Instructions for Making Orders

Who can make an order?

Team leads are the ones who will place the majority of the orders. Team members may ONLY place an order if they have received verbal/written confirmation from their Department Lead that they can. It is up to the Team Lead to confirm that we do have enough funding to cover any purchases made by their department and that the appropriate forms are filled out. Anyone who places an order needs to read this document in its entirety.

If a team member is unable to place an order for any reason (i.e. credit limits etc), parents will be able to be reimbursed. Whoever's name is on the credit/debit card will be the one to be reimbursed however. (i.e. your parent can’t make the order and you submit the expense under your name, it needs to be theirs)

How much can I buy?

If your order is over $500 and will be reimbursed from the Team’s Account (see Step 1) you need to confirm BEFORE YOU PURCHASE with the finance lead (Anna), the team lead (Ethan), as well as the team’s Faculty advisor (Melek).

If your order is over $500 and will be reimbursed through any channel, please confirm with the finance lead (Anna), and the team lead (Ethan) BEFORE YOU PURCHASE. This is less about giving you permission to order, and more about double checking we have the funds to protect you from placing an order we would be unable to reimburse.

What about procurement?

Before, the university would be able to make direct purchases out of our Team’s Account and ship to the university. This is put on pause for the foreseeable future due to a staff member on leave. All purchases must be reimbursed through the following steps.

How long can I wait to submit by purchases?

If you bought something, and then we submit it over 120 days (~one term later) you will need to include a letter to the Dean explaining why there was this delay. It will also take Finance much longer to get you your money back. It is more hassle for everyone involved, but it ends up being the most trouble for the person submitting the claim.

Due to this, please submit your expenses to Anna within 90 days of purchase. This insures that there is enough time to find any missing paperwork, and submit it to finance. The sooner it is in the better it is for everyone involved!!!!

Does the equipment need to be CSA approved?

YES! You need to ONLY purchase tools/equipment that is CSA approved. If it is not we either can’t use it, or need to pay $600 to certify it. This is not ever worth it, so make sure to double check.

Step 1. Check before you order if we have funding available

1. Open up this spreadsheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1tbtNNjNyTK1E79EAFH0qvZ7wwEEmhv9ErxAhiYMPgzQ/edit?usp=sharing.

2. There are several different channels in which we receive our funding. You will need to decide which one you will be expensing your purchase through. Not sure? Talk to Anna! Here are the different options, in order of priority. (i.e. we would prefer to expense through WEEF before we go into the team’s funds)

   1. WEEF/Eng Soc/Sci Soc

   2. Dean’s Funding (travel expenses)

   3. Team Account

3. Navigate to the sheet called “Dashboard - Funding”, and select the appropriate values from the drop-down boxes at the top.

   1. You will most likely want to select “Granted” funding as opposed to “Pending” - we cannot spend funds we do not have yet.

   2. We will want to use funding from the furthest back term that we can before the newer funding - most funding amounts expire in two years.

   3. Please select your correct subteam.

   4. Eng Soc/Sci soc funding can only be used for the items we applied for. WEEF is more lenient, but should stay within the same subteam (i.e. do not try and expense a drill through funding we got for software)

4. You will be looking for any items that we have funding left from. You are able to use multiple term’s worth of funding, but that will need to be indicated a little different in the spreadsheet, so if you want to do that, please talk to Anna.

5. If let's say you want to order something that is $300, but we only have $250 left from WEEF for a term, you can say you want to expense the $250 from WEEF, and the $50 through the team’s account (still check that we have that amount in the team’s account though!) But please talk to Anna as this will again be a little weird in the spreadsheet.

6. If you have found an appropriate funding amount for your order, please write down the funding key, you will use it later in this process! Pass go and collect $200, move onto the next step. Don’t close the spreadsheet yet.

7. If there is not funding available through WEEF/Eng Soc/Sci Soc, we will need to expense the order through the team account. Please navigate to the sheet “Team Account”, and check that your purchase amount would not exceed the amount we have left in the bank. Reminder: if this is the case and your purchase is over $500, you will need to get permission from our faculty advisor BEFORE you place your order! If we do not have the funding available please do not place your order, and speak to Anna about what to do.

