Special Purchases

Some purchases are unique and have special requirements. Listed below are some common purchases with additional information needed.

University funds may be used to pay for meals and refreshments if the request clearly complies with Subpart C., Expenses Covered, in Minnesota State System Procedure 5.20.1

All food expenses must have an attached Special Expense Form

 Special Note Regarding Chartwells (aka Compass Group): 
  1. Chartwells has exclusive catering rights for all catered events in Kryzsko Commons. To relinquish their exclusive catering rights for a specific, pre-identified event, there must to be a mutual, written agreement between WSU and Chartwells.
  2. Chartwells has non-exclusive catering rights for catered events at locations other than Kryzsko Commons on the WSU campus. It is expected that WSU shall consider Chartwells when selecting a caterer for locations other than Kryzsko Commons. 

Gifts & Donations

Gifts and donations for any student or employee can be purchased with private funds. These cannot be purchased with State funds.

Gifts and donations include but are not limited to:

  • Celebration (Thank you, Birthday, wedding, baby, graduation, retirement) gifts or parties
  • Flowers
  • Donations to organizations

Club cost centers, Fundraising cost centers and the WSU Foundation may have more flexibility.


Commencement Celebrations

Academic departments, colleges and student support programs can celebrate the graduating students in their respective areas with a modest reception in conjunction with a commencement as per Subpart C, 4.

View the full Board Procedure on food for more details.

Any graduation celebrations for student workers or individual students can be purchased with private funds only. State funds cannot be used for these celebrations.


Payments & Prizes

Here is the general process for an approved giveaway:

1. Use the chart below to explore more details about your anticipated prize recipients, and the prize type. Please talk to the Business Office about the specifics of your giveaway before making any prize purchases or before launching the promotion:

    • All giveaways should be designed to be as open and inclusive to all of campus as possible (all students are eligible to participate, etc.)
    • Choosing a winner should be as random or unbiased as possible (use a random number generator, etc.)
    • Document the giveaway process or judging criteria, how the winner(s) will be chosen and who the judges will be (if applicable), the exact prize(s) and their value(s)
    • Attach copies of the flyer or advertising for the event or contest. Provide as much documentation as you can for auditing purposes.
2. Have the event and choose the winner(s).

3. Send an email to purchasing@winona.edu with all documentation listed above. 

4. Send an email to the winner(s) requesting they complete a W-9 with their information and return it to the Business Office, Somsen 106, with information regarding what prize(s) they won. The current form can be found at www.irs.gov

5. When all steps are completed, confirm with the Business Office that the prize winner(s) have turned in their W-9.

6. The prize(s) can now be handed out. Download the Gifts and Prizes Roster  (PDF) and have the winner(s) fill in their full name and signature in order to distribute the prize(s). The final roster then needs to be sent to the Business Office, Somsen 106.

Recipient
 Prize Type
 Next Steps
Student "Payment" for some type of work completed (being interviewed, completing a survey, volunteering their time, etc.)
Any dollar amount		 Items and/or gift cards cannot be awarded.

Contact Student Payroll to process payment.
Student
 Random Prize or Judged Contest
Items valued at $25 or less		 Cash payment cannot be awarded.

If you are giving out gift card(s):
  1. Pick your winner(s).
  2. Must have roster with full name(s) and signature(s) before handing out any gift card(s).
  3. Turn the roster in to the Business Office. 
If you are giving out prize/swag (T-shirts, mugs, pens, keychains, etc.):
No further action needed.
Student 
 Random Prize or Judged Contest
Items valued at $25.01 or more		 Cash payment cannot be awarded.

If you are giving out gift card(s):
  1. Pick your winner(s).
  2. Provide W-9 and gift card detail to the Business Office before handing out any gift card(s).
  3. Must have roster with full name(s) and signature(s) before handing out any gift card(s).
  4. Turn the roster in to the Business Office. 
If you are giving out any item(s) valued at $25.01 or more:
Provide W-9 and prize/swag detail to the Business Office before handing out any items.
Faculty & Staff
"Payment" for some type of work completed (being interviewed, completing a survey, volunteering their time, etc.)
Items valued at $25 or less		 Cash payment cannot be awarded.

If you are giving out any item(s):
  1. Must have roster with full name(s) and signature(s) before handing out any prize/swag (T-shirts, mugs, pens, keychains, etc.) in to gift card(s). 
  2. Turn the roster in to the Business Office. 
Faculty & Staff "Payment" for some type of work completed (being interviewed, completing a survey, volunteering their time, etc.)
$25.01 or more		 Items and/or gift cards cannot be awarded.

Contact HR to process payment on Payroll.
Faculty & Staff Random Prize or Judged Contest
Items valued at $25 or less		 Cash payment cannot be awarded.

If you are giving out gift card(s):
  1. Pick your winner(s).
  2. Must have roster with full name(s) and signature(s) before handing out any gift card(s).
  3. Turn the roster in to the Business Office. 
If you are giving out prize/swag (T-shirts, mugs, pens, keychains, etc.):
No further action needed.
Faculty & Staff Random Prize or Judged Contest
Items valued at $25.01 or more		 Gift cards cannot be awarded.

If you are giving out any item(s) valued at $25.01 or more:
Provide W-9 and prize/swag detail to the Business Office before handing out any items.

Contact HR to process payment on Payroll. 
Non-WSU Individuals
(not Staff, Faculty, or Student)		 “Payment” for some type of work completed (being interviewed, completing a survey, volunteering their time, etc.) Refer to the Contracts page.
Non-WSU Individuals
 Random Prize or Judged Contest  No options for this. 
Members of the public cannot win prize/swag/gift cards, etc.
Reconsider the setup of your giveaway. 

Furniture

I would like to purchase new furniture; is a facilities contract required?

If your furniture purchase includes or requires the vendor to assemble or install the items on campus or to physically modify state property or facilities, then a facilities contract is required. If the furniture to be purchased can simply be delivered or dropped off by the vendor, then the purchase can be processed through a purchase order directly with the Business Office.

Request for New Construction or Renovation


Office Supplies

Office supplies may be purchased from your vendor of choice using a Marketplace purchase order or a University issued Credit Card.

The WSU Bookstore also has a variety of office supplies conveniently located in the lower level of Kryzsko Commons.

  • For printing jobs, contact the Print Shop at 507.457.5029, located in Somsen 112 as your first vendor.
  • For printing orders over $1,000, contact WSU Creative Services at 507.457.5025, located in Somsen 205, and they will assist with specifications, quotes, or bids when applicable. 
  • Quotes/bids are required for large printing orders; see the guidelines for Purchase Orders

WSU ITS has continually put system security at the top of our list. The subject of technology-related purchases is a topic which needs to be continually revisited.

If you are intending to purchase any hardware device that may store campus data or connect to our network, please contact IT Data Security first to help ensure everything will function correctly and legally in our environment. Many things that may work at home may not work at enterprise scale or meet our legal obligations.

Hardware purchases need to go through a pre-purchase governance process to ensure all security measures are in place. There could be scenarios where reimbursements are denied, and you may need to make returns if a hardware purchase does not meet these requirements.

IT Data Security must enforce compliance with Minnesota State policies, such as those outlined in the Minnesota State General Council Presentation on Purchasing Policies (PDF).

Additionally, there are WSU policies and procedures around data security and technology purchases. See what computer hardware and software applications are supported by Information Technology Services.

If you have any questions, please contact IT Data Security at DataSecurity@winona.edu or browse data security articles in the Technology KnowledgeBase.

You can also contact Technical Support Center for more information or for further procedures if you wish to order alternative products.