News and Updates

There is a new MyTravel Helpful Hint on Allowable Expenses!

As we have seen University employees resume business travel, PCPS wanted to send a friendly reminder of key items within the University Travel Manual that travelers need to remember when booking travel/while on travel. 

As discussed in the email below, the Travel Rule was updated last month to require the use of the MyTravel booking (or booking directly with AMEX). The partnership with AMEX brings many benefits to the University, including access to AMEX’s negotiated airfare and hotel discounts, 24/7 assistance from travel experts, etc. Training and FAQ documents for the system, as well as information on the benefits of the program can be found here.

We wanted to provide some clarification on what the Travel Rule update changed vs what it did not change.

Starting today, when selecting the Affiliation in expense reports, you will see a change in the choices listed in the drop-down field when building your report. Employees will be required to select the applicable affiliation based on their specific employer (which entity issues your paychecks):

Potential Savings - The major airlines are contractually required to make all their flights and fares available to American Express. The pricing and options available via American Express pull from the same database as the airline websites, Expedia, Google and others, and pricing will be equal or better with American Express.

Faculty and staff purchasing televisions, light controllers, microscopes and many other kinds of electronic devices intended to connect to the WVU network must submit an IT Purchase Request before making such purchases. Devices connected to WVU’s wired and wireless networks create multiple possible entry points for cybercriminals who look for weaknesses to exploit in software, increasing the security risks to University systems and data.

Failure to get prior approval could hinder or prevent your ability to connect these devices, which are collectively referred to as the Internet of Things (IoT), to the WVU network. Some other examples of IoT devices include but are not limited to: security cameras, point-of-sale devices, appliances, smart lightbulbs and thermostat controllers and digital assistants. It is impossible to provide an exhaustive list, as tech industry experts estimate there are tens of billions of IoT devices in use across the world.

Please find the FY23 spend guidelines that will be effective August 1, 2022. The guidelines remain the same as last year’s with the following changes:

The visualization of Mountaineer Marketplace Forms will be updated on July 18th. This is ONLY a visual change. All of the fields on the forms are located in the same order, and you will need to scroll down on the forms to complete all the fields.

Faculty and staff purchasing new computers and peripheral equipment through the Dell contract in Mountaineer Marketplace no longer need to submit an  IT Purchase Request if the item is labeled “WVU Recommended.” This includes pre-approved Dell models such as the WVU-Recommended All-In-One.

Purchase request forms also are not required for small-dollar items such as monitors, webcams, speakers, carrying cases, cables, keyboards and mice when purchased from the Dell contract.

Dear Fellow Mountaineers,

As previously shared, West Virginia University has selected Prepaid Technologies as its new provider for prepaid card services. The new system is scheduled to go live and be available to users at WVU on Wednesday, June 15.

As West Virginia University continues to adapt to our new ways of working, the Procurement, Contacting and Payment Services (PCPS) team has developed updated employee guidance on the purchasing and shipment of office and computer supplies at WVU, which can be found in our Mountaineer Marketplace Helpful Hints page.

If you have any questions, please Contact PCPS.