Keele University Computerised Purchase Ordering System user guide

CONTENTS

1. Introduction

2. System Summary

3. Getting Started

4. Navigation

5. Reference Data

6. Orders

7. Invoices and Credit Notes

8. Questions and Answers

9. Financial Reporting

10. Summary

1. Introduction

This document describes how to use the computerised purchase ordering

system. You will need a PC connected to the Campus Network, and a laser

printer also connected to the Campus Network. The laser printer must be a

networked printer with "postcript".

You will also need to be a registered user of the Administrative Computer

(to register, go to the MIS Home Page and access the registration form on-

line).

2. System summary

This section describes briefly what the system does.

2.1. Orders

Input screens allow you to enter details of orders, which can then be

automatically printed on your laser printer, on purchase order stationery.

Facilities are available to print copy orders, and to reprint orders, if

necessary.

Any number of different items may be ordered on one order, subject to a

maximum of 22 lines of items and item descriptions.

An estimated cost must be entered for each item being ordered. This may or

may not be printed on the order according to your wishes.

When inputting the order, the system will automatically allocate a unique

order number to it.

Subsequent to being printed, orders may become part invoiced, completed

(fully invoiced), part cancelled, or fully cancelled.

2.2. Deliveries

There are no facilities to record delivery details, only invoices/credit notes,

as described below.

2.3. Invoices/Credit Notes

On receipt of invoices, the details may be entered against orders, thus

making them partially or fully invoiced. The invoice details may be

automatically printed on an invoice coding slip, and then signed and passed

to Finance for payment.

Likewise, credit note details may be input and automatically printed.

2.4. Enquiries and Reports

As well as being able to monitor the details and status of your purchase

orders, you can also monitor their effect on your budgets. Screens are

available to display budgets with any committed expenditure (for uninvoiced

orders) as well as actual expenditure (invoices processed by Finance).

3. Getting Started

First open a Web Browsers and enter the address www.admin.keele.ac.uk,

click the Click here to access the Keele Administrative Systems and

login to the Administrative Computer using your Oracle Username and

Password.

Select the Purchase ordering for Schools / departments menu option by

clicking on it.

Subsequent sections describe the options available on the sub menu thus

displayed.

4. Navigation

Use the tab key to go from one field to the next. This will ensure that all

relevant fields have a value inserted.

When you have finished work on the system, remember to log out. The

Oracle <EXIT> icon will usually return you to a menu screen, and from the

menu screen click on 'Previous Menu' or 'Exit' until you are logged out.

5. Reference Data

On the order forms, a contact phone and fax number need to be supplied. To

avoid having to input these every time you raise a new order, you can enter

some default values; which will then be called up automatically on the order

input screen. Likewise for the delivery and invoice addresses.

Select the

Update Your Telephone/ Fax /Addresses menu option.

A screen will be displayed showing your name and the current default

phone numbers (these will be blank the first time), invoice and delivery

addresses. Input your numbers and addresses, using ENTER/RETURN or

the mouse to move between the boxes.

For the delivery and invoice addresses, you need put only the building and

room number since the University address is pre-printed on the order form.

Click the <SAVE> icon to save your changes. Please note that no inputs will

be saved until you click the <SAVE> icon on any of the screens described in

this document.

These values will now automatically be used as default values whenever you

raise a new order.

Click <EXIT> to return to the Purchase Orders Menu.

6. ORDERS

New orders may be input directly (6.1) or copied from existing orders (6.8).

6.1. Inputting New Orders

To input new order details, select the menu option

Input and Amend Orders and Invoices

A screen is displayed similar to Figure 1 (see Appendix). First, some order

header information must be entered, followed by order line data on a second

screen. The purchase order stationery form contains the header information

on the top half of the form, and the order lines on the bottom half.

6.2. Order Header Information

The top section of the screen is used to display items of information, which

cannot be input directly:

Order Number : This will automatically be generated

for you when you save your inputs by clicking the <SAVE> icon.

Printed : The date the order was printed. This

will be blank for a new order.

Order Total : Total of estimated costs for this order.

Invoice Total : Total value of invoices received less

any credit notes.

Number of Order Lines: Total number of lines on the order.

Outstanding Commitment: Zero if the order is complete or

cancelled. Otherwise total order value less total invoice amounts.

Number of Invoices: Total number of invoice lines.

Below the top section, enter the items of information described below. To

move from one box to another, use the RETURN/ENTER or TAB key or

use the mouse to click between boxes.

When you have entered all the items, click <SAVE> to save them in the

database. At this point, an order number will be calculated and displayed at

the top of the screen.

