Purchases of supplies and equipment from companies located outside the United States can present unique requirements.
Dollar limits and procurement methods (i.e., Procurement Card, Department Purchase Order, or PO Requisition) are the same as for goods and services purchased inside the United States. These methods are described in the Purchasing section of this site.
Currency Exchange Rates
Prices quoted by international companies are frequently in currencies of their own country of origin. These must be translated into an approximate value in United States Dollars (USD) for the department's Department Purchase Order or PO Requisition. Currency Exchange Rates are available online.
The estimated USD amount should be used in the department's Department Purchase Order or PO Requisition, along with a note in the Comments field referencing the foreign currency amount and the currency rate used for the conversion. Since exchange rates vary daily, the USD amount entered is only an estimate: the current exchange rate would be used to pay the invoice when it arrives. Payment is accomplished through the PSC Payable Services, usually through an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).
Equipment Arrival, U.S. Customs and Customs Brokers
Upon arrival in the United States, international orders must often be cleared through U.S. Customs before delivery to the University. The University's Identifier Number with Customs is our FEIN # 84- 6000555. If the shipment is small, and is sent via one of the air courier services such as Federal Express or DHL, the carrier will frequently handle clearance through Customs and include charges for this service on their invoice. If the shipment is large, and is not through one of the air courier services, then the University must arrange for clearance through Customs using a Customs Broker.
The University uses several Customs Brokers including, but not limited to:
Aeronet Worldwide
14 Inverness Drive East Bldg H, #120
Englewood, CO 80112
Contact: Patrick Mulstay
Email: pmulstay@aeronet.com
Phone: 303-741-8996
Mobile: 303-549-7626
Aeronet.com
United Parcel Service (UPS)
Contact: Dallas Delacruz
Email: dallasdelacruz@ups.com
Phone: 800-550-4184 x114-2080
Customer Support Phone: 800-877-1497
Charges including U.S. Customs Duty and Duty-Free Delivery
The Customs Broker will have some minimal charges for their services and related paperwork which can be paid using the Procurement Card. In addition, U.S. Customs assigns a Classification.