eRequest for Advanced Users

http://cfaesfinance.osu.eduCFAES Business Office, Columbus

Contents

• General Issues

• Entry Issues

• Approval Issues

• Completed Orders

• Post Submission Issues

8/5/2014 1

General Issues

Preferences

Do this after signing into eRequest.

Set your chartfield

Org Number, BUGL, Org, Fund and your most

commonly used account

These numbers are just examples. See your fiscal person for your

numbers.

These can be changed on each eRequest.

Don’t forget to save!

Make sure this box stays checked

Use most common shipping address

Lookup your building information

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General Problems

Contracts: Don’t sign contracts – attach to eRequest and wait for purchasing to review and sign.

Vendors: requestor needs to contact the vendor and have the pages 2 and 3 of the AP Payment Compliance Form completed and sent to the Business Office, Unit should complete page 1. Fax 614-688-0529.Those with PeopleSoft access can check for new vendors before requesting an addition.

Deposits: Some vendors require a deposit in order to provide the service you need. We can do deposits up to 50% of the estimated final cost. Processing is in two steps: 1) Enter the eRequest for the Purchase Order and 2) Mail the invoice or supporting documentation for the deposit amount needed.

Internal Vendors: Usually require an online – separate form from eRequest. Don’t forget to follow their guidelines as well as doing the eRequest.

Vendors PO Invoices: Mail original to the Business Office or OSP

General ProblemsVendors: - You should first consider a University Internal Vendorhttps://it.osu.edu/assist/sites/default/files/assisterequest/pdf/Internal%20Vendor%20Listing.pdf- You should then consider a University contracted Vendor. https://purchasing.osu.edu/contract/contractCategory.aspx

- If neither will work then you can use a different vendor but…- Just because you have used a vendor in the past doesn’t mean its open for

ordering – so allow enough time for your Business Office Representative to get vendors reactivated.

- AP Payment Compliance Form- You may need to contact the vendor to complete page 2 and 3 of the AP Payment Compliance Form- You should complete page one of the form- Fax completed forms to 614-688-0529

- (don’t upload to eRequest or email anything with a SSN in eRequest)- Shred any forms with Social Security Numbers you receive directly in your office

- Those with PeopleSoft access can check the vendor database for existing vendors before requesting an addition or ask your Business Office Representative

- Even if everything is done right your vendor may still be denied by OSU Purchasing

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General Problems

Purchasing Contracts: (we pay them)Don’t sign contracts – attach to eRequest and wait for purchasing to review and sign.

You should read and edit the contract before sending. Purchasing will look for legal issues but not procedural ones so make sure you agree to what the contract is saying, and fill in your contact information and event information if requested.

Contracts where we are providing the service:We also use eRequest to manage contracts where we provide the service (they pay us). Use the Contract Instructions for how to upload these documents for review. http://cfaesfinance.osu.edu/training

General Problems

Deposits (vendor requires a down payment):

Some vendors require a deposit in order to provide the service you need. We can do deposits up to 50% of the estimated final cost.

Processing is in two steps: 1) Enter the eRequest for the Purchase Order and 2) Mail the invoice or supporting documentation for the deposit amount needed. If there is no original invoice you can attach the documentation to the eRequest when submitting in Step 1 but…

You need to make it very clear in the additional information section that you need a deposit and will not be mailing anything additional. Otherwise your Business Office Representative will wait for a mailing.

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General Problems

Internal Vendors: These vendors usually require an online – separate form from eRequest.

Don’t forget to follow their guidelines as well as doing the eRequest.

You can access instructions from the vendor at this link or by clicking HELP in the menu bar at the top of the eRequest. If you aren’t sure what to do call that internal vendor directly. Internal Vendors: https://it.osu.edu/assist/sites/default/files/assisterequest/pdf/Internal%20Vendor%20Listing.pdf

General ProblemsVendor Purchase Order InvoicesMost Invoices on purchase orders are mailed directly to the Business Office or OSP for entry, however if you receive an invoice first you should do the following.

Note: there is no need to do an additional eRequest for the invoice once the PO has been set up.

1. Check the eRequest system to make sure the PO was created2. Write the PO number on the invoice if not there already3. Review the invoice for accuracy and completeness4. Attach Recipient List or Attendee Lisa and Employee Status if required.5. Initial the invoice6. Mail the original invoice to the Business Office or OSP for processing

What if you failed to get a PO ahead of time? Consider other buying tools – Is it allowable out of the checking account and less than $1,000? Can it be paid with a PCard and is less than $2,500? If not then you will need to submit an After the Fact PO – be sure to reference that in the eRequest. You will need to provide an explanation for why it is after the fact and what you will do to prevent this in the future. Academic Units need to put this explanation on the CFAES Exception Form. Extension Units need to enter this information on the eRequest.

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Entry Issues

Requested For

Requested For is available for those with eRequestor status. This allows those users to request on behalf of others. If you need this access you can email buxton.26@osu.edu

Change this for purchases made for your Unit Approver. Change this for purchases you make for someone else. Change this to the person who used the PCard if neither option above

applies. 8/5/2014 6

Standard Purchasing Request (SPR) is the default option. Used for Purchase Order Requests and eStores Orders. SPRs for POs need to be done

before the purchase.

