Appropriate Purchasing Process – Issue Purchase Orders
March 3, 2022
While the Payment Request process is appropriate for the payment of invoices for some services, and the Corporate Card is an appropriate alternatives for some purchases, this is a reminder that most purchases of most goods and services from outside vendors are to begin with the initiation of a Requisition in NUFinancials (either a catalog Requisition through iBuyNU or a non-catalog Requisition).
- Requisitions must be initiated at the time the product or service needs to be ordered, not when it is time to pay for the product or service.
- Requisitions need to be detailed and correct.
- A Requisition ID begins with the prefix REQ.
- A fully approved and budget checked Requisition is automatically sourced into a Purchase Order that begins with the prefix PUR during normal batch processing (no manual intervention by Procurement and Payment Services is necessary in most cases).
- The official Purchase Order is then sent to the vendor.
- This process occurs multiple times per day, and once the sourcing process runs, all purchase orders are then almost immediately dispatched to the vendors. This eliminates the need and perceived benefits associated with phone orders and blanket orders.
- The system provides an appropriate audit trail since all transactions are captured in the system specific to each individual purchase, putting the University in the best position to pay for purchases in a timely manner.
- Starting with a Requisition ensures that an approved and official Purchase Order is issued. The Purchase Order includes Northwestern’s standard terms and conditions, which is the legal document that governs the transaction and properly protects the department/school and University.
For more information, visit the Procurement Methods page on the PPS website.