PO/AP FAQs

How Do I Print an LPO?
In order to print an LPO, you must run a report by selecting "Reports>Run" from the Navigation screen. This is a UVA custom report that can be run directly from the application. This version is better than the standard Integrated System version in that we have provided headings in front of the information such as "Buyer:" before the name of the buyer and "Ship To:" prior to the ship-to address. There is a label at the top of the form which reads "University of Virginia Limited Purchase Order'. It also lists the PTAEO(s) which was used.

The revised step by step instructions for how to print an LPO can be found on the Integrated System website at the URL listed below. The instructions are the same as those provided in classroom manuals except that the new report is called "UVA Limited Purchase Order" instead of "Printed Purchase Order Report". Click here for navigation instructions.

How can people get an LPO/PR number if I'm out of the office on vacation, due to illness, at training, etc.?
There are a number of ways for your staff to have LPO numbers or the ability to order what they need:

You give them a number when they need one
When you are on vacation, you could establish someone to serve as your back up who gives them a number
Each person could go into the system and get their own number

People who regularly order things should have a procurement card or have standing orders to the vendors they use most often. For example if you have someone who often needs to purchase supplies from Lowes and Martin Hardware, they could have a standing LPO at each location and order items up to $4,999. Or that person should have a procurement card.

Will we be able to see purchasing detail within the module?
By using the Integrated System's Purchase Order Summary screen, you may easily query and sort information by vendor, buyer, requestor, delivery location code, and other fields. From Purchase Order Summary you may drill down into the actual purchase order document if detailed information is required. The Integrated System has a number of standard reports that may be run. However no standard Integrated System reports in the Purchasing module provide PTAEO information. In order to see that, departments should use Discoverer reports, or view information in the Grants Accounting module.

How do I make changes to purchase orders with restricted expenditure types?
Departments fill out and submit a new PO Change Form online, specifying the changes that need to be made, and Procurement Services' buyers will process the change. See the Procurement Services Web site for the PO Change Form.

Please note that this new procedure does not apply to Limited Purchases Orders (LPOs). Departments will retain the responsibility for making whatever changes are necessary to their LPOs, so please do not use the PO Change Form to request changes to LPOs.

Additional information and instructions on filling out the PO Change Form may be found on the Procurement Services Web site.

Please contact Todd Mawyer at 982-2636 or wtm4n@virginia.edu for questions or additional information.

How do I locate the PO number for my requisition without looking at each purchase requisition record?
The requisition number is not reflected on the printed PO because the PO is an external document. Viewing from the Requisition or PO Summary is the most direct way to make the connection between the PO and the Requisition number.

Option 1:

Go to Requisition Summary
Enter Requisition Number
Enter Requestor/Buyer
Select "Lines" from the Results region, click Find
Open the Folder named "Req & PO Number Info"

This will show the Requestor, Requisition number, Purchase Order number, Supplier, Description, Amount, and Buyer.

Option 2:

Go to Purchase Order Summary
Go to the Alternate Region, select "Related Documents"
Enter Requisition Number in the Requisition field, click Find
Open the folder named "Buyer"

This will display the Requisition Number, Purchase Order number, Buyer, Supplier, Description, Amount, and Approval Status.

How do I provide itemized info to vendors on LPO forms?
LPO forms are built for single line, general description because that meets most users' needs. If it is necessary to itemize, there are two options:

Enter information into the Description field (up to 240 characters).
Use short text or long text attachment on the line (1000s of characters), category To Supplier. This information will print on the LPO.

How can I review my LPO?
Go to the Purchase Order Summary screen and enter your LPO number. You can then open the document and view the information you entered, or from the summary window you can click the Lines button and then the Shipment button and view each line with amount ordered, received, and billed. Click here for navigation information.

How does the Integrated System number the requisitions and LPO's?
The system assigns the next available number in the system when you save the first time.

