Electronic PR Submissions

The Electronic PR system has been implemented to provide a “paperless” means of submitting PRs. By utilizing the electronic (Excel) forms in conjunction with Outlook (or any other email application), the requestor can:

	Create a purchase request (PR)
	Submit it for approval via any email application
	Receive automated confirmation of the PR receipt directly from the Purchasing Department

Electronic Purchase Request

Creating a PR:

Please be sure the PR includes the following information:

	PR Number (when applicable)
	Requested receipt date
	Item description, unit measurement, quantity, and price
	Vendor information
	Special Instructions – Feel free to utilize this field to provide important notes to purchasing such as “rush order”, special shipping or billing instructions, and any other comments that will help Purchasing expedite processing of your order
	Account type and applicable account numbers. If you designate more than one (1) account number, please provide the distribution amounts per line.
	Requestor name, department, and phone extension

PR Number: If you choose to use an internal Request Number to track your purchase request, the Purchasing Department recommends the following procedure:

Maintain a group of numbers with your Departmental Administrative Assistant or other designee. S/he will distribute a set of unique numbers to members of the Department.

When assigning a requisition number to your order, please begin with the applicable Department Code (DC), followed by a unique number, and then add a hyphen and the last two (2) digits of the calendar year.

Example: CHEM12345-06

Requested receipt date. Please provide a reasonable date, in date format, to allow time for vendor processing and shipping.

When placing a “Rush” or “Emergency” order, please make a note in the “Special Instructions” field, and enter the current date in the requested receipt date field.

Minimum PR amounts: Please note that many vendors require a minimum purchase amount of ~$50 or a shipping charge will be added to the invoiced amount.

All orders exceeding $5,000 should be accompanied by either:

Three (3) competitive bids. OR

A bid waiver memo.

The waiver may be a very brief memo – 1 to 2 sentences - that explains why a vendor was selected without competitive bidding.

Example: Choosing a vendor that has an established, professional relationship with the requestor and/or the College.

PR Review and Approval Process:

After a PR form is completed by the requestor, the form should be emailed to the Designated Approver (DA).

The DA is typically the Department Head, Principal Investigator, and/or group Supervisor.

The approver is based on the funding source(s) involved.

In some instances, a requestor may not need Departmental or Additional Approval. For example, a faculty member purchasing supplies for the lab from their grant may submit the completed PR directly to purchasing@ursinus.edu.

In these instances, the PR may be submitted by emailing directly to Purchasing (purchasing@ursinus.edu).

“Additional Approval” may occasionally be required.

	For example: A PR being charged to several account numbers; a portion to a sponsored project (grant), and the balance to be cost-shared by departmental funds.
	In this instance, the grant Principal Investigator would approve as would the Department Head.

The Designated Approver (DA) should review PRs to approve the purchase as well as the use of funds.

Once the PR has been reviewed and approved, the DA should:

	Create an email stating approval of the request and/or adding additional comments relevant to the request.
	Attach the approved PR to the email and send it to the requestor.

Submission of the PR

For PRs that require approval from one (1) or more DA’s:

	When approval for procurement has been given by the DA, the requestor should attach and forward the approved PR along with the DA's email to Purchasing at purchasing@ursinus.edu
	Please be sure to enter the PR#, or other unique means of identification, in the subject line of the email.

Receipt and Processing of Purchase Requests

Receipt of Electronic PRs by Purchasing:

Upon receipt of PRs submitted via email, an automatic reply from Purchasing confirming receipt of the request will be sent to the Requestor.

Separate communication regarding questions, corrections, and other relevant PR information will occur via email as needed.

Processing of PRs:

The Purchasing Department will enter the information provided on the PR into the purchasing order system.

The Purchasing staff will update and save the PR to reflect: any updates or corrections to vendor, pricing, catalog numbers, as well as the PR total and estimated delivery date.

This information will be sent to the requestor via email.

Purchasing will make every effort to enter electronic PRs into the purchasing system within 24* to 36 hours of receipt.

Orders requiring same day entry * (i.e. those considered an “emergency”) should be sent to purchasing@ursinus.edu no later than 3:00 p.m. This will allow ample time for the necessary processing and communications between the Purchasing Department and the vendor.

In these instances, please be sure to indicate your need in the “Special Instructions” portion of the PR.

Receipt of Packages and Packing Slips:

	In many instances, the Mail Room receives and distributes packages to the requestor.
	When a packing slip is located on the outside of the package, the Mail Room staff will remove it and forward it to Purchasing. Purchasing will file the slip with the original Purchase Order. This provides a “complete” request for the Central Files.
	On occasion, packing slips are inside the package. If you receive a package that contains the packing slip, please send it, with the PO# noted, to Purchasing.

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