Budget

UTDesign Capstone and EPICS teams are given a project budget to cover all expenses (equipment, parts, materials, shipping costs, 3D print, fabrication costs etc.) needed for building their prototype. 

The teams should track their project expenses in a ledger. Orders exceeding the allocated budget will be rejected unless pre-approved by the team’s program coordinator. Please reach out to utdesign@utdallas.edu if you are unsure of your project’s budget. 

To help mitigate expenses, you are encouraged to check the Surplus Inventory located in SPN 1.405 before placing orders.  

Vendors

Parts must be requested from UTDesign’s preferred vendors as much as possible. Be aware of product lead times and shipping times, and place your orders as soon as you can.  

Consider your budget and expenditures and shop for best prices. Ask if the vendor offers an education or university discount.  

Quotes are needed for specialty equipment and other items not available online. 

It takes time to establish accounts with new vendors. Please make sure any new vendors are located in the US and have a procedure in place for sales tax exemptions.  

Ordering

Familiarize yourself with the procurement process before you make any order requests.

Orders are requested using the Procurement Request Form. To get your parts as quickly as possible, make sure to complete all the fields on the form and use as few vendors as possible (e.g., Mouser carries items from TI, Adafruit, SparkFun, and many more). Applicable quotes, PCB drawings etc. must be attached to the order requests.

UTDesign will share order, shipping, and expense information. Contact utdesign@utdallas.edu if you have any questions about the tool or the ordering process.

Shipping

Items are shipped by ground. Shipping charges are a budget expense, and expedited shipping must be pre-approved by the team’s program coordinator.  

Shipping from international vendors may get delayed in customs. 

Pick Up

The student that placed an order will be notified when the order is ready for pickup. Delivered orders can be picked up from UTDesign office SPN 1.303. Any team member can collect from any UTDesign staff member. 

Returns

Only items costing over $100 and purchased within the last 3 weeks are applicable for returns. Custom orders are not returnable.  

The order confirmation must be included when a return is requested.  

Vendors have different return policies, but most will accept a return if the part is still in its original packaging and unopened.  

Reimbursements

Please familiarize yourself with the reimbursement process before making a purchase. All direct purchases by team individuals must be pre-approved by the faculty advisor / technical mentor.

Reimbursements are requested using the Reimbursement Form. Copies of detailed receipts must be attached when the reimbursement request is submitted.

Sales tax is not reimbursable. Please contact utdesign@utdallas.edu to get a tax exemption form before making a purchase.

Reimbursements can take a long time due to all the instances that are involved and should be avoided as much as possible. However, student employees are already in the payment system and can be reimbursed more quickly.

Only valid project expenses totaling $50 or more are applicable for reimbursements.

Tutorial

For a tutorial on ordering parts and materials for your project, please see the video below. 

---