Computer Science @ University of St Andrews

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Purchasing

How to purchase goods and services in Computer Science.
Edition: 6

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Simple purchases

The procedure for a simple purchase is as follows:

  1. Customer: fill out a Requisition and email it to the Purchase Officer (purchasing-cs).
  2. Purchase Officer: assign Purchase Order number. Inform Customer of number. Present Requisition to Grant Holder for approval.
  3. Grant Holder: sign Requisition to indicate approval and to commit money for payment. Return Purchase Record to Purchase Officer.
  4. Purchase Officer: raise Purchase Order (on University stationery) and place with Supplier. Pass order details to Secretary.
  5. Supplier: supply goods or services. Send invoice.
  6. Technician: receive goods. Unpack, test and deliver to Customer. Update Requisition and Asset Register.
  7. Secretary: receive invoice. Present to Customer.
  8. Customer: sign invoice to indicate that goods, price, delivery time etc are as ordered. Return invoice to Secretary.
  9. Secretary: present invoice to Finance for payment.
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Ready-made Requisitions

Ready-made Requisitions for commonly used suppliers are available here.

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Frequently asked questions

If the answer to your question is not given below, mail your question to purchasing-cs.

  1. The rules
    1. What are the thresholds?
  2. Who does what
    1. The Customer
    2. The Purchase Officer
    3. The Grant Holder
    4. The Supplier
    5. The Technician
    6. The Secretary
    7. The Credit Card Holder
  3. The Requisition
    1. To be completed by the Customer
      1. Customer
      2. Purpose
      3. Supplier
      4. Order
        1. How do I enter a discount?
        2. How do I enter a trade-in?
      5. Competitive quotation
      6. Payment
    2. To be completed by the Grant Holder
    3. To be completed by the Purchase Officer
    4. To be completed by the Technician
  4. Miscellaneous
    1. Where are records kept?
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The rules

The Procurement Financial Operating procedures are set by the university's Finance department.The procedure and forms described here are tailored for the School of Computer Science.

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What are the thresholds?

There are several thresholds which affect the details of the procedure, as follows (quoted from university financial procedures):

Framework Agreements

Where the University has previously tendered for goods or services via local or Consortium agreements, and agreement reached on Framework Agreements proposed orders against such contracts will not require further demonstrations of best value or testing of the market.

Requirements for quotations and tenders

Purchases of up to £10,000

There is no formal requirement on purchasers to obtain written quotations for orders below £10,000, inclusive of irrecoverable VAT. However, this should not preclude staff from seeking written quotations if it is believed that this will result in a better price or associated benefits being achieved and where there will be no adverse implications on the related delivery of service from the delay while quotations are obtained;

Purchases of £10,001 to £14,999

At least three written quotations must be obtained, and ordinarily the lowest priced quotation should be selected. Where this has not been done, or where an alternative bid represents better value for money, the approval of Procurement must be obtained prior to the order being placed. In cases where the orders are placed via Aptos POM the approval of Procurement may take the form of electronic approval by the Head or Deputy Head of Procurement.

Purchases of £15,000 and over

All orders of £15,000 and over must be subject to a competitive tender exercise. This threshold is governed by the general guidance given by the EU which states that the figure should be on or around 10% of the value of the appropriate EU threshold (£139K for goods and services). The tender process should be undertaken by Procurement and the member of staff / grant holder undertaking the purchase. This process must be undertaken by Procurement to ensure that the University’s statutory obligations are met.

Sole suppliers

In cases where only one or two suppliers can be identified for a specific item, and the value of the purchase exceeds £10,000, a written justification must be prepared by Head of School / Director of Unit for the decision not to seek competitive prices. Approval to proceed must be obtained from Procurement.

