CruzBuy Announcements

Sep102025

New Procurement Requirement for Purchases that will involve P3/P4 Data Access
To better protect UC data and avoid last-minute delays, all purchases involving P3 or P4 data now require a completed Vendor Risk Assessment (VRA) and Whistic form before submitting a requisition in CruzBuy.

This ensures supplier security is reviewed early and helps safeguard student, research, and institutional data.

Please read our full announcement for further details on how Procurement is strengthening data security.

Sep102025

AAA Workspace & Neta Scientific Updates
The AAA Workspace (formerly Palace) PunchOut is back online and available for ordering, along with their Hosted Catalog.

Coming soon: Neta Scientific’s new PunchOut launches on September 22, 2025, expanding access to lab supplies.

Aug182025

Transportation Services Update
UCSC Procurement and SHR have updated definitions and purchasing processes for transportation services. Key changes include updated terminology and specific requirements for Covered Transportation Services (e.g., intra-campus bus routes and trips under 100 miles from UCSC main campus). These now require TAPS to have first right of refusal and must follow the Contracting Out process. Covered and non-covered trips must be submitted separately.

Please read our full announcement for further details on this Transportation Services update.

Aug12025

CruzBuy Enhancements Go Live August 4, 2025
As a follow up to our July 1st announcement, we are pleased to share that Financial Affairs’ strategic initiative to modernize procurement and accounts payable processes is moving forward! eProcurement is launching a series of enhancements to the CruzBuy purchasing platform on August 1, 2025 during which time CruzBuy will be offline. Effective August 4, 2025, these platform updates will be available to help improve efficiency, reduce manual processes, and strengthen compliance and internal controls throughout the procure-to-pay (P2P) lifecycle.

Please read our full announcement for further details on this project and training links.

Jul12025

Enhancing CruzBuy: Strategic Updates to Procure-to-Pay Processes
As part of Financial Affairs’ ongoing effort to modernize and streamline Procurement and Accounts Payable operations, we will be implementing a series of critical enhancements to the CruzBuy purchasing platform later this month. These changes are aligned with our goals of improving operational efficiency, reducing manual interventions, and strengthening internal controls across the Procure-to-Pay (P2P) lifecycle. By fully leveraging the capabilities of CruzBuy, we aim to foster greater transparency, accountability, and data-driven decision-making in support of our institutional mission. Further information will be provided as we implement these changes in CruzBuy.

Please read our full announcement for further details on the four areas of focus.

May202025

General Guidance on Tariff-Related Pricing Impacts for CruzBuy Users
Due to the evolving nature of international trade policies and supply chain dynamics, some suppliers have begun applying surcharges or raising prices to account for increased costs associated with tariffs. To help Procurement validate and, when possible, mitigate these charges, we kindly ask that you add tariff surcharges, if known, as separate line items on your CruzBuy requisition and attach the supplier quote to the requisition. This will allow our team to follow up with suppliers for clarification as needed.

Some supplier price increases due to tariffs may not be immediately obvious. If you have any concerns, please contact Procurement in advance so we can help navigate the impact of tariffs and ensure your orders are placed without delay. If you receive notification from a supplier that a tariff is being applied after the PO is issued and they are requesting that the PO be revised, please forward the supplier’s email to buy4me@ucsc.edu, and one of the Procurement staff will review and advise.

Thank you for helping us monitor the situation, and as always, we are available to help support departments navigate these changes.