Business Services will be closed for the Thanksgiving break beginning Wednesday, November 26, 2025.

We will resume normal business hours on Monday, December 1, 2025.
This inbox is not being monitored during the closure.

UMBC entered into a contract with 4imprint in August 2023 and implemented a punchout tile in PAW at the same time.  This contract also provides a 10% savings on their products.

Challenges with invoices and POs matching have made this a more difficult process than it should have been.

Effective immediately:

• 4imprint orders that are no more than $5,000 (including shipping) should be ordered through www.4imprint.com and paid by P-card.

• 4imprint orders over $5,000 should be placed via the PAW punchout.  

Either option should include the 10% discount and online orders must use your @umbc.edu address.

Business Services & Accounts Payable – Holiday Notice

As we approach the upcoming holiday break, please be mindful of the end-of-year deadlines for submitting items to Business Services. To ensure timely processing and submission to the State of Maryland prior to the close of the calendar year, all items listed below must be submitted to Business Services with all required departmental approvals no later than close of business on Thursday, December 12th:

• Payment Requests

• Invoices

• Travel Reimbursements

• Working Fund Requests

Items received after December 12th will be processed in the new calendar year, as State processing timelines will pause for the holiday period.

We appreciate your attention to these deadlines and thank you for your cooperation.

Linda S. Rothfus
Manager, Business Services & Accounts Payable

Adam Drutz-Hannahs
Assistant Manager, Business Services

The use of payment requests to pay for a variety of goods and services has grown significantly beyond the system's indeed purpose.  We have observed many instances where Payment Requests are being submitted as an alternative to following established procurement procedures for the acquisition of goods and services.

Effective immediately, adherence to the policy below is mandatory.  Business Services and Procurement & Strategic Sourcing will strictly enforce these guidelines to ensure proper fiscal control.

• Invoices less than $600 that are non-recurring
• Miscellaneous reimbursements (out of pocket expenses that are NOT Travel)
• R*Stars Payments
• Honorariums - Details
• Stipends – Details
• Refunds of Revenue
• Memberships/Registrations (when the P-card can't be used)
• Student Cultural Events

• Invoices over $600 (a PO is required)
• Recurring invoices/payments of any amount (a PO or contract is required)
• Travel Expenses (e.g., when using accounts 7040100, 7040300, 7040330, etc.)
• Subaward payments (there is a separate form for these payments)

When a request is submitted that does not meet one of the stated allowable uses, the Payment Request will be returned to the requester with instructions on the correct process. In most cases, this will necessitate:

1. Submitting a requisition for a Purchase Order (PO).
2. Creating a formal contract that can then be invoiced against.

The university is currently on Credit Hold with Apple due to outstanding balances. To help us resolve this quickly and restore normal ordering, we need your assistance.

If you have received an Apple order, please take a moment to ensure that a receipt has been entered in PAW. Promptly recording receipts allows invoices to be paid without delay and helps us maintain good standing with our vendors.

Your cooperation makes a big difference. By working together and keeping our orders up to date in PAW, we can resolve this credit hold and continue uninterrupted access to Apple products and services.

Thank you for your attention and partnership in keeping our processes running smoothly.

This is the time of year when departments are submitting payment requests to reimburse newly hired employees for moving expenses. As a reminder, reimbursements for moving expenses are fully taxable. Business Services is required by the State of Maryland to report these requests quarterly, and the applicable tax is withheld over multiple pay periods.

To ensure there are sufficient pay periods remaining in the calendar year to spread the tax withholding, payment requests for moving expenses must be submitted to Business Services and approved by the department no later than COB Monday, October 6th. Requests received after this date will be returned, and you will need to resubmit them after January 1, 2026.

Guidance for submitting payment requests, including moving expenses, is available on our website:
https://businessservices.umbc.edu/payment-request-guidance/

Best regards,

Linda S. Rothfus
Manager, Business Services
UMBC
1000 Hilltop Circle
Baltimore, MD 21250
410-455-3288