How can I get multiple LPO numbers?
You only need to enter one character to be able to save an LPO. Open a Purchase Order. Put one (or more) characters in the description field, then click the Save icon on the tool bar. This will save, assign a number, and put you into a new LPO. Follow the same steps for as many numbers as you need.

Why didn't my purchase order attachment go to Procurement Services?
When you attach something, the placement of that attachment is very important. To make sure your attachment can be opened by Procurement Services, place your cursor on the line of the item the attachment is for before you click the attachment icon.

My purchase order is rejected or returned, and I don't know why.
Go to the summary, enter the document number, and click on the find button. Click Inquire from the menu bar, and then select View Action History. You should see the person's name that rejected or returned the document, along with any explanation they might have entered in the Notes region.

I have an LPO showing a residual commitment after payment(s). How do I relieve that commitment?
Go to Purchase Order Summary, put in the LPO number then click Find. From the Menu bar, click Tools and then Control. In the Options window, choose Finally Close PO. This will close the PO and relieve the commitment. Only the person listed as the buyer can Finally Close a PO and should only do so after all invoices have been paid. Finally Closed POs cannot be reopened. Click here for navigation information.

How can I have my PTAEO information default on all lines of my requisition/LPO?
You can set Preferences on a blank document. This will default the information on every document you create/save/approve while signed on (preferences will be deleted when you sign out of the Integrated System). Click here for navigation instructions.

How can I clean up residual balances from Purchasing?
The process of cleaning up residual balances is not difficult (see steps below). What makes it difficult for GA users who are not the document owner is that only the document owner can Finally Close a PO or LPO.

If the document was initiated by the department (an LPO) and the document owner has left the department, someone with the PO Purchaser or PO Requester responsibility, who is set up as a Buyer and has approval authority, can change the Buyer name to their name, then approve and Finally Close the document.

If the document was initiated by Procurement Services (POs), the Buyer in Procurement Services must Finally Close the document. The department must submit a PO Change Request Form to Procurement Services requesting that it be Finally Closed.

To Finally Close a PO or LPO, go to Purchase Order Summary, and put in the LPO number and click Find. From the Menu bar, click Tools and then Control. In the Options window, choose Finally Close PO. This will close the PO and relieve the commitment.

Only the person listed as the buyer can Finally Close a PO and should only do so after all invoices have been paid. Finally closed POs cannot be reopened. You can view invoices matched to the PO/LPO through PO Summary>Inquire>View Invoices. Check each invoice to see that it has been paid and that there is a check number. DO NOT Finally Close a PO or LPO which has pending invoices.

If the document owner of an LPO is no longer in the department, a person with the PO Purchaser or PO Requester responsibility who is set up as a Buyer and has approval authority should bring up the LPO in PO Summary, Open the LPO, highlight and delete the name in the Buyer field of the PO header and insert their name (last name first, begin typing the last name then tab). After the Buyer name had been changed, approve the PO. You cannot Finally Close a PO which is in an unapproved status. Close the PO and requery in PO Summary. From the Menu bar in PO Summary, click Tools and then Control. In the Options window, choose Finally Close PO. This will close the PO/LPO and relieve the commitment. The PO /LPO can never be reopened.

Finally Closing Purchase Orders

If I have questions about finally closing POs, who should I ask?
The Integrated System Help Desk can answer questions about finally closing POs. They can be reached at 243-7550.

