Smarter Purchasing User Guide for Buyers and Approvers Shopping for catalogue and non catalogue items

Transcription

1 Smarter Purchasing User Guide for Buyers and Approvers Shopping for catalogue and non catalogue items purchasing

2 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER 2 Contents 1. Why should I use Smarter Purchasing? When should I use the Smarter Purchasing System? How to buy in Smarter Purchasing Buying items from a catalogue My items are now in my basket I have checked out from the catalogue I want to add an attachment I am buying a COSHH/safety product My order is now ready for approval Adding a viewer to catalogue and non catalogue/ free text orders Buying non catalogue items Buying non catalogue items (continued) Travel, subsistence and hospitality Approving a Shopping Cart or Free Text Order COSHH approval Purchasing rules Need some help? FAQ s Tips Copying account assignment to multi lines Setting a default Adding additional text to print (Non catalogue orders only) Changing the Goods recipient on the order... 25

3 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER 3 1. Why should I use Smarter Purchasing? Smarter Purchasing is focused on allowing all people that work for the University to buy goods and services easily at the best prices. This is achieved through: A simple and efficient electronic ordering system Safety and monetary approvals for the items you need to buy built into the system The use of an online catalogue website to order directly from many suppliers For goods and services not available from the catalogue a free text order can be created in Smarter Purchasing and sent to the relevant supplier. The University buys many goods and services daily. When we ask a supplier to provide goods or services we legally commit to pay for that good/ service (subject to it meeting required quality standards) through the issue of a purchase order. Smarter Purchasing produces this purchase order for you. 2. When should I use the Smarter Purchasing System? The Smarter Purchasing system allows you to buy all external goods and services that your department requires. Currently, purchases from other departments within the University are not included in the system but this is an area of development for the future. Purchase cards (departmental credit cards which tend to be held by department administrators) may actually be a better way to buy some goods and services (typically travel accommodation and conference attendance costs). The diagram below suggests the best route to buy it: I want to buy something Is it available on the Smarter Purchasing online catalogue? Yes Use Smarter Purchasing online catalogue No Is the item low value/ high volume (total cost below 3k)? Yes Use your departmental purchase card No Is the cost less than 3k & is this a one time supplier? No Use Smarter Purchasing free text order Yes Use your departmental purchase card. Warning, if the expense is funded by a grant in its last three months the purchase card may not show it as a commitment prior to grant closure which would lead to the expense being disallowed.

4 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER 4 3. How to buy in Smarter Purchasing To log in to the system: Go to the staff homepage, then click on Financial matters under Working at Leicester, then click on the Smarter Purchasing link at the top of the page. You will be asked to enter your University IT account username and password. If you are unable to log on to the system, please contact IT help. Then use the menu path: Procurement Self Service (top of the screen) > Shopping Area (left hand side) > Shop There are then two options, browse and free text Buying items from a catalogue You should start by seeing if the items you require are available to buy from an online catalogue, in the Browse section, click on the option to go the ScienceWarehouse Marketplace **Test Catalogue** (note, this will change to Leicester University Catalogue when the system is launched). This will take you to the following screen: You then have the option to: browse categories (types of products), browse suppliers or search using the text box at the top right of the screen.

5 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER 5 Using the search text box, enter the name of the item you wish to purchase and click on the magnifying glass to search the catalogue. You will then see your results displayed as follows: You will see the name of the item, supplier, catalogue number, pack size, delivery charges and net price. You can compare items by ticking in the compare boxes on the right, then click on the compare button on the top of the screen

6 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER 6 You will then see the items compared side by side. You can add items to your basket from this screen by entering the quantity required and clicking on the add to basket icon. You can also return to your search results by clicking on the back to search results link on the right above the products. From the search results page you can also view further details on an item by clicking on the item name, the following screen will then appear:

7 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER 7 When you have found the items you wish to purchase, click on add to basket, either from the search results page or the item detail page. The item will then be displayed in your basket as follows: You can add multiple items to the same basket and also save your basket without ordering the items (so you can complete your order later).

8 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER My items are now in my basket You can delete items from your basket by clicking on the Empty basket button to remove all items or by selecting the items you wish to remove and clicking on the Delete selected items button. When you have added all of your items, click on the Checkout button above the items proceed with your order. to 3.3. I have checked out from the catalogue When you checkout you will see the following screen: The details of the items you are buying will be shown in your order. You now need to add one of the following: Cost center department to which the goods will be charged Or Grant code/ WBS element/code grant funding the items will be charged to Or Internal order number/ SIO internal funding the items will be charged to To do this, click on the Details button above the line number. The following screen then appears: Choose the Account Assignment Category by clicking the down arrow and selecting. Then add the relevant code in the Assign Number box. It is possible to split the cost of an item so that a proportion is charged to a cost center, a proportion to a grant code and a proportion charge to an internal order number. This will be required for some buyers however if you need to do this your Departmental Purchasing Expert (DPE) can assist you with this.