8. If you plan to expense it through the team’s account, there is no special key for this, just remember for later it’s going to be through the team’s account. Onto the next step! Don’t close the spreadsheet yet.

Step 2. Check before you order if we have money left in the rover budget.

We have a limit imposed on us by the competition of $18,000 USD to spend on the rover. We cannot go over this, or we cannot compete. We need to track this very carefully, as we will be required to submit any associated paperwork at the competition if they ask. This budget amount includes any sponsored items we get - even if they are free to us.

Things that count as part of this budget:

1. Any components of the rover

2. Rover modules

3. Rover power sources

4. Rover comms equipment

5. Base station equipment (i.e. computers, monitors, controllers, etc)

Things that do not count as part of this budget:

1. Tools

2. Travel Expenses

3. Spare parts (“those that are replaced one-for-one in the case of damage to the original”)

***if your purchase is an item that does not count as part of this budget, please move onto the next step!

PLEASE READ - IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE:

1. Shipping and taxes ARE to be included in the purchase budget. If we order something worth $200, but get slapped with $200 in shipping fees, that item is effectively worth $400. Keep this in mind when purchasing items, and try and purchase domestically if possible.

2. If equipment or services are donated to the team at a reduced cost, or for free, the FULL COST of the item must be included in the budget. I.e. if we get a 15% discount on the item, the cost of the item is the full cost pre-discounted. This is important to realize when placing large orders.

3. Any rented equipment must be valued at PURCHASE cost not RENTED cost.

4. Any sponsorships available through the competition may be considered an extension to the budget.

5. Re-used equipment from past years can be used, but must be valued at either the original as-bought cost, or the current cost for a new version of the same or equivalent item.

6. As a Canadian team, and the budget being in USD, we are allowed to use the “most advantageous documented currency conversion rate between Aug 1, 2021 and June 1, 2022”. This means, we can pick the highest conversion rate between those dates to value our items at. As of Dec 20, 2021 this is 1.29. This effectively allows us to have a budget of $23,220 CAD. This could change, but only for our benefit.

Steps to decide if we have money left in the budget:

1. Convert your purchase amount to how much the budget would value this at (in CAD). Please see the notes above to help with this. For example, if your gearboxes are going to cost you $2,000, but we have a 15% discount from the company as a sponsorship, the value of the item would be $2,352.94. If you are confused on how to calculate this, use this link here. Remember this number! You will need it later! THIS MUST BE IN CAD!

2. So now you know how much this will take up out of the budget, so now navigate to the sheet “Rover Budget”, and to the left find the “Total Rover Budget (CAD)”. Take off (mentally, don’t edit this sheet) the amount you want to spend, and check that we have enough. Remember the “cap” can change based on the exchange rate, but only go up, so please check the above budget cap in CAD.

3. If there is enough funding, great, go to the next step!

4. If there is not enough funding, do not place your order, and speak to the team lead & Anna.

Step 3. Indicate your order amount before you place the order

Okay! So we have the funding, that is the hardest part done! Now, if you are going to immediately place the order, you do not have to do this, but if you are going to wait more than a couple hours, please complete this step to insure the funding you just found to purchase this item does not get used for something else. We cannot spend funds we do not have so we need to be really careful about where the money is going. This has happened before, and it is not a fun problem to solve. Please proceed to the next step and fill out the form, but select that you have not yet purchased the order, and that the amount is pending. Don’t close the spreadsheet!

Step 4. Fill out the Google Order Form

There is technically two ways to do this, you can fill out a google form, or fill out the cells within the spreadsheet. For simplicity, please fill out the form at least for your first time doing this.

1. Open this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfEORvSMPkqil7U2utaiu_2YKsUSIZPXHWoKkB8Xxrf1L7MOg/viewform.

2. Fill it out! Please note the following.

   1. The date should be today's date. This MUST be the date you use later on when filling out the financial forms. Please remember what this date is.

   2. If you decided to use WEEF/Eng Soc/Sci Soc funding, please enter the key from before at the end of the form! DO NOT write anything in this box other than a funding key. If you’re using funding from two+ terms, please speak to Anna. (She’ll tell you to fill the form out twice, once for each terms' funding, but only submit one reimbursement form/package - if this makes sense then go ahead and do that, still let her know though).