How can I identify the POs for my organization that will be finally closed by ISDS?
ISDS has created a Discoverer report named PO_Closed PO and Unapproved Requisition Report. Run this report with a date range of 01-JUL-2001 to 30-JUN-2006. POs appearing on this report that meet the following criteria will be finally closed:

Line Type is equal to LPO < $5000
Amount Billed is greater than or equal to Amount Ordered
Line End Date is before July 1, 2006 OR is blank

How do I identify the POs for my organization that won’t be closed by ISDS?
There are two steps involved in identifying POs that ISDS won’t close:

Run the Discoverer report named PO_Closed PO and Unapproved Requisition Report with a date range of 01-JUL-2001 to 30-JUN-2006. POs that meet ANY of the following criteria will not be closed:
1. Amount Billed is less than Amount Ordered
2. Line End Date is July 1, 2006 or later
3. Line Type is NOT equal to LPO < $5000 (select different line types in the page items area)
Run the Discoverer report named PO_Closed PO and Unapproved Requisition Report again with a date range of 01-JUL-2006 to the current date. All POs with a PO date of July 1, 2006 or later will have to be finally closed by the buyer on the PO once no additional activity is expected.

Why do I have to finally close POs?
With the most recent Grants patches, all closed POs, regardless of open commitment amount, will now appear in the Project Status inquiry view. ISDS will, at some point in the near future, make changes to our custom reporting tables so that the encumbrances reported in Discoverer reports mirror the encumbrances reported in Project Status and Award Status inquiry views. Once our custom table processes are updated, all POs that are not finally closed will appear on your Discoverer reports, making expenditure detail reports much longer than they currently are, and any uninvoiced amounts will be summarized as outstanding commitments on your monthly Budget Balance Available (BBA) Reports even if the PO status is Closed. Currently uninvoiced amounts on POs in a Closed status are not reflected in reports, which is misleading because these amounts are outstanding commitments to purchase. If the uninvoiced amount will not be used, the PO should be finally closed to liquidate the remaining commitment.

When should a PO be finally closed?
A PO should be finally closed when no additional activity is expected against it. To allow for unexpected returns and credit memos, ISDS suggests that you allow 30 – 60 days after receipt of the final invoice before finally closing the PO.

How do I finally close a PO?
To finally close a PO:

Query the Purchase Order (use Purchase Order Summary) - Do not open it.
Click Tools>Control and select the Finally Close action.
Click OK.
A warning that finally closing cannot be undone will appear. Click OK to proceed.
A note stating that the control action has been completed successfully will then appear. Click OK.
You will need to re-query the PO to see the updated closure status.

What if I’m not the buyer on the PO?
The only person who can finally close a purchase order is the person listed as the buyer on the PO.

If the purchase order was created by a Central Procurement Services Buyer, then you MUST complete a Purchase Order Change Request form found on Procurement Services website: http://www.procurement.virginia.edu/main/forms/POChangeRequest.html.
Indicate the PO number that you wish to have finally closed, mark the check box for the ‘All expected invoicing against this PO is complete -- please reduce to invoiced amount and close’ option and enter a comment of “Finally Close” in the ‘Reason for Change’ field. Populate the Requestor information section and submit.

If you are a departmental PO Purchaser or PO Requester who must act on behalf of a PO Shopper (they do not have access to finally close their purchase orders) or a prior employee within your department, follow the instructions below for updating the buyer name on the PO in order to finally close it. (NOTE: Under no circumstances may you change the buyer on a PO that was created by Procurement Services. You must submit the Purchase Order Change Request form referenced above asking for Procurement Services to finally close the PO.)

Query the Purchase Order (use Purchase Order Summary) and open the PO.
Update the Buyer field to your own name.
Click Save.
You’ll receive a message that you are creating a document revision. Click OK.
Re-approve the PO. Click the Approve button and then the OK button on the Approval Details page. NOTE: You may receive an error that the GL date on your POs lines is not in an open period. If this occurs, update the GL date on each purchase order distribution, and then try to re-approve.
Once the PO has been re-approved, close the PO form and re-query the PO in PO Summary – Do not open the PO this time.
Click Tools>Control and select the Finally Close action.
Click OK.
A warning that finally closing cannot be undone will appear. Click OK to proceed.
A note stating that the control action has been completed successfully will then appear. Click OK.
You will need to re-query the PO to see the updated closure status.

