Self-Assessments P2P Answers

1. What information do you require before you create a Purchase Requisition?
Answer:
• Supplier number
• Work Order and Activity number
• Product or Service Information Details
• Documents (e.g. supplier quotes, specifications, drawings, contracts, agreements, single/sole source justification forms, etc.)
• Approval from proper $ signing authority for the total $ amount

2. MUST you have a Requisition generated and Purchase Order created by Procurement and sent to the Supplier before goods are shipped or services are performed – and why might that be?
Answer: Yes. The PO includes terms & conditions which minimize VIU’s risk and it’s important that the Supplier agrees to these terms & conditions prior to shipping the goods or providing the services. Only Procurement staff have the authority to purchase goods or services on behalf of the University.

3. When is a Requisition not required to be used for the purchase of goods or services?
Answer: When the goods or services will be purchased with a VIU Purchasing Card. Some expenses, with restrictions, are eligible to be paid through the Payment Requisition process or petty cash process and do not require a Requisition. See the AP1 – Payment Requisition process and the Petty Cash process for allowable expenses.

4. What “Status” does the Requisition default to?
Answer: Active

5. Who sees what has been written in the “Internal message” field?
Answer: All Workflow reviewers and Procurement.

6. What could go into the “Delivery description” field?
Answer: Any delivery instructions that could be helpful for the Supplier.

7. Is the Supplier you choose guaranteed to be the Supplier that will receive the order – and why might that be?
Answer: No. Procurement reserves the right to revise the Supplier selected if value can be obtained elsewhere.

8. What letter do Product Codes start with for Regular Purchase Requisitions?
Answer: Operational product codes start with “A” and capital product codes start with “C”.

9. What do you enter into the Description field under “Requisition details”?
Answer: You need to overwrite the defaulted description with a detailed description of what you are actually ordering.

10. Which field allows you to write in more specific details for the Product description?
Answer: The “Product text” field.

11. What does it mean when the Quantity field is not active (i.e. it cannot be changed from the default of “1.00”)?
Answer: It means the product code is a service-type product where you order and receive by the $ amount instead of the quantity.

12. What do you do if you want to share the cost of a specific line item with another Workorder (i.e. Cost Centre)?
Answer: You would “Split row” under the GL Analysis and then select the appropriate Workorder and cost percentage allocation for each line.

1. What is the purpose of a Blanket Requisition?
Answer: A Blanket Requisition will be generated into a Blanket PO (previously referred to as Open Order). A Blanket PO is used when multiple payments for the same goods or services are made over a period of time – typically one year. Blanket PO limitations may be based on a specified time and/or specific amount of money.

2. What information do you require before you create a Blanket Requisition?
Answer:
• Supplier number
• Work Order(s)* and Activity number
• Product or Service Information Details
• Documents (e.g. supplier quotes, specifications, drawings, contracts, agreements, single/sole source justification forms, etc.)
• Approval from proper $ signing authority for the total $ amount

*You will need to determine if there will only be 1 Work Order utilizing the Blanket PO or multiple Work Orders.
3. How would you create a Blanket Requisition if you had 1 product but multiple Work Orders, and the expense allocation would vary?
Answer: You would create 1 product line for each Work Order.

4. How would you create a Blanket Requisition if you had 1 or more products and multiple Work Orders, and you could set the expense allocation?
Answer: You would “Split row” under the GL Analysis as many times as you need for each Work Order, and then select the appropriate Work Order and cost percentage allocation for each line.

5. How would you create a Blanket Requisition if you had 3 products and 3 Work Orders, and if the expense allocation would vary?
Answer: If there were less than 3 products and 3 Work Orders, you would create 3 product lines for one Work Order, 3 product lines for the 2nd Work Order, and 3 product lines for the 3rd Work Order. If there were more than 3, you would create one Requisition per Work Order as it would be unmanageable to have it on 1 Requisition.

6. What date would you enter in the “Delivery date” field?
Answer: If your Blanket Requisition is for one year, you would enter in the Fiscal year end date. If it was for multiple years because of a contract, you would enter in the contract end date.

7. What letter do Product Codes start with for Blanket Requisitions?
Answer: For service-type products, product codes that start with “A” can be used. For supply-type products, product codes that start with “B” can be used. Capital product codes that start with “C” should not be used on Blanket Requisitions.

8. Should the “Quantity” field be open for entry when selecting product codes for Blanket Requisitions?
Answer: No. Since the product codes used for Blanket Requisitions are “Service-type” product codes or special “Supplies-type” product codes, the “Quantity” field should default to “1” and the field should not be active for data entry. If you used a product where the Quantity field is active for data entry, you should choose another product code.

