To purchase items from an outside vendor, you will need to obtain a purchase order. Academic expenditures over $250 must be approved in advance by the Provost’s Office. Requests under $250 may be submitted directly to the Business Office.

The purchasing process begins with a completed Request to Purchase/Check Request Requisition form. Directions for completing a Request to Purchase are as follows:

1. Please type or print the form clearly.
2. Check the Request to Purchase box.
   In lieu of the above, you may send an e-mail request to the Provost’s Office (for expenditures over $250) or the Business Office. Be sure all of the following information is detailed in your e-mail.
3. Payee or Vendor Suggested: Enter the full name, address and zip code of the vendor.
4. Deliver PO to:
   • Vendor - Business Office will mail
   • Hold - Will be held in the Business Office for pickup
   • John Doe - Will be put in John Doe's campus mailbox
   • Fax - Will be sent back to you to fax to the vendor (the Business Office does not fax purchase orders)
5. Account Number: Include full account number, including object code, to which items are to be charged.
6. Description: List items desired
7. Amount: List price of each item and total at bottom (if necessary, estimate)
8. Department Chair: Obtain appropriate approval from account supervisor. E-mail requests must be followed up with appropriately signed paperwork within 24 hours. If the dollar amount is $1,000 or more, it must have the signature of a PAC member.

Purchase orders are entered into the computer system daily. Once a purchase order number has been assigned the number is available through email upon request. When a purchase order is issued, it provides an encumbrance on departmental funds needed to pay for the goods ordered.

Purchase orders are printed for distribution before 9:30 on the following morning. When the purchase order is printed, it will be distributed as follows:

• Original - Sent to vendor (or as otherwise indicated for delivery)
• Yellow - Business Office copy
• Pink - Department copy
• Gold - Receiving copy. When the complete order has been received, sign and return this copy to the Business Office. The signed receiving copy indicates your approval for payment of related invoices. You may also receive copies of invoices when they arrive so that you can review actual charges against the purchase order. You will avoid duplication of effort by attaching the invoice(s) to the signed receiving copy.
• Please notify the Business Office if there is going to be a delay in paying an invoice due to damaged merchandise, an incomplete order, etc.

In the case of emergencies or special circumstances, purchase order numbers can be obtained by telephone. These must be kept to a minimum, and fully completed follow-up paperwork must be sent to the Business Office within 24 hours.

INVOICES AGAINST PURCHASE ORDERS

Once your order has been filled, the vendor will bill the College. In most instances, the invoice(s) will be sent directly to the Business Office. If we have an approved gold receiving copy of the purchase order, we will proceed to pay the bill according to the terms on the invoice. If we have not received the gold copy of the purchase order, we will send you a copy of the invoice for approval. This copy will be stamped in red with the following:

After shipment is received in satisfactory condition,
approve for payment and return to the business office

 If your order has been filled, the invoice should be signed, dated, and returned to the Business Office for payment. If the account number differs from that indicated on the purchase order, please make a note of this. You do not need to attach a check requisition to any invoice that has a red stamp on it with the above message.

Should you receive a bill directly from the vendor, sign and date the invoice indicating your approval for payment, put the account number to which the invoice is to be charged, and send it to the Business Office. We must have an invoice in order to pay the vendor, even though you may have already sent the gold receiving copy of the purchase order back to the Business Office.