Requisitions
A purchase requisition is a form used by the department to begin the process of a purchase by asking for internal permission. Submitting a purchase requisition initiates the procurement process and documents approval of expenditure by the appropriate authority. A requisition is completed through Workflow in PeopleSoft Finance and submitted through Workflow to the Purchasing Department for review. Purchasing will review the requisition for proper approval, correct cost center information, account numbers and purpose/benefit statements. Additional documents such as an Addendum C, Sole Source, and HUB Subcontracting Plan (HSP) might be required. If all information is received and meets Purchasing's approval, the requisition will be approved and a Purchase Order (PO) issued.
Purchase requisitions are required for all:
Requisitions submitted to Purchasing for procurement of contracted services might require additional documents such as an Addendum C, Sole Source and HUB Subcontracting Plan (HSP). Please see Contract Procedures and Policies for more information. Once Purchasing receives all necessary documents, a notice to proceed with contracting will be issued. The department will continue with contracting and once the contract is executed, the executed contract will need to be uploaded to the requisition in PeopleSoft and submitted to Purchasing through Workflow in order to receive a PO.
Purchasing will only process purchase requisitions up to 45 days prior to the start of the contract. Purchasing cannot issue a PO if services have already started.
Multi-year contracts:
For multi-year contracts, the department will submit a new requisition each fiscal year. The requisition will need to be submitted with all required documents, including the previous year(s) PO's, through Workflow to the Purchasing Department.
How you start a contract is how you continue the contract. If a contract was started with a PO, the department will need to continue getting a PO each fiscal year, consistent with the contract terms. If a PO has not been issued, and services have started, Purchasing will not create a PO and the department will have to pay the invoice(s) for the fiscal year via voucher and receive a violation. If the department pays via voucher the first fiscal year, the department will continue to do so for the term of the contract. However, if the department had a PO in place the first fiscal year, and wasn't able to get one in time for the start of the next fiscal year, a voucher can be used to cover all or some of the payment depending on whether the department is billed monthly for services. If the department is billed monthly, the department can create a voucher to cover invoices received prior to the issued PO. For example, it is 9/25/2022 and the department notices that a purchase requisition was not submitted for the vendor Kanopy so there is no PO on file. The date is 9/25/2022 and services started again for the new fiscal year on 9/1/2022. Kanopy has a multi-year contract and the vendor bills monthly. The department can create a requisition with a start date of 10/1/2022 and submit the multi-year contract and all relevant documents through Worklfow for Purchasing to review and issue a PO. The PO's start date will be 10/1/2022 so the invoice dated from 9/1/2022-9/30/2022 must be paid by voucher. *The department will need to remember that the funds used to create the voucher still comes from the contract.*
*Policy and procedures are currently being revised by Library Administration and Acquisitions. A link to the updated procedures will be provided below once finalized.*
Updated: October 10, 2022 - MJ
Purchase Order
A purchase order (PO) is a document indicating the types, quantities, and agreed upon prices for products or services. The Purchasing department will create a purchase order once a requisition is received, reviewed for proper approval, correct cost center information, account numbers and purpose/benefit statements. A copy of the PO is typically sent only to vendors receiving funds from the department local cost centers and not HEAF cost centers.
A PO must be issued prior to receipt of goods/services. Purchasing will only process purchase requisitions 45 days prior to the start of the contract. If a contract was started with a PO in place, the department will need to continue getting a PO each fiscal year consistent with the contract terms. If a PO has not been issued, and services have started, Purchasing will not create a PO and the department will have to pay the invoice(s) for the fiscal year via voucher and receive a violation. How you start a contract is how you continue with the contract. If the department pays via voucher the first fiscal year, the department will continue to do so for the term of the contract. However, if the department had a PO in place the first fiscal year, and wasn't able to get one in time for the start of the next fiscal year, a voucher can be used to cover all or some of the payment depending on whether the department is billed monthly for services.
Once a PO is issued, the department will need to contact Purchasing for a receiving report. The receiving report must be signed by Tech. Services or Library Administration if for a Library. Administration contract. For Acquisitions, this must be prior to activation or placing an order.
Once the department signs a receiving report, it must be returned to Purchasing who will then finalize and sign the document before uploading it to People Soft.
If the department wishes to update or make a change to the PO, a completed change order form can be submitted to Purchasing. Please see the Change Order tab for more information.
Documented: July 21, 2022 - MJ
Change Order
A change order is a document used to update a purchase order or release or adjust encumbrances. The department will need to complete a change order form and submit it to the Purchasing Department. If Purchasing approves, the signed change order will be uploaded to PeopleSoft as well as an updated purchase order documenting the adjustment(s).
The department will need to request the updated receiving report and return it signed to the Purchasing Department. Please see the Purchase Order tab for more information.
Documented: July 21, 2022 - MJ