Purchase Order Procedures (PO)
The purchase order is the vendor’s authorization to invoice and ship the material or perform a service as specified on the order. The purchase order is considered a legal document and contract between Bradley University and the vendor and under no circumstances should changes be made without the sanction of the Purchasing Department. This document is prepared from a properly authorized requisition.
The PO procedure is designed to expedite and control the purchasing of material and services for Bradley University, therefore, it is imperative that it be carefully worded and accurately prepared to minimize errors and misunderstandings. The distribution of the PO is as follows:
Original—(white) Mailed or faxed to vendor or picked up by department
Copy #1— (blue) Purchasing department file copy – filed numerically and
then alphabetically by company
Copy #2—(yellow) Forward to central receiving department and held in an open file, alphabetically by company and number until the materials are received
Copy #3—(green) Returned to department with the pink copy of the requisition
Confirming Orders
Departments also have the option of placing orders themselves with companies who will accept a purchase order number and do not require a copy of the actual purchase order. This is referred to as a Confirming Purchase Order. Before the order is placed, the department needs to fax a completed requisition to 677-3610. Once the Purchasing Department verifies that the information and approvals are correct, and that there are sufficient funds available, the department will be notified with the purchase order number to reference when the order is placed. The department needs to notate the purchase order number on the original requisition before it is forwarded over to the Purchasing Department. Failure to notate the purchase order number may result in another purchase order being created. Different people within the Purchasing Department handle standard purchase orders and confirming purchase orders. The Purchasing Department will create a purchase order and hold it in a file until the original requisition marked CONFIRMATION with the purchase order number notated, is forwarded to the Purchasing Department and processed in the previously mentioned manner, except this purchase order will be noted CONFIRMATION ORDER DO NOT DUPLICATE. Purchasing will not mail or fax a confirming order.
Blanket Orders
A blanket order is opened by a department to facilitate the purchase of materials or services over a specified period of time, and is used in preference to an order for a specific quantity at a specific price. The blanket order has a description of the materials or services but does not necessarily have a quantity or unit price; for example, “Miscellaneous lab supplies as required”.
To establish a blanket order, a requisition needs to be submitted to Purchasing, requesting an open order for miscellaneous items or services as required. The total dollar amount shown on the requisition will be charged against the initiating department’s available balance. The department may add to this amount, when the original amount has been used, by sending purchasing a note or an e-mail. The directive to increase the encumbrance must come from an authorized signer on the account.
When the blanket order is created, the vendor is mailed the white copy of the purchase order. In order to receive payment for items sold on an open order, the vendor must bill by invoice, noting the initial purchase order number.
In general, the need for a blanket order situation should be reviewed with the Purchasing Department staff, as every situation is likely to present unique problems or conditions. Open orders cannot be carried forward from one fiscal year to the next. A new order must be initiated each fiscal year.
Campus Wide Blanket Purchase Orders
Campus wide blanket purchase orders are opened for particular vendors. A list of these purchase orders is provided to all departments at the beginning of the fiscal year. To take advantage of this system, the department needs to create a requisition, securing all necessary approvals before placing the order. The department places the order with the vendor, referencing the blanket purchase order number and the requisition number. The requisition is then forwarded to Purchasing. When the invoice is received in Purchasing, the requisition will be used as authorization to charge the expense to the department.
The current list of campus wide blanket purchase orders include: ASAP Identification, CMFI, Geier Florist, Graphic Express, Havana Printing, Joan’s Trophy, Multi-Ad, Print Source and Wayne-Wagoner.