergraduate students), put the expense claim form + invoice/order confirmation + shipping confirmation/packing slip + credit card statement/screenshot showing purchase + table of allocations into 1 pdf, then drop the doc share link on that page.

Note about the expense claim form:

• On the expense claim form, FILL OUT ANY CELL THAT HAS AN X, FILL OUT THE REASON FOR REQUEST AND FILL OUT THE EXPENSE TABLE. 

The Expense Table looks like this. Please change the date, description, and dollar amounts to match your purchase. Also, please indicate whether an advance has been issued to you.

4. Attach a screen shot of WARG's current table of allocations You may find the documents here under Past funding proposals (Documents | Waterloo Engineering Endowment Foundation | University of Waterloo (uwaterloo.ca)).

See sample attachment below*

• If the invoice does not show the item has been shipped, please also provide the invoice/order confirmation with the shipping confirmation or packing slip in the pdf.

5. Using your university email address, please send the PDF with the email template in the description to : uwarg@uwaterloo.ca . We will then forward the email to studentdesigncentreengineering@uwaterloo.ca for you and cc your email address so you’ll immediate get WEEF Funds’ reply email!

Subject line: "WEEF Reimbursement for [NAME OF ACCOUNT USED]"

Template:

"Hello! I am submitting a claim for WARG's WEEF - [NAME + NUMBER OF ACCOUNT USED] reimbursement - I have attached the required documentation.

I, [name], certify that all expenditures in this claim adhere to the University's policies, were incurred by me for University purposes, and have not been/will not be reimbursed from another source."

Note: Please make sure you use the WEEF account name and number, not the description of the item being purchased. This is really important to make sure your purchase goes to the correct account.

Sample account name: WEEF - Airframe -W21-167

MEF has a lot of associated paperwork. Using it for large purchases through procurement offloads the paperwork from you as the individual and allows the engineering department to handle it.

MEF funds require the approval of a lead. In the case that the purchase is made by a lead, the approval of another lead is required.

• This process is based on reimbursement. If possible, please use the procurement process listed below, since it makes paperwork for MEF funds easier.

• If possible, ship items to the WARG bay. The full address can be found above.

1. Verify that the item you are trying to purchase has MEF funding, always use the oldest possible funds as they expire. Please go to: WARG Financial Ledgers spreadsheet > “EngSoc, MEF & WEEF Funds Ledger” sheet > “Total left (according to raw sheet)” column.

2. Item/service that requires purchase → If you want to buy the item(s) using MEF fundings, you must first buy the item(s) using our team account. Save your receipt, bank statement, etc. Note: UWARG would reimburse the buyer asap, then MEF would reimburse UWARG for all the MEF-funded purchases in 1 round, at the end of the 1-year period.

3. Fill in the “EngSoc, MEF & WEEF” Raw page of that excel spreadsheet, up until you finish filling out the “Purchase Authorizer Name” part. Since MEF reimburses all the payments to WARG once at the end of a given time period, and we would like to reimburse back our purchasers sooner that that , WARG will give you the reimbursement $ from our team funds. In this case , please request a reimbursement from team funds, provide an expense claim form package, and in the expense claim form’s “Destination/ Reason for Request” section , put down MEF full account name and its proposal number, along with “Team Funds”.

For example, “MEF F23 #1239-20-0031” and “Team Funds” to help both we and the university (representative : Sarah) keep track of claims when we submit it to MEF.

4. Since WARG will be reimbursing you immediately using our team funds, please fill out the “Team Funds Raw” page of that excel spreadsheet for the MEF purchase , up until you finish filling out the “Purchaser’s First Name” part. Fill out the expense claim form (for undergraduate students), put the expense claim form + invoice/order confirmation + shipping confirmation/packing slip + credit card statement/screenshot showing purchase into 1 pdf, then drop the pdf share link on that page.

Note: On the expense claim form, FILL OUT ANY CELL THAT HAS AN X, FILL OUT THE REASON FOR REQUEST AND FILL OUT THE EXPENSE TABLE. 

The Expense Table looks like this. Please change the date, description, and dollar amounts for your purchase. Also, please indicate whether an advance has been issued to you.

5.Send the relevant documents with the email template in the description to  uwarg@uwaterloo.ca

Note: Attach the receipt ( Must show seller and purchased item), and a bank statement ( showing your name and the purchase , you can blur out all other transactions) into the email.

Using your university email address, email the PDF file that combined the

Expense Claim Form, Receipts, Proof of purchase (eg. Bank statement screenshot that shows your purchase) and send to uwarg@uwaterloo.ca with the following message:

“My name is [name] from WARG. I am sending this Expense Claim Form to get reimbursed for [item/service name] from the team funds.

I, [name] certify that all expenditures in this claim adhere to the University’s policies, were incurred by me for University purposes, and have not been/will not be reimbursed from another source. ".

Notes:

• We will then forward the email to studentdesigncentreengineering@uwaterloo.ca for you and cc your email address so you’ll immediate get reply email!

• Please make sure you use the WEEF account name and number, not the description of the item being purchased. This is really important to make sure your purchase goes to the correct account. Sample account name: WEEF - Airframe -W21-167

Team funds require the approval of the team lead or technical director. In the case that this purchase is for the team lead, the approval of another lead is required.

Note: Do NOT use this form for parts/components/specific items unless the team lead or technical director has explicitly told you to use team funds. Use WEEF/EngSoc funds (see above)

• This process is based on reimbursement.

1. Item/service that requires purchase → Save your receipt. I advise you to look over the Expense Claim Form (for undergraduate students) attached below to ensure you record/have all the information needed from your purchase to fill out the form. On the receipt, it must be clear you paid for the item. You must also include a credit card statement showing the expense (also showing that YOU paid for it).

2. Fill out the “Team Funds Raw” page of that excel spreadsheet , up until you finish filling out the “Purchaser’s First Name” part. Fill out the expense claim form (for undergraduate students), put the expense claim form + invoice/order confirmation + shipping confirmation/packing slip + credit card statement/screenshot showing purchase into 1 pdf, then drop the pdf share link on that page.

Note: On the expense claim form, FILL OUT ANY CELL THAT HAS AN X, FILL OUT THE REASON FOR REQUEST AND FILL OUT THE EXPENSE TABLE. 

The Expense Table looks like this. Please change the date, description, and dollar amounts for your purchase. Also, please indicate whether an advance has been issued to you.

Note: MEF purchases wouldn’t require providing the pdf share link. No expense claim form needs to be filled out.

4. Send the relevant documents with the email template in the description to  uwarg@uwaterloo.ca

Note: Attach the receipt ( Must show seller and purchased item), and a bank statement ( showing your name and the purchase , you can blur out all other transactions) into the email.

5. Using your university email address, email the PDF file that combined the Expense Claim Form, Receipts, Proof of purchase (eg. Bank statement) and send to uwarg@uwaterloo.ca with the following message:

“My name is [name] from WARG. I am sending this Expense Claim Form to get reimbursed for [item/service name] from the team funds.

I, [name] certify that all expenditures in this claim adhere to the University’s policies, were incurred by me for University purposes, and have not been/will not be reimbursed from another source. ".

Notes:

• We will then forward the email to studentdesigncentreengineering@uwaterloo.ca for you and cc your email address so you’ll immediate get reply email!

• Please make sure you use the WEEF account name and number, not the description of the item being purchased. This is really important to make sure your purchase goes to the correct account. Sample account name: WEEF - Airframe -W21-167

• If reimbursement includes fuel expense, please add “all fuels are purchased for University Vehicles." to the email.

Frequency Asked Questions