Procurement Department - Frequently Asked Questions

Purchase Requisitions and Purchase Orders

What is a Purchase Requisition? 

  • A purchase requisition, commonly called a "REQ" is a formal request prepared by a JU employee to procure goods and/or services. The requester must attach all applicable documents to a REQ such as but not limited to quotes, estimates, contracts, agreements, etc... The REQ must contain a detailed description of the commodities, quantities,  and any specific contracting or logistical requirements. All REQs must go through a formal approval process. When a REQ is approved by all applicable parties, it must go through a budget process to ensure adequate funding is available. If the REQ passes the budget process, it can be sourced into a Purchase Order. 

I am entering a requisition and cannot find the Supplier that I would like to utilize. How do I get them added to Colleague? 

Why do I have to attach a formal quote or estimate to my Purchase Requisition?

  • Quotes or estimates are a necessary part of the procurement process for many reasons. First, they lock in a specific price or rate for a specified period of time. Secondly, backing up your REQs with pricing information such as a quote or an estimate will support and assist if any transactional or legal issues were to arise. Finally, if and when requesting multiple quotes, we are ensuring that we are creating a fiscally competitive environment that will hopefully drive down costs. 
  • All quotes or estimates must contain the below information
    • Supplier name and contact information
    • Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) if attached to the quote or are reflected as reference to a web page or an embedded URL
    • Quotation Date
    • Quote Period (Time that a quote is valid)
      • Most suppliers have a 30 day period
      • Please request an extended quote period, if your quote has extensive T&Cs, involves grant and/or public funding
    • Description of goods and/or services supplied
      • Goods- Including quantity, unit of measure, price per unit, model or unit number
      • Services- Include complete details of the scope of work to be provided.

When are multiple quotes necessary?

  • Details Coming Soon!

How much time should I allow for my Purchase Requisition to be processed?

  • To be approved and dispatched as a PO, all REQs must be approved and budget checked. If REQs have not received appropriate approvals, required documentation attached is not attached, or cannot pass a budget check they cannot be finalized. When a REQ is finalized, the JU Procurement Department will dispatch a PO against the REQ within three business days.  

What is a Purchase Order?

  • Purchase orders (POs) are a form of contract for goods or services that commits the supplier and university to a buying transaction. POs are one of the primary buying methods at JU and are appropriate for goods, equipment, and services. If you are needing JU funds to be spent on a purchase and are not utilizing a JU P-Card, you must source a JU issued PO before you start your business transaction. 

What is a Blanket Purchase Order?

  • Blanket POs allow for reoccurring  payments for a specific service and/or product when the quantity or frequency of delivery cannot be fully determined at the time the PO is created.

Guidelines to consider when requesting a Blanket Purchase Order

  • You must encumber reasonable funds on a Blanket PO
  • Blanket POs cannot extend beyond the current fiscal year
    • If a requester needs to payments to cross fiscal years they must enter a new, subsequent REQ for the appropriate year
  • Blanket POs cannot be issued to order capital commodities. Please contact the Procurement Office if your department needs to set up a Blanket PO for leases of capital commodities
  • If needing to increase/decrease the available funding or amount of items on Blanket PO, the requesting department must request a change order from the Procurement Office
  • It is recommended that Blanket POs should follow JU's fiscal year. It is the requesting department's responsibility to monitor funding and the resubmitting all requisitions for subsequent Blanket POs

How do I increase/decrease the available funding or amount of items on one of my current Purchase Orders?

  • The requester must request a change order. The change order must be approved in writing from the requester's department head or college dean. The request must be sent to purchasing@ju.edu  At no time shall a requester send any Supplier a request for an increase or decrease of funding,  a change of commodity quantities, or a change of a product or statement of work (SOW). All changes that are sent to a Supplier must come from the Procurement Office.

How do I cancel a Purchase Order?

  • The requester must request a change order. The requester must specify the reason for cancellation in the change order request. The change order must be approved in writing from the requester's department head or college dean. The request must be sent to purchasing@ju.edu. At no time shall a requester send any Supplier a request for cancellation. All cancellation change orders that are sent to a Supplier must come from the Procurement Office.

Competitive Solicitations

How do I determine if I only need to request quotes or ask the JU Procurement Office to perform a competitive solicitation? 

  • Details Coming Soon!

What is the difference between a Request for Quote (RFQ) and a Request for Proposal (RFP)?

  • Request for Quotes (RFQs)- are the most commonly used competitive solicitation type. RFQs are used when JU determines through reasonable research and review that multiple Suppliers can meet the exact commodity specifications needed by JU. RFQs are often used for products such as office equipment (Ex: Copiers) or large volume supplies, furniture, athletic equipment or  large volume supplies, vehicles, I.T. equipment, Medical or Dental equipment, etc... The material requirements and contractual terms are generally non-negotiable for RFQs. The award typically goes to the lowest price, so long as the potential Supplier meets the mandatory specifications. RFQs can also be called Invitation for Bids (IFBs).
  • Request for Proposals (RFPs)-  with competitive solicitations, RFPs are always used for service affiliated procurements because the requester (JU) is weighing supplier capabilities, supplier resources, and supplier experience. Supplier provided information will be objectively evaluated on predetermined criteria.  Unlike RFQs, the awarding of RFPs is not based solely on the lowest price that met all mandatory commodity specifications. RFPs are used for specialized or complex professional services such as but not limited to professional consulting, technology related services, engineering or architectural services, paving, banking services, construction services, etc... Items such as but not limited to material requirements, completion times, and contractual terms can often be negotiated for RFPs

Contract Requirements Questions

Can I sign a contract with a Supplier?

  • Details Coming Soon!

How do I determine if I should be utilizing an existing contract?

  • Details Coming Soon!

Payment Questions

What should I do if I receive an invoice in the mail or by e-mail?

  • You or someone within your department must submit the invoice to Account Payable's email box at accountspayable@ju.edu. After submitting the invoice, you must email your Supplier and ask them to forward all future invoices to accountspayable@ju.edu.

Equipment and Furniture Questions

Does JU own used furniture that is not being utilized?

  • Yes, the JU Warehouse houses gently used items such as filing cabinets, tables, desks, and chairs. To view the gently used furniture, please make an appointment by sending an email to purchasing@ju.edu.

How do I request assistance in moving items from the JU Warehouse to a desired location?

How do I request removal of damaged or undesired items from office or classroom locations?

 

 

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