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Purchase Order procedure

Purchase Orders

Purchase Orders are required for any order over $3,000. The form should be completed thoroughly, accurately and legibly since it is the original order mailed to the vendor.

Completing the form:

  1. Fill in the vendor name and address. This will be used in a window envelope, so make sure the address is complete and no other information is included in this section.
  2. Complete the shipping information requested.
  3. Complete the order information including the departmental account number to be charged for the purchase.
  4. Obtain appropriate signatures of approval.
  5. Take the signed Purchase Order form to the Business Office for assignment of a Purchase Order number and signature of the Controller.

**  Inform the Business Office if the Purchase Order form should be returned to you to phone or fax in the order, or if the Business Office should mail the PO directly to the vendor. If you want the Business Office to fax the order, please attach a completed fax cover sheet. PO’s that do not include order directions will be mailed directly to the vendor if the address section is complete.

Please note that any time a PO number is assigned, a Purchase Order form must be filled out and returned to the Business Office. The Purchase Order is not valid until signed by the director of finance under “Authorization of Order.”

The receiving (yellow) copy of the PO will be returned to the person or department expecting the delivery of the merchandise or service. Upon receipt of merchandise or service, the “rec’d” column should be completed by indicating the date received and who received it in the “mdse received by” space at the bottom. The receiving copy (yellow) should be forwarded to the Accounts Payable Clerk to match with the vendor’s invoice. Partial deliveries will require photocopies of the receiving copy until everything has been received.

All purchase orders must have current prices. When invoice prices do not agree with purchase order prices, the invoice will not be processed until the difference has been resolved.

Department and division head approval requirements are determined as follows:

Non-Capital Expenditures

Expenditure AmountApproval Required

$      0 - $ 3,000                                    Department Chair

3001-  10,000                                      Dean or Division Head

10,001-  25,000                                  Respective Officer and

Vice President for Finance

25,000 and over                                President or Provost

All of the above items are items which have been included in the annual budget.

Capital Expenditures

Expenditure AmountApproval Required

Any amount included in previously        Respective Officer and

approved capital budget                               Vice President for Finance

Any expenditure not included in a          President

previously approved capital budget

For this purpose, capital expenditure is defined as a purchase of furniture, fixtures, vehicles or equipment with an estimated useful life of one year or more and costing more than $3,000 per unit.

Revised 4/09

PO form