Procurement
- Division of Business Office
FAQ’s
What is the procedure for sending
out formal bids?
The U of A faxes out a notice by letter to the vendors
who are currently on the bidder’s list for a specific product. The
letter includes the bid number, name of bid, and the bid opening date and
time, as well as the website address where the vendor can download the
bid. It also includes the name, number and email address of the person
to contact for any problems the vendor may have while downloading the bid.
What is the dollar amount before I
have to send something out for bid?
$5,000.00
What is the website address where
formal bids are listed?
Formal Bids can be seen at the HogBid
website. On this website if the tab sheet column says yes then the
tab sheet has been posted. When you see a date under the Date Awarded
column this means the bid has been awarded. If you want to know to
whom the bid was awarded, contact Linda
Hickman, Bid Clerk at 479.575.6290. If you are not able to download
a bid you can contact either Linda Hickman or the buyer to get a copy mailed
or faxed to you.
How does a vendor get on the UAF bidder’s
list?
The bidder’s application is on the U of A hogbid
page . You click on the little red hog to pull up the bidder’s
application. After printing out the application there will be a letter
and a form to fill out. You may either fax or mail the form with
your product list to Linda Hickman
or 479.575.4158 (fax). After your company has been added to the U
of A, Fayetteville bidder’s list, you will receive a letter confirming
this. The letter will have an assigned vendor number for your reference.
If you have any questions regarding this procedure please contact Linda
Hickman at 479.575.6290.
Who do I contact when I have a question
about the specifications of a bid?
The bid will have a departmental contact person and/or
buyer name to contact.
When the bid clerk is not available
whom do I contact if I have a question regarding a bid?
Ask for the buyer as listed on the bid.
What is the time frame and procedure
for protesting a bid?
A formal letter is sent to Jim
Hashbarger, Business Manager, to ADMN 321. He can be reached at 479.575.4900.
Can I purchase Microsoft software
from a vendor of my choice?
No. A mandatory state contract for Microsoft Software
products exists for purchase of Microsoft Products. See the Procurement
Contract Item web page for additional information. Check with
Whitney
Smith at 479.575.5158 in the Procurement Office regarding further information.
Can I purchase Adobe software from
a vendor of my choice?
Yes. However, an optional contract for Adobe Software
products exists with educational discount pricing. See the Procurement
Contract Item web page for more information (Keep in mind the bid limit
of $5,000 if purchasing Adobe products outside of this contract).
Check with Whitney Smith at 479.575.5158
in the Procurement Office regarding further information.
Can I purchase a computer of my choice
from a vendor of my choice?
No. Check with Whitney Smith at 479.575.5158 in the Procurement
Office regarding mandatory and optional contracts in place for purchase
of computers. See the Procurement
Contract Item web page for more information.
Can I purchase a printer of my choice
from a vendor of my choice?
No. Check with Whitney Smith at 479.575.5158 in
the Procurement Office regarding mandatory and optional contracts in place
for purchase of printers. See the Procurement
Contract Item web page for more information.
Who is responsible for Construction
bids?
James Ezell at
479.575.2554 and Ellen Ferguson at
479.575.5314 handle all construction bids.
Who do I contact if I want to purchase
or have service performed on a copy machine?
Departments on the U of A – Fayetteville campus and the
Northwest Arkansas region should contact Penny
Bellard, PMC Solutions, at 479.575.5970 when they need a copier
placement or need service on their copier.
If I am at an off campus location,
who do I contact for copier information?
Departments in other parts of the state of Arkansas and
across the country should contact Karen
Walls at 479.575.6400 when they need a copier placement.
Contracts for leasing and purchasing copiers are available for departments
when ordering their copier. If a department chooses not to use one
of the existing contracts, a formal bid will have to be processed by the
Procurement office.
Where can I find forms on-line?
On
the Procurement forms web page.
Who do I contact with a question about
insurance?
Contact the Risk Management Office at 479.575.5314 or
479.575.2554. You can also e-mail Ellen
Ferguson at James Ezell.
What types of insurance are available?
The Risk Management Office handles the following types
of insurance: Building/Property, Automobile, Student Travel Accident, Camp
Accident, Special Event Liability, Professional Liability, and Student
Professional Liability.
Who do I contact with questions concerning
the PCard?
Connie Oberg, PCard
Administrator at 479.575.6279. If Connie is unavailable please contact
Marla
Misamore at 479.575.5088.
Is there a website available with
general PCard information?
Yes, at the PCard
web page.
Am I required to keep receipts?
