Gateway is UCSB’s online purchasing system that allows for quick and easy purchasing of lab supplies and chemicals from your favorite vendors right from your lab. Vendors whose catalogs are hosted through the Gateway system will already have contract pricing and product descriptions included. Equipment purchases are also be processed through this system.
Please note: we recommend using the Google Chrome or Firefox browsers, as Gateway and Safari are incompatible.
Below are tutorial documents and instructions for Gateway FAQs. For any questions that are not answered on this page, please contact MRL Purchasing Coordinator mary [at] mrl [dot] ucsb [dot] edu (Mary McGuan) or the Gateway help desk at help [at] gateway [dot] procurement [dot] ucsb [dot] edu.
Account Set-up and Maintenance
- Adding Account Code Favorites
- We suggest that you set up Account Code Favorites to make the checkout process more efficient and to ensure that you use the correct account for your order:
- Changing or Updating the “Ship to” Address
- Changing or Updating Email Preferences
- Your account was initially set up to receive certain notifications throughout the Gateway ordering process. You have the option of changing or adding notifications through your email preferences.
- Approving by Email (PIs only)
- Instructions for setting up a security code which will allow you to approve via Email.
Procedures
- Placing an Order
- Need assistance with placing an order or searching for an item? Check out: Placing an Order in Gateway
- Placing an order with Office Max for the first time? You will need to request a PIN. After clicking on the Office Max vendor icon, please follow the prompts to receive your PIN. Once the PIN has been issued you will then be able to shop their catalog and add items to your cart.
- Please note: Office supply expenses are not allowed on research contracts and grants. Unrestricted funding sources, such as gift funds, must be used for office supply purchases.
- Shipping & Delivery Options
- Need to add shipping to an order? Check out: Adding Shipping
- Want to change your delivery options or need to receive your order by a specific date? Please review: Changing Delivery Options
- Document Search
- Click the "document search" tab and there will be options to search for your requisitions, purchase orders, and invoices.
- If you have specific search criteria, select the type of search you want from the drop down menu (e.g., requisition, purchase order, etc), and enter the information into the search form and select "Go".
- Searching for suppliers
- Not all suppliers are available in Gateway yet, so we suggest that you do a quick search prior to placing an order: Search for a Supplier
- Adding a supplier to Gateway
- If the supplier you are looking for is not set up in the system, you will need to send a request to add them. The online add form can be found here: http://www.bfs.ucsb.edu/forms/gateway-supplier-add-form
- Adding notes, comments, and attachments
- Once you have finalized your cart and are ready to checkout, you can leave comments for both internal and external use, as well as uploading attachments, such as quotes. Check out: Adding notes, comments, & attachments
- Cancelling an order
- If a PO number has been issued and the order has been placed:
- Contact the vendor directly to cancel an order.
- Please ask for documentation showing that the order has been cancelled.
- Next, let your department buyer know that you cancelled the order (e.g., by forwarding the documentation showing that the order has been cancelled), and they will contact Purchasing to have the order cancelled in Gateway.
- If a PO number has been issued and the order has been placed:
- Cancelling a requisition
- If you have submitted your requisition for approval and a PO number has not been issued:
- Please send an email (referencing the requisition number) to your department buyer letting them know that you would like to cancel your requisition.
- They will then "reject" the order, which will cancel the requisition in Gateway.
- If you have submitted your requisition for approval and a PO number has not been issued:
Other Info
- Role definitions & glossary
- More Gateway FAQ
- Gateway Requisition Workflow