Is there any way for me to finally close a group of POs without touching each PO individually?
At this time, an automated process to set a group of POs’ statuses to finally closed does not exist. However, ISDS is investigating whether some sort of mass closure process, which could be used by PO Purchasers and PO Requesters, is feasible.

What if a credit memo is received after I finally close a PO?
If a credit memo is received after a PO is finally closed, Accounts Payable will inquire on the purchase order and prior invoicing to determine the PTAO that should receive credit. The credit memo will then be entered with a distribution line that provides that credit back to the appropriate PTAO.

Purchase Requisitions

How do I find out why purchase requisitions go from an approved status to incomplete or requires reapproval status?
The purchase requisition goes from "incomplete" to "in process" when the person initiating the transaction is not self approving and it requires another person to approve or when you manually forward the document to another approver. When the second person approves, the requisition changes to "approved." If the initial user is self-approving, and the requisition goes from "approved" to "incomplete" or "in process," call the Customer Support Center (3-7550) and report the requisition number.

To see where the transaction is in the approval process and what has transpired:

Go to Requisition Summary
Enter Requisition Number
Go to Tools on the Menu Bar and select "View Action History"
Reason will be under "NOTE" if a reason has been entered.

How do I review my requisition?
Go to requisition summary, enter requisition number. If you click the Lines button you can view the information you entered. Click here for navigation instructions.

How can I let my departmental approver know why my requisition is being approved a second time?
On the approval screen there is a Note field. You can enter free text in your comment and your departmental approver will see the comment when they review your requisition for approval.

Why is LPO the default for a purchase requisition?
The Integrated System Purchasing module allows only one default line type for all purchasing documents. Many more LPOs are created than requisitions; consequently the LPO line type was chosen as default.

Too many steps are required to create an internal or purchase requisition. Is there a faster way?
Users who frequently create Internal Requisitions or Purchase Requisitions can create a Requisition Template, which would decrease the number of steps required to enter the transaction. The requisition template, used along with preferences, can facilitate ChemStores purchases, for example.

For instructions on Entering Requisition Preferences, click here.

For instructions on Creating Requisition Templates, click here.

Payment Vouchers

How Do I Print a Payment Voucher?
ISDS has completed a custom report in order to print a payment voucher. To run this report select "Reports>Run" from the Navigation screen and select the report called "UVA Payment Voucher Report". There is a label at the top of the form which reads "University of Virginia Payment Voucher', and it lists the PTAEO(s) which was used. Click here for navigation instructions.

What documentation on payment vouchers will I retain in the department and which will I need to submit to AP?
Paper documentation for travel reimbursements and petty cash reimbursements will still need to be submitted to AP. Travel reimbursements will not be processed by AP until a paper travel workbook, signed by the traveler's supervisor, and related receipts are received in AP. Petty cash reimbursements will not be released until a signed paper petty cash reimbursement form (in paper format) is received in AP. For all other payment vouchers, the department will retain all paper documentation and receipts. Documentation held within the departments is now the University's official record, so it is imperative that good records be maintained and produced in case of an audit.

When I see a status of "Needs Re-Validation" for my Payment Voucher, what does this mean?
To view the status of your Payment Voucher first run a query to find the Payment Voucher. Verify the status of your voucher by looking at the Status field found at the bottom middle of the Payment Voucher header screen. If the status says "Needs Re-Validation" this means that Accounts Payable must review the voucher and give their approval. Accounts Payable reviews your Payment Voucher because you are submitting a voucher for a restricted item (based on the expenditure type).

Another way to view the status of your Payment Voucher is through the Invoice Overview screen. As a PO Purchaser, select Accounts Payable>Invoices>Inquiry>Invoice Overview>Find Invoices. Enter search criteria as desired to find the payment voucher. Review status of payment voucher, including any holds. The Invoice Status block will tell you if the invoice has been paid, posted, or its status. If you see a status of "Needs Re-Validation" this means that Accounts Payable must review the voucher and give their approval.

