Work Instruction
Functional Area: Purchasing / Create RSML Purchase Requisition (ME51N)
PurposeRequisitioning
Use this procedure to create a purchase requisition.
RSMLs are usually entered prior to the fiscal year start, when the next fiscal year is opened in the system. It is basically the same as a regular item except you check the RSML checkbox on the Customer data tab in the Item Details. You also need to start the Short Text (description) of the item in the Item Overview with "Rental Agreement for", "Service Agreement for", etc. RSML items should be entered on separate requisitions. If entering an RSML prior to the start of the fiscal year, you will also need to indicate a requisition date that reflects the start of the fiscal year, usually July 1.
Trigger
Perform this procedure when you need to create a purchase requisition for RSML items.
Prerequisites
  • The number for the Desired Vendor, or a list of suggested bidders.
  • Specifications for the items including detailed description and unit of measure.
  • Account assignment information to which you want to charge the purchase.
  • Storage Location (Mail Location and Delivery Point) for the final delivery destination.
  • Shipping Point (dock) where the items are to be received initially.
  • Approval from your department to enter the Requisition.
  • Any other attachments or forms that are necessary.
  • New fiscal year must be open for posting if the RSML is for the next year. Usually the new fiscal year is opened for posting in May of the current year.
Menu Path
Use the following menu path to begin this transaction:
  • SAP Easy Access User Specific Menu
  • Select Decentral Requisitioned Create Purchase Requisition
  • SAP Easy Access Generic Menu
  • Select LogisticsMaterials ManagementPurchasingPurchase RequisitionCreate
Helpful Hints
  • The R/O/C column in the field description tables below defines whether the field is required (R), optional (O), or conditional (C).
  • On certain screens you may have to scroll to view some data entry fields.
  • Set your screen to a higher resolution to avoid extra scroll bars.
  • You can expand a section by clicking . Collapse the section to create more space on the screen by clicking . When a section is collapsed, the section name is visible; when it is expanded, it is not visible.
  • You can create a purchase requisition by copying an existing purchase requisition.
  • Click .
  • Click and select My purchase requisitions.
  • Click to the left of with the desired document type.
  • Drag and drop the desired to the . All material data from original requisition will default. Make applicable inputs such as batch, work scope and delivery date.
  • For purposes of this manual, the term "Buyer" means the Central Purchasing Buyer or Buyer Assistant who processes the Requisition into a Purchase Order. "Requisitioner" means the person entering the Requisition.
  • The Purchase Requisition (ME51N) transaction is intended for high-dollar, non-repetitive needs when goods or services are not addressed by an established agreement. To aid in data gathering and departmental approvals prior to entering a Requisition, Requisition Worksheet Forms are available from the Central Purchasing web site at
  • Prior to entering a Requisition, follow your departmental guidelines for obtaining purchase approval and approval to encumber departmental funds. You can print and use the Purchase Request Worksheet electronic form available on the Central Purchasing web site as a worksheet and to document the necessary approvals.
  • More details of the University's purchasing policies and procedures are available in the Purchasing Manual, available through the Central Purchasing Department's web site at
  • The Requisition screen consists of 3 sections: the Header section, the Item Overview section, and the Item Details section. The Header section contains information that applies to the entire Requisition. The Item Overview section contains a grid of the primary fields for a line item. The Item Details section contains all of the available fields for a line item.
  • The Header section only contains a field to store departmental notes. This information does not transfer to the order when the Buyer processes it.
  • Depending on various factors and in what state you left the Requisition transaction, the different screen sections may be expanded or collapsed. When entering the transaction, open the sections as needed by clicking on the Expand buttons to the right of each section. You cannot expand the Item Details section until you begin entering some information in the Item Overview.
  • The Item Overview and Item Details do not remain synchronized on the screen. When clicking on another line in the Item Overview, the Item Detail does not automatically refresh to the next line. Remember to use the large arrow keys at the top of the Item Details section to scroll to the information for the appropriate line. The line item number is indicated in the field in front of the arrow keys.
  • Make sure to choose the correct Document type for the Requisition, depending upon whether it is a regular Requisition (NB) or a check request (ZCR). Note: check requests are only to be used when a mistake occurs and an invoice needs to be paid. Examples are: 1) additional unplanned freight and the original order is closed, 2) something that was erroneously shipped and accepted. You should never place an order with a vendor without first obtaining a valid University order number.
  • Requisition numbers are in the range of 10000000 to 19999999 and Check Requests are 3000000000 through 3999999999.
  • Quantity allows 3 places to the right of the decimal, and price allows 2 places to the right of the decimal.
