Campus Departments Frequently Asked Questions

Reference the Purchasing/AP Quick Reference Guide for information on what items may be purchased using the procurement card. Staff working in HealthCare and Facilities Management areas have more restrictive procurement card policies and should consult their respective business units for guidance.

Under the Kentucky Model Procurement Code, a personal service contract is an agreement whereby an individual, firm, partnership, or corporation is to perform certain services requiring professional skill or professional judgment for a specified period of time at an agreed upon price. Personal service contracts are governed by the state, require additional approvals, and have a lower solicitation threshold than most commodities. Common services associated with PSCs include attorneys, design, architectural firms, consulting, licensed professionals, web design, etc. More information about PSCs -- including training and related forms -- can be found on the Procurement Services website.

Purchase of professional consulting is governed by Kentucky state law and the Personal Service Contracts process. See above information regarding Personal Service Contracts.

Departments do not have authority to sign written agreements with vendors. Only a Procurement Services representative has the authority to review and sign a written vendor agreement. In addition to containing terms which are not legal for a state agency to agree, the liability can be tremendous. Failure to obtain proper review can leave the signatory at personal liability. In addition usually the existence of a vendor agreement will require the Shopping Cart/Requisition process.

Information regarding the Office Supplies Cost Containment Program, including information on Restricted items, can be found on the Procurement Services website.

A complete list of commodities purchased by the University with buyer assignments can be found on the Procurement Services website. Once you login at the top right of the home page using your Link Blue ID and password, locate and select the Internal Resources tile.

A complete list of all staff with contact information can be found on the Procurement Services website on the Internal Resources page. From the home page, be sure to login at the right using your Link Blue ID and password; then locate and click on the Internal Resources tile. 

Contracting structure for goods and services purchased by the University can range from very restrictive to having some flexibility depending on the individual commodity. In general departments should utilize the University's contracted vendors for purchases. Contact the appropriate Procurement Services staff person at 257-9100 or email UKPurchasing@uky.edu if you have a question about purchasing a specific product from a non-contracted vendor.

The end user at the hospital must initiate and approve any new trial and must submit the trial through the appropriate Hospital channels for approval and have a no charge PO assigned from Procurement Services for tracking purposes.

A tile can be found on the home page leading to all University e-forms related to procurement. 

A listing of University price contracts can be found on the Procurement Services website on the Internal Resources page. Upon arriving at the home page, be sure to click on the login link at the top right and use your Link Blue ID and password. Next, locate the Internal Resources tile to arrive at the Price Contracts listings. 

Contact the vendor via phone or email to inquire about delivery status of the order. If needed the purchase order number can be found on the status tab of the SRM Shopping Cart/SAP requisition. If there appears to be a problem with the order, contact the Procurement Services buyer who processed the PO for guidance. This information can be found on the Contact tab of the Shopping Cart/Requisition.

A full listing of SAP training classes with online registration, including web-based courses, is available through myLearning within the Employee Self-Service tab of myUK. For registration of required purchasing roles, begin with completion and submission of a Training Plan Request Form available at: http://myhelp.uky.edu/rwd/html/training_Plan_Request.html.

The ability to perform any process in SAP is based on permissions which result from the employee taking and successfully passing the applicable role-based classes for their work. Staff persons needing to enter requisitions into SAP must have taken and passed the REQ 300 Requisition class which is available at http://myhelp.uky.edu/rwd/html/training_Plan_Request.html. Reference materials are included in the training. If you have additional questions beyond the reference materials, contact UKPurchasing@uky.edu.

Click Services for Object icon in upper left hand corner of the requisition screen. Select "Create Attachment" and select the path and file you would like to attach. The requisition must be in write/edit mode. Click the save icon to complete.

The costs for requisition line items can be split among multiple (up to 99) cost centers and WBS elements. Split accounting can be accomplished by selecting Cost Assignment Category X and then completing the Account Assignment section with the various cost assignments and their corresponding percentages or values.

Selection of the correct GL is the responsibility of the unit or department. Requisitions for capital equipment (having $5000 or greater cost per piece) must have a capital GL assigned in order to be processed. Consult your unit or department business or budget officer if additional assistance is needed.

