Print a copy purchase order/reissue a purchase order to a supplier

Enter the AP responsibility; under Invoices, Entry then Invoices. From the invoice entry screen, select the 'View' menu, then 'Requests'. From the 'Find Requests' screen, click on 'Submit a New Request'. Make sure 'Single Request' is selected and click on 'OK'.

In the 'Name' box enter 'DCC Emailed Purchase Order (Copy)', although to save time, typing 'DCC' then pressing enter will bring up a short list of options from which you can choose the correct option. Enter the Purchase Order Number you wish to view, then enter the e-mail address you want the copy Purchase Order to go to. The email address will default to the address linked to your login. Click on 'OK'. Click on the 'Options' button which opens a new window. Change the number of 'Copies' from '0' to '1', then click on 'OK'. Submit the request. The copy purchase order will then be issued to the specified email address.

There will usually be a short delay before the copy Purchase Order reaches the recipient. If the order hasn't been received within 15-20mins check your order number and email address. Failure of the order to be emailed is often as a result of missing the step where the number of copies is changed from '0' to '1'.

Change the first approver (if more than one approver exists)

To change first approver, the approver must first be 'added'. When placing an order, on reaching the 'Review Approver List' page (step 2 of 3), click on the 'Add Approver' button and select the required approver's name (not login) from the list. Next, click on 'Change First Approver' and again select the approver from the list. The required approver must be set up with Approver rights for this solution to work.

Names are listed in the format 'Surname, Forename'. If you are having difficulty locating an approver, make sure that you are entering their name in this format, and remember to use the percentage wildcard where required.

To permanently change your default first approver email details of the change to abc@abc.net. Your default approver is based on your line manager as identified on your employee record.

Cancel an order

At present, there is no function to allow you the user to cancel an order. Once an order has been issued it is the supplier's decision whether or not to allow an order to be cancelled. Having contacted the supplier to confirm that they are happy for you to cancel the order (maybe the items are no longer available), email Oracle Admin with the order number and supplier details and ask them to cancel the order.

An alternative to removing the order altogether would be to reduce the value of the order to zero, which will have the effect of removing any commitments that are outstanding on the order. An advantage of doing this is that the order will always be available to refer to should you have any comeback from the supplier.

Make sure that there are no receipts against the order you wish to cancel. If there are, use the 'correct receipts' option to show that you have returned the items.

Next, click on the requisitions tab, check the box next to the order you wish to cancel, and click on the 'Change' button. You will now have the option to alter the quantity of each item and the value of each item on the order. Change the value of each item to 0. Please note that it is not possible to change the quantity to zero. For example, to remove a commitment for 5 calculators at £5; the quantity should read 5 but the value should read £0. Enter a reason for the change, then click on the 'Next' button until you get the option to 'Submit'. The change request will be submitted to a member of the I-Procurement Team to review; as the change represents a reduction in the value of the order the request will be approved.

Repeat for the remaining items on the order. The result will be that the order will remain, should you receive any future queries about the order, but the commitment, and the expectation that the goods will be received, has been removed.

Reduce the value of an order

Click on the requisitions tab, check the box next to the order you wish to alter, and click on the 'Change' button. You are able to alter both the quantity of the items on the order (for example, where you have ordered 10 PCs but the supplier can only supply 5), and the value of the items (you've ordered the PCs at £500 but the supplier offers a 10% discount). Note that the quantity must always be above zero.

If you have already receipted some of the items that you wish to alter the price for (using the same example, you've already received and receipted 1 PC), you will need to 'unreceipt' the order before you can alter the value of the order. Click on the requisitions tab, check the box next to the order you wish to 'unreceipt' and click on the button marked 'Correct Receipt'.

The value of an order, once approved, cannot be increased.

Remove a commitment where goods cost less than the original order

The Purchase Order itself can be adjusted prior to paying an invoice, as described above. If items have been receipted against the order, use the 'unreceipt' option to reverse the receipting. Referring back to the way paper orders used to operate, minor changes to the amounts or descriptions of the items on the order wouldn't have resulted in the order being changed and re-submitted to the supplier, so why amend the order through i-Procurement?

