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Seton Hall University

Order Process Policy

Purpose

This is a statement of Seton Hall University's Order Process Policy as it relates to the procurement of goods and services at the University in conducting business on behalf of the University. It is applicable to all University employees. Its purpose is the following:

To furnish guidelines as to the ways goods and services can be procured for the University and the order in which these ways should be conducted.  

Scope

University Policy

Definitions

Policy

The four (4) order processes at the University (listed in order of preference) are as follows: 

  • The Credit Card process
  • The Purchase Order (PO) process
  • The Check Requisition process
  • The Travel and Expense Reimbursement process

Please note that the use of a departmental credit card and the PO process are recommended as both allow the University to process orders without having to immediately pay vendors for goods/services and the credit card process additionally provides rebate incentives for the University.

The Credit Card process:

With written approval from the applicant's supervisor as submitted to Procurement, anyone at Seton Hall at the level of Cost Center Manager or above is eligible to have a departmental credit card ordered for them. The application process, card ordering, training procedures and statement submission procedures related to credit card use at any point in time are posted in separate university policies on the Procurement website.

The Purchase Order Process: 

  • The originating department determines its needs for goods or services and contacts Procurement if necessary. A table of dollar levels will determine whether to competitively bid at this point. This table is detailed in the University policy entitled "Competitive Bidding."
  • The originating department issues a Purchase Order Requisition (Excel form available on the Procurement Department website. The form is then routed to the Procurement Department.  
  • Procurement will approve of the PO if it adheres to SHU Competitive Bidding Policy and is properly authorized. If the PO is rejected for any reason, Procurement will notify the originating department for further action. 
  • Banner will assign a purchase order number and encumber (set aside) the funds for the order. 
  • PO copies will be e-mailed or faxed to the vendor and ordering department by Procurement and Procurement will retain a 3rd copy for their office in an email account at [email protected]
  • The vendor will then provide the user department with the goods or services ordered and then bill the department directly referencing the PO # assigned to the order.
  • Anyone in the office who can certify that the goods or services were delivered correctly can sign the PO invoice, highlight the PO#, retain a copy and submit the original invoice to Procurement for payment.  
  • Procurement will process the PO invoice in Banner and cut a check to pay the vendor in an appropriate time frame.

The Check Requisition or Direct Pay Invoice Process:

  • When the use of a department credit card or PO are not options available, Seton Hall University departments may either create a Check Requisition to pre-pay for an item or service or have the vendor provide goods/services and then directly invoice the department for the items/services in question. This option should only be used after determining that the credit card and/or PO processes are not available to the ordering department. 
  • In preparing a check requisition for a pre-pay order, or signing off on a direct pay vendor invoice, the SHU department must follow University Purchasing Policy and Procedure Overview to ensure proper signatures have been obtained for the document in question. All backup pertaining to the order – including copies of winning and losing vendor bids for orders over $10,000 (see University Competitive Bidding Policy) – must accompany the check requisition or vendor invoice. Copies of all documents submitted to Procurement should be retained for office file.  
  • Payment requests to pay Independent Contractors for services must be submitted to Procurement accompanied with a signed IRS form W-9 by the payee.
  • Procurement will process the check requisition or direct pay vendor invoice in Banner and produce a check in the appropriate time frame.

*Note: Procurement will ideally only process for payment an original vendor invoice. Vendor statements, unless a "statement" is the vendor's only billing approach, will not be processed for payment. Copies of vendor invoices will only be used upon confirmation from the department that the original invoice is unavailable. Procurement, in processing a copy, must confirm in Banner that the original was not already paid and denote it on the copy. 

*Note: If the requesting department desires that Procurement submit an attachment to accompany the check created, they must provide Procurement with the attachment and a copy of the attachment for mailing with the check.

The Travel & Expense Reimbursement Process: 

Seton Hall University’s Travel & Expense Reimbursement process is defined in University Travel & Receipt Policy.

Related Policies

Responsible Offices

Procurement

Approval

Approved

This policy was approved by the University Board of Regents on May 1, 1997.

Effective Date

May 1st, 1997