YES!! Receipts must be kept and given to whoever in your
department is approving the charges in BASIS. As charges are approved,
a document number is then written on each receipt and sent to Accounts
Payable for scanning.
What if I cannot obtain or find a
receipt?
If you have lost or are unable to obtain a receipt, you
must fill out a Lost/Unobtainable PCard Receipt Form.
Is the PCard issued for the entire
department?
No, the PCard is issued to individuals only.
Will I get a credit card statement?
No, you will not get a statement from US Bank.
However there is a JOB which can be run in UPS which will print out a statement.
In the UPS application, command JOBS, action “S”, the job is UPJPCSTM.
The JOB can be run for an entire budgetary unit, or for an individual card
holder for any time period desired.
Is there a list on the web page showing
items that cannot be charged on the PCard?
Yes, at the PCard
web page.
Is there a command in Basis I can
use to find out PCard cutoff dates?
Yes. The command is EPB. Make sure you have US
Bank in the vendor field, your action as View, hit enter and this command
will show you cut-off dates for the next 2 (two) PCard cycles.
When will charges show up in BASIS?
Typically the charges will appear in the BASIS system
within 3 days after the transaction has taken place.
What do I do if a charge shows that
I (the cardholder) did not make?
If you cannot resolve the problem with the merchant and
receive a credit, then you must complete the 'Statement of Disputed Items'
form and send or fax to Connie Oberg,
PCard Administrator, Office of Business Affairs ADMN-321 Fax: 479.575.4158.
What if the PCard holder does not
turn in a receipt?
If the cardholder cannot obtain a receipt, he should
complete the Lost/Unobtainable Procurement Card Receipt form. If
the cardholder simply does not turn in any documentation, he will receive
a written warning from the Business Office after the first occurrence.
Repeated failure to submit necessary documentation will result in suspension
of PCard privileges.
What information is necessary for
a reimbursement on the REQL description line?
“Personal Reimbursement for John Doe” is not sufficient.
Departments should always list a description of what is being purchased
and how it was used on the REQL description line.
Who signs the reimbursement claim
form when the Department Chair is asking for a reimbursement?
The Dean of the College.
What is the maximum amount of tips
allowed on meals?
20% (If the bill has a pre-determined service charge
added in by the restaurant, we can pay all of that.)
What is the policy regarding reimbursement
through the Procurement Office on tips for meals during an official function?
An itemized meal receipt is always required. In
those instances where there is a mandatory tip printed on the bill and
it exceeds 20%, as long as it is a required amount to pay as policy of
the restaurant with regard to a large group, this will be allowable as
you have no control over the amount of the tip. However, if you manually
include an additional amount above what was printed on the receipt, this
amount will not be reimbursed. Other tips area allowed for reimbursement
up to 20%.
What is the proper procedure if I
have lost my receipt for my reimbursement claim?
Departments can provide an affidavit of lost receipt,
including the name of the person claiming reimbursement, date of purchase,
item purchased, cost, and explanation of circumstances. This form
should be signed by the person claiming reimbursement.
What items cannot be paid on a personal
reimbursement?
Any item that would be considered taxable income to an
individual cannot be paid on a personal reimbursement. Examples of
taxable income include, but are not limited to the following: Bands, vocal
groups or artists, medical services, royalty payments, etc.
A general rule to follow is this. If the payment
is to be for a service, then a requisition must be processed because the
payment will be taxable. If the payment is to be for a commodity,
(tangible item) the payment will probably not be taxable.
For questions regarding this issue, contact Pat
Macke, Tax Compliance, at 479.575.4717.
What is the State’s definition of
printing?
Printing means “the process of transferring images, by
use of standard industrial type printer ink, upon paper documents such
as letterhead, envelopes, pamphlets, booklets and forms.
Who do I contact to receive help
or inquire about a printing job?
Contact Rich Bundsgaard
at 479.575.2504.
What determines if a contract is
“professional services”?
Please refer to PCS
guidelines on web page.
What are the dollar limits of PCS
contracts?
Under $5,000.00 – No contract is required.
$5,000.00 - $25,000.00 – U of A “internal” PCS contract
is required.
Over $25,000.00 – State of Arkansas PCS contract is required.
Who is the contact person for PCS
contracts?
Contact Ellen Ferguson
at
479.575.5314.
Who is my buyer?
Review the Procurement webpage for budgetary
unit assignments or call 479.575.2551 for information.
Who do I contact to get a PO re-faxed
to a vendor or to the department?
Contact Linda Hickman
at 479.575.6290. If she is not available, contact either Karen
Walls at 479.575.6400, or Jim Hashbarger
at 479.575.4900.