Reimbursement to Non-Employee

To request payment for purchases made on

behalf of the University. Use Vendor/Payee to

enter vendor information.

RefundTo request a

refund for money

previously paid to the University.

What do I choose in eRequest?Purchasing Card

PreferredSelect to use your Unit’s Purchasing Card for a small dollar purchase.

Internal OrderUse to place an

order with an internal OSU

supplier.

Blanket Order Release (rare)

Use if you know you have a Blanket PO and

want to get authorization to use it.

PaymentTo make payment

against a convenience

order.Ex. Honoraria

Ex. County Reimbursement

Reimbursement to Employee

To request payment for purchases made on

behalf of the University. Use Lookup Employee to

find the person to reimburse.

Additional Information on the University’s ASSIST pages:https://assist-erp.osu.edu/assisterequest/documents/Entering%20an%20eRequest%20Job%20Aid.pdf

Buy Something

Pay Someone

eStoreseStores is a combination of an internal store for the University and external vendors

that are on contract with the University. It is the preferred buying tool for most transactions. There are two ways to search –

1) General catalog, which defaults and 2) Suppliers Website

You can search for items using keywords, supplier part number or manufacturer part numbers. We have help on ordering through eStores including:

- eStores Job aid - eStores entry Job Aid - Ordering Paper - Office Supply Q&A- http://cfaesfinance.osu.edu/training- University help is also available: https://assist-erp.osu.edu/assistestores/

Typical purchases from eStores include: Office supplies, paper, promotional items, computers & electronics

Paper has to be 30% post consumer content. Order your paper first, then other needed items. See the list of numbers for available paper. http://cfaesfinance.osu.edu/training

Trouble with eStores? Office Max, Meg: 614-688-4675 Other vendors: 614-292-2694

8/5/2014 7

Replacing PO numberThis replaces PO Number 11003AA22 for

July 1, 2014-June 30-2015

Convenience Order (X) Process on X14010 for registrations –

no T number needed because no travel is involved for meeting.

Convenience Order (X) Process on X14010 for registrations –

no T number needed because no travel is involved for meeting.

T number –T000123456 – Trip for Ling Yang

Use the Additional Info Box if you need

more room

Down-payment information Vendor requires down-payment of 50% of the total by 3/31/2014. An invoice will be

mailed to you for processing for this down-payment.

Down-payment information Vendor requires down-payment of 50% of the total by 3/31/2014. An invoice will be

mailed to you for processing for this down-payment.

Exception Information –Purchase Order is After the Fact because

the requestor was not aware that the vendor did not accept credit cards.

Exception Form Attached.

Exception Information –Purchase Order is After the Fact because

the requestor was not aware that the vendor did not accept credit cards.

Exception Form Attached.

Attendee/Recipient List Hats were given to Sally Smith

(employee), Hannah Sanders (non employee), Richard Wright (employee)

ADDITIONAL Information – use this to tell us all the stuff you need to

Time frame for POEvent is on 6/15/2014 – we need the PO in place no later than 5/31/2014

in order to place the order for the

T-shirts in time.

Instructions for the vendor This Purchase Order is an estimate only – we will call prior to the event

with a final headcount and cost.

Instructions for the vendor This Purchase Order is an estimate only – we will call prior to the event

with a final headcount and cost.

ChartfieldFunding Source * Org Number – This is the org number that will route your request to the right

approver. Note the org, the approvers for the org, and make sure this makes sense.

• Multiple: If you have multiple orgs choose the org that is paying the most amount of the expense. • Unit Approver Expenses: If you are entering something for the Unit Approver (Chair, Director) then

you will usually change this Org number to their Supervisor’s Org so it routes to them for approval. Example: Assistant Director for Community Development (org 55120) would actually put org (55011) for the Extension Director’s approval.

• ORG 55020: For Extension Employees sometimes this defaults to ORG 55020 – This is an unusedorg and you should change it to your normal org. If unchanged your transaction won’t be processed.

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ChartfieldOrg – This is the org number that the transaction will be charged to.

• Multiple: You can charge to multiple orgs on one request using the Plus Sign. • The Funding Source Org Number should be the Org where the highest expense will be. • Once the eRequest number is assigned (PR Number) send that number or a copy of the request to all orgs (reconciler) that you used. • Splitting Chartfield is usually easier to do by Percentage than by Amount.

ChartfieldBUGL – This is Business Unit that the line of the transaction will be charged to. • OSURF = OSP - Office of Sponsored Programs• If you are splitting something between UNIV and OSURF then list the OSURF line First. • All OSURF Transactions required a Project number – it goes in two places – see below.

FUND – This is the location of the cash you wish to spend. For OSURF money the fund is 590000 – for UNIV money it depends on the source of your funds.