ITEM MANDATORY

/OPTIONAL NOTES

Order

Status Mandatory Must be 'N' for a new order

Order

Date Mandatory

The date to be printed on the order form.

This is generated automatically.

Contact

Phone Mandatory Uses default value if entered (Section 5).

Contact

FAX Mandatory - ditto -

Supplier

Code

Mandatory

(except Foreign

Currency)

Entering the Supplier Code will

automatically retrieve the name, address

and post code. (a)

Name -

The Supplier Name and address are

automatically retrieved when you enter

the supplier code.

Address 1 - First address line.

Addresses

2,3,4 - Remaining supplier address lines.

Post Code - Supplier post code.

Delivery

Name Mandatory

Who should receive the delivery.

Defaults to you.

Delivery

Address Mandatory

Enter the Building/Room number for the

delvery address. Uses default value if

entered (section 5).

Invoice to

Name Mandatory

Who should receive the invoice. Defaults

to you.

Invoice

Address Mandatory

Enter the Building/Room number for the

invoice address. Uses default value if

entered (section 5).

Comments Optional Enter any quotation reference numbers,

or any comments you wish to appear on

the order header. To select a standard

description, press <LIST> and select one

from a "pick" list, see section 6.9.

Required

delivery

date

Optional

Your

Notes Optional

Any internal comments you wish to

record against this order. These WILL

NOT be printed on the order.

Last

modified

by

- This is automatically maintained by the

system and cannot be input.

Financial

Year Mandatory

The financial year bearing the cost of the

order. Defaults to "todays" financial

year.

Date last

modified -

Automatically maintained by the system

cannot be input.

Your

Notes Optional Free text not printed on the order form

When you have completed input of all the order header information and

saved it using <SAVE>, press the <Order Lines> pale blue button to

commence input of the order lines.

Notes:

(a) Supplier Code Lookup

When the cursor is in the Supplier Code box, you may search for the Code,

if you do not already know it, as follows:

First, click the <CODE SEARCH> pale blue button. On the new screen

displayed enter part or all of the supplier name, then press RETURN or click

'Search'. You may also search by post code as well / instead by entering all

or part of a post code in the box before clicking on 'Search'. A list of all

suppliers with your text appearing anywhere in the name, will be displayed.

Move the cursor to the code you require, and click 'Select' to return to the

order header input screen. The code you have selected will be copied back.

If you cannot find the supplier code, or are using a new supplier, contact the

Purchasing Section, Finance, for assistance.

6.3. Order Lines

Having completed order header input as described above, click the 'Order

Lines' pale blue icon. A new screen appears as in Figure 2 (see Appendix 1).

This enables order line information to be entered. There are a number of

rules to observe when inputting order lines, as follows:

(i) Order Value

If your order is above £7500 in value, you will not be able to print it

until it has been electonically authorised by the Purchasing Section,

Finance. This will normally take place within 24 hours, but if you

need the order urgently, contact them as soon as you have completed

your input.

(ii) Maximum Lines

A maximum of 22 lines may be entered for one order. Although only

seven lines are shown on the screen at any one time, you can scroll down

and up through them.

(iii) Line Types

Lines may be either descriptive lines or lines with costs. A descriptive

line consists of just a line number and a description. A line with costs must

have a line number, account code, quantity, unit cost, equipment item and

VAT indicators.

6.3.1. Inputting Order Lines with Costs

The following items are required:

ITEM MANDATORY

/OPTIONAL NOTES

Line

Number Mandatory

This determines the order in which the

lines are printed on the order form. A

number between 1 and 22.

Account

Code Mandatory

The account code against which the

invoice will be charged. (a)

Quantity Mandatory The number of items being ordered.

Unit of

Measure Optional The unit of measure for the quantity.

Estimated

Unit Cost Mandatory

The estimated cost of 1 unit of this

item.

Currency

Code Mandatory

S=Sterling, E=Euro. At present you

may only enter sterling costs.

Print Cost Mandatory Should the unit cost be printed on the

order? Enter Y or N.

Terms Optional

Any discount to be applied against the

unit cost. To be entered as a negative

percentage e.g. 20% discount would be

entered as -20.

VAT Mandatory Does the Unit Cost include VAT? Enter

Y or N.

VAT

Required Mandatory

Must be Y if above VAT entry is Y.

Otherwise, does VAT need to be added

to the Unit cost? Enter Y or N.

Status Mandatory Line Status Code: N for a new order.

Equip.

Item Mandatory

Is this an item of equipment/inventory?

Enter Y or N.

Total Cost -

The total estimated cost of this order

line. This is maintained automatically

by the system.

