Procurement Services Blog

Optimizing Campus Travel: Missouri State University Southwest Business Account

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Whether heading to a national conference, taking students on a field trip, or traveling for research, booking university travel should be simple and cost-effective. Missouri State University provides direct access to dedicated corporate travel benefits through the Missouri State Southwest Business Account.

Key Benefits
• Simplified Booking: Easily manage itineraries and track flights through a single central portal.

• Flexible Policies: Take advantage of Southwest benefits, including no change fees and two free checked bags (subject to weight and size limits).

• Rewards & Credits: Keep track of corporate travel credits and rewards points applied toward university travel.

Fast-Track A-List Status
Enroll in current corporate promotional offers to gain trial A-List status (enjoying priority boarding, free checked bags, and priority security). Maintain the status for 12 months by completing 3 round trips (or 6 one-way flights) within the promotional window.

How to Get Started
1. Visit the Missouri State Southwest Business Account Page.
2. Review Procurement Card and Financial Services travel guidelines.
3. Check for current corporate promotions to enroll in promotional A-List status before booking.
4. Access the SWABIZ Booking Portal to log into the corporate portal and complete your booking.

Questions or Issues?
Contact Isaac Balasundaram at isaacbalasundaram@missouristate.eduor call 417-836-4670.

Optimizing Campus Travel: Introducing the Uber Business Account for Missouri State University

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Whether you are traveling for off-campus meetings, attending conferences, or hosting university guests, navigating transportation and expense management just got significantly easier.

Missouri State University is excited to announce the availability of Uber Business Account.

Why Switch to an Uber Business Account?
Using a central business profile for official university travel provides a seamless experience from booking to expense reporting:

• Separation of Profiles: Easily toggle between your personal Uber account and your Missouri State business account within the standard Uber app.

• Direct Billing & Streamlined Receipts: Say goodbye to paper receipts and lost expense records. Transactions are automatically organized under your official university profile for faster expense reporting.

• Simplified Business Travel: Order rides on demand for official campus guests, research participants, or travel to and from airports without paying out-of-pocket on personal cards.

How to Get Access
Setting up your profile is simple. If your department or role requires official university ground travel, you can request an account directly.

To request access:
Send an email to isaacbalasundaram@missouristate.edu with the following details:
1. Full Name
2. Department Name
3. University Email Address

Once your request is processed, you will receive an invitation email containing additional information on setting up your Uber Business account.

For questions regarding university travel policies and reimbursement guidelines, please refer to the Procurement Card and Financial Services policies.

New Procedure: IT Equipment Purchase Requests and Approvals

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Before purchasing covered computer, printer, or peripheral equipment:

  1. Submit an IT Equipment Purchase Request through the Computer & Printer Equipment card in My.MissouriState.edu. The request needs to be submitted before making the purchase.
  2. Include the IT approval with either your P-Card documentation or requisition/payment request submission.

Items that require IT Equipment Purchase Request Form:

This requirement applies to all brands and vendors.

  • Computer equipment: laptops, desktop towers, all-in-one computers, monitors, laptop docks, and tablets, including iPads and Android tablets
  • Printers and scanners: desktop printers, multifunction printer/copiers, and document scanners
  • Peripheral equipment: external hard drives, UPS units, and surge protectors

Items that do not require IT Equipment Purchase Request Form:

  • Keyboards and mice
  • Headsets
  • Toner and printer supplies
  • Power cords and cables
  • USB flash drives
  • Privacy screens
  • Webcams and microphones

New Procedure: Foreign Vendor Screening

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Departments must screen foreign vendors before completing a transaction, regardless of payment method. Screening helps identify potential restricted-party or sanctions concerns.

How to screen a foreign vendor
1. Open the Consolidated Screening List

Use the U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration (ITA) Consolidated Screening List (CSL) Search Engine.

Also review these lists, which are not included in the CSL:

Section 1260H list
Section 1286 list

2. Search the vendor

Enter the vendor’s legal business name in the search field. You may leave the address blank. If you have the exact name, you may leave Fuzzy Name turned off. Do not select specific sources or countries.

3. Review the results

No potential match: The department may proceed with the transaction.
Potential match: Do not proceed. Contact Research Administration for review before continuing.

4. Keep screening documentation

Save evidence of the screening with the transaction records. A screenshot or other electronic record of the search results is acceptable. Documentation should show:

The vendor name searched
The date of the search
The search results

Include the screening documentation with the supporting records for requisitions, payment requests, and travel expense reimbursements. For P-Card transactions, upload the documentation to the UMB Bank system.

5. Screen for every transaction

Screening is required for each transaction involving a foreign vendor. A previous search cannot be reused; complete a new CSL search and retain new supporting documentation for every transaction.

Procurement Card: Food and Foreign Purchases

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Food Purchases

  • Cardholders do not need to submit the Food Hosting Form before an event if they submitted one on or after January 1, 2026.
  • Include the form with the P-Card documentation; do not send it to Procurement Services.
  • The P-Card Food Policy applies only to restaurant and catering purchases, not food supplies.
  • A list of attendees is required for all applicable food purchases.

Foreign Purchases

  • Cardholders do not need to submit a new request to pay a foreign vendor before purchasing if they submitted one on or after January 1, 2026.
  • A P-Card exception is not required if the card is already authorized for foreign transactions.