Procurement Department - Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Purchase Requisition?

A purchase requisition, commonly called a "REQ" is a formal request prepared by a JU employee to procure goods and/or services. The requester must attach all applicable documents to a REQ such as but not limited to quotes, estimates, contracts, agreements, etc... The REQ must contain a detailed description of the commodities, quantities, and any specific contracting or logistical requirements. All REQs must go through a formal approval process. When a REQ is approved by all applicable parties, it must go through a budget process to ensure adequate funding is available. If the REQ passes the budget process, it can be sourced into a Purchase Order.

I am entering a requisition and cannot find the Supplier that I would like to utilize. How do I get them added to Colleague?

The requester must request the potential Supplier to fill out the Supplier Information Form (SIF) and attach the appropriate IRS Documentation to the SIF.

What is a Purchase Order?

Purchase orders (POs) are a form of contract for goods or services that commits the supplier and university to a buying transaction. POs are one of the primary buying methods at JU and are appropriate for goods, equipment, and services. If you are needing JU funds to be spent on a purchase and are not utilizing a JU P-Card, you must source a JU issued PO before you start your business transaction.

What is a Blanket Purchase Order?

Blanket POs allow for reoccurring payments for a specific service and/or product when the quantity or frequency of delivery cannot be fully determined at the time the PO is created.

Guidelines to consider when requesting a Blanket Purchase Order

You must encumber reasonable funds on a Blanket PO
Blanket POs cannot extend beyond the current fiscal year
- If a requester needs to payments to cross fiscal years they must enter a new, subsequent REQ for the appropriate year
Blanket POs cannot be issued to order capital commodities. Please contact the Procurement Office if your department needs to set up a Blanket PO for leases of capital commodities
If needing to increase/decrease the available funding or amount of items on Blanket PO, the requesting department must request a change order from the Procurement Office
It is recommended that Blanket POs should follow JU's fiscal year. It is the requesting department's responsibility to monitor funding and the resubmitting all requisitions for subsequent Blanket POs

How do I increase/decrease the available funding or amount of items on one of my current Purchase Orders?

The requester must request a change order. The change order must be approved in writing from the requester's department head or college dean. The request must be sent to purchasing@ju.edu At no time shall a requester send any Supplier a request for an increase or decrease of funding, a change of commodity quantities, or a change of a product or statement of work (SOW). All changes that are sent to a Supplier must come from the Procurement Office.

How do I cancel a Purchase Order?

The requester must request a change order. The requester must specify the reason for cancellation in the change order request. The change order must be approved in writing from the requester's department head or college dean. The request must be sent to purchasing@ju.edu. At no time shall a requester send any Supplier a request for cancellation. All cancellation change orders that are sent to a Supplier must come from the Procurement Office.

Can I sign a contract with a Supplier?

No, currently only the President, CFO, and the VP of Budget and Procurement Services have signatory authority for contracts.

How do I determine if I should be utilizing an existing contract?

We will communicate when contracts are put in place and provide guidance on this website.

What should I do if I receive an invoice in the mail or by e-mail?

You or someone within your department must submit the invoice to Account Payable's email box at accountspayable@ju.edu. After submitting the invoice, you must email your Supplier and ask them to forward all future invoices to accountspayable@ju.edu.

Does JU own used furniture that is not being utilized?

Yes, the JU Warehouse houses gently used items such as filing cabinets, tables, desks, and chairs. To view the gently used furniture, please make an appointment by sending an email to purchasing@ju.edu.

How do I request assistance in moving items from the JU Warehouse to a desired location?

How do I request removal of damaged or undesired items from office or classroom locations?