The suggested way to remove the commitment is in Accounts Payable, when you come to pay the invoice.

Match the order to the invoice; either the order as a whole, or the lines of the order that the invoice relates to. As the goods cost less than the original order, the invoice distribution will exceed the total invoice amount, but the commitment for the order will have been removed. Next, add an extra line to the distribution to correct. Remember that the correction must be carried out before Tax. Click on 'Calculate Tax' to check that the invoice amount and distribution totals match, then 'Validate' and 'Account' as usual.

If you have an item on an order that won't be received, you may match the item to an invoice in order to remove the commitment, then add an extra line to remove the value from the distribution. Note that reversing the line will reinstate the commitment; the extra line must be entered manually.

Add an attachment to an order, such as a quote

At present there is no facility to attach files to an order, but you are able to add a 'text attachment'. Add goods to your basket and then 'Checkout' to access the 'Requisition Information' screen. Click on 'Edit Lines', 'Attachments' then 'Add Attachments'. Add a description for the text attachment, for instance; 'Additional delivery information for Supplier'. From the drop down list select 'visible to supplier. Under 'Define Attachment' click on the button to add text and enter the text you wish to appear, for instance this may be special delivery instructions.

Add additional notes for the attention of the supplier

Beneath the address on every Official Purchase Order there's a box marked 'Notes to Supplier'. The advantage of using the 'Notes to Supplier' box is that there are no limits to the number of characters that can be displayed, unlike the 'Description' field on an order.

Add goods to your basket and then 'Checkout' to access the 'Requisition Information' screen. Click on 'Edit Lines'. Check the tick box marked select, then click on the button marked 'update'. You will now have access to an extra box marked 'Notes to Supplier'. Click on the 'Return' button to return to the 'Requisition Information' screen.

Inform a supplier that we wish to collect the goods

Follow the above process described above to either add notes as a text attachment, or use the 'Notes to Supplier' box.

Split an order between more than one account

Add goods to your shopping cart and 'Checkout'. From the 'Requisition Information' screen (step 1 of 3), click on 'Edit Lines', then 'Accounts', as you would for any order.

Each separate item ordered will appear on a different line. If certain items on an order are to be charged to different accounts, simply change the account code for those items.

On occasion you may order a quantity of a certain item that needs to be 'split' between more than one account code; for instance, a quantity of files ordered which are to be shared between more than one department. Against the appropriate item line click on the button marked 'Split'. Click on 'Add another row' and alter the account code accordingly. You will need to decide how you wish to split order between the two account codes. This can be done either by allocating a quantity to each code; for instance 5 items to one code, 5 to the other, or setting a percentage split between the two codes.

Once this has been done, click on return and proceed with placing the order as normal.

Copy a requisition that I've raised on a previous occasion

Click on the 'Requisitions' tab in iProcurement and locate the requisition you wish to duplicate. Select the requisition and click on 'Copy to cart'. You will then be able to amend the quantity if required and complete the order. Be sure that the goods are being charged to the correct account; amend if necessary.

Save a requisition part way through

Click on the 'Save' button at any part of the process and a requisition number will be allocated. If you have not yet clicked on 'Checkout' enter a requisition description, which will help you relocate the requisition when you come to complete the order. If you intend to continue shopping for further items from a different supplier, click on 'New Cart'. Failure to clear the shopping cart can cause problems with the order; adding additional items to the cart from a different supplier will mean that neither order is despatched.

To complete the order, click on the 'Requisitions' tab and select the order that you wish to complete. The requisition will be returned to your shopping cart; click on 'Checkout' and complete the order as normal.

Delete a requisition before it is approved

A requisition can be deleted at any time up until it is approved; although different approaches are required depending on what stage the requisition is at.

During entry – Click on 'Cancel' and delete the items from your shopping cart.

Requisition saved as incomplete – A requisition that has not yet been sent for approval, click on the 'Requisitions' tab and select the appropriate requisition. Click on the 'Delete' button and 'Yes' to the warning message that is displayed.

