What is a Non-Catalog Purchase Order?
A Non-Catalog Purchase Order is the process of placing an order in Workday with a supplier when the goods and/or services are not available in a catalog. UW employees with the Requisition Requester role in Workday can start Requisitions to become purchase orders.
How does the process work?
It all begins with a Requisition. All Non-Catalog orders start with a Requisition. By starting a Requisition you will have a handful of Requisition Types to choose from:
- Blanket Request (will become a Blanket Purchase Order)
- Goods and Services
- Capital Asset
- Multi-Component Capital Asset
- Construction Capital Projects
- No Cost Request
- Equipment/Product Evaluation Request
Once you have chosen your Requisition Type and entered a number of header fields, you will choose Request Non-Catalog Items. All requisition have the option for line item entry:
- Request Goods (entered by Quantity)
- Request Services (entered by Amount and adding Service Dates)
Training:
In the UW Connect Finance Portal you will find:
- Job aid PRO-J-05 Requisitions for Requisition Requesters UWA
- Job aid PRO-J-14 Workday Create Requisition Addendum Deliver To (selecting Deliver to and Ship to addresses)
Supplier Requirements
Suppliers must be registered with the UW as a supplier. You can check Workday for a supplier with the report Find Suppliers.
Approvals
All non-catalog requisitions are reviewed by:
- Shared Environment Requisition Specialist
- Funding Approver (Grant Manager, Cost Center Manager, Gift Manager etc)
Central Office may be included for certain spend categories:
- IT Procurement Specialist
- Buyer (over Direct Buy Limit)
- Business Asset Tracking Specialist
- Environmental Health and Safety Specialist
Special Field Considerations in Requisitions in Workday:
- Supplier field: this is not systematically required, but it is required for academy requisitions from a business perspective. If it is not entered by the Requisition Requester, the SE Requisition reviewer may see an error message upon review.
- Spend Category field: check the Spend Category report in the UW Finance Portal for guidance. This report will show if the category is taxable or non-taxable. Pick a spend category that aligns with the taxability of the purchase.
- Memo to Supplier field: use to enter the room the shipment should be delivered to as well as other useful information to the supplier.
- Internal Memo field: use to communicate any internal information, including alerts to the purchasing staff
- Attachments field: attach all necessary documents, including certificate, quotes, agreements, sole source justification documents etc.
- Financial Treatment Flags: under Additional Worktags you will find worktags to flag a line item for M&E tax exemption, Tax exempt (resale, consulting) etc.
Best Practices
- Check the How to Buy page for guidance on planning your purchase.
- DO NOT sign any contracts with the supplier. Review the Signatory Authority policy.
- Before placing an order, obtain:
- Current, correct item pricing item
- Part number(s)
- Full item description
- Quote number (if applicable)
- Contact name
- Email address and/or fax number for supplier
- DO NOT place the order with the supplier prior to creating and submitting a Non-Catalog order.
- Do not split purchase orders to circumvent the competitive process.