Faculty & Staff Resources

Due to recent changes in U.S. import tariff rates, Purchasing has started seeing “tariff fees" (or tariff surcharge, charge, cost or additional import fee) included in some vendor quotes. Because tariff regulations continue to change, we’re sharing the following guidance to help you navigate purchases that may include these fees.

1. Fixed Pricing Contracts: For quotes under fixed pricing contracts, whether through a UTSA contract, a UTSSCA Alliance contract or another purchase from an accredited GPO, our position is that tariffs will not be allowed.
2. Non-Contract Purchases: For purchases not under contract, you may encounter tariff fees on quotes. Unfortunately, some suppliers may exploit this situation to add extra profit under the guise of a legitimate tariff fee, which may not be justified.

As a reminder, Purchasing reviews only a portion of the quotes used for campus procurement.

For purchases under $15,000 processed at the departmental level, please review your quotes carefully. If you encounter a specific line item for a “tariff fee,” do not hesitate to question the supplier about the basis of the fee and the country of origin to confirm fee is appropriate before submitting your requisition.

If the tariff fee is accepted, it is considered a cost directly tied to the acquisition of specific goods and should be paid using the same account code as the related commodity.

Example: If the purchased commodity is chemicals and gases (account code 63005), then the tariff fee should also be expensed to 63005 in the accounting codes section at the PO header to reflect the true cost of those materials.

At the line-item level, enter the tariff fee on a separate line item and use commodity code 93161609.

As always, please feel free to reach out to your Procurement Specialist for assistance.  

Our team is committed to collaborating closely with our key suppliers as we navigate this new and challenging landscape. While we are still early in the process and long-term impacts are difficult to assess, our office will continue to share information as the landscape evolves.