Approval of orders

Orders in excess of £20,000 will be subject to further authorisation to ensure that tender controls are implemented. For orders in excess of £20,000 to £49,999 approval of Head / Deputy Head of Procurement is required. For orders of £50,000 and above, authority of the Office of the Principal (ordinarily the Quaestor & Factor) must be obtained. However this authorisation request should initially be directed to Procurement in order that the Office of the Principal may be advised of the process undertaken, and the outcome of any tender exercise.
Such approval is best obtained by process orders via the University’s Financial Management System (Aptos), as where the required tender process has been undertaken, or framework agreement is referred to, the authorisation can be granted electronically, with minimal impact to timescales.

Don't be put off a purchase because the procedure gets in your way. The procedure is intended to deal with most purchases, but exceptional ones can get exceptional treatment.

Orders should not be split or otherwise raised in a manner devised so as to avoid the financial thresholds outlined in this procedure.

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Who does what

The procedure is described in terms of a Customer, a Purchase Officer, and so on. These are roles or duties that people have, not specific people. One person may have more than one role to play in a given purchase.

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The Customer

Any school staff member or postgraduate may be a Customer.

The Customer is the person who starts a purchase process by identifying a need. The Customer then fills in a Requisition and emails it to the Purchase Officer. See The Requisition for more details.

Usually the Customer receives the goods from the Technician, and the paperwork (Requisition, quotations, and invoice) from the Secretary. Either the goods or paperwork may reach the Customer first. If one arrives but the other does not arrive within a few days, the Customer should notify the Secretary.

The Customer checks that the goods and the invoice match the details in the Requisition.

If the Requisition, goods and invoice all agree, the Customer writes Goods received on the invoice, signs it and dates it, and returns it to the Secretary, and that is the end of the procedure for the Customer.

If there is any difference between the Requisition and the delivery or invoice, it must be identified in writing on the invoice, signed, dated and returned to the Secretary. What happens next depends on the exact difference. If the difference is minor -- for example, the delivery charge is slightly different -- then the invoice will most likely be paid in full. If the difference is major, the Purchase Officer will take approriate action.

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The Purchase Officer

The Purchase Officer is a school official, currently Alex Bain.

The Purchase Officer raises Purchase Orders and places them with Suppliers. The Purchase Officer also deals with general problems such as returns.

On receipt of a Requisition from a Customer:
The Purchase Officer:
  1. Checks the details of the Requisition, and resolves any issues with the Customer.
  2. Completes the "Received" field with today's date.
  3. Assigns a Purchase Order Number (a number in the form CSnnnn).
  4. Creates a Ready Made Requisition for this Supplier, if one does not already exist. (See Ready-made Requisitions.)
  5. Files the Requisition with the name CSnnnn-customer-supplier where CSnnnn is the Purchase order number, customer is the customer's school username, and supplier is the supplier's name (as on the Ready Made). (See Where are records kept?)
  6. Prints the Requisition and presents it to the Grant Holder for approval.
On receipt of an approved Requisition (on paper) from a Grant Holder:
The Purchase Officer:
  1. Creates the Purchase Order (using the Requisition and the Purchase Order Template), and prints 2 copies.
  2. Files copy 1 in the Order Book.
  3. Signs copy 2 and places it with the Supplier (eg by fax).
  4. Completes the "Placed", "How" and if appropriate "Who" fields on the (paper) Requisition.
  5. Gives the Requisition and any associated papers to the Secretary.
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The Grant Holder

A Grant Holder is a person who can authorise the Finance Department to pay a supplier. There are many Grant Holders in the school.

The Grant Holder signs the Requisition presented by the Purchase Officer to indicate approval of the purchase, and to commit money from the specified grant account for it.

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The Supplier

The Supplier provides and delivers the goods or service purchased.

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The Technician

The Technician is a school official, currently David Letham or James Park.

The Technician receives and signs for deliveries into the school. He checks for visible damage, unpacks, assembles, and delivers within the school. He hands any paperwork (delivery advice notes etc) to the Secretary.

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The Secretary

The Secretary is a school official, currently Joy Robertson.