9. What price would you enter in a Blanket Requisition?
Answer: You would enter in the price you expect to spend for the timeframe of the Blanket Requisition.

10. What changes might you have to make to the GL Analysis area?
Answer: When creating Blanket Requisitions for multiple Work Orders, you will have to change the Work Order on the applicable line item(s).

11. What will be very important to communicate to the Supplier each and every time you place an order, especially if you have multiple Work Orders?
Answer: It will be important to let the Supplier know which location or department your order is for, as well as the applicable Blanket PO#.

1. What are some reasons your Requisition could be rejected?
Answer:
• Incorrect quantity or price
• Vague description
• Incorrect Work Order
• Incorrect product code chosen
• Product can’t be supported by IT or Facilities
• At the Originator’s request

2. What step would you choose in “Task Management” to see if you have any rejected Requisitions?
Answer: The “Requisition Originator Review Rejection” step.

3. How do you find out the reason for the rejection?
Answer: You would click on any line item that has the rejected symbol in it, and then look in the “Workflow log” below. There will be a comment from the individual that rejected your Requisition and it should include a reason why.

4. What options do you have once you know why the Requisition was rejected?
Answer: You would amend the Requisition or close it.

1. What is the quickest way to check on your Requisition status?
Answer: The “Value Lookup” enquiry

2. What does it mean if your Requisition has the status of “N”?
Answer: It means it’s Active and has not transferred to a Purchase Order yet.

3. What enquiry would you use to see if your Requisition has been transferred to a Purchase Order?
Answer: The “Own Requisitions” enquiry or the “Your Purchases” enquiry.

4. What does it mean if your Requisition has the status of “F”?
Answer: It means it’s “Finished” and has transferred to a Purchase Order.

5. What enquiry would you use to see if the goods or services have been received?
Answer: The “Your Purchases” enquiry displays this information if you view the Purchase Order associated to your Requisition by selecting the Purchase Order transaction type.

6. What enquiry would you use to see where your Requisition is in Workflow?
Answer: The “Workflow Enquiry – Requisitions” enquiry.

7. What does it mean if the data displayed on the enquiries are in blue hyperlink?
Answer: It allows you to access another level of data.

1. Who will perform the Goods Receipt in FIS?
Answer: The originator of the Requisition

2. What happens if you don’t perform a Goods Receipt and the invoice has been received by AP for the order?
Answer: AP will register the invoice, and the originator of the Requisition will be notified by way of a Workflow task that a Goods Receipt needs to be performed.

3. What should you do if you are not satisfied with your delivery of goods or services?
Answer: A Goods Receipt should not be generated in the system. Instead, the originator should contact Procurement.

4. What happens if you try to generate a Goods Receipt on a Purchase Order in “N” (Not Ordered) status?
Answer: An error will appear at the bottom of the screen (i.e. “Could not find an accepted and ordered PO for this order number”).

5. Should you amend anything in the “Unit price” field if the “Qty. received” field is open for entry?
Answer: No. If the “Qty. received” field is open for entry, this means the line item contains a supply-type product code which must be received by the quantity. The “Unit Price” field must not be amended.

6. Are you able to generate a Goods Receipt for a quantity or $ amount that was higher than what you ordered?
Answer: No. If you try you will immediately get an error.

7. What happens if you click on the “Rest cancelled” box?
Answer: This box would be ticked if you received a partial order on a line item and you’ve communicated to Procurement and the Supplier that you do not want the remaining quantity or $ amount. This will also change the original order quantity or $ amount on the Purchase Order.

Note: If you are performing a goods receipt in Workflow, do not use the “Rest cancelled” option. See PROC21 – PO Invoice Workflow – Goods Receipt Review under “How do I generate a Goods Receipt in Workflow?” for the correct process.

8. Where do you add information about the delivery of your goods or services in the event you wanted to document something?
Answer: In the “Additional Delivery Information” field.

9. What type of documents should you upload to your Goods Receipt?
Answer: Any delivery documents received with the shipment (e.g. packing slip). Invoices should be emailed to Accounts Payable.

10. What do you do if you made a mistake on a Goods Receipt (i.e. received the wrong quantity or $ amount?
Answer: You would first check if an invoice has been registered or posted against the PO (see PROC 16 – Goods Receipt – Enquiries under “How do I enquire on a Goods Receipt?”). If not, then you would generate another Goods Receipt that would reverse the error. For example, if you previously received a quantity of “10” and it should have been “8”, you will generate a Goods Receipt for “-2”

1. How can you tell if something has been previously received against your order?
Answer: If a Goods Receipt was already done on any line item (even partially received), the amount previously received would appear under the “Previously received” column.