  • Material Groups are commodity codes. When trying to determine the correct commodity code, you can search for a Material Group in the system using the match code. A more extensive search, including keywords, is available on the Central Purchasing Web Site at
  • When entering a Requisition, indicate a preferred or known source of supply for the item(s) required. If you do not know the Vendor Number, select the appropriate one from the matchcode on the Desired Vendor field. When using the matchcode, enter your criteria on the last tab, which is customized for UC. When searching by name put an * before and after the string. Only search with five or six characters in the name, not the entire name itself. If you cannot locate the Vendor in the system because it is an unregistered Vendor, select the Vendor record with the name "Vendor Not Registered" in the Desired Vendor field. This record is a substitute record to facilitate submitting a Requisition without first having the Vendor in the system. You must enter the actual Vendor name and address in the Item Text field on the ItemDetails Texts tab. Once the Buyer contacts and registers the Vendor, they will enter that Vendor on the Purchase Order if the Buyer makes the award to that company. The vendor number to use is 100005.
  • When a source is not known or you wish to provide a suggested Bidders list, select the Vendor with the name "Bidders". Enter a list of suggested bidders in the Item Text field on the ItemDetails Texts tab (or send the list as an attachment). Note that you can copy and paste the list into the Item Text if you have the list already electronically stored. The vendor number for bidders is 100006.
  • The Vendor is at the line item level on the Requisition so the Vendor must be entered on each line. Although the system will not stop you from saving a Requisition with multiple vendors, you must provide separate Requisitions per Vendor for them to be accepted by Central Purchasing.
  • Provide complete specifications for Purchasing to accurately furnish the exact products or services required. Be sufficiently detailed in your specifications so any vendor in the marketplace who receives a bid from the Purchasing Department will have a complete understanding of all technical and service-related requirements. Specifications can be entered in the Requisition using the Short Text field in the Item Overview and the Item Text field on the Item Detail Texts tab.
  • For additional product information, or extensive specifications, reference the attachments in the Requisition text and fax a copy of them to Purchasing indicating the Requisition number at the top of the front page. Make sure to check the Attachment field on the Item Details UC Information tab.
  • The Account Assignment Category determines what fields in the Item Details Account Assignment tab are available. Different Account Assignment Categories can have different fields that appear for the Account Assignment. The Account Assignments available are K (Cost Center), P (Project), A (Asset), and Z (Prepaid/Check Request). It is recommended that you set these values in your personal list for this matchcode.
  • Requisitions with items using a K account assignment will default on the resulting order to an overdelivery tolerance of 10%. This default tolerance was set up to alleviate receiving and payment issues with slight overshipments, which are not abnormal. Price tolerance is at the unit price level not at the overall order price total, so it could not be used in UC Flex to allow for overshipment.
  • Resulting orders are set to default to a price tolerance of 20% above the unit price ($1,000 maximum) for each line item. The exception to this is a construction order and a Check Request, which do not have any price tolerance. The defaulted Price Tolerance can be changed by the Buyer to no tolerance in the case of a quote. If you have requested and obtained a price quote from a vendor, make sure to indicate "Price quote received from", the name of the vendor contact, and their phone number in the Item Text field on the Item Details Texts tab.
  • To copy Account Assignment information from one line item to the next if you forget to turn on the repeat Account Assignment button, you can copy and paste the information. To do so, press Cntl Y to start the multiple line copy mode. Select all of the accounting lines by clicking and dragging the mouse across all of the fields and lines to be copied. Then press Cntl C to copy. Then paste the information into the next item by clicking in the first cell of the Account Assignment grid and then pressing Cntl V.
  • To accommodate monthly or quarterly payments for service agreements, enter a Requisition for a Rental, Service Maintenance or Lease Agreement (RSML). To do this, always start the Line Item description (Short Text) with "Rental Agreement for", "Service Agreement for", etc., depending upon the circumstances. Make sure to check the RSML checkbox on the Item Details UC Information tab to identify this as an RSML. Indicate the period to be covered, usually the University's fiscal year i.e. July 1 through June 30. This checkbox will transfer to the PO when it is created and the heading "Rental, Service, Maintenance, or Lease Agreement" will automatically print before the line items. Enter the Unit of Measure as DOL (Dollars). The Quantity should reflect the extended price for the lease. The Unit Price should be $1.00. The Quantity can handle up to 999,999,999.999.
