Lawson (EMPAC) New Requisition and Approval Changes FAQ

Lawson (EMPAC) New Requisition and Approval Changes – FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

GoToTraining

Can I listen to the audio of the info sessions and/or training via my computer instead of dialing in via phone?
Yes, please see this Citrix Online website for more details along with images and videos on how to enable audio controls from your computer.
Nonetheless, we recommend that you dial in via the phone number provided in the GoToTraining screen as this is the easiest way to listen and enables you to ask us questions.
If my coworkers and I registered only using one account, but a number of us will be attending training via a conference room, group setting, etc., what should I do to receive credit and access to the new Requisition system?
This is allowed as long as you provide a list of the attendees to Regi Foster so he can ensure that they receive credit/access to the new RQ10 form.

General

I missed the October training sessions for current users. When is the next round for the new IPA process?
The previously announced December 13th and December 15th training sessions for both Requestors and Approvers have been moved back. The next round should occur in January, after the holidays, and EMPAC Users will be notified early in the month with registration information.
When is the go-live date for this new Lawson process?
Go-live is scheduled for Monday, November 28th, 2016 for some departments.
Departments will be rolled out in batches so users will experience the new versions of RQ10 and REQ approvals at various times over the next few months.
Can I have a copy of the presentation slides that Regi went over during the Current User Training sessions?
Yes, both the Requester and Approver PowerPoint presentations are available on the EMPAC TRAINING website:
Note both the current process and the new IPA process are available for reference.
How do I know what is my RACF ID/Operator ID/User Name for Lawson EMPAC?
Please go to our Purchasing website and click on the link: How to check your RACF ID/OPERATOR ID/USER NAME for the new Requisition RQ10 Process.
When I enter my RACF ID/Operator ID/User Name into Requester and tab to the next field, why doesn’t my name appear?
Please check to see if you have been added to Lawson by Security for access and ensure that there are no typos. Your new Requestor ID is all lower-case.
What if I am on vacation? Who will be my backup for REQ entry and REQ approval?
Your colleague that will be backing up your responsibilities will have to have the same cost centers/requesting locations loaded in order for them to enter requisitions for your department. Please make sure to check before your time off.
Approvals will be based on cost center so the appropriate department head will still be notified for approval, regardless of who entered the requisitions.
Multiple Approvers may be set up to ensure that requisition approval is not dependent on a single person.
When will training for new Requesters begin? What if I need Lawson EMPAC access now?
Training for new users is tentatively scheduled for some time in January/February. If you need EMPAC access now under the current system, please schedule private training classes with Regi Foster.
If I have not used Lawson in the last 12 months, is my account still active?
No, EMPAC access is deactivated after 12 months if you did not log in within that time frame. Please attend a new training session as a refresher. You will be granted access thereafter.
What if I attended training last month in October?
October’s training was for the current/outgoing system. New training will still be required.
Will the link on my Approver email be the only way to access Lawson login?
No, you can still log in to Lawson via the Mednet homepage or bookmarks.
How do I know/verify my Requesters and their approved Requesting Locations?
Please send an email to Regi Foster, Don Parks, and Victor Banh with a list of your desired Requesters, desired Requesting Locations (recharge ID) and the corresponding Accounting Unit (OSHPD).
May I send a list of staff members and requesting locations needed prior to my go-live to avoid down time?
Yes, please send this information to Regi Foster, Don Parks and Victor Banh of Procurement & Strategic Sourcing.

Requisition Entry (RQ10)