How do I find out which vendor invoices or payment vouchers are problems in AP?
Procurement Services has created four new Discoverer reports designed to help departments identify which vendors and invoices have been placed on payment hold and any action that needs to be taken to correct specific problems. The reports are:

PDW4X .PS-AP-110 Held Payment Vouchers
PDW4X .PS-AP-131 Held Invoices with No Valid Purchase Order
PDW4X .PS-AP-120 Held Invoices Matched to Valid Purchase Orders
PDW4X .PS-V-320 Vendors on Payment Hold

See the Procurement Services Web site for detailed descriptions of these reports and information on how to use them.

How can I receive training on the use of terms on payment vouchers?
Procurement Services offers a class on the ABCs of Purchasing that will include the use of terms on payment vouchers. Terms default from the Supplier record. Generally, this is net 30 for vendors unless a contracted discount is arranged with the vendor. Employees and students are defined with immediate terms, which is typically five days. See the Procurement Services Web site for information on special procedures for some Payment Vouchers.

How can I move the Payment Voucher Number column to the far left of the screen?
Users can create their own versions of the Payment Voucher folder using Folder Tools.
1. Open a blank Payment Voucher screen
2. Click on the Yellow Folder in the left hand corner
3. Select Payment Voucher folder
4. Select Folder Tools either from the drop down menu under Folder or from the icon on the tool bar.
5. Use the left ? and right ? arrows in folder tools to move fields to your preferred order
6. Save the folder, from the Folder Tools icon or Folder menu- the screen should still be blank.
7. Upon saving you will get the following pop up: “The changes you have made to this public folder will cause it to be saved as your own private folder. Do you want to proceed with saving the folder?” Click OK. From that point forward when you select Folder on the payment voucher, you’ll see a version with your ID as the owner. Select that folder for your column arrangement.

Travel

How will the travel workbook interface with Oracle? Will faculty be able to enter the data themselves as they do now, and will they require Integrated System training?
We will continue to use the travel workbook in Excel format. Faculty and staff who travel may complete the travel workbook themselves without Integrated System training. Whoever fills out the payment voucher for the travel reimbursement will do so using the Oracle payment voucher and will require training.

General

Do HSF invoices flow through UVA Purchasing?
Invoices do not flow through Purchasing, but they do flow through AP if the PTAEO is used. We are not changing the HSF process. They may buy things on their own using foundation funds and forms or through Purchasing, using regular University policies and procedures. They must provide a PTAEO on all transactions. If they buy using regular University procedures and forms, then the vendors should send invoices to AP, and HSF must complete an electronic receiver in Oracle if the purchase is greater than $5,000.

How can I change a PTAEO from the one that defaults from my preferences?
Preferences (Tools>Preferences from the PO or Requisition screens) are used to default information into the Purchasing forms. Once the PTAEO information defaults, saving will generate your account. If you need to change any piece of the PTAEO that defaulted from your Preferences, first Save, generate the current account, then change the PTAEO as needed and the new account will be created. If you do not save first you will have to click through a series of error messages and replace the complete PTAEO.

Workflow

How does workflow work in Purchasing?
Workflow is an automatic approval routing system in the Integrated System. There are three approval groups in the Purchasing application:

Group 1 - $1
Group 2 - $5000
Group 3 - $Unlimited

Every user assigned PO Purchaser or PO Requester responsibilities is assigned to an approval group for limited purchase orders ($5000 max.), requisitions ($1, $5000, or $Unlimited), and internal requisitions ($1, $5000, or $Unlimited). Those in approval group 1 or 2 (except for LPOs) will have their transactions routed to a position in a higher approval group whenever those transactions exceed the user's spending authority.

There is no routing capability for departmental approvals of payment vouchers or vendor add forms.

