Restricted and Prohibited Purchases

Restricted Purchases

The purchase of certain items or services may require special steps and/or an additional  approval from the appropriate responsible office before it can be issued as an official Purchase Order. When initiating the Requisition, the appropriate Spend Category must be used so all appropriate approvals can be obtained. This applies to the following:

  • Animals
  • Catering
  • Computer hardware (Computer Purchase Policy)
  • Other computing hardware not referenced in the computer purchase policy
  • Software - Software purchases at all dollar levels require an OIT data security review in order to ensure that if the use of that software creates a risk to Brown, it is identified and can be managed. Please see the Software And Services With Pre-Approved Risk Levels page to see if your software has been pre-approved. If the software is not on the list or is not approved at the appropriate risk level for your use, you will need to obtain the terms and conditions related to the purchase and use of that software and create a request in BCM (Brown Contract Management system). The request in BCM will route to OIT who will review the terms and conditions and conduct a data security review. Once the terms have been approved, you will be able to move forward with the purchase of the software. If you have questions regarding the data security review, please email [email protected]If the software vendor will not accept a PO for payment, a PCard can be used per the Purchasing Card Policy (PCard) guidelines. 
  • Contracts involving sharing of data
  • Export Restricted Purchases (ITAR)
  • External Copy and Printing & Design
  • Facilities related work
  • Hazardous Materials
  • Leases and housing rentals
  • Radioactive Materials
  • Shredding (use only University Strategic Supplier)
  • Use of the Brown logo (Use of licensed Supplier required.  See Code of Conduct for Licensees)
  • Vehicles

The Office of Communications has important policies posted on their website that require compliance. Individuals involved with purchases are responsible for reviewing and complying with these policies if they are working with a supplier that will use images of Brown or involve Graphic designers, licensees and individuals producing communications or products for or on behalf of Brown employees, units, programs: The Brown Image Use Policy and The Visual Identity Policy and Strategy.

To determine whether or not an individual qualifies as an Independent Contractor who can be hired using a PSA, the Employee vs. Independent Contractor Checklist may require secondary review by University Human Resources. 

Prohibited purchases in accordance with the National Defense Authorization Act, Section 889


To comply with Section 889, the University may not provide the government or use any equipment, system, or service that uses telecommunications or surveillance equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system, from the following companies/entities:

  • Huawei Technologies Company
  • Hytera Communications Corporation
  • ZTE Corporation
  • Hangzhou Hikvision Technology Company
  • Dahua Technology Company
  • Any subsidiary or affiliate of these companies/entities

See compliance notice for more details.