Do I use my RACF ID or User Name right now for RQ10 requisitions?
No, Requesters will continue to use their existing, department/generic IDs until their respective go-live.
Implementation will be progressive and department Requesters will be notified then.
Is my RACF ID/Operator ID/User Name case-sensitive?
Yes, please type your User Name in all lower cases.
When I try to add a requisition, I receive an error of “Accounting Unit is not valid for requester. What do I do?
If you received this message, it means that your profile is not currently authorized to order for this requesting location. If you feel this is an error, please have your department Approver submit a RQ Authorization Form via our Purchasing/Caspio form available on our website:
Note this submission form will appear after go-live and is in testing.
If you have entered a requisition in the last twelve months, you will already have access to the cost centers/requesting locations you’ve utilized.
How should my Authorizer add locations for my profile?
As the go-live date approaches, a separate online submission form will be enabled on our Purchasing website. Approvers can submit requests to add locations for their Requesters there.
Can I still enter requisitions for both Reagan and Santa Monica?
Yes, as long as you’ve requested for both companies in the last 12 months, you will be granted the same cross-hospital access. Please note that your primary company will default so please make sure to check.
Why doesn’t the Requesting Location name appear when I enter it and tab to the next field?
Please ensure that the Requesting Location correlate to the appropriate Company.
The Company will default for you based on your primary location. Thus, if you are entering requisition for another Company, please verify both fields.
How do I know what cost centers/requesting locations I am authorized to use?
Requesters have already been granted authorization to use their respective cost centers/requesting locations if a REQ was entered within the last twelve months.
If Requesters need additional requesting locations to be authorized, please have one of the higher level department Approvers ($10,000+) submit that request to Regi.
Please contact Purchasing to ensure that your Lawson profile has your necessary accounting units loaded if you are unsure.
I have an urgent order that needs to be processed, how do I expedite the request if it is pending approval?
Multiple approvers can now be set to an approval track at the same level. Thus, you no longer have to rely on one person to approve your REQ at a specific level. Nonetheless, you should still email them privately for all urgent approvals and not wait for the automated notifications they receive at 10am and 3pm each day.
Will the Approval Track be shown before the requisition is released?
Currently, we do not believe this inability to display the REQ’s approvers will be changed. However, we will confirm.
Note that the Approval Track also depends on the requesting location used and the total REQ dollar amount.
Can I request that the higher Approver take action to skip the other levels?
No, under the new system, each level of Approver must take action before the next, higher level Approver can.
This was a security requested by Business Owners to ensure that all requisitions were properly reviewed by affected parties.
For example, if a REQ is $25,000, Level 1’s Approver typically from $1-$10,000 must approve before Level 2’s Approver can take action.
If my requesting location has multiple approvers, will all of them receive an email?
Yes, all approvers will be notified via their twice-a-day email, at 10am and 3pm.
A primary Approver cannot be set up to receive the email only. Please coordinate this internally within your department.
If the department has multiple Requesters, will the inbasket allow us to see all requisitions associated with that Requesting Location?
No, the inbasket is Requester ID specific and thus, you will only see REQs entered by you.
Please have the requisition number if you would like to check another person’s REQ.
Can my Approver cancel a released requisition under this new system?
No, once a REQ is released, only the Purchasing department can cancel a requisition. If the REQ is pending/needs approval, then the Approver can still reject it.
Can I check backorders or confirm an order with this new system?
No, backorders are in a separate process dependent on each vendor.
You may still confirm an order in PO20 under the internal header comments that all Buyers and Purchasing Assistants use to note the ETA/Confirmation #/customer service rep they spoke with/any additional comments.
Will we be notified when a PO is generated and released?
No, purchase orders live in a different database and are not a part of this RQ10 and REQ Approval enhancement. Please continue to use RQ44.1 and RQ44.2 to look for PO numbers and PO20 to see its details.
Will Capital Equipment Requisitions change?
No, the current process of using WS-CAPITAL, SS-CAPITAL and NS-CAPITAL will remain the same for now.
Will Clinical Engineering Requisitions change?
No, the current process for these maintenance/service requisitions will also be the same for now.
Please continue to contact Clinical Engineering as they enter these requisitions on behalf of requesting departments.

