Frequently Asked Questions - Campus

General

• How can I find out who to contact in Procurement Services regarding a particular purchase?
  The Commodity Assignments list can be found on our Contact Us page.
• Where is the Procurement Services office located?
  The Procurement Services office is located in Hicks Hall (Bldg. 53), Suite 2950, at 4892 First Coast Technology Parkway.
• Where can I find information regarding Central Receiving?
  Visit the Central Receiving webpage for information regarding the receiving operation.
• What types of requests require additional approvals?
  Visit the Policies, Procedures and Guidelines page, which lists purchases requiring prior approval.

  
  

Vendor/Supplier Registration

• How does a vendor/supplier register to do business with UNF?
  Departments should refer any new supplier seeking to do business with UNF to the Supplier Quick Application on the Supplier Resources page - instead of providing the previously used paper Vendor Application and W-9 forms. Should the Department have a specific supplier they know they want to do business with, they should complete a New Supplier Request from the Campus Resources page. Invitations to suppliers (and individuals) requested by campus are sent within 1 business day, unless you are informed otherwise by the Supplier Registration Team.
• Why did UNF go to this registration method rather than using the old paper Vendor Application?
  The UNF Supplier Portal is online, available 24/7 and allows suppliers to manage their record using a secure login and password. This should provide less room for human error in record creation and a more secure mechanism for suppliers to keep their records up to date.
• Do new Foundation vendors/suppliers register via the Supplier Quick Application?
  Yes. As of July 1, 2022, all vendors/suppliers new to the UNF Foundation must complete registration on the UNF Supplier Portal to receive payment. This excludes direct pay to employees, who are not considered vendors/suppliers. If you are an existing vendor to the UNF Foundation, supplier registration is only required upon a change in address or bank information.
• What if the supplier contact responsible for updating the UNF account is associated with a different Jaggaer record?
  Contact the Supplier Registration Team at supplierhelp@unf.edu. They will send an e-mail to the supplier’s designated contact inviting them to the Supplier Portal.
• Should departments complete a New Supplier Request or direct suppliers to the Supplier Quick Application?

  If the department plans to do business with the supplier, they should complete a New Supplier Request. This will kick off the registration process that will conclude with the generation of a Banner N#.

  If the supplier reaches out with an interest in doing business with UNF, but there is no concrete need at the time, they may complete a Supplier Quick Application.

• How can a terminated supplier become active again?
  The department should submit a New Supplier Request. Once the supplier completes registration and is approved, the Banner record will be re-activated.

Furniture

• To ensure I meet the FYE deadlines when should I submit my Furniture Request?
  Furniture Requests should be submitted as soon as a need is identified.  For Fiscal Year 2023-2024, Furniture Requests must be submitted by March 15, 2024, to help ensure charges are incurred before the FYE deadlines.
• What is the process for placing a furniture order?
  All furniture orders require the completion of a Furniture Request Form located on the Forms page. Photos of the space must be emailed to banner-purchase@unf.edu. Procurement Services will review the information and work with the appropriate vendor/supplier for your needs. Once all items have been selected, you will receive a final quote. Payments may be made via P-Card or by entering a requisition in Banner. If entering a requisition, you must forward your quote to banner-purchase@unf.edu as backup documentation.
• My department has a piece of furniture that has a broken or worn out component, who should we contact to provide the part or a quote to repair it?
  Furniture purchased from a State Contract most often has at least a five-year warranty (some manufacturers are longer). If it fails under normal wear/usage within that period, Procurement Services will contact the furniture dealer and request a warranty review. If it indeed falls under warranty repair, the dealer will provide a time frame for repair. If it is out of warranty or has suffered from abuse/excessive wear, the dealer should provide a quote and time estimate for repair. The department would use the quotation to decide whether to make that repair or replace the item.

Requisitions

• Why do I need a requisition?
  A requisition is the documented authorization and approval to procure goods and services for the university. Procurement Services should not be sourcing and pricing goods and services without this authorization and approval. Requisitions are not required for agreements being routed through iContracts.
• Do I need to submit a Banner requisition for a purchase of goods or contractual services being paid from a Foundation fund account?

  No. Procurement Services does not receive requisitions or issue purchase orders for goods or contractual services being paid from a Foundation funding source (contracts are required to be routed through the iContracts process). TSI/Foundation Accounting provides the accounting and related services for the three separately State designated Direct Support Organizations (DSOs), each is incorporated and each is certified as 501(c)(3) by the Internal Revenue Service:

  1. UNF Foundation, Inc.
  2. UNF Training & Services Institute, Inc.
  3. The UNF Financing Corporation, Inc.

  For more information or to review the TSI/Foundation Accounting process for ordering goods and services to be paid from Foundation funds, please visit the DSO Accounting website.

