What Information Do You Need for a Purchase Requisition?
This article covers the basic information that Requesters need in order to create a purchase requisition in CFS.
Depending on the type of purchase, there may be more or less information required for your purchase. Contact Contracts & Procurement at [email protected] or 657-278-2411 for questions about your specific purchase.
Do you have a quote from the vendor?
Typically, purchase requisitions require a quote from the vendor. These quotes often contain nearly all of the information that you need to create the purchase requisition.
What is being ordered?
- What item(s) and/or service(s) are being ordered?
- How much of each item is needed (e.g., 15 laptops)?
- How long are the services needed (e.g., a specific day; from July 1st - June 30th)?
What is the purpose of this item or service? How will it be used? Who will be using it?
You do not need to know detailed information about the item or service, but having a general understanding of what its purpose is, how it will be used, and who will use it will help you fill out fields on the requisition as well determine if additional processes/policies apply.
Examples:
- New modular furniture to be used by office staff
- Desktop computers to be used in department computer lab for academic classes
- Software to be used by faculty to create online course content
What chartfield(s) should be charged for this order?
You will need to specify which chartfield string(s) should be charged for the order. Mandatory fields include Account, Fund, and Department ID codes, but you may also need to include Program, Class, or Project codes for your order. Be sure you know what chartfields you should use for the order.
Each line of your requisition can be charged to different chartfield strings, meaning that each item or service listed on your requisition can be billed differently if needed. You can also split the charges for a line between two or more chartfield strings.
Where should the items be delivered (if applicable)?
Typically campus Shipping & Receiving will deliver items to the campus location of the Requester (you). If the items should be delivered to another location, you will need to add that information to the purchase requisition.
Has this vendor been used by CSUF in the past?
Vendors must have a Supplier ID/Vendor ID assigned by CSUF before an order can be submitted to them by Contracts & Procurement.
If the vendor has processed any orders from CSUF in the past, they will have a Supplier ID already assigned.
If the vendor is new to working with CSUF, you will need to submit a SmartSheet request to enroll the vendor in PaymentWorks. A link to the SmartSheet can be found on the Accounts Payable New Vendor Set-up webpage. You can still submit the purchase requisition to Procurement, but the Buyer will not be able to process the purchase requisition until the vendor submits the form, and Accounts Payable generates a Supplier ID. Sending the vendor a link to the form can help avoid having the requisition held up by this issue.
When is this item/service needed?
It's important to know if there is a specific date when the item or service is needed, so you can submit the purchase requisition at the right time.
Typically, you want to allow at least 6-8 weeks after approval for a purchase requisition to be converted to a purchase order and sent to the vendor.
The processing time is often impacted by the number of other requisitions that the Buyer is working on, and the required documents associated with the purchase (e.g., insurance documents, software license agreements, etc). For more specific guidelines or processing time information, contact Contracts & Procurement at [email protected] or 657-278-2411.
Is this an IT-related purchase?
The following categories of products and services are IT purchases:
- Software applications and operating systems: licenses, subscriptions
- Web-based information and applications: websites, online surveys, "cloud based" services, subscriptions, and other content, social media sites, etc.
- Video and multimedia products and services: TV displays and tuners, projectors, media players and recorders, multimedia, etc.
- Hardware: servers, computers, laptops, tablets, monitors, input devices, storage devices, etc.
- Other office equipment: printers, scanners, copiers, kiosks, digital cameras, scientific instruments, etc.
In general, if a product fits into one of these categories, requires user interaction, and involves creating, converting, transferring or duplicating data or information, then it is an IT purchase.
If yes, be sure to start with the IT Purchasing Process.
Typically, this process will take about a week, but more complex requests, especially those involving items/services to be used by students or detailed documentation from the vendor, may take several weeks. Be sure to account for this additional time when planning the time it will take to get the item/service!
All IT-related purchases must go through the IT Purchasing process for approval before submitting a purchase requisition. Once you have collected all of the necessary information for the purchase, start by submitting an IT Purchasing Request Form. You will receive an email with an IT Authorization Number once your request is approved. At that point, you can create the purchase requisition, and include the IT Authorization Number in the Comments on the requisition.
Need More Help?
Technical issue with CFS? Contact the IT Help Desk at [email protected] or 657-278-7777.
Questions about how to do something in CFS? Contact IT Training at [email protected] or 657-278-5647.
Questions about procurement policies or status of a requisition/purchase order? Contact Procurement at [email protected].
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