Professional Services

Professional Services Defined: Highly specialized functions, typically of a technical nature, performed by a supplier that, with respect to the services to be rendered, most commonly:

  • Has a professional license;
  • Licensed by a regulatory body; and/or
  • Able to obtain professional errors and omissions insurance.

Consulting services are generally not professional services unless the services are required to be performed by State-licensed persons.

Email Lynn Tran at lbs@berkeley.edu regarding any services over $100,000 as they may require competition by law.

Examples of Professional Services:

  • Medicine and related medical services
  • Legal
  • Accounting
  • Architectural
  • Engineering services

How to hire a Professional Service Provider:

  1. Use the following Form in BearBUY: “Independent Contractor and Consultant Services”.
  2. The unit should attach the following required PO Documents to the Form as directed in BearBUY:

Required documents from the Department:

  1. Source Selection & Price Reasonableness Justification form
  2. Pre-Hire Worksheet for individuals
  3. Statement of Work (outlines the relationship of the scope of the work, deliverables, time period, and fees to build a guide for establishing a breakdown of fees and a payment schedule)
  4. An approval and a chart string

Required documents from the Supplier:

  1. Insurance
  2. Conflict of Interest
  3. Supplier’s proposal
  4. New Suppliers/Individual Supplier wishing to do business with UC Berkeley must complete supplier onboarding. To initiate this process, please send an email to acqpay@lists.berkeley.edu that includes the following information about the vendor: name/business name, email address, and whether or not the business/individual is based in the U.S./a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. The vendor will be sent a supplier onboarding invitation via email with the appropriate link to securely enter their information directly into the BFS portal.

Other Considerations:

  1. Professional Services: If a professional license is required for the nature of the work to be accomplished (e.g., doctor, lawyer, architect):
  2. Obtain a copy of the professional license
  3. Additional insurance requirements will apply: Errors & Omissions and/or Professional Liability and/or Malpractice (when teaching students or operating on patients)
  4. Services Performed on UC Property: Determine the amount of services that will be performed by the Supplier on campus.
  5. See Special Considerations for additional potential issues.

The Buyer will use the above documentation to create an Independent Contractor Agreement, which will be signed by the Buyer and the Independent Contractor.

For more information, see Finance Bulletin: BFS-BUS-43 Materiel Management.