Original -

Y or N. Whether this line was part of

the original order (Y), or whether it was

added on afterwards (N). Maintained

automatically by the system.

Description Mandatory

A description of the item(s) being

ordered. 65 characters maximum. If

more text required, use descriptive lines

as described below. To select a

standard description, double click on

the 'Description' box to select one from

a "pick" list, see section 6.9.

Having entered the first line, press down arrow to move to the next line. Use

up arrow or the mouse to move up through lines already input.

Notes:

(a) The account code will be validated against departments / schools / R.I. /

cost centres you are permitted to charge against. You cannot raise orders for

other schools/departments. If the account code is not linked to one of your

budgets, a warning message will be displayed. You may ignore this, or

amend the code.

If the account code you input is not a registered code (i.e. it is a new code

not used before) and you wish to use it, please contact the following sections

in the finance Department to have it registered:-

Research Codes (codes commencing R or S, or with a scheme code) –

Treasury & Research Section

All other codes - Management Accounts or Financial Accounts

6.3.2 Inputting Descriptive Order Lines

Sometimes the item being ordered requires more descriptive text than can fit

on one line. If this is the case, additional text can be entered as follows:

Move to a new line using down arrow, enter the next line number in the 'line

number' box, then click on the description box. Enter some more description,

or select a standard description from a "pick" list by double clicking on the

description box. See section 6.9. If the 'Equipment Item' box is blank, click

on it and enter N.

6.4 Printing Orders

Having input the order lines (as described in section 6.3), click <SAVE> or

the 'Print Order' pale blue button to save them in the database. At this point

you will be told to click the 'Print Order' button again if you want to print the

order. If you have more inputs to make against this order, or want to change

some of the information, carry on inputting instead.

Please note that you cannot print an order above 3000 until it has been

electronically authorised by the Purchasing Section, Finance. See 6.3 (i).

Having clicked the 'Print Order' button a second time, a pop-up box will

appear asking if you want to Print, get a Test Print, or Not Print. If you want

a test print to see how the order looks, type T. Use blank paper in your

printer to view this print.

If you are ready to print the order, answer Y. The system will prompt to load

the order form into your printer prior to printing and you will be asked if you

want a copy order printed too. If so, load the copy order stationery in the

printer underneath your purchase order. On completion of printing, the date

the print took place will be recorded automatically against the order.

Notes:

a) If the printer failed to print properly - e.g. there was a paper jam, a reprint

may be obtained. See section 6.7.

b) Prior to printing the order for real, you will be able to amend most of the

information on the order header and order lines, but once printed, you will

be unable to change any of the data except the following:

- On the order header, the order status, internal comments (your notes), and

financial year may be changed.

- On the order lines, the order status and equpiment item indicator may be

changed.

- Additional order line input, to record changes subsequent to the dispatch of

the order is possible. See 6.6.3.

c) You cannot input invoice information until the order has been printed.

6.5 Finishing Off

Once you have printed the order, the order header screen (see 6.1) will be re-

displayed. If you choose not to print the order, or perform a test print, the

cursor will return to the order line screen.

To move from the order line screen back to the order header screen, click on

'Go Back'.

If you wish to enter another order, ensure the cursor is on the order header

screen, and click the <INSERT RECORD> icon. This will clear the screen

ready for input.

To quit, click the <EXIT> icon. This returns to the Purchase Ordering Menu.

6.6 Amending Orders

To make amendments to an order you have input earlier (e.g. to cancel an

order, to print an order input earlier, to input an invoice, etc.), select the

"Input and Amend Orders and Invoices" menu option.

First, you must retrieve the order already input.

To do this, click the <ENTER QUERY> icon;, type in the order number,

then click <EXECUTE QUERY>. This will cause the order header details to

be displayed.

If the order has not yet been printed, you may change any of the values on

the order header. Click <SAVE> to save your changes. Click <ORDER

LINES> and repeat for the order lines. When you click <SAVE> here, you

will be asked whether you want to print the order. Enter Y or N as

appropriate. Once printed you will be prevented from changing most of the

order information.

6.6.1 Cancelling Orders

You may cancel or part cancel an order. To cancel an entire order, change

the order status code on the order header screen to "X", having first retrieved

the order using the query keys described above. Then click <SAVE>.

You may part cancel an order by cancelling some but not all, of the order

lines. To do this, click <ORDER LINES> to display the order lines

associated with the order you have queried. Move the cursor down to the

line(s) you wish to cancel, change the status code to "X", then click

<SAVE> to save your changes. When finished, click 'Go Back' to return to

the order header screen, or 'EXIT' to quit.