Approvals

How do I log in to approve my department’s requisitions?
Approvers will continue to log into Lawson via their AD accounts and then click on their Bookmarks and Inbasket to enter the Infor Process Automation approval screen.
I previously used generic Approvers in the past, how will the approval process change under the new version?
Requisition approvals will be at the cost center/requesting location level and no longer tied to the Requester field. W1SPD and other generic Requesters will no longer be used for security purposes.
The new system will allow for much more flexibility and multiple Approvers may be enabled to prevent issues with urgent approval requests.
The auto-approval process will only be present for MSCM handheld orders for the 03, 04 and 05 locations.
The requisition is urgent; do I have to wait until the emails at 10am or 3pm to approve?
No, Approvers can take action on a requisition at any time. The 10am and 3pm emails only serve as reminders and notifications that there are pending requisitions in a person’s in-basket.
Requesters should notify their respective Approvers of any urgent/overnight orders.
Will Approvers still have to log in separately for WW and SM requisitions or will the new IPA version encompass all REQs regardless of site?
Both Westwood and Santa Monica requisitions should display in your My Work list.
Why can’t I approve a REQ that is within my dollar limits?
Under the new system, lower level Approvers must take action/approve before the next Approvers can do so.
This was a security requested by Business Owners to ensure that all requisitions were properly reviewed by affected parties.
For example, if a REQ is $25,000, Level 1’s Approver typically from $1-$10,000 must approve before Level 2’s Approver can take action.
How do we add additional approvers for a Requesting Location?
Please send an email to Regi Foster and he will add them to the IPA system.
Will the pending requisitions that need my attention have all my relevant companies?
The Infor Process Automation Inbasket should have all requisitions regardless of Company.
The REQs that need approval will display regardless of company so Approvers that cover both WWH and SMH will see a mix of both on their lists (My Work lists).
How are vacation approvals handled?
In the new IPA system, Approvers can set approval proxies that can take over the REQ approval responsibilities while he or she is on vacation.
Multiple Approvers can also be enabled for a given level so Requesters are not reliant on a single department Approver.
There will no longer be alternate approval tracks.
Please email Regi Foster, Don Parks and Victor Banh to verify and/or make changes to your approval tracks. The enhanced versions were based off of existing data.
Is there a search option to look for past REQs?
Yes, Approvers may search for requisitions from the point of IPA go-live and on. Requisitions before the implementation date will NOT be in the new system, however.
How far back will IPA My Actions display my past requisitions?
The My Actions will display all requisitions once your department go-lives. Past requisitions in the old, outgoing system will not display.
Under My Actions, is there a limit to the number of previous requisitions approved that can be displayed?
There will be an archiving process during Lawson maintenance so a set number of previous REQs will be shown. This number has yet to be determined.
How do I see the Comments that the Requester made on their requisition that needs approval?
Once you select a requisition, the bottom section will have a tab of “Related Links”. Please click on this and Lawson will take you to RQ10 where you can view the internal comments.
What information can I see under the Details tab?
Approvers can view the requisition’s work unit, description, date, cost center and original Requester.
Does the vendor name show on the inbasket?
The vendor name should appear in your approval notification email.
The vendor name can also be found by drilling around/opening the requisition in IPA’s inbasket or My Work. This is a similar process to the current RQ12 screen.
How can you check if a requisition has been issued a PO?
The enhancements only pertain to the requisition and approval processes. Please continue to use RQ44 and PO20 to check for PO numbers and their status/comments.
Can I send a message to my respective Requestor for this Requisition to let them know that the requisition was unreleased and needs to be changed?
An automated email from Lawson will be sent to Requesters for all rejections or unreleases.
There will be a comment section for Approvers so messages regarding what needs to be changed are possible. However, it is up the Requester to go into Lawson and check the comments.
Please make sure to enter comments into this field in order for your Requester to know what needs to be edited.

Notifications

Why did I receive an email from ?
Requesters will receive an email from Lawson EMPAC notifying them whenever they created/released their requisitions as well as when the REQ’s respective Approvers either approve, reject or un-release requisitions.
This email will have the Requisition Company, Requisition Number, Requester and Requesting Location.
Approvers will be receiving an email from Lawson EMPAC periodically (10am and 3pm each day) to notify them of their “in-basket” or pending queue of REQs that need to be reviewed.
Does the email notification let the Requester know who is assigned the PO in Procurement?
No, please use PO20 to check the three-letter buyer code and contact this Buyer directly.
Will I receive an email once the REQ is converted into a PO?
No, please check RQ44.2 to check for the purchase order number.
How do I know who is assigned a purchase order or when a PO# is generated?
No notifications will be sent out when the PO is generated and assigned.
N, I and X-type orders will typically generate a PO one day after the date of approval. However, the order will be assigned in Purchasing then and may take 1-3 business days to complete depending on any contract review, vendor cooperation, and/or errors on the requisitions.
Please check RQ44.2 to find the PO number and PO20 for the assigned buyer, comments, and order confirmation.
Will I receive an email for every REQ entered and released as an Approver?
No, Approvers will only receive two emails per day with a list of pending requisitions that require their action, one at 10am and one at 3pm.

Materials Management (SPD)

Are the MSCM handhelds affected by these requisition and approval changes?
Yes, handheld orders will require your individual login rather than the generic W1SPD andS1SPD will no longer be used.
How will requisitions affect Materials Management since most of the technicians cover one another?
Supply techs should have the same access with one another and thus, be able to order for the same departments and same Requesting Locations.

Last Updated: December 12, 20161