Approval of requisitions is a departmental role. Requisitions route to one or more department approvers immediately upon saving in the system. Initial information on approvers and requisition status can be found via the Display Requisition transaction code (ME53N). More detailed information can be found by clicking the "Services for Object" icon in the upper left corner of the requisition screen. Click Workflow and follow the Workflow Services path.

Staff persons required to approve requisitions must have taken and passed the APP 310 Approver class which is available at http://myhelp.uky.edu/rwd/html/training_Plan_Request.html. Reference materials are included in the training. If you have additional questions beyond the reference materials, contact UKPurchasing@uky.edu. In addition approvers must be registered in the "Approvers Table" to facilitate proper workflow of requisitions to their inboxes. Contact SRMHelp@uky.edu concerning questions on the Approvers Table.

After a requisition is created, it follows the below sequence:

1. The requisition moves to the SAP inbox of one or more unit or department approvers. Status information on approval can be found on the Release Strategy tab of the requisition. Extended approval information can be found via the Services for Object icon in the upper left corner of the requisition screen and following the Workflow Services path.

2. Once the requisition is approved, it moves to the buyer in Procurement Services responsible for executing the purchase. The responsible Procurement Services buyer can be found on the Contact Person tab of the requisition. The processing state of the requisition can be found on the Status tab. Every purchase is different and may require the application of different protocols related to contracts, bids, federal/state/University policy, etc. Once a purchase order has been processed and placed with the vendor, the purchase order number can be found on the Status tab. If you have questions on a specific order, contact the buyer listed on the Contact tab.

Staff persons required to perform online receiving must have taken and passed the REC 320 Receiving class which is available at http://myhelp.uky.edu/rwd/html/training_Plan_Request.html. Reference materials are included in the training. If you have additional questions beyond the reference materials, contact UKPurchasing@uky.edu.

From the purchase order display screen (transaction ME23N), go to the Purchase Order History Tab. Click on the invoice receipt number. On the next screen click "Follow-On Documents" and click Accounting Document. Double click the vendor line item on the next screen. On the final screen, click Environment / Check Information.

Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) is an SAP e-procurement solution that utilizes a web-based platform. It enables departments to procure goods and services via a Shopping Cart environment and incorporates the use of electronic catalogs. Reporting data and other related mechanisms reside in SAP and the systems communicate together in real time. Goods confirmations (i.e., receiving) take place within SRM as well. SRM is the University's formal procurement system.

Any persons authorized to perform procurement functions for their department or area are required to complete training. This includes administrative/other staff or faculty responsible for purchases on behalf of their departments or units. 

Visit the Learning and Training Resources portion of our website to learn about roles affiliated with SRM and how to access required training. You will need to log in using your Link Blue ID and password. Information is available on the SRM Information page that follows.

A Shopping Cart is the object utilized within SRM for departmental “Shoppers” to order goods and services. Some items can be added to the cart from electronic “punch-out” catalogs located on vendors' websites. For non-catalog items, the Shopper enters needed items as “free text”. Once approved, carts are converted into purchase orders and placed with vendors.

The Personalized Object Work List (POWL) is a key component of the SRM user’s work environment. It serves as the user’s “dashboard” and contains document queries, search functions, and other tools used within the SRM environment.



Quick Criteria Maintenance is the document search feature located within the POWL. Document searches can be conducted based on a number of criteria. It can be hidden when not in use for better screen management.

Delivery setup within SRM is a two-part process. First, the Shopper establishes their building address within initial Personal Settings. The building address automatically populates into every Shopping Cart by default. As the second step, the contact person's name, floor, and room number must be added within the Set Values section of each cart. If needed, the entire delivery address on a cart can be overwritten to a new address. More information regarding delivery address can be found on our website under Learning and Training Resources. Login using your Link Blue ID and password to access the tile; then select SRM Information. 

The Purchasing/AP Quick Reference Guide dictates the correct method by commodity type and can be found on the Procurement Services website.

 

Punch-out catalogs are electronic in nature and located on external vendor websites. In creating a Shopping Cart, the user selects a catalog from which to browse and buy items. Once needed items are selected, the item data transfers from the vendor’s punch-out catalog back to the SRM Shopping Cart. Items for which punch-out catalogs do not exist are entered as “Free Text” within the Shopping Cart.