6.6.2 Deleting Orders

Prior to printing an order, you may delete order lines on the order lines

screen by clicking the <REMOVE RECORD> key, with the cursor

positioned on the required line. It is not possible to delete order headers in

this way, but if it is no longer required, change the order header status code

to "X" (cancelled) instead.

6.6.3 Adding Order Lines after Printing

Once an order is printed, the system marks all the order lines as being part of

the original order . On the order lines screen, the "original" box will contain

the value "Y" to indicate this. It is sometimes necessary to enter additional

order lines to reflect changes to the order once it has been dispatched. For

example, the supplier may only be able to deliver some, but not all of the

original quantity ordered, or may agree to send a replacement item instead of

the original item.

It is possible to move to the order lines screen, move the arrow down to a

new line, and enter additional order lines as required. Examples:

a) If extra items are being added to the order, add another line as usual (see

6.3.1), and click <SAVE>.

b) If some but not all items are being delivered, enter an additional line with

a negative quantity to show the number of items not being supplied. This

will reduce the outstanding committed value of the order.

c) If a replacement item is being supplied, cancel the line in question (see

6.6.1), and add an additional line for the replacement.

d) To make just comments, add an additional line and enter some text in the

description box.

Note:

In all these cases, the "Original" box will be set to "N", to indicate these

lines were not part of the original order.

6.7 Reprinting an Order

If the order printing fails, or the copy form gets lost, a reprint of the order

may be obtained. From the main Purchase Ordering menu, select the option

"Reprint an Order".

A screen will be displayed where you can enter the order number required.

Type in the 5 digit sequence number - there is no need to input the

department/school code. Then press RETURN. The supplier name and order

status will be displayed for confirmation. If correct, enter Y in the "OK to

Reprint an Order?" box and press RETURN. Otherwise type N or click

<EXIT> to quit.

Having pressed Y, you will be asked to place an order form in the printer,

and if desired, you can also print a copy order.

6.8 Creating an Order from an Existing Order

From the main Purchase Ordering menu, select the option "Create an Order

by Copying an Existing One". The first screen gives some help text. Press C

then RETURN when you have read it.

First, enter the old order number and press RETURN. Then, if you want the

order lines copying as well as the header, answer Y in the second box,

otherwise enter N. Finally, in the "Create the new Order now" box, enter Y

to commence. Record the new order number created.

Now select the "Input and Amend Orders and Invoices" menu option, click

<ENTER QUERY>, enter the new order number, and click <EXECUTE

QUERY>. The new order header details will be displayed. Enter any

amendments required and click <SAVE> to save them. Then click <ORDER

LINES> to retrieve the order lines. Again, enter any amendments, and when

finished click <SAVE>. At this point you will be able to print the order as

usual.

6.9 Creating Standard Descriptions

To save re-typing frequently used order line descriptions, it is possible to

record them on the database. When reaching the order header comments

and/or the order line description, you can then double click in the box to

display and pick one of them, instead of typing in the text in full.

Select the menu option "Maintain Departmental List of Commonly Used

Order Descriptions". Each description is recorded on a separate line. Use the

UP/DOWN arrows to move the cursor to a blank line, type the text in, and

click <SAVE> to save.

Overwrite existing lines to amend them, or use the <REMOVE RECORD>

icon to delete unwanted descriptions.

Remember to <SAVE> your changes, and click <EXIT> to quit.

7. INVOICES AND CREDIT NOTES

Once an order has been input and printed, it is possible to enter invoices and

credit notes against it.

If you have many items on one order, and the invoice relates to all or many

of them, see section 7.4 for a quick method of invoice input, otherwise

follow the instructions below.

7.1 Retrieving the Order

Select the "Input and Amend Orders and Invoices" menu option. This will

display the order header screen (see Figure 1, Appendix). Retrieve the order

details by:

a) clicking <ENTER QUERY>

b) typing in the order number

c) clicking <EXECUTE QUERY>

Then click the <INVOICES> pale blue button to move to the invoice/credit

note screen - see Figure 3, Appendix.

Note that the top half of the screen displays all order lines (up to 4) which

had estimated costs entered against them. This is for reference only, to aid in

the input of invoice details.

7.2 Invoice/Credit Note Input

Having following the instructions above, you can now enter invoice/credit

note details. Please note the following rules:

a) invoice/credit notes cannot be input if the order is cancelled (i.e. order

header status code = "X")

b) invoices cannot be input if the order is already marked as fully completed

(i.e. the order header status code = "C"). Credit notes can be input in this

case however.

c) If an invoice is input which completes the invoicing of all the order lines,

the order will automatically be marked as "Completed" - i.e. the order

header status code will be set to "C". All order line statuses will also be set

to "C" (Completed) automatically.

d) If a part invoice is input, the order status will automatically be updated to

"Part Invoiced" - i.e. The order header status code will be set to "P". Order

line statuses will also automatically be set to "N" (not invoiced), "P" (part

invoiced) or "C" (completed) as appropriate.