After submission to an approver – Described as 'in process' on the 'Requisitions' tab, select the order and click on 'Change'. Click 'Yes' to the warning that the order will be removed from the approval process. The order will now be treated as incomplete; to delete follow the instructions above.

Match an invoice that comes to more than the original order

If an invoice comes to considerably more than the original order you should investigate the reason for the discrepancy, and consider changing the value of the order itself.

Occasionally, the reason for the discrepancy will be known, and the amounts involved will be small. It is often the case that postage and packing has been omitted. The additional cost may be dealt with in a similar, but opposite, way as to removing a commitment.

Match the order to the invoice; either the order as a whole, or the lines of the order that the invoice relates to. The goods/service costs more than the original order, and so the invoice distribution will currently be showing less than the total invoice amount. However, the commitment for that part of the order will have been cleared. Add an extra line to the distribution to account for the additional cost, bearing in mind that the correction must be carried out before Tax. Click on the 'Calculate Tax' button; if the adjustment has been entered correctly then the distribution and invoice totals should match. 'Validate' and 'Account' as usual.

Change the account code for an invoice when matching to an order

In Accounts Payable, when matching an invoice to an order the user hasn't the ability to change the account code that was originally selected for the order. As matching, then reversing, the offending line and re-entering with the correct code will have the effect of reinstating the commitment, we recommended doing a journal to correct the entry after the event.

An alternative solution at the point of entry is, rather than reversing the line with the offending code, enter a new line with the amount reversed and copy down the account code. Enter a further line with both the correct amount and revised account code. This will have the same effect as having reversed the distribution line but the invoice will remain matched to the order and the corresponding commitment will have been removed.

Approve an Order

The ability to approve an order is limited to certain individuals within your school; usually a Head/Deputy Head or other nominated individual.

Select 'DCC Notifications', then 'Worklist' and choose the option 'To Do Notifications'. To approve an order, select the appropriate notification and click on 'Open', and 'View Requisition Details' if further information about the order is required. Click on 'Approve' when satisfied with the order; the requestor (i.e. the person who placed the order) will be informed of the approval, an order number will be allocated, and the order sent to the supplier.

Return a requisition to the requestor to alter prior to approval

If an Approver decides that a requisition needs to be altered prior to the order being issued, they should ask the requestor to withdraw the order from the approval process and delete or amend as necessary. Do not use the 'Reject' button as this may cause difficulties when attempting to complete the order.

Receipt an order placed by a colleague who's on leave

All users with access to i-Procurement are able to view and edit receipts for orders placed by their colleagues. However, there is currently no option to alter the order itself, where an order has been placed by another user.

Click on the receiving tab. Depending on whether you wish to 'Receive Items', 'Correct Receipts', 'Return Items' or simply 'View Receipts', click on the appropriate link. The 'Requester' defaults to the current user; change this to the user whose orders you wish to review. If you know the requisition number, supplier, order number or shipment number, use this in addition to the 'Requestor' to help limit the search. Change the 'Items Due' date; if you're unsure when the items are due select the option 'Any Time' and click on 'Go'. A list of results matching your search criteria will be returned. Depending on which option was chosen, you will be able to edit the receipts for that order.

I can't find a supplier in IPROC.

To confirm that a supplier is set up, and available for use on I-Procurement, you will need to use the 'Supplier Enquiry' function in Accounts Payable.

Enter part of the supplier's name in the 'Supplier Name' field, proceeded by a '%' symbol. For example, for W.H.Smith Ltd enter %smith; the field is not case-sensitive. Oracle will bring up a list of matching results; if the supplier has been set up it should appear on this list. Be careful where punctuation/spaces are used as Oracle will search for an exact match between what you enter and the way the supplier has been set up.

 To confirm that the supplier is set up for use in I-Procurement, follow the instructions above and select the required supplier. Make a note of the supplier number; you may find it helpful to keep a list of supplier numbers for commonly-used suppliers.