• My requisition has been disapproved by Procurement Services. Where can I find out why?
  In Internet Native Banner, go to form GUAMESG. Click on “Query”, then “Enter”. In the shaded area, enter the disapproved requisition number in the block for “Item”. Click again on “Query”, then “execute”. The reason your requisition was disapproved should be stated on the message line.
• I haven’t keyed a requisition in a long time and cannot remember how. Can you help me through it?
  Yes, contact Procurement Services and we would be happy to help you through the entry of this requisition. We also recommend that you attend Procurement 101 (registration via CPDT).
• Does the vendor need an N# before I can enter a requisition in Banner?
  No, you can tab over the N# field in the requisition and type the vendor’s name.
• How can I tell when a purchase order has been created and issued for my requisition or contract?
  The initiator (requisitions) and Owner (iContracts) will receive a copy of the email and purchase order when forwarded to the vendor.
• What is the Controlled Spending Committee and how does it impact my purchase request?
  The Controlled Spending Committee (CSC) is comprised of the Vice President of Administration and Finance, the Special Advisor to the President and the Associate Provost for Academic Programs. All requests for the procurement of goods and services, with some exceptions, must be approved by this committee. The committee reviews requisitions every Monday and Thursday. Depending on the time of receipt of your requisition to Procurement Services and the next meeting of the CSC, there could be a delay in processing the requisition.
• What types of requests do not have to be approved by the Controlled Spending Committee?
  Visit the Policies, Procedures and Guidelines page for Procurement Services where a description of controlled spending committee exceptions is available.
• How do I know if I need to create more than one line item on my requisition?
  Each specific/different item should be entered as a separate line item.

P-Card

• Can I purchase this item using my Pcard?
  See the Expenditure Matrix for the column of P-Card allowable expenditures. The current version is linked on the Campus Resources page. P-Card questions should be directed to the P-Card Administrator.
• What is the University's sales tax exemption number?
  Please see UNF's Certificate of Exemption for purchases made through September 30, 2024.

Supplies

• Can the departments buy hand sanitizer, tissues and first aid items as office supplies?
  Yes, these items may be purchased for a common area of your department, but cannot be purchased for an individual’s office.
• How do I log on to the new business cards web site to buy my business cards?
  UNF's business card and stationary vendor is Printing Edge. Login and ordering information is located on the Supplies & Print section of the Osprey Acquire webpage.

Quotes/Bids

• What is the bid threshold?
  The bid threshold is the dollar amount over which goods or services must be bought by a competitive process. In accordance with Regulation 13.0010R "Procurement Program," the formal sealed bid requirement is $150,000. Procurement Services has guidelines for the purchase of commodities and services costing less than $150,000. These are available on the Competitive Quotes/Sealed Bid Thresholds webpage. 
• Is it the responsibility of the user department to obtain competitive quotes for their purchasing requests?
  Departments are responsible for obtaining and submitting quotes as documentation supporting a Requisition or iContract. Quotes from different suppliers must be equal in scope, that is, different quotes must equally provide sufficient details for goods/services needed and delivery specifications. Procurement Services has the right to obtain additional quotes if it is determined to be in the best interest of the University.
• My department needs to purchase a vehicle. How should we go about getting a quotation?
  There are State and Government contracts in place for vehicles with very competitive pricing. Contact the Procurement Services buyer who handles vehicles to obtain the current link to these contracts. Procurement Services will obtain a quote from the contracted vehicle dealer. If it meets with the department’s budget, a requisition should be input noting the contract source.

Contracts/Agreements

• When do I use a service agreement or entertainment agreement?
  Service agreements are used when hiring an independent contractor to perform a contractual service for the University. Contractual service is defined as the rendering by a contractor of its time and effort rather than the furnishing of specific commodities. The term applies only to those services rendered by individuals and firms who are independent contractors. Contractual service does not include the furnishing of labor or materials or the selection of professional services for the construction, renovation, repair, modification, or demolition of facilities or real property. The entertainment agreement should be used when hiring an independent contractor for entertainment purposes.
• How do I know if the University already has a contract in place for the commodity/service I need to order?
  Preferred vendors utilized by multiple departments are shown on Osprey Acquire. A list of Annual Standard Agreements are available in iContracts. If you are still unsure, please contact the buyer associated with the commodity for assistance.
• How do I determine when to use the standard services agreement for consulting rather than the standard services agreement?
  The consulting agreement is used when hiring an individual or firm to produce a report or other deliverable to provide expert advice or protocol statement (a statement reporting an observation or experience), particularly when the deliverable is considered intellectual property that the University will own. When contracting with a firm, the employees of the firm are not third persons.
• Where can I find information on the iContracts process?
  Information regarding the use of iContracts can be found on the iContracts webpage.
• Do we need a requisition for the entertainment contract?

  No. The entertainment agreement/contract should be processed in iContracts. The iContracts system is located within MyWings:  

  Use the magnify search option on the top left to search: iContracts (Contract Routing)

Banner

• How can I tell if an invoice pertaining to a purchase order has been paid?
  There are several ways:
  

  1. View the encumbrance document in Banner self-service, scroll to the bottom of the purchase order form and it will show you all associated documents 
  2. Look at the form FGIENCD or FOIDOCH in Internet Native Banner 
  3. Contact the Accounts Payable representative responsible for the first letter of your vendor’s name 
• What do the different purchase order/encumbrance prefixes mean?

  P (FY)xxxxx   – issued for a one-time purchase (or single payment) for the procurement of goods and/or services

  V (FY)xxxxx – standing order for an indefinite quantity contract (or multiple payments) usually issued for an entire year
  VB (FY)xxxx – standing order whereby the funds are not encumbered

  C0xxxxxxxx  – purchase order encumbrance resulting from an agreement processed in iContracts