2. Where can you find some valuable information about your order?
Answer: Behind the PO# (blue hyperlink) on the Goods Receipt screen. When you click on it, you will see valuable “Order information”.

3. What type of information can you see in the “Order information” enquiry?
Answer:
• High level detail on total amounts ordered, invoiced, posted, etc.
• Line item detail on what was ordered
• Detail on each Goods Receipt(s) made against the order
• Detail on invoices that have been registered and/or posted against the order

4. What does it mean when an Invoice is “Posted”?
Answer: It means that it has been posted “to be paid” but is still subject to the payment terms (e.g. Net 30 days). It doesn’t mean that it’s been paid. There is no further indicator when the Supplier has actually been paid on the Order Info enquiry.

1. Under what circumstances would you get a Workflow task to perform a Goods Receipt?
Answer: If an invoice was registered against your order by AP, and a Goods Receipt was not previously completed or was partially completed. It could also be required as a result of a PO Amendment.

2. What step would you choose in “Task Management” to see if you have any rejected Goods Receipts to perform?
Answer: The “Goods Receipt Review” step.

3. How long do you have to complete the task?
Answer: There is a 1 day due date associated to the task.

4. What do you do if you haven’t physically received the goods or services yet?
Answer: You would “Park” the task until the goods or services have been received to your satisfaction.

5. What do you do if only a partial amount of the goods or services have been received?
Answer: If you are expecting the rest soon (i.e. a few days), you would “Park” the task until the balance of the goods or services have been received. If you are expecting the rest but it will be a longer period of time, you would perform a Goods Receipt on the line item for the amount you physically received.

6. What screen should you be in to perform a Goods Receipt on the partial amount?
Answer: The “Goods Receipt” screen.
7. Can you upload documents when performing a Goods Receipt in Workflow?
Answer: Yes

8. What do you do if only a partial amount of the goods or services have been received and you don’t want the rest?
Answer: You would NOT use the “Rest cancelled” option. Instead you will first perform a Goods Receipt on the line items or partial amounts that you do want to receive and pay for. Then when the task reroutes back to you with the remaining amount you don’t want, you would reject the task. The task should only be rejected if Procurement has been advised and the Supplier is aware.

1. Under what circumstances would you get a Workflow task to review a PO Amendment?
Answer:
• Quantity increase
• Price increase
• Additional line added
• Work Order changed

2. What step would you choose in “Task Management” to see if you have any rejected PO Amendments to review?
Answer: The “Requisition Originator PO Amendment” step.

3. Since it will not be immediately clear what was amended when you open the task, how will you determine what was amended if Procurement hasn’t communicated beforehand?
Answer:
• PO Status - If “Ordered”, the original PO will be attached as a document. If “Not Ordered”, there may be a pinned conversation from Procurement.
• Look at the original Requisition.

4. What do you do if you need time to investigate the amendment?
Answer: You would “Park” the task.

5. What if you don’t agree with the amendment (i.e. it is incorrect)?
Answer: You would “Reject” the task.

1. List two types of payments that would be requested using the Payment Requisition form?
Answer:
• Reimbursement of expenses to non-employees
• Third party refunds
• Homestay payments
• Issuance of petty cash fund/float
• Grants and Partner flow through payments
• Internal sponsorships
• Transfer/refund of research funds
• One-Time fee for service payments under $500.00

2. What types of purchases cannot be processed using the Payment Requisition form?
Answer:
• Purchase of goods or services on behalf of VIU: these should be purchased on a VIU Purchase Order or VIU Purchasing Card
• Employee travel and expenses: these should be submitted using the Employee Expense Claim form
• Fee for service payments that are not one-time or are over $500: these require a PO and submission of invoice(s)
• Honorarium payments: these should be processed through Payroll

3. Can I request an Honorarium payment using the Payment Requisition form?
Answer: No. Honorarium payments will be processed through Payroll. One-time Fee for Service payments under $500.00 can be requested on the Payment Requisition form using GL Account 6005.

4. Do we withhold tax on fee for service payments requested to Non-Residents of Canada?
Answer: Yes. Fee for Service payments made to Non-Residents of Canada are subject to CRA 15% non-resident withholding tax.

