Overview Purchase Ordering & Supplier Invoice System

1. Purchasing

For migrating Departments i.e. those using the iProcurement and purchasing ordering modules, the standard configuration is set out below.

1.1 Requisitions

The starting point for the procurement process for migrated departments is to create a requisition in the iProcurement module using either the catalogue links or a non catalogue request function.

It is not possible to convert a requisition into a Purchase Order requisition unless the Requisition is approved.
Departments nominate the staff who may create requisitions. Staff can either approve their own requisitions or submit them to another member of staff for approval according to a hierarchy agreed with the department.

Note that all requisitions over £50K have to be approved by a Director in Finance Division (except in the case of building and related contracts placed by the Estates and Facilities Division where the additional approvers are members of staff, from the Division, nominated by the Director of Estates and Facilities).
See link for orders over £50k for tendering requirements

1.2 Purchase Orders

a) Convert approved requisition into a Purchase Order

Departments nominate the staff able to do this.

b) Approve Order

Orders may be approved according to a hierarchy agreed with the Department and final approvers must be a college authorised signatory from the approved UCL list.

Note that all orders over £50k have to be approved by a Director in Finance Division (except in the case of building and related contracts placed by the Estates and Facilities Division where the additional approvers are members of staff, from the Division, nominated by the Director of Estates and Facilities).

1.3 Printing of Orders/Electronic Ordering

Once approved the order can be printed by staff specified by the Department.
UCL Finance Division does not insist that all orders are signed although some Departments may wish to have a local requirement.

For suppliers enabled for electronic ordering once the order has been approved the order will automatically be sent electronically to the supplier, there is no need to print out the order.A list of suppliers enabled for electronic ordering is available on the FIS website

1.4 Receipt of Goods

Migrated departments must record the receipt of goods using the receipt function within the iProcurement or Purchasing modules.

2. Supplier Invoices

There is a two stage process in Departments and a further approval stage in Finance Division.

2.1 Departmental Procedure

a) Entry of Invoice details and where appropriate, matching to purchase orders, within Accounts Payable.

Departmental staff complete this process and batch invoices before entry on to the system.
Batch names are entered by Departmental staff and are automatically system generated.

b) Approval of invoices

After initial entry under 2.1a) above, all invoices must be approved online by an Authorised Signatory. Once approved at this level the invoice will be recorded as expenditure against the appropriate account code and the commitment will be cleared or amended.

c) Report of invoices approved

The system will produce a report which may be used as a batch header. The report should signed and dated by a member of Departmental staff then sent to Finance Division with the original invoices. The purpose of the batch headers is to enable Finance Division staff to confirm that all invoices in the batch have been received. It will no longer be used as a control document requiring Certification and Authorisation because this process will have been completed on line.

2.2 Procedure in Finance Division Accounts Payable Section

Batches will be received within the Accounts Payable section. For migrated Departments it will be obvious from the batch header that the data has already been entered on the system.

AP staff will review, then approve, the batches online. The invoices will then be filed in batch number order, and will not need to go to the Data Input section.

This page last modified June 3, 2011 by Web Editor