ACCT – The Account number should start with a 6xxxx, for expenses. Use the Lookup button underneath the account or search the…

• Common account list http://cfaesfinance.osu.edu/resources or • Full account list http://cfaesfinance.osu.edu/resources

8/5/2014 9

ChartfieldUser Defined - This is an optional value. But if you choose to use it be sure you are entering a

valid value by clicking the Lookup button below the value. If not valid then remove it from the field and put in the special funding instructions for addition by your Business Office Representative

Approval Issues

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ApprovingIf you are unsure about approving a transaction – ask first. Once you approve the

Business Office checks for compliance issues and then processes, be sure before you Approve!

If someone else needs to approve the transaction other than you, you can add them as an Ad-Hoc Approver. (ex. EFNEP)

Note: Not everyone is listed as an Ad-Hoc approver. This is an extra role. If the person you need to add isn’t listed contact buxton.26@osu.edu. For your current transaction – get their approval via email and attach the email to the eRequest – don’t wait for the system approval to be set up as this may take a couple of days.

1. Add the Ad-Hoc 2. Approve. The transaction won’t process without the extra approval.

Is this request an urgent one? You can flag the Business Office by changing the Business Priority.

When you are ready, add comments if you have them and then click the Approve button.

Potential Approval Problems

Once you have approved something it will pop up with a message at the top of the page saying it was approved. That’s how you know everything is ok.

You will also receive error messages if something is wrong with the transaction. Usually that is missing chartfield. You can either add the chartfield, or send a notification to the requestor to fix. Watch for these messages, your transaction isn’t approved if they appear!

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Alternative ApprovalsThe eRequest Initiator should manually email when it is necessary for someone other than the normal approver to approve:

1. When the initiator is also the ORG authorizer. For instance if you are a State Unit Director initiating a transaction you should email your Supervisor when there is a PR# for approval on your behalf.

Note: County Director expenses are approved by the Regional Office. No need to send an additional email.

2. When the ORG authorizer is out of the office. Unless otherwise arranged by your org authorizer, you should use backup approvers only in the event of an emergency. If you need your backup approver to approve a transaction the initiator should email them the PR# for approval. Most likely they have turned off the email notifications function of eRequests.

Completed Orders

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Completed Internal Order

Completed eStores Order

Completed Purchase Order

Completed PCard Transaction

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Completed Employee Reimbursement

Completed Vendor Payment

or Non Employee Reimbursement

Post Submission Issues

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If you are looking for the final information on a transaction (Ex. PO number) it won’t be there until the Request Status changes to Complete.

Use this as a guide to save you the extra clicking.

Assigned To: Your Business Office Representative or PCard Reallocator will assign transactions to themselves – this means they have seen your transaction. If you see someone else’s name then it likely means we are reassigning work to balance workloads to meet timing standards.

Activity Log and Comments: Your Business Office Representative will use comments and the Activity Log to update the status of items needed or communicate progress on your transaction.

If they need anything from your Unit they will also email the Requestor for information and record that here.

Distribution Method and Activity Status: Your Business Office Representative will use the Distribution Method and the Activity Status to track the progress of your transaction and to complete processing.

8/5/2014 15

Check the status of an eRequestWhen the eRequest status at the top of the page is APPROVED the eRequest is at the Business Office (BO) for processing.

To find out where we are in the process see the Activity Status under the Distribution Method section of an eRequest.

IN PROCESS: The BO has received the request but has not processed. PENDING COMPLETION: The BO has processed the request and is waiting final info (i.e. PO#). ADDITIONAL INFO: The BO is waiting on additional information from the unit. See comments or activity log for more information. COMPLETE: The BO is done processing, contact the vendor with issues.DO NOT FULFILL: The order has been cancelled by the BO see the activity log or comments for more information.

IN PROCESS: The BO has received the request but has not processed. PENDING COMPLETION: The BO has processed the request and is waiting final info (i.e. PO#). ADDITIONAL INFO: The BO is waiting on additional information from the unit. See comments or activity log for more information. COMPLETE: The BO is done processing, contact the vendor with issues.DO NOT FULFILL: The order has been cancelled by the BO see the activity log or comments for more information.

Reasons to go back into the eRequest systemOnce a transaction has been submitted and approved by your unit there is usually nothing left for you to do in the eRequest system. There are some exceptions to this.

Required For Internal Orders: Once an item is received you should go back into the system and attach the packing slip or receipt for the purchase or record proof of receipt in the comments.

Required For PCard Purchases Over $75: Once an item is received you must go back into the system and attach the packingslip or receipt for the purchase or record proof of receipt in thecomments.

Your Business Office Representative may ask you to go back into the eRequest and attach additional information that was missing (ie. An attendee list for food.

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Reasons to go back into the eRequest system

You may want to check on the status of your transaction.

You may want to use the request to copy and create a new request that will be similar to the original.

You may choose to use the eRequest system when reconciling your eReports.

You may choose to go back into the eRequest to retrieve the PO number for Purchase Orders or to get a copy of the PO which is attached to the eRequest.

Resources http://cfaesfinance.osu.edu/training• Buying Tools Help• eRequest Helphttp://cfaesfinance.osu.edu/aboutus• Business Office Contact Informationhttps://it.osu.edu/assist/assisterequest/index.html• eRequest ASSIST pageshttps://webauth.service.ohio-state.edu/idp/profile/SAML2/Redirect/SSO• Purchasing Contract Book

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