9 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER 9 The following information will automatically be included for you on your order: General Ledger Account (this can be changed if you feel it is not correct) Your supplier (which cannot be changed) VAT tax code (which can be changed on the Item Data tab) Delivery Address (this can be changed if you feel it is not correct) If the items are for Medical Research or Training purposes, please tick the box as shown below. The box is located at the bottom of the Item Data tab under the Safety Relevant box I want to add an attachment You can also add attachments to your order. This is good practice where you have documents you feel the approver should see or are buying on behalf of another department. On the Notes & Attachments Tab, click on the Add Attachment button and then browse your folders for the file I am buying a COSHH/safety product If the item you are buying is a COSHH/safety product you must add an attachment detailing the purpose you are buying the item by for many departments this will be the COSHH form but some departments will have other documentation that is used to assess whether the item can be bought. This documentation must be included as an attachment as when the item is sent for approval to a lab safety supervisor they will look for these items to approve the order. You can see whether the item you are buying is a COSHH item as the following box will be automatically ticked on the order screen.

10 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER My order is now ready for approval Once you have completed the steps above, click on the next button at the top of the screen to take you to step 3: In this screen, you can display who will approve your order by clicking on the Display / Edit Agents link. You can also add a note to your approver if required to say why you are buying the item. To proceed with your order, click on the Order button. You can also Press the Close button: this will abandon your order and it will no longer be ordered or available to view Press the Save button: this will hold your order for you to return to later, note it will not be processed until you press order Press the Check button: this will show if there is any missing information on your order Add a viewer or approval for your order (See 3.7 below) Once Order has been pressed, you will see the following screen and the shopping cart number is created: You can then close this screen and in your shopping cart, you will be able to see your order and its approval status. Once the order has been completed, an will be sent to your approvers for them to approve the order which will then be transmitted to the supplier for delivery. All of your previous orders for the

11 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER 11 past month will be listed here, along with any saved orders. To order a saved order click on shopping cart number, click edit at the top left, use next to skip to step 3 and click on the order button Adding a viewer to catalogue and non catalogue/ free text orders It is possible to add people to your order so they can see what you are buying. These people do not take part in the approval process but can view what you have requested. To do this, click on the Display / Edit Agents link next to Approval Process. The following screen will appear: Click on the Add Reviewer button to add a reviewer, and then click on the OK button. 3.8 Buying non catalogue items If the item you wish to order is not available on the catalogue you will need to raise a free text order. The information you need to have to hand prior to starting the free text order is: Product description and code as specified by the supplier i.e. Smarter Kettle product code ABC1. The suppliers name. The price of the item, including any delivery charges. The unit of supply i.e. price per gram, litre, metre, etc.

12 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER Buying non catalogue items (continued) To start a free text order use the menu path: Procurement Self Service > Shopping Area > Shop Click on the Describe what you need link to start a free text order. Enter the following information: Enter the item to be ordered in the Description box i.e. Table Select the Product Category this is required as it allows us to run reports to see what we are buying as a University by product categories. For help with Product Categories please see Guide 3 Smarter Purchasing Help with identifying with Product Category to use. on the Smarter Purchasing website. To select your Product Category, Click on the button next to Product Category then in the description box search for the closest Product Category by a key word (i.e. for table enter *furniture*) and click on Start Search The key word needs an asterisk before and after it (*furniture*) to work (known as a wildcard search ) and click on Start Search The list of Product Categories will be displayed and can be selected by clicking the square next to the required Category, then click on the OK button at the bottom.

