Purchasing, Accounts Payable celebrate
by Betty
W. Sandifer University Purchasing and Accounts Payable
University Purchasing and Accounts Payable celebrated Public Purchasing Officials Month with an open house March 22. This is the third annual event.
University
Purchasing’s Robin McNeal, from left, Jerry Redmon and Brenda Murphy
gather with co-workers and customers at a March 23 reception
celebrating Public Purchasing Officials Month. Business managers and administrative personnel were able to meet their buyer and put a face with the voice they hear on the phone. Snacks were served while getting to know each other.
Several handouts were available that are designed to help purchasers get the best service possible from Purchasing and Accounts Payable. Included were the top 10 purchasing tips, a Travel Smart sheet for travel reimbursements, and new checklist for purchase requisitions.
Purchasing and Accounts Payable is committed to providing excellent customer service. Soon, the department will be fully staffed for the first time in several years. New buyers will continue to grow, learn and become more proficient each day, and all employees will begin a new initiative, Partnership for Excellence.
Rosalind Giddens will be sharing her 30 years of purchasing knowledge and experience with the campus as the new trainer. She will be available, as will the buyers, to train new personnel as they come on board or re-train current staff as needed. She will to work with department staff one-on-one to be sure that they know how to fill out a purchase requisition and what documentation is needed to make a requisition complete and ready to turn into a purchase order. The staff is making a commitment to turn requisitions for $10,000 or less into purchase orders within 24-hours from the time of receipt in our office (if the requisition is correct, complete with documentation and necessary approvals, and compliant with the rules, regulations and policies of MUSC and the South Carolina Procurement Code).
To do this, customers’ must commitment to send correct, complete requisitions including any necessary documentation and approvals. If the requisition is not correct and the appropriate documentation is not attached, a vendor will be set up in SmartStream, or an account established in SmartStream, which adds to the processing time. Staff will notify customers if information needed. The faster employees respond, the easier to convert the requisition into a purchase order. Buyers are anxious to help staff complete the requisition correctly.
Buyers and the department units they serve are now listed on the Purchasing and Accounts Payable Web site (http://www.musc.edu/vpfa/finance/purchasingap). Go to the site and click on business managers and administrators tool kit. There are also a number of other helpful tools available, including the purchase requisition check list and the travel smart sheet.
The department’s policies and procedures are also on the Web site, including detailed information on how to do purchasing tasks. The buyers want to be helpful and responsive to purchasers’ needs, so don’t hesitate to call 792-4521.
Friday, March 30, 2007
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