Procurement Process

Before being processed each payment or commitment to purchase is reviewed to insure that the materials or services being ordered comply with the project budget, and are consistent with sponsor regulations and RF policy. Project directors are therefore encouraged to review the award balance prior to submitting the request to Research Foundation Office of Sponsored Programs (RFOSP). Be sure to review the material in the resource group (budget category) level when verifying the availability of funds.

The purchase order process

Checking the purchase order (PO) option on the purchase requisition/payment voucher form signals to the RFSOP Purchasing Unit that a formal purchase order is required. Using the purchase requisition/payment voucher as the source document, RFOSP staff enter the information into Oracle applications and a computer generated PO is produced. Unless special mailing instructions are requested, the vendor’s copy of the PO will be mailed to the vendor and the project director will receive 2 additional copies. One copy is for the project director’s records indicating that the transaction has been processed; the second is the receiving copy.

Requirements for payment

When the purchase order is complete, the project director must sign and date the receiving copy certifying that all the goods and/or services have been received. It is then forwarded to the RFSOP Purchasing Unit along with any other pertinent documentation that might also have been included with the order, such as packing lists, invoices, statements, etc. Please note that RF policy prevents us from making a payment to the vendor until the authorization (i.e. the receiving copy) has been received from the project director and the invoice has been received from the vendor.

The direct payment process

Checking the direct payment option of the purchase requisition/payment voucher form signals to the RFSOP that goods and services have already been received. Therefore, a formal purchase order is not necessary and payment can be made directly to the vendor. Since no purchase order is processed, documentation that the transaction was processed is not available. Project directors are advised to make a copy of the payment voucher and any additional supporting documentation prior to forwarding it to the RFSOP Purchasing department for processing. Project directors can log on to Oracle Applications and view the award summary inquiry (ASI) to verify that the transaction was processed.