13 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER 13 Enter the number of the items you wish to order, followed by the Unit of Measurement using the search box: Enter the net price in GBP. This is the vendor s current price (without VAT) for a single item. If you only have the gross price (i.e. the price that includes VAT), then you can calculate the net price as follows: Net = Gross / (1+ VAT rate as a decimal). Example: To find the net price of a gross price item at 30 when the VAT rate is 20%, the calculation will be 30 / (1+0.20) = 25 Enter the delivery date if known (today s date is defaulted) If you a buying an item in a currency other than UK Sterling, enter the price in Sterling by taking the Foreign currency price and dividing it by a sensible exchange rate i.e. Table costing $ could be entered as based on an exchange rate of $1.60/ Click on the OK button to proceed to step 2 of the order. Click on the Details button above the line number. The following screen then appears:

14 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER 14 In the Account Assignment tab, select the Account Assignment Category by clicking the down arrow and selecting. You now need to add one of the following: Cost center department to which the goods will be charged Or Grant code/ WBS element/ code grant funding the items will be charged to Or Internal order number/ SIO internal funding the items will be charged to The following information will be defaulted in for a non catalogue order: General Ledger Account (this can be changed if you feel it is not correct) VAT tax code (which can be changed on the Item Data tab) Delivery Address (this can be changed if you feel it is not correct) If the items are for Medical Research or Training purposes, please tick the box as shown below. The box is located at the bottom of the Item Data tab under the Safety Relevant box. For a non catalogue order, you will need to select the supplier on the Supplier tab: Click on the drop down box at the bottom of the screen. Use the search term 1 box to enter the name of the supplier using wildcards, or use the postcode box. Then click on the Start Search box and select the supplier from the results list at the bottom of the page, and click OK.

15 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER 15 If the supplier is not on the system, you will need to complete a vendor creation form (Z10 follow link creation uk overseas sterling ) and send it to Accounts Payable for creation ( acctspayable@le.ac.uk). You should explain the reason why this new supplier is required on the form. Currently we have around 60,000 suppliers on the system of which on average only 5,000 are used each year and around half of these are used only 1 or 2 times. You can save the order using the Save button at the top of the screen to complete at a later stage when you receive confirmation from Accounts Payable as to whether the supplier has been set up. Once you have selected the supplier, you will return to the main screen and you will need to click on the Assign Supplier button at the bottom of the screen: You can also add attachments to the order (See sections 3.4 and 3.5 for details] and this is mandatory for COSHH relevant items. On the Notes and Attachments tab, click on the Add Attachment button and then browse your folders for the file. Then click Next to proceed to Step 3.

16 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER Travel, subsistence and hospitality When purchasing travel, accommodation or hospitality, Financial Regulations require the following to be documented: The purpose of the expenditure, the dates, and the details of the members of staff/visitors to which it relates. Example documentation: meal for 3 people, Bill (University of Leicester), Bob (University of Leicester) and Ben (a Different Company) in London at RESTAURANT (give name) to discuss Grant application ABC) This information can be recorded by the buyer in the notes to the approver box displayed prior to submitting the order. 4. Approving a Shopping Cart or Free Text Order You can approve, change, or reject an order via: an which will be sent to you when the buyer raises an order or using the Smarter Purchasing system. The approval will look similar to this and will also contain an Approve or Reject button. A copy of the order with all of the details will also be attached as a PDF.

17 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER 17 To approve via the Smarter Purchasing system, log onto the system (See 3 above) and then click on Procurement Self Service > Approvals The screen shows any orders awaiting approval. To approve an order, click on the subject link. This will open the order in the following screen: The Approve, Reject or Edit buttons are at the top of the screen. You can also add an approval note. To approve the order, simply click on the Approve button. To make changes, click on the Edit button. The screens are then the same as when creating an order and you can edit the same information that you enter. You can t edit the price, supplier or product description for a catalogue order. You can also Reject the order and give a reason for the rejection in the Approval Note box. Note, this will cancel the order from the system completely and the buyer will have to start their order again from scratch

18 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER 18 Finally, you can also add another approver by clicking on the Display / Edit Agents link next to Approval Process. The following screen will appear: Click on the Add Approver or Add Reviewer buttons to add an approver or reviewer, then click on the OK button. If an Approver edits a buyers order, the buyer will receive an to say that their order has been edited. The buyer will also receive notification when their order is approved or rejected. To see orders you have already Approved or Rejected, click on the Show Quick Criteria Maintenance button and select Completed Work Items in the Show drop down box, and click on the Apply button. 5. COSHH approval If you are required to approve an order as it is COSHH/safety relevant you should approve the order in the same way as above, checking the attachments are correct. Where a COSHH approval is required, this approval comes first before the goods/ services go for financial approval.