Click on 'Find'. Oracle brings up the supplier record for the supplier you have selected. Click on 'Sites'; a separate record is set up for each supplier site. Use the 'up' and 'down' arrows on your keyboard to toggle between these different sites. Under the 'General' tab there is a box marked 'Site Uses'. The field marked 'Purchasing' must be selected for the supplier site to be active in I-Procurement.

A supplier hasn't received an order that I've placed.

There have been a number of reports since the introduction of Oracle where suppliers have not received orders. Oracle Admin have identified three possible causes:

• The way in which Oracle holds supplier information can sometimes disrupt the order process; work has been carried out over the summer holidays to rectify the problem.
  
  
• The format used to email orders to suppliers has been found to be incompatible with software used by a small number of suppliers. Alternative formats are being considered.
  
  
• The act of printing a copy order has been known to stop an order from being issued (see 'How can I view a purchase order/reissue a purchase order to a supplier?'). If you require a copy of a purchase order, please wait until 48 hours after the requisition has been approved.
  

I'm trying to add items to my basket but I get an error message reading 'Error - supplier invalid'.

This problem occurs where users attempt to add a supplier using the 'Supplier Name' field. Use the 'Request Type' field to select the supplier, which should resolve this problem.

Note: Not all suppliers visible under 'Supplier Name' are available to schools in i-Procurement.

 The 'Unit of measure' list doesn't contain the option that I require.

Oracle Admin have the ability to change lists in i-Procurement such as 'Unit of Measure'.

 I get an error message saying that I've 'Exceeded 200 lines on the order'. When I try to continue with the order I'm advised to contact the System Administrator.

This problem can be caused by using the back arrow at the top of the screen instead of the navigation buttons in Oracle.

When the first message appears, reselect the supplier by clicking on the torch next to 'Request Type' field. You should be able to continue with the order.

 I've submitted an order for approval but I've not heard anything back. Has the supplier received the order

First of all, check the status of the requisition. On the requisitions tab, locate the requisition that you submitted. If the 'Status' reads 'Approved', and an order number has been allocated, then the order will have been sent to the supplier. For peace of mind you may wish to forward a copy of the order; follow the procedure for doing so from the i-Procurement tip above.

 If the 'Status' reads 'Incomplete', one of the reasons for this may be as follows. Orders submitted for approval, but not approved within 5 days, are returned to the Requestor as a safeguard should the approver be absent. On the requisitions tab there's a link marked notifications. This informs the user of any changes affecting the status of an order, such as when an order has been approved or, in this instance, when the order has been returned. You may either resubmit the order to the approver if they are available, or alternatively submit the order to someone else in your school who has approval rights.

 I've submitted a requisition that has been approved, but its status is showing as 'incomplete'.

One reason for the requisition being marked as 'Incomplete', and its solution, is described above. Check whether the order has been approved.

If it has, the approval rights that the Approver has been given will be the likely cause of the problem. An Approver may be set different levels of approval depending on their position and role within the school. The approval level defines the maximum value of an order that can be approved. If an order exceeds this maximum value then the order may be sent for approval, and the Approver may approve the order, but the order will not be issued to the supplier. Resubmit the order to someone in your school with sufficient authority to approve the order.

If you feel that the authorisation level has been set incorrectly, please notify Oracle Admin who will correct the error.

 I've ordered goods from more than one supplier on the same requisition. The requisition is marked as 'incomplete' even though it's been authorised.

Oracle i-Procurement is unable to cope with requisitions that contain goods or services ordered from more than one supplier. This is caused by adding items to your shopping cart, then changing the supplier and adding further items to the cart before proceeding to the checkout. You are able to submit the order for approval, but the order will not be submitted to the suppliers.

Follow the procedure for cancelling an order that has not yet been approved, and submit a separate order for each supplier that you wish to order from.

 Does an approver have to approve both a Purchase Order and an invoice

Once the approval process for AP is turned on, invoices paid on AP that match a Purchase Order completely will be considered as authorised as an approver has already approved payment via the Purchase Order.

 I get an error message when I attempt to receipt goods received in a period that has since closed.

Receipting in iProc closes at the end of each period, which means that you can only receipt goods in the current period.