The Secretary keeps financial records and processes the payment. The Secretary receives details of Purchase Orders placed from the Purchase Officer. The Secretary receives Delivery details from the Technician. The Secretary receives the invoice from the Supplier. The Secretary obtains confirmation from the Customer that the purchase has been fulfilled, and that the invoice may be paid. The Secretary arranges for payment of the invoice.

The above description applies to ordinary credit purchases. Purchases by credit card, or by individuals who then expect reimbursement, is different.

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The Credit Card Holder

The Credit Card Holder is the School Administrator, currently Alex Bain.

The Credit Card Holder is responsible for charges made to the school credit card. The Purchase Officer obtains permission from the Credit Card Holder before each use of the card.

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The Requisition

A Requisition is a top-level record of one purchase. It begins life as a Microsoft Excel Workbook. The Customer fills in part of it, and emails it to the Purchase Officer. It is then printed so that it can be signed. It is marked to show the progress of the purchase. Eventually it is filed as part of the school's financial audit trail.

A Purchase Order is not the same thing. A Purchase Order is what the Purchase Officer sends to the Supplier.

The Requisition is in four main sections, which are completed by the Customer, the Grant Holder and the Purchase Officer. When filling in a Requisition, do not type outside the pale tinted fields. Blue fields are for the Customer, green for the Grant Holder, yellow for the Purchase Officer and beige for the Technician. When entering an amount of money, do not type the £ symbol. The following answers are in the same order as the fields on the record.

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To be completed by the Customer

See The Customer

The Customer fills in this section of the Requisition and emails it to the Purchase Officer.

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Customer

See The Customer

Enter your name.

Purpose
Optionally, say what the purchase is for. This can help the Grant Holder decide which grant to use, and help identify and locate equipment later.
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Supplier

This section identifies the supplier and how to contact them. An address of some kind is needed so we can place the Purchase Order with the Supplier. Fax is our preferred method, other things being equal.

The school purchase officer may have to use university suppliers. The university has preferred suppliers of different types of goods many of these suppliers have contracts and where a contract exists we have to use it unless there are good reasons not to. The customer should identify what it is that they need to purchase and a supplier but the purchase officer may decide to purchase the goods from a university preferred supplier. The university is in the process of creating a procurement advisory database which will help you identify suppliers.

Contact
The name of a person in the company who is dealing with this purchase. Leave empty unless the purchase has to be addressed to this person.
Company
The name of the Supplier. Must be completed.
Address
The Supplier's postal address for sales orders. Must be completed.
Tel
The Supplier's voice telephone number for sales orders. Optional.
Fax
The Supplier's fax number for sales orders. Optional.
Web
The Supplier's web page for sales orders. Optional.
Email
The Supplier's email address for sales orders. Optional.
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Order

This section details what to order.

Quotation
See What are the thresholds?. If you have a written quotation, type its reference number here.
Currency
The Requisition is set up for purchases in UK pounds, so unless you are using foreign currency, you can ignore references to currency and stick to sterling throughout.
If foreign currency is involved, identify it here with the 3-letter currency code (GBP for UK pounds, USD for US dollar, etc) available at most currency convertors. The symbol # is a general currency symbol representing whichever actual currency symbol (eg $ or £) your prices use.
#1 = £?
The value, in GBP, of one unit of the # currency. Exchange rates may change so all foreign currency purchases are estimates.
Description
Identify the item to purchase, if possible with the supplier's part number. If there is a written quotation, or a separate list of items, (eg if you have to fill in the supplier's order form) you can just refer to that by its identifying number without repeating all the details. If your description is too long to fit in the box, you can use a smaller font, or use more than one line. Alternatively, write the description on a separate page and refer to it.
# Price
The unit price of this item, in the currency you specified above.
Qty
The number of units to buy.
£(P*Q)
The spreadsheet will calculate this for you: you don't type anything! The value that appears is the price, in GBP, for this line.
Delivery
Remember to allow for delivery!
VAT
VAT is due on most purchases, including foreign purchases. There is no VAT on purchases from other departments within the university, or on books.
The Requisition is set up to apply VAT at the current rate. If VAT is not due, type 0 in the VAT field.
Duty
Customs duty may be due on imports. Ask the Purchase Officer for advice. Type the amount of duty in the field.
Total payable
This is calculated for you. If the amount exceeds the upper limit for this form (see What are the thresholds?) then the words over limit -> appear. This means your proposed purchase is too big for this procedure. Ask the Purchase Officer for advice.
Spec instr to supplier
Optional special instructions to the supplier.
Page
If the order needs more than 6 lines, split it into parts of no more than 6 lines each and number them here. For example, if you need 3 parts, number them 1/3, 2/3 and 3/3. It still counts as one order for thresholds.
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How do I enter a discount?