19 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER Purchasing rules Note, it is essential if you are buying goods or services that you have read and understood the University Financial Regulations. The key part is Section 4 on Purchasing Policy. These can be found at 7. Need some help? When you come to use the system, there are many resources to help you. purchasing Your Smarter Purchasing Departmental team The Smarter Purchasing Website has copies of all training documentation, system demos and answers to frequently asked questions. There are key people in your departments that can help you if you are stuck. They are: ITS: Wendy Ferguson, Avril Vilcins and Julie Wetherall CPP: Amanda Fisher, Lyn McCarthy, Mathew Barker and Karen Monger Biochemistry: Barbara Birch, Jeff Morant and Kodou Sallah Chemistry: Sara Mounteney, Chris Goddard and Phil Acton III: Sushila Rambhai, Judith Jackson and Rebecca Draper IT Services If the system is broken or your order seems to be lost contact the IT helpdesk on or ithelp@le.ac.uk 8. FAQ s How do I find my purchase order number? Your purchase order number will be available on your shopping cart item once it has been approved. Log into the system and click on the shopping cart number to display the item details. In the Item Status column, click on Purchase order created. The purchase order number appears in the bottom part of the screen on the Related Documents tab. It is the first 10 numbers and the numbers at the end after the / is the line number. Purchase order numbers will start with 45 for catalogue orders and 41 for non catalogue orders.

20 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER 20 How do I see if I will be charged a delivery charge? Our catalogue will display the delivery charge on the item. If I have an agreed price with a supplier, lower than the catalogue price how can I enter this? Unfortunately you cannot change the price of a catalogue item at this time. However, we will be adding this functionality shortly. In the meantime, please create a free text order. Can I add catalogue and non catalogue items to the same order? No you should raise separate orders for catalogue and non catalogue items. Do I still need to get three quotes for purchases over 5k in value but below 25k? When buying from the catalogue you don t need to do this for items under 25k in value however if you expect to spend more than 25k with that supplier in the year you would be required to tender for the goods/ service under normal purchasing requirements. The 5k limit still applies to free text orders and therefore three quotes must be obtained if you are not buying from the catalogue and these need to be attached in the Smarter Purchasing Free Text Order. The requirement to tender for purchases over 25k from a supplier still remains for catalogue and non catalogue buying. Can I still use purchasing cards? Yes, purchasing cards can still be used and are encouraged for low value/ high volume purchases from suppliers not on our catalogue (total cost below 3k) or for purchase below 3k in value from suppliers you expect to use only once. Can I add items to an approved order? No, you cannot you need to raise another order. Can I cancel an order? Yes, but you will need to contact your DPE if the order hasn t been approved and ask them to reject the order. If the order has been approved you can contact the supplier and ask them to cancel the order and inform your DPE/Accounts Payable. How will I know my items have arrived? They will be delivered to you. Are the invoices to be received electronically? Some invoices are already received electronically whilst others are received in paper copy form. A part of the future developments of the system will be to encourage suppliers to submit invoices electronically. If the invoice matches the order and

21 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER 21 goods receipt it will then automatically be queued for payment at the appropriate time to meet payment terms for the supplier. When raising an order will the system check there is enough budget available for the order? This feature is part of future developments of the system. It is not available for the pilot. Who maintains our catalogues? Suppliers who are on the catalogue will provide price and product updates to our catalogue provider who will update the details on the catalogue once we have accepted these changes. How do we get suppliers onto the catalogue? Contact Richard Griffiths providing details of the supplier including the Account Manager contact details, expected volume/ value of transaction and the reasons why you think buying from a catalogue would be useful for this supplier. Is it possible for us to add comments onto the system so that other purchasers know who are good or bad suppliers (similar to Amazon and Trip Advisor comments)? This is not possible at present but it is an area up for review post pilot. 9. Tips 9.1. Copying account assignment to multi lines To Save re keying the account code on each line, you can use the copy and paste functions Highlight Select First line item (highlighted in yellow) Account assignment to bring up the details tab

22 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER 22 Enter Select Charge code Copy button (this copies the account assignment to the clipboard see image below) Highlight The next line item Select Paste button (the details will be copied into the next line)

23 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER Setting a default If you regularly purchase to the same account code then you can set this as your default Right click On the field you want to default User settings Use Current value as default To remove the default Right click On the field Discard default value

24 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER Adding additional text to print (Non catalogue orders only) When creating a non catalogue order, these will for the time being still need to be printed. If you need to add additional information or long text, this can be done as follows: Highlight Goto Select The line requiring additional information Notes and attachments tab Supplier text You can see this text copied into the purchase order item text and will be part of the printout.

25 UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER Changing the Goods recipient on the order By default, the Goods recipient will be yourself. Select Start Search As a general rule, the settings will allow you to select other system users in your sub department only Highlight Select The required recipient OK