How do I change cost center distribution
on a PO line?
Review the BASIS webpage specifically for the step-by-step
process on “Creating
Requisitions” in the UPS application.:
How do I cancel and/or close a PO?
PO’s with no encumbrance can be canceled by the following
command: POIT (Purchase Order Item change TARGET) – enter the PO # in the
banner field. Delete the quantity if the unit measure is quantity
receiving (i.e. “EA”), OR delete the unit price if the unit measure is
dollar receiving (i.e. “$”). Use same steps for multiple lines on
a PO. Be sure to include a comment on F11 regarding each transaction
and then press F10 to save.
PO’s with encumbrance can be closed by the following
command: POIT (Purchase Order Item change TARGET) – unit price should be
changed to match the received, invoiced and expensed amounts shown in the
bottom right hand corner of the screen (these 3 amounts should match in
order to make the change to the unit price). Be sure to include a
comment on F11 regarding each transaction and then press F10 to save.
How do I find out why a PO was canceled?
Go to command LTPO (List Transactions for a Purchase
Order) - enter the
PO # and select the entry to see the comment provided
at time of transaction.
Does entertainment for official functions
need to be entered into UPS as a requisition?
Yes. Entertainment for official functions (i.e. Bands,
Vocal groups, etc.) must always be entered into UPS as a requisition prior
to the event, to the vendor providing the entertainment. Entertainment
should never be paid for by members of our faculty/staff and then request
a reimbursement. This is a tax issue that requires the entertainment
vendor to report to the IRS. Any contract or appearance agreement
should be supplied, reviewed and signed by the Procurement Office.
Do departments need to print the requisition
screen to send over with supporting documentation?
No. However, departments should be sure to include
the requisition number on all supporting documentation.
What is the difference between Invoice
Attached and Check & Form w/Order?
Invoice Attached (Req Type “IA”) is used when paying
for something that has already been received, and for which you have the
invoice in hand. Check & Form w/Order (Req type “RE”) is used
to PREPAY for something being ordered, such as a subscription or membership.
Note that many membership & subscription forms have the word “Invoice”
on them; despite this, they are still to be processed as Check & Form
w/Order. For Check & Form w/Order requisitions, be sure to include
the “C” handling code on the REQH screen. Send supporting documentation,
including the requisition number to the Procurement Office located at ADMN321.
I lost my requisition number in BASIS,
where can I find it?
Requisition numbers can be found in BASIS by the following
command: LORC (List Open Requisition lines by CCC) – enter your cost center
number. The command LRQS (List Requisitions for Status) can also
be used to find a requisition number.
Where would I find information on
a sole source request?
Visit the Procurement Policy and Procedures for sole
sources. Please contact 4-help
or your buyer
for additional information.
On sole source requests, are departments
required to contact other vendors?
Yes. You are still required to contact other vendors
to try to get competition. You must list these vendors and how they
did not specifically meet the department’s needs.
Who do I contact about surplus property?
Contact Wenoah Goodson
at 479.575.2325. If she is unavailable, contact Andy
Fletcher at 479.575.6761.
What is sustainability?
Sustainability is “meeting the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
Who do I contact for UPS/Basis training?
Contact Cheryl
Canfield at 479.575.7046.
Who is the contact person for purchasing
a vehicle?
Andy Fletcher at
479.575.6761 handles all orders for vehicles.
Who is the contact person for vehicle
reporting?
For questions regarding vehicle reporting, the contact
person is Linda Hickman at 479.575.6290.
Who is the contact person for vehicle
licensing and insurance?
Contact Ellen Ferguson
at 479.575.5314 for questions regarding insurance on vehicles or registration
of vehicles.
Can any department representative
sign a contract/agreement with a vendor on behalf of the U of A?
No. All contracts/agreements that require signature on
behalf of the U of A must be reviewed by the Procurement Office and the
General Counsel Office before authorized signature takes place.
What documentation is required for
prizes?
For non-employees, a completed W9 from the prize recipient
with a form (or memo) attached to the W9 that states what the give-away
was for, who was eligible to participate, and the value of the prize.
For employees, some sort of form which includes the recipient’s signature,
employee ID, what the give-away was for and the value of the prize.
When are conference registrations
processed by Travel and when by Procurement?
If the conference is local, and NO TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION
will be processed, you may enter a Requisition. This is also true
for web/online conferences. If there is ANY travel involved and you
are using a TA, the registration must go through the Travel Office.
NOTE: Helpful manuals and quick references for BASIS applications,
including the UPS-University Procurement System application can be found
on the BASIS Home Page.