Table of Contents

Purchasing supplies

Companies we order from

Ordering

These instruction apply to everything under $5000. Purchase orders (POs) are the preferred method to order items. The main advantage of using Purchase Orders is that if the item received is damaged or you were sent the wrong item it is easier to get a refund and/or return.

  1. Find the item that you want. If you are not sure that you have a good price, get 3 different quotes. Some companies have price lists on the web, other companies you will have to phone or email to get a quote.
  2. Ask the company if you can pay by purchase order (PO).

If the company accepts a PO number as payment:

  1. Get a PO form (three pages, white, yellow and pink) from Weniger 301 (as 2016 Clarissa Amundsen is the contact). Pick up a copy of the instructions and read them.
  2. Add the two-digit fiscal year prefix in front of the PO number. It is currently 18 (Fiscal Year 2018 is July 1 2017 to June 30 2018).
  3. Fill out vendor, telephone # (vendor's #), Fax No. (vendor's fax), Ordered By (that's you; could also put YourName/Tate), phone (your #), email (your e-mail), and date.
  4. You must search for the Catalog No. for the device you are purchasing, give a brief description, quantity, and unit price.
  5. Talk to Janet for confirmation on order, index No., and P.I. approval, and get her signature. You keep the pink page from the PO, file it in the 487 filing cabinet once the order is complete.
  6. Call a sales representative and make your order. Tell him or her the PO # (upper right corner of PO form, e.g. 15-1236) and what you are purchasing. Ask whether the item is in stock, and specify delivery (UPS ground, UPS 2-day, Fed-Ex etc). Agent may want you to fax the PO - do so from Weniger 301.
  7. Send your white and yellow PO pages via campus mail to Sarah McKay (?) or Verna Loveall, ASBC (Arts and Sciences Business Center). Or put it in the “Completed Purchase Orders” box in Weniger 301 to be mailed to ASBC. DO NOT wait to receive item before doing this.
  8. When the order arrives, check that nothing is damaged or defective.
  9. Find the packing slip and write on the packing slip “OK to pay. Your name, Tate Lab, date received: mm-dd-yy”. Mail the packing slip to Verna or Monica in ASBC immediately. Or put it in the “Completed Purchase Orders” box in Weniger 301 to be mailed to ASBC. ASBC needs your authorization to pay the bill.
  10. If it is a new chemical, the MSDS folder and lab inventory must be updated. Login and password info from Janet.

If the company accepts only credit card orders (rarely): Clarissa Amundsen or Kelly Carter are now the department contact for Credit Card Purchases (find out from them who is currently dealing with this). When you wish to make a purchase please send an email to one of them with the following information:

  1. Link to the item
  2. Quantity to order
  3. Short description of the item
  4. Index number to charge against
  5. Preferred shipping method
  6. Any special information regarding the order

Office should email you after the order has been placed with include confirmation numbers.

Orders $5,000 - $25,000

More expensive items get special treatment. Verna (the department accountant) will do most of the paperwork. The standard rules about getting 3 quotes are listed on the website of the procurement office.

Orders above $25,000

Big ticket items get special treatment from the procurement office. There are auditing requirements that must be fulfilled to prove that the purchase was done responsibly.

Who's who in the zoo

The purchasing system at OSU has several facets.

All purchases except Chem Stores need the PI's signature. PI = principal investigator, and that's Janet.

The ordering is done by the purchaser (you), or by the departmental office if it's a credit card. Kelly Carter as of 2013.

The processing and payment is done by ASBC (Arts and Sciences Business Center, see below), but you have an important role.

YOU must log the purchase in our internal records (store in a folder in Wngr 489), send the POs to ASBC IMMEDIATELY the order is placed, send the signed packing slip to ASBC IMMEDIATELY the goods are received. Put the relevant items in a campus mail envelope, and write ASBC - attn PERSON NAME

2016 Info about ASBC - click on “Physics” link on right bar.

From Jackie Thorsness, head of ASBC (2016):

Taimi Dark – Accountant (Taimi.Dark@oregonstate.edu, 7-4490) · Processes travel and expense reimbursements and invoices · Processes OSU Foundation reimbursements · Assists with Purchase Orders and contracts · Provides procurement card support · Provides advice regarding OSU policies & procedures (travel, payables, pcards, etc.)

Verna Loveall – Accountant (Verna.Loveall@oregonstate.edu, 7-1680) · Provides financial reporting (for grants, 201 accounts, and various E&G funds) · Assists with grant and contract administration · Assists with Purchase Orders and contracts · Provides advice regarding OSU policies & procedures (travel, payables, pcards, etc.)

v Employees are encouraged to use a departmental procurement card (P-Card) or auto pay vendors for OSU business related purchases, as this saves both time and money for the university and does not require out-of-pocket expense for employees.

v Only Contract Officers are authorized to sign and execute contracts and other written instruments on behalf of OSU. Any document required to be signed on behalf of OSU, regardless of dollar value or type of document, must be signed by an individual with contract signature authority. The only exception to this policy is for OSU interdepartmental agreements. If you have any other contracts or agreements requiring a signature (or an on-line signature/agreement to terms), ask ASBC and we can help direct you to the appropriate unit to obtain the needed signature.

v For purchases of $25,000 or more – ASBC will coordinate the solicitation process with Procurement and Contract Services (PaCS).

OSU requires travelers to register their international trips with Risk Management. This website links to the registration form and provides a lot of useful information for pre-travel planning and reasonably priced travel insurance · http://risk.oregonstate.edu/international

If using grant funds for the trip, here are some additional websites that may apply: · Foreign travel paid with grant funds –

See GCG Manual Policy 215-03 for policies related to international travel on grants http://fa.oregonstate.edu/gcg-manual/200-specific-administration-award/215-travel-sponsored-projects/215-03-foreign-travel

OPAA Foreign Travel Authorization Form - Form must be completed before making international travel arrangements on grant funds – http://fa.oregonstate.edu/sites/fa.oregonstate.edu/files/Baff/faa/foreigntravelauthorization.pdf

· Foreign travel paid with federal grants – In order to get reimbursed you must follow the Fly America Act “The Fly America Act requires that all travelers and others performing U.S. Government-financed air travel use U.S. flag carriers to the extent such carriers are available, even if their use would cost more.”

See GCG Manual Policy 215-03 for more details and exceptions http://fa.oregonstate.edu/gcg-manual/200-specific-administration-award/215-travel-sponsored-projects/215-03-foreign-travel

Feel free to stop by and introduce yourselves (we are in Cordley 2042). We like to have faces to go with the names and e-mails we see on a regular basis.

You might also check out our website at http://oregonstate.edu/dept/fa/bc/artsandsciences/finance-accounting. It has some helpful resources and links related to travel, payables, purchasing, etc. as well as a helpful ASBC Quick Reference guide covering many of these areas.