  • Prepaid orders are to be avoided. However if a requisition must be entered for a prepaid item, the "Z" Account Assignment Category should be used. The Goods Receipt field on the Item Details Delivery tab will default to unchecked. This will cause the resulting purchase order to not require a Goods Receipt (2-way match). Make sure to also mark the Prepaid check box on the Item Details UC Information tab. The Buyer will assign payment terms of 15 (Pay Immediately). Do not confuse Prepaid with Check Requests. Check requests are created with a special document type whereas Prepaids are a type of regular requisition.
  • Confirmation Orders are generally orders where quick or immediate delivery is required. To convey to the Buyer that the purchase must be handled in this manner, check the Confirmation checkbox on the UC Information tab. The Buyer will contact the vendor immediately and fax a copy of the order. Language identifying this as a confirming order will automatically print before the line items on the resulting order.
  • Construction Requisitions are to be created basically the same as other Requisitions orders except a P should be used for the Account Assignment Category. This brings up the necessary fields for proper project account assignments and the Goods Receipt field on the Item Details Delivery tab should default to unchecked, creating a 2-way match that does not require a Goods Receipt. Construction Orders should also have the Quantity and Unit Price swapped. Enter the Quantity for the actual Line Item Price, and enter the Unit Price as $1.00. Use DOL (Dollar) as the Unit of Measure. This will allow multiple invoices to be processed against the order without closing it prematurely.
  • When available checkboxes/fields are checked/completed on the first item line of the Item Details UC Information tab, they should default to all other line items, except for the Asset Trade-in, and the Capital Request Number.
  • Identify whether the request is for a service and thus should bypass Receiving, or if it should come through the appropriate Receiving Center. Select and enter the appropriate delivery point and the appropriate Ship-To code. In UC Flex, the Ship-To code is not associated directly with the Delivery Point, so both will need to be entered.
  • There is some information that is at the line item level but is actually for the entire order, like Storage Location (Mail Location) and Delivery Point. Where possible, this information was set up to default from the first line to each new line. However at times, this type of information will need to be added separately to each line, like the Vendor number mentioned above. Certain fields can be set to default using the Default Values button located in the Item Overview section.
  • Review available delivery points using the transaction ZOX09.
  • Accounting information is at the line item level. You can do split coding in various ways. You can apply different accounts to each line. Multiple accounts for each line can be used and can be distributed by quantity or by percentage. For partial invoices, account assignments can be set up for each item line to either use each consecutive account line, or to be distributed proportionately across all the account lines. However, note that if you are using the same account assignment for the entire order, you will need to add these same account assignment lines to each line item.
  • An asset is considered an item of a long-term permanent nature that is identified as having real worth (typically a piece of equipment or an instrument) and having a useful life greater than 2 years. For purposes of this documentation, capital assets are assets that are valued at $5,000 or greater.
  • When requisitioning for an item that is considered a Capital asset, an Asset Shell(s) must be set up in the system, prior to entering the Requisition. When creating a requisition for an asset, the Requisitioner enters an existing asset number. An asset shell can be set up for non-capital items valued at less then $5,000 if the department wishes to track them. If a Requisition is for more than one of the same item, you will need to create separate Asset Shells for each piece. Sub-assets are required to be set up in the case of multiple account assignments, one for each different account per asset. Contact Asset Management for assistance when setting up Assets involving multiple account assignments. Refer to the work instruction titled, Create Asset Master Record for further details.
  • The following list contains the Ship-to Codes and what happens when they are selected on the Customer data tab in the Item Details section.
  • 0 The last 5 lines of the delivery point address will be printed on the order.
  • 1 Campus and Branch Receiving address will be printed on the order.
  • 2 Radiation Safety Laboratory address will be printed on the order.
  • 4 Lab Animal Medicine address will be printed on the order.
  • 5 Hoxworth Blood Center address will be printed on the order.
  • 7 Printing Services address will be printed on the order.
  • 9 The following prints on the order: "This order either requires no shipping or has special shipping instructions that can be found in its body of text."
  • 10 The following prints on the order: "Do Not Ship! Pickup only by University of Cincinnati personnel."
  • You can create a Requisition by copying another one in its entirety or the individual line items from another one. Use the Document Overview to do this. Once copied, you can change the information on the new one before saving it. This should be useful when you have items that are purchased on a regular basis. You can also copy a line from the current requisition to use as a basis for the next line you are adding, by selecting the line to be copied and using the copy button above the Item Overview section.

11/9/2017
Ver: Rev 2013-1 / PUR_ME51N_Create RSML Purch Requisition.udc
© University of Cincinnati / 1/1
Work Instruction
Functional Area: Purchasing / Create RSML Purchase Requisition (ME51N)
Procedure
1. / Start the transaction using the menu path or transaction code.