Purchasing Workshop-Update 10/26/11

Requisitions-

1. It is very important that you include accurate information on all your requisitions:

· Complete descriptions

· Manufacture’s name

· Item and/or model numbers

· What the purchase is to be used for if not obvious

· That the purchase can be made from the fund(s) you are using

· Accurate account numbers

2. If you have any doubt about anything concerning the requisition, contact the Purchasing Office for guidance before starting the requisition.

3. The University has implemented a Print Management System (PawPrint) so all copier and printer purchases must be approved by the Print Shop (Tom Frazier or Mike Stewart)

4. Standing orders:

· Must include period of time covered (usually 90 days)

· Cannot exceed $5,000 or three months in duration without approval from the Director of Procurement & AP Services

· Must include the names of individuals authorized to make purchases

· Must include at least three examples of items to be purchased

· Must separate food and nonfood into 2 separate lines and account numbers

· CANNOT PURCHASE FOOD ON A NONFOOD STANDING PO OR REGULAR PO

· CANNOT PURCHASE NONFOOD ON A FOOD PO

· Can only be combined if used for educational purposes such as in a lab

· Departments/individuals that continue to violate this rule may lose their privilege to use standing PO’s

5. State Term Contracts must be used when available for commodities and services. A link is available on the Purchasing website to the North Carolina Division of Purchase and Contract where State Term Contracts are listed with contract details and vendors. You can also contact a purchasing agent to find out if an item is on contract.

6. Sole Source:

· Means what it says—it must be available from only one source

· Doesn’t mean that you like this product better than the same product made by a different vendor but that it has unique features that you need and no other item has those features. Sole source is only applicable if the purchase is over $5,000.

· Must provide a completed “Sole Source Form” with the requisition. This form is available on the Purchasing website.

7. Bookstore, Catamount Clothing & Gifts and Print Shop requisitions:

· Requisitions for these departments are not entered in Banner or CataMart.

· Should complete a Hardcopy Requisition form which is available on the Purchasing website.

· You may submit these requisitions to the Controller’s Office not Purchasing

who will verify available funds at that time but will not encumber.

· You can then take the requisition to the appropriate department from which you are purchasing.

Purchase Orders –

Life Cycle

· Requisitions entered in Banner are reserved (funds held in Banner) and then encumbered when requisition is converted to purchase order.

· Requisitions are NOT reserved in CataMart. Funds are not encumbered until the PO is issued to the vendor.

· When items are received by the department, complete the PO receiving copy and forward to Accounts Payable. Accounts Payable will cover this in more detail during their session.

· When all items have been received, submit PO as complete with last items checked off.

· Anytime no additional items are to be received and the PO has not been submitted as complete, send the PO to Accounts Payable to close the PO.

· Review your Open Encumbrances on a regular basis and notify us of any that should be closed. This is especially important at year-end.

Bids/Quotes –

· Any purchase exceeding $5,000 must be bid unless it is on contract or a sole source.

· $5,000-$10,000 needs three quotes (must be on Purchasing’s bid form and solicited by the Purchasing Office)

· Over $10,000 must be posted on State’s IPS

· Over $250,000 submitted to the Division of Purchase and Contract for bidding

· Does not matter what the source of funds is- rules still apply

P-Card –

P-Card

· WCU’s Procurement Card or credit card that can only be used to make University purchases

· Issued to individuals but charges are billed to the University

· Rapid turnaround on small dollar purchases

· REPLACES purchase orders, standing orders, check requests and petty cash accounts

· Recommend each department has at least one individual with P-Card to pay for registrations, memberships, certifications, publications and subscriptions. All rules and prior approvals for these purchases still apply.

· Some vendors will not accept purchase orders (Amazon and other .coms)

· In the near future, we will no longer reimburse individuals for these type purchases

· Access the P-Card website to obtain greater detail concerning how the P-card can be used, policy and procedures and the controls to prevent abuse and fraud.

CataMart System –

· WCU’s name for the SciQuest eProcurement System

· CataMart is Western Carolina's new advanced procurement system. It is an enterprise level e-procurement solution being implemented across the UNC System. CataMart is a modular system that automates the entire purchase-to-pay process greatly simplifying the ordering process for end users. By using a "shopping cart" application similar to online e-commerce sites, it allows users to select preferred goods, create and approve purchase requisitions, place purchase orders and receive goods/services all without paper by using a software system based on internet technology.

· System requires the accountable officer’s approval of requisitions. This has been endorsed by the University Executive Council. Approvals are much simpler than approvals in Banner. Accountable officers can approve by email or even on their cell phone if they access their email with their cell phone and have a “smart phone”.

· Can have multiple items for multiple vendors on single requisition and system will assign separate PO’s to appropriate vendors when ordering process is completed.

· With punch-out orders such as Staples, the system will take you into Staples website where you build you order just like you do now and when completed will bring the order back into CataMart. No longer need to do orders in Staples and Banner. This eliminates the duplicate entry.

· PO’s are distributed to the vendors by the system electronically by computer to computer, fax or email.

· Currently have Facilities Management, IT, Residential Living, Athletics and the North Carolina Arboretum live—Roll-out Schedule

· Any department that would like a presentation on the CataMart System before training, please contact me.

Surplus Property –

· Surplus Property is fixed assets no longer needed by the owning department.

· Disposal or transfer of surplus property must be handled according to University and North Carolina State Surplus Property procedures.

· Use Surplus Property Declaration Form - Pickup Requests and Surplus Computer/IT Property Declaration Form - Pickup Request for all items to be surplused (forms to be changed within the next month).

· Label all surplus so it can be identified when Housekeeping picks it up. Anything you think is junk label as “JUNK” so Regina can evaluate and certify as junk before it is taken to the warehouse.

· Yard sales will soon be replaced with a Surplus Store that will be open certain hours each week.

· Access the Surplus website for surplus forms. Surplus policies and procedures will be available on the website in the near future.

List of the Important Purchasing Links—

All can be accessed from the Purchasing Home Page