The University of Prince Edward Island Procurement requires that a Purchase Order be issued by the University Procurement Agent prior to services being rendered or goods supplied; otherwise the University will not be liable for any financial debt arising from unauthorized pruchases. Only a duly signed UPEI Purchase Order obligates indebtedness of the University for goods and services supplied. All shipments and invoices must indicate the Purchase Order Number.

Purchase Order Process

To purchase goods or services through a Purchase Order either an on-line or manual requisition must be prepared by the ordering department and authorized by the designated signing authority. Purchase Orders are prepared using these requisitions on a daily basis and faxed to suppliers.

The campus as a community is encouraged where possible to sign up for on-line requisitions. The system works as follows: The department determines who the signing authorities are on their respective accounts. An individual can enter and in turn an individual can authorize the expenditures. This information must be communicated via e-mail to the Manager of the Accounting Office who will then link with Computer Services to set up the system. Therefore when a department wants to order a good or service the individual entering the purchase, inputs the information in an on-line ordering screen and submits it for authorization. The designated authorizer receives the form, reviews the purchase and gives their authorization on-line. For a step-by step guide on how to use on-line requisitions click here.

Once authorized the on-line requisition is picked up by Procurement Services who produces a Purchase Order, the authorized purchasing document. It is recommended that all departments on campus use the on-line system as it eliminates double entry of information.

Once a Purchase Order is produced, 2 copies are returned to the ordering department, one is maintained by Procurement Services and one is given to the Accounting Office. It is imperative that when goods are received that the Purchase Order is signed off and any respective information, such as the invoice and packing slip, is forwarded to the Accounts Payable Department for payment. If there are problems with an order or an order is only partially received, please sign off the PO to indicate partial receipt of goods or proceed to contact Procurement Services.

Before requesting a Purchase order, please review the Purchasing Guidelines and Preferred Suppliers.