Enter the full, undiscounted price for the item. Enter the discount on a separate line, as an item with a negative price. There may be a "unit" discount and a quantity multiplier.

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How do I enter a trade-in?

Treat a trade-in in the same way as a discount. See How do I enter a discount?.

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Competitive quotation

See What are the thresholds?. Depending on the total payable, you may need two or three written quotations, the lowest of which is accepted. The word <- required appears once for each competitive quotation that is still to be provided.

Each competitive quotation must be in writing (letter, fax, web page are OK) and must be for an item that is fairly comparable to the one you want. Exact equality is not necessary. Type the name of the supplier in the first field and the total payable, in GBP, in the second field on the line. You may have to work out VAT, delivery etc to get a fair figure. The comparison is on the basis of the total payable. Mail the written quotations to the Purchase Officer.

The Comment field allows you to comment on the quotations, if you have anything to say. Or you can write on the paper copy.

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Payment

This section indicates who is to pay, and how.

Holder
The name of the person who will authorise the payment to be made from a university account for this purchase. If you are not sure who will authorise the purchase, ask (in order) your supervisor, the Secretary or the Head of School.
Fin Code
The Finance Code, which identifies the account to use. The Holder will give you this code.
Payment
How the purchase is to be paid for. Type X in one of the boxes.
Credit
This is the "normal" method: the supplier sends us the goods and an invoice, and we send them payment some time later.
Credit Card
Good for e-commerce, but the card has a low limit. Discounts often available in return for paying this way. The Purchase Officer obtains permission from the Credit Card Holder for each use of the card.
Personal
You may pay from your own bank account and then hope to reclaim the expense from the university. Please do not do this unless unavoidable: it creates a lot of work, and you won't be reimbursed for quite some time.
Cash
Suitable for local purchases up to the cash limit. (See What are the thresholds?.)
Internal
For purchases within the University, eg from the printing Department or a research group in the School.
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To be completed by the Grant Holder

The Grant Holder (and Credit Card Holder if necessary) sign here to indicate approval of the proposed purchase.

Approved
The Grant Holder signs here to commit the funds from the specified Finance Code for this purchase.
CC
The Credit Card Holder signs here to permit use of the school credit card for this purchase.
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To be completed by the Purchasing Officer

This section tracks the placing of the order with the supplier.

Received
The date the Purchase Officer received the Requisition from the Customer.
CS
The Purchase Order number assigned to this purchase. This number is tentative until the Grant Holder approves the purchase.
Placed
The date the Purchase Officer despatched the Purchase Order to the Supplier.
How
How the Purchase Officer despatched the Purchase Order to the Supplier.
Who
If the Purchase Order was handed to another person for delivery, the name of that person.
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To be completed by the Technician

The Technician records receipt of goods.

Date rec'd
The date the goods were received.
Where to
Where the goods were delivered within the School.
More?
"Yes" if there are more items still to come on this order.
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Miscellaneous

This section will be used to build a list of answers to common problems with the purchasing system. Email your question to the Purchase Officer.

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Where are records kept?

Requisitions and Orders are filed in several places. The Secretary and the Purchase Officer keep paper copies. Electronic copies of Requisitions are filed in Imperial:Administration:Purchase Records. You are welcome to read these.

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