Welcome to the first edition in our new Purchase & Pay: News, Tips, and Reminders series! This new quarterly series will share the latest announcements and reminders related to all things purchasing and paying here at the University of Pittsburgh. You will find information about University-wide Contracted Suppliers, purchasing methods, the PantherExpress System, and more. Read on to learn the latest in the world of purchasing at Pitt.
Also, keep an eye out for the upcoming Purchase & Pay Lunch and Learn series! These virtual sessions will feature members from Purchase, Pay and Travel as they review important information and training topics related to purchasing at the university.
University-wide Contracted Supplier Updates
Please review the following updates related to University-wide Contracted Suppliers including staff, purchasing, and operational updates and reminders:
SUPRA/ODP
ODP Business Solutions (ODP), a University-wide Contracted Supplier for office supplies in collaboration with SUPRA Office Solutions has recently released a staff update. Brian Fajt is the new Sr. Account Manager, Public Sector East Region at ODP supporting the University. Visit the Supra/ODP supplier page for contact details.
As a reminder, ODP offers personal purchase discounts available to all employees and students through the Employee Purchase Program. The program offers a variety of benefits including:
- Large selection of office supplies, cleaning products, technology and breakroom essentials
- Discounts on black and white copies, color copies and finishing services
- Seasonal products like school supplies, calendars, planners and gifts
- Office furniture
Matheson
Matheson, a University-wide Contracted Supplier for industrial and specialty gases has recently released a staff update. Nathaniel Neiderhiser is the new Inside Sales Representative supporting the University. Visit the Matheson supplier page for contact details.
If you require in-person, day-of services, such as moving cylinders to a new location, please contact Nathaniel directly to enter a ticket. Due to Matheson drivers being on tight schedules when on campus, unplanned in-person requests can impede on fulfilling planned deliveries and service commitments. To avoid unintended issues such as missed scheduled deliveries due to dock closures, Nathaniel can assist in navigating these requests.
When purchasing from Matheson, please also review the following reminders:
- Ensure to include the exact delivery location (not the address of the office) for orders placed through the PantherExpress System.
- Upon delivery of a Liquid Nitrogen cylinder from Matheson to your location, please ensure your existing cylinder is ready to be exchanged.
Using University-wide Contracted Suppliers
As a reminder, it is University policy that you must always use a University-wide Contracted Supplier for the purchase of any items for which the University has an agreement.
University-wide Contracted Suppliers offer the best overall value to the University. This means that, in addition to discounted prices for the University's most frequently purchased items, University-wide Contracted Suppliers offer excellent service, direct, on-time and generally free delivery, no-hassle returns, a quick and easy paperless ordering and payment process through the PantherExpress System, and other important contractual protections for the University. Utilize the directory of University-wide Contracted Suppliers.
Order Distribution
The order distribution in the PantherExpress System (PEX) refers to how the PO (Purchase Order) will be delivered to the supplier. The order distribution field will populate after a supplier is selected when using one of the three Standard Forms. The options include: 1) CXML, 2) fax, 3) email, and 4) manual.
There has been an increase in POs being submitted without the order distribution field completed, which leads to order delays and added workloads. To avoid any delays or issues, it is important to follow these guidelines when completing this section of the form. When this field is not completed, the PO gets sent to an “invalid distribution queue” which requires manual intervention from the PEX administrator who will then contact the buyer requesting the missing information. The PO will be held for three days awaiting a response in the invalid distribution queue. After the three days without a response, it will become the buyer's responsibility to manually send a copy of the purchase order to the supplier. Review the SharePoint site for additional details about the order distribution process including a breakdown of each option type.
As a reminder, each address, even for the same supplier, has its own distribution method. Be sure to confirm the address and distribution method are attached for each request.
How to Find Your Payment Status
Due to increased inquiries for payment status information submitted to Purchase, Pay & Travel Customer Service, we wanted to issue a reminder that payment statuses can be found through the Invoice Dashboard or the Invoice Search. You can locate your payment status in the PantherExpress System by following these guidelines or visiting PantherExpress System SharePoint site. For additional guidance, please review the following:
- Payment statuses include 1) In Process, 2) Payable, 3) Paid, and 4) Cancelled.
- When using the Invoice Dashboard, use the “invoice search” section on the right side of the Dashboard screen or scroll down to view payment details.
Please note, you do not need to request payment status information from PPT Customer Service.
Comments on Invoices
In order to speed payment, please ensure that a response is provided to all questions in the “comments” field sent from Payment Processing & Compliance (PPC) on a PO submitted through the PantherExpress System. Review the helpful tips and reminders below:
- The email message notifying that a comment has been added will come from pex12@pitt.edu.
- Prolonged delayed payments can result in a supplier prohibiting Pitt from future purchases with their business.
- When a comment is left on a PO citing inactive account codes, there will be three emails sent to the buyer which provides three opportunities for a response to be supplied.
- Open invoices that have not received a response are a liability to the University and can be subject to being charged against the department’s 02 account.