   3. Please make sure to indicate how much (IN CAD!) of your order should be included in the team’s budget. The following are examples of what your purchases could look like and what you would write down:

      1. Bob bought $250 CAD in tools, and a $150 CAD gearbox, plus 13% tax and $20 CAD shipping. His total purchase amount is ($250 + 150)*1.13 + $20 = $472 CAD. The tools do not count as part of the rover budget, but the gearbox does. The total amount of shipping must be applied to the order, because if he didn’t buy the tools, he would still have to pay the $20 shipping. So, the total cost that he needs to write down in the form for how much is part of the rover’s budget is ($150)*1.13 + $20 = $189.50.

      2. Sarah got a sponsor to give her a discounted price for her order of wheels (yay!). The wheels will cost her $500 USD (inc tax) after the discount she got. On the day she purchased them, the dollar was worth 1.29 CAD = 1 USD. There will be $50 USD worth of shipping fees on the wheels. Her credit card is going to charge her the following amount ($500 USD + $50 USD)*1.29 = $709.50 CAD. This is NOT the amount she will need to include in the form for the rover’s budget, but IS the amount she should write down for how much it cost her. She now needs to calculate the list price of the wheels. This would be $588.24 USD. Her new total for the rover budget would be ($588.24 USD + $50 USD)*1.29 = $823.33 CAD. She should NOT use the most advantageous conversion rate above, but rather the rate that the dollar was at that day. The advantageous conversion rate will be applied automatically when calculating the budget in USD, but the item is effectively worth the $823.33 CAD.

      3. Fred bought $1,000 CAD in tools. He should select the “None” value in the form.

      4. Georgina bought $400 CAD of encoders + 13% tax + $30 CAD in shipping costs. Her total cost should be ($400)*1.13 + $30 = $482 CAD. She should select the “All” value in the form.

Step 5. Update the Spreadsheet

Here are the cells you need to update on the sheet called “Order Info” and when you need to do so!

Immediately after you submit the form:

1. Select how the order will be funded by in Column D from the dropdown list.

2. Select “Pending” from the drop down list in Column C.

Once you place your order (if you filled out the form and indicated you had not yet):

1. Put “Yes” in Column K.

If you incur additional shipping costs:

1. Update Column M, and Column S with the new values. If it is a weird one (i.e. has a different conversion rate than the original order - talk to Anna)

2. Double check that we have funding available for this. Check that if we’re submitting to an internal funding channel, we have enough from that term’s funding and do not need to split the costs and take some from our team account. If we do, you should submit an additional form for the added shipping costs only for reimbursement through the team’s account. Confused? Ask Anna for help.

Step 6. Place the Order!

Now you are able to place the order! It is okay if you have filled out the form after placing the order. But you NEED to go through the first two steps prior to buying anything.

You are able to purchase with either a credit card or a debit card.

KEEP ANY AND ALL RECIEPTS YOU GET! This could be emails, or paper copies. You should also receive (depending on the order) a list of the different parts/prices. Keep this as well.

Step 7. Assemble Paperwork - Debit/Credit Card Statement

It is okay if you paid with debit or credit card. Please avoid purchases with cash if at all possible.

You will need to find some sort of proof that shows the following information from your bank:

• Date of purchase

• Your full name

• The charge of the order placed (not pending - has to hit your account), this should include if possible both the dollar amount as well as the vendor (company)

• The last four digits of your credit/debit card you used to make the purchase

Please note: The person who placed the order with their card, must be the person who is requesting the reimbursement.

For a credit card, this proof of purchase will most likely be your monthly statement. Please redact any personal information that is not needed, keeping only what is above. You can still submit something that has all that extra info on it, but it might not be the wisest choice. Please DO NOT use screenshots of your banking information for a credit card statement. Finance is particular, and would prefer using your credit card statement. This will have all the needed information on it! If you used a debit card, your bank might also issue monthly statements for your card OR you can if it is the only option use a screenshot using the computer browser (not your phone!) to get all the information you need.