5. What three payment methods can be used on the Payment Requisition?
Answer: Cheque, EFT or Wire transfer

6. Can a Payment Requisition request a payment in a currency other than Canadian Dollars?
Answer: Yes

7. When would you complete the “Risk Assessment” checklist and attach it to your Payment Requisition?
Answer: When requesting any fee for service payment from GL account 6005 where VIU is exposed to risk

8. Can you authorize a Payment Requisition that you have created? Who needs to authorize your Payment Requisition?
Answer: A requisitioner cannot authorize a payment requisition they have created. The budget holder with sufficient dollar signing authority for the work order to be charged is required to authorize. “One-up” or higher signing authority is required for audit purposes

9. When submitting your Payment Requisition by email, what format must the attachments be saved in?
Answer: Payment Requisition form – Excel format; Supporting Documents – PDF format (Multiple pages to be included in 1 PDF)

10. How long will Accounts Payable require to process my Payment Requisition?
Answer: Up to two weeks from the time of receipt in Accounts Payable’s email inbox.

1. When is International travel authorization required?
Answer: For all travel outside of Canada
2. What tool can I use to help me track my personal KM travelled?
Answer: Common KM are included in the chart on the form. Other KM can be tracked using Google Maps
3. Can per diem incidentals be claimed for a partial day of travel?
Answer: No. Per Diem incidentals are only allowed for full days of travel, departing home before 7:00am and returning home after 6:00 pm
4. Can I claim a per diem for a meal that was included in my conference fees or paid on my behalf?
Answer: No
5. What currency will my claim be paid in?
Answer: Canadian Dollars

6. When submitting your Employee Expense claim by email, what format must the attachments be saved in?
Answer: Employee Expense claim form – Excel format; Detailed receipts and supporting documents – PDF format (Multiple pages to be included as 1 PDF)

7. Who needs to authorize my Employee Expense claim?
Answer: The budget holder with sufficient dollar signing authority for the work order to be charged is required to authorize. “One-up” or higher signing authority is required for audit purposes
8. What is the payment method of my claim?
Answer: Payment will be made by EFT/Direct Deposit to the bank account in which your payroll is deposited. If you have multiple accounts with payroll, payment will be made to the account listed as 100%
9. How long will it take my Employee Expense claim to be processed?
Answer: All claims will be paid following the payroll schedule. The cut off for submission is the Thursday of the week prior to the Friday payday
10. How long should I keep my original receipts?
Answer: Original receipts are required to be maintained for 18 months. Receipts for Research and other departments with external funding requirements are to be held as required in the funding agreement. Original receipts must be available to submit to Finance if requested.

1. What is the minimum dollar amount that can be requested on the Employee Travel and Expense Advance request form?
Answer: $250.00

2. Can I claim an advance for an activity that has already taken place?
Answer: No. If the activity has already taken place, submit an Employee Expense claim for reimbursement of your expenses.
3. When is International travel authorization required?
Answer: For all travel outside of Canada
4. What currency will my Employee Travel and Expense Advance request be paid in?
Answer: Canadian Dollars
5. When submitting the Employee Travel and Expense Advance request by email, what format must the attachments be saved in?
Answer: Employee Travel and Expense Advance Request – Excel format; Supporting documents – PDF format (Multiple pages to be included as 1 PDF)

6. Who needs to authorize my Employee Travel and Expense Advance Request?
Answer: The budget holder with sufficient dollar signing authority for the work order to be charged is required to authorize. “One-up” or higher signing authority is required for audit purposes
7. What is the payment method of my Employee Travel and Expense Advance request?
Answer: Payment will be made by EFT/Direct Deposit to the bank account in which your payroll is deposited. If you have multiple accounts with payroll, payment will be made to the account listed as 100%.

8. How long will it take for my payment to be issued?
Answer: All Employee and Travel Expense Advances will be paid following the payroll schedule. The cut off for submission is the Thursday of the week prior to the Friday payday

9. How long do I have to account for my advance by submission of an Employee Expense claim?
Answer: Within 30 days of completion of the travel or event
10. What happens if the event is cancelled, I am unable to attend, or I don’t spend the full amount of the funds advanced to me?
Answer: I am required to make repayment of all unspent funds to the University

1. What step would you choose in “Task Management” to see if there are any Requisitions to review?
Answer: The “IT Review” step (for the IT Dept.) or the “Facilities Review” step (for the Facilities Dept.)

2. How long do you have to complete the task?
Answer: There is a 1 day due date associated to the task.

3. What information is important to the Reviewer?
Answer: The quantity and product description. The supplier chosen and the price may also be important if standard equipment was requested and VIU has a contract for that standard equipment with a specific Supplier with contract pricing.

4. If you needed time to research the product requested, what would you do?
Answer: Park the Task

5. If you were not able to support the product requested or the incorrect Supplier was chosen, what would you do?
Answer: Reject the Task