- If a PO has been paid through a different method, let the PPC team know through a PO comment that the invoice can be closed.
- Always respond to NOID emails.
- For comments/emails requesting over $5K payment information, only a confirmation is needed to process the payment.
At no point should a comment from PPC requesting a response be unanswered. If you have any questions, you are encouraged to communicate with the PPC team for any clarification needed to ensure payments are successfully processed.
Form Types in the PantherExpress System
There are multiple types of forms that can be used for different purposes. It is important to review and submit the correct form type to avoid any delays as usage of the incorrect form type results in the incorrect form being returned to the buyer and a new, correct form type, being required to be submitted before the form can be processed.
Please note, there has been an increase in the Other Payment Request (OPR) form being incorrectly utilized. As a reminder, the OPR form should be used sparingly if no other form is appropriate.
You can review a brief description of the different forms below or visit the PantherExpress System SharePoint site for more details:
Specialty Forms
- Other Payment Request Form - This form should be used sparingly and only if NO other form is appropriate. The form requires second signature approval within the department and approval by Payment Processing & Compliance.
- Short Form Services Agreements – Used for domestic or international services provided to a department. The services provided total $10,000 or less.
- Research Subcontract Form – Used when you have a research subcontract executed by the Office of Sponsored Programs for payments against that contract.
- Contract Payment Form - Used to generate payments against a contract already created in Contracts+ to encumber funds and facilitate the processing of invoices and payments. Learn more on the SharePoint site.
- Software Agreement Payment Form - Used to generate POs against a software contract to encumber funds and facilitate the processing of invoices and payments. Learn more on the SharePoint site.
- Dues/Membership Form – May be used if the buyer is unable to use the OneCard.
Standard Forms
- Blanket/Standing Order – Used for recurring purchases. Blanket /standing orders should not be for a period longer than one year.
- USD/Quote Form – Used when the department has obtained a one time-use quote from one of the non-punchout suppliers. Quotes from punchout suppliers should be created using that supplier’s punchout.
- Non-Catalog Form - Used to request goods that cannot be found in the PantherExpress System catalogs or punch-outs.
Holiday Party Contracts
If your department is planning any events associated with the upcoming holidays, please submit your conference and event agreement requests as early as possible through the Contracts+ module of the PantherExpress System. Purchasing Services receives a high volume of requests during this time of year, thus submitting your request early allows for an appropriate processing time before payment is required.
If the supplier is new or inactive in the PantherExpress System, please plan for extra processing time. For new suppliers, the conference and event agreement request will first route through Purchase, Pay & Travel Customer Service and then Payment Processing & Compliance for supplier setup/system activation and then to Purchasing Services for processing.
For any catering and restaurant services, Compass is the preferred provider for catering large groups or events on the Pittsburgh Campus and is processed through the Pitt Catering Co. For any small to medium-sized events, utilize America To Go, a University-wide Contracted Supplier. For more information, visit this page.
As a reminder, per University Policy FN28 meals and events that are primarily celebrations for University employees are generally not permitted and will not be reimbursed (unless granted exception approval). Examples include holiday parties, breakfast or lunch meetings with all employees, welcome lunches for new employees, farewell events for students/faculty/employees, end of term celebrations for University employees, retirement parties, or any meal attended exclusively by University employees.
Uniform Guidance Reminder
The purchase of goods or services using federal grant funds is subject to the Federal Government’s Uniform Guidance (UG) and University purchasing procedures. The UG has specific requirements for all purchases of goods or services made with Federal grant funding over $10,000. More specifically and importantly:
- Competitive bidding is required with minimal and highly restricted directed or sole source purchases, and
- Directed or sole purchases, especially those over $250,000, require thorough and detailed cost or price analysis.
Biological Materials and Laboratory Chemicals Reminder & Document Update
While the process remains the same, the process document to obtain biological materials or laboratory chemicals from a new supplier has been updated to remove any outdated information and include links to better explain certain terminology and/or regulatory organizations referenced.
As a reminder biological materials and laboratory chemicals are most easily obtained from University-wide contracted suppliers or suppliers already established in the supplier database as viewed in PRISM or the PantherExpress System. For more information, visit the biological materials and laboratory chemicals pages on the Purchase, Pay & Travel website. .
Supplier Spotlight Series
To promote suppliers which are local, diverse or those with a focus on sustainability, we have published a variety of Supplier Spotlights. Most recently, we have shined the spotlight on Happy Plant Botanicals, a woman-owned University of Pittsburgh supplier offering plant-based skincare that combines clean skincare with animal advocacy. You can read all previous supplier spotlights.
Office Hours for Suppliers
Suppliers interested in selling or providing a service to the University of Pittsburgh are welcome to drop by monthly office hours with Jennifer Barnes, Pitt's Supplier Diversity and Sustainability Manager at the Community Engagement Center in the Hill District or Homewood. Any Pitt employees who work directly with suppliers are encouraged to inform their suppliers about these available office hours.