For a debit card, you will most likely want to get screenshots of your banking information (use your computer, not a phone). It is okay if you need multiple screen-grabs to capture the required information.

You will want to save this paperwork as a .pdf or .jpeg for use in Step 10.

Step 8. Assemble Paperwork - Receipts

If you placed the order online, you should have received a digital copy of your receipt. It is okay if it is in USD. You will need to assemble any and all receipts, invoices or anything you got as part of this order. It could be a digital file, or a photo of your receipt. It just needs your purchase, the amount, AS WELL AS the last four digits of the card that the purchase was bought with. If you can’t find the paperwork that says this, it’s okay, but most orders should have something similar. They can be .pdf or .jpeg files, it doesn’t really matter.

Step 9. Assemble Paperwork - Reimbursement Form

The following steps should be followed when submitting expenses through the team’s account or WEEF. If you are submitting expenses through Eng Soc or Sci Soc, please go to the end of Step 9.

Please open up this file in excel:

Open

Due to some formulas within the spreadsheet, you must fill out the excel version of the file, and not write overtop of a .pdf version.

You will fill out the same expense claim form regardless of if the purchase is being funded from WEEF, Team’s Account etc.

Complete the form:

• Check off “Student” at the very top

• The date prepared should be the current date. This Claim # is used both by the finance office and the team to track any internal purchases as it is a unique identifier. You should go back into the spreadsheet and change the date you have for the purchase as the same date you have on the form. This will insure that the Claim # is the same between the spreadsheet and your form. The date must be entered YYYY-MM-DD for the formula to work. Any expense claim form needs to have this Claim # on it.

• The “Department” we are under is the “SDC”

• Please use your UW email address

• The “Reason for Request” should follow this format: “Reimbursement Request for XX purchase for UW Robotics Team”

• Here is a great example of how you should fill out the purchase section of the form.

Open

• Please note how the exch rate is applied. You should NOT edit any information in the “Total” column as those are full of formulas. If you are having trouble matching your total amount from a USD purchase to what showed up on your card, you can use excel’s “Goal Seek” to find the corrected exchange rate.

• The currency that you will be reimbursed in must be CAD.

Print to PDF:

Next, you must print the file to a .pdf file in order to sign it/send to finance. To do this go to File → Print → Microsoft Print to PDF → Print. This will let you save the sheet as a pdf file somewhere on your computer. It is recommended that you have a special folder to keep your orders in.

Sign Form:

You will need to sign at the “Signature of Claimant” line for the form. The most efficient way is to download a free version of adobe pdf (https://adobe-reader-lite.en.softonic.com/)and upload your signature in order to sign the .pdf file. If you don’t want to do this you can also print, sign the hard copy, and scan it back to a pdf.

If you are the team lead, you can also sign under the “Signature of Supervisor” line and print your name beside it.

Yay! Form finished, you are almost done! Next step.

Here’s the information for Eng Soc (this form is less tricky!):

Please download this file:

Open

Complete Sections A-G by following the instructions. Here is a great example of how you could complete section F.

Open

Please double check that your address is correct on the form if you elect to have your cheque mailed to you.

Step 10. Email Finance Paperwork

Before you send the email:

Please make sure you have filled in the correct funding channel the purchase will use, and the correct funding key is used if it is from an internal source.

Email Address:

Please use your UW email address to send.

Email Address to Send to:

Please send the email to uwaterloorobotics.finance@gmail.com

Subject Line:

Reimbursement Request for UW Robotics Team - #(Claim # Here)

Email Body:

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.

- (Name)

Attachments:

Please attach the paperwork you compiled in Steps 7, 8, and 9. You can attach this as one giant pdf file, or multiple files. Please do not attach the excel version of the expense claim form, this needs to be a pdf (and signed!)

After you send the email:

You can change the “Reimbursement Status” (Column C) in the Master Financial Tracking System Spreadsheet to “Submitted to Team (Anna)”.

Step 11. Get Your Money!

Now you wait! Anna will check over your paperwork and let you know if something is missing. If nothing is wrong she can go ahead and submit to the respective funding channel within the next couple business days.

Once you receive your money back, please tell Anna the Claim # for your purchase and confirm how much you got back.