P-Card

Do I need the AP P-Card Holder responsibility in order to have a P-card?
No. The only people requiring the AP P-Card Holder responsibility are those who will be
authorized to go into the Integrated System to change their own or someone else's
itemized charges on the monthly American Express bill from the default PTAEO on the P-card. All individuals with P-cards will continue to receive paper copies of their statements from American Express. They can note changes on those statements and give them to the AP P-Card Holder authorized to make changes for them.

What expenditure type can I assign to my card?
There are three standard P-card expenditure types set up in the Integrated System, but you can assign any valid supply or service expenditure type. The standard Integrated System P-card expenditure types are:

Equip, P-Card < $2K
Supplies & Materials, P-Card
Svcs, P-Card, Contractual

Invoices

How will we reconcile our accounts?
Until imaging or some other method of getting information to the departments is available, Procurement Services will continue with their current practice of providing copies of invoices to departments.

Can I find information about what invoices have been entered against my LPO?
Open Purchase Order Summary, enter LPO number, and click the Find button. On the menu bar, click Inquire and View Invoices. It will bring up a summary screen with any invoices matched to your LPO. You can also use Invoice Inquiry.

How do I report on payments that could be CDS/EDI?
Only central Accounts Payable is able to research CDS/EDI payments. Contact Accounts Payable for questions regarding these payments.

How do I see when an invoice has been paid?
To see when an LPO has been paid, go to PO Summary, Find your PO. Click on Inquire> View Invoices. Any invoice matched to the PO is returned. Look at Last Paid Date and Check number. If there are no values, the invoice has not been paid. When the invoice is paid, the actual check number will populate the Check number field, and the Last Paid date will be populated.

To see when a Payment Voucher has been paid, from the PO Purchaser menu Accounts Payable>Invoices>Inquiry>Invoice Overview. Enter your Voucher number or invoice number, click Find. The Invoice Overview screen will show you when the invoice was paid, check number, and PO number if it was a matched invoice.

Internal Service Providers

How are surplus property transactions handled when the buyer/seller are both within the University?
Surplus Property sends both departments a form that is generated from the Surplus Property system. It tells the selling department to process an expenditure batch, which then charges the buying department and credits the selling department.

Internal service provider issues:

Internal service providers do not consistently match Expenditure Item dates. Can this be addressed?
Internal service providers are charging to a single PTA. I would like to charge to multiple PTAs. Can this be addressed?
Some internal service providers send charges to suspense without contacting the department first. Can this be addressed?

The Comptroller's Office is establishing an internal service provider task force to address these policy issues as well as others of concern to users. If you have any issues you would like addressed by the taskforce, email Rick Seaman in the Comptroller's Office.

The ChemStores catalog can only be searched in a case-sensitive fashion and outside of the Purchasing application. Is there a another way to search?
ChemStores items can be searched from the “Item Search” menu item on the PO Purchaser or PO Requestor navigation menus. This screen is searchable by item number or item description. If you click “Show Quantity” the results will give you the quantity available to purchase. In cases where you are unsure of the item description, you can use the wild card (%) to search all items for a specific value. Example: %Pipet% will return all items with Pipet in the description.

Receiving

What Unit of Measure should I use when receiving?
A receipt reflects the same unit of measure that was used when the purchase order was created, and this should never be changed.

How do I receive if a Purchase Order line has multiple distributions?
If a Purchase Order line has multiple distributions, there will be a blue plus (+) sign on the Receipts form when you open receiving. You are required to click on the + symbol to open another Receipts screen, where you will find the multiple lines to use for receiving. If you have any questions when processing a Receipt, please call the IS Customer Support Center at 243-7550.

NOTE: Receiving must be entered into the Integrated System for all purchases greater than $5,000.

Training

It has been a while since I took my Oracle class. How do I brush up on my skills?
All classes are open to UVA employees free of charge. You are encouraged to enroll in any of the classes and stay for as much or as little as you feel you need. See the HR Development &Training Web site for more information.