The University utilizes PaymentWorks, a third-party, cloud-based platform to invite and register vendors to conduct business. To be entered into the University's vendor database, staff or faculty can access PaymentWorks through the Enterprise Services tab within myUK. If needed, steps and additional information are available on the Quick Reference Cards page on the Procurement Services website. Registration into the University vendor database does not confer approval or preference onto a vendor for a purchase transaction in any way.

Some types of orders process better in “reverse” format. Reverse orders are entered as one line item with a lump sum dollar amount for the entire order, regardless whether the quote has multiple lines. Reverse format is usually used for complex purchases such as furniture, printing, computers, or equipment consisting of many components. It may also be used for orders that span a length of time and require monthly payments, e.g., equipment rental. For Reverse Shopping Carts, the Shopper enters the dollar amount in the Quantity cell, LOT as the unit of measure, and $1.00 as the net price.Some types of orders process better in “reverse” format. Reverse orders are entered as one line item with a lump sum dollar amount for the entire order, regardless whether the quote has multiple lines. Reverse format is usually used for complex purchases such as furniture, printing, computers, or equipment consisting of many components. It may also be used for orders that span a length of time and require monthly payments, e.g., equipment rental. For Reverse Shopping Carts, the Shopper enters the dollar amount in the Quantity cell, LOT as the unit of measure, and $1.00 as the net price.

All SRM Shopping Carts route to the appropriate approver(s) based on the assigned cost object(s). Once a cart is ordered, Approver information can be found in the bottom Details section of the cart on the Approval Process Overview tab. If the cart is not yet approved, the section will display the names of all Approvers assigned to the cart. If the cart has been approved, the section will reflect who approved the cart along with date and time of the event.

A number of resources related to SRM are available on the Procurement Services website. Once you login from the home page using your Link Blue ID and password, locate and select the Learning and Training Resources tiles for various materials. 

The University does not maintain an "approved vendor list". Vendors who have received contracts as the result of competitive bid processes should be the first source of supply. A listing of vendors holding price contracts can be found on the Internal Resources portion of our website. There is an Approved Caterers list available on the Procurement Services website and can be accessed from the home page. Access to all internal resources requires the visitor to be logged in using their Link Blue ID and password.

The full listing of vendors in SAP can be found using the vendor search function within the requisition screen or transaction code XK03.

The University utilizes PaymentWorks, a third-party, cloud-based platform to invite and register vendors to conduct business. To be entered into the University's vendor database, staff or faculty can access PaymentWorks through the Enterprise Services tab within myUK. If needed, steps and additional information are available on the (insert quick reference cards page) on the Procurement Services website. Registration into the University vendor database does not confer approval or preference onto a vendor for a purchase transaction in any way.

Invitation of a vendor through PaymentWorks only registers them into the vendor database (once approved and completed) in the event the University may execute a business transaction with them. It does not confer any type of approval or preference onto a vendor, nor does it in any way pre-qualify a vendor for a purchase transaction.

Procurement related documents such as W-9, University credit report, and sales tax exemption forms are available from the Internal Resources portion of our website. You can also contact our front desk at 257-9100 or email UKPurchasing@uky.edu for assistance.

All invoices for the academic campus are handled by and should be sent to UK Accounts Payable, Room 331 Peterson Service Building, Campus. Vendors' mailing address for invoices to Accounts Payable is PO Box 77-00056, Lexington, KY 40506-0005. Invoices for campus (non-healthcare) areas can also be sent via email to APPOInvoices@uky.edu. Invoices on hospital cost centers or for patient care commodities should be sent via email to GHXODAP.Universityofkentucky@na.firstsource.com.

After the vendor receives a purchase order and delivers the goods or services, they must send an invoice to either Accounts Payable or Hospital Accounting, as applicable, to be posted. With the exception of Office Depot e-catalog orders. The department must also create a goods receipt in SAP to show satisfactory receipt of the goods/services. Once both events are complete, a check payment will process based on the payment terms of the purchase order. If a check has not paid, then either the goods receipt or invoice has not been posted, or the payment terms date has not yet been reached.