The following items of information need to be input:

ITEM MANDATORY

/OPTIONAL NOTES

Line No. Mandatory The order line number this invoice/part

invoice relates to.

Date Mandatory The date on the invoice.

Invoice

No. Mandatory

The invoice/credit note number. If there

is no invoice number, enter some

meaningful text relating to the order -

consult the Payments Section in Finance

if you want advice here.

Account

Code Mandatory

The account code against which the

payment is being made. This defaults to

the code on the order line but may be

overwritten.

Dept Ref Optional

The Departmental Reference. This

appears on the monthly ledger and

budget reports from Finance. Enter any

text of your own choice but limit it to

Alphabetic and Numeric characters only.

Nett: Mandatory The amount on the invoice relating to

this order line item, excluding VAT.

N.B. this will not be the full invoice

amount if the invoice covers more than

one order line. Enter a negative amount

for a credit note.

Currency

Code Mandatory

S=Sterling, E=Euros. At present you

may only enter sterling values.

VAT Mandatory

There are two boxes here. The first asks

if you want VAT adding to the Nett

amount just entered. Reply Y or N. If

you answer Y, VAT at the current rate is

calculated, otherwise a 0 is entered in the

VAT Amount box. The cursor then

move to the VAT Amount box, which

you can amend if necessary.

Total -

The total of the nett amount plus the

VAT amount appears here and is

automatically calculated by the system.

You cannot amend this amount, only the

nett and VAT amounts.

Completed Mandatory Y or N. Y if the order line item has now

been fully invoiced, N if not.

Fin. Date -

The date the invoice/credit note is

entered for payment by the Finance

Office. This is for information only and

cannot be input.

Having input one line, if necessary press down arrow to input a second line.

If part invoices are already present for this order, ensure the cursor is on a

blank line, prior to inputting the new invoice details - either click on a blank

line or press down arrow until you reach a blank line.

Notes:

a) The invoice may be for several lines on the order. In this case, you must

enter one line for each order line, and split the total invoice amount into

amounts appropriate to each order line.

b) The payments for the item(s) on the invoice may be split over several

different accounts. If you have entered the estimated costs against one

account only (i.e. one order line), you must split the costs on the invoice

details screen. To do this, enter one line for each account code, along with

the amount for each account code. The "Line", "Date", "Invoice No.", "Dept

Ref" boxes should all have the same values on each of the lines on the

invoice input screen.

c) When you receive an invoice for several items, the supplier often shows

the individual costs without VAT, and adds VAT to the total amount. To

avoid having to calculate VAT for each item, you can enter the amount

without VAT, and then, in the VAT box, input a "Y" to indicate VAT needs

to be added. If you do this, the amount will be updated to reflect the VAT,

and the VAT indicator set to N.

d) If you receive an invoice in any foreign currency, enter an estimated

sterling value for the invoice amount, and place it in the Nett box. Enter 0.00

in the VAT box. The Payments Section, Finance will amend this value once

the actual amount is known when the payment is banked.

Please also read the notes at the end of Section 6.3.1 as they apply to invoice

ledger codes too.

7.3 Printing Invoices/Credit Notes

The invoice information you enter as described in 7.2 can be automatically

printed on an invoice coding slip, or a credit note coding slip. Ensure the

cursor is on a line with the correct invoice number, and click 'Print Coding

Slip' to save your changes and print the invoice.

When you click 'Print Coding Slip', the system first displays the invoice

number, the VAT total and the invoice total, and asks you to confirm that

these are correct. (This is done so that you can be sure when entering several

lines for an invoice).

If either total is wrong, reply N and press RETURN. This will take you back

to the invoice screen, where you can move the cursor to the amounts, and

change them. When ready to print the invoice again, click 'Print Coding Slip'

as before.

If the totals are correct enter Y and press <RETURN>. You will then be

prompted whether you want the slip printed. If yes, place the coding slip in

your printer. Then answer Y or N and press RETURN.

If the paper wrecks in the printer, you can obtain another print by clicking

'Print Coding Slip' again on the invoice input screen.

The coding slip should then be signed by an authorised member of staff, and

sent with the invoice to the Payments Section, Finance.

7.4 Invoice Quick Input

If you have ordered many different items on an order, you can avoid typing

in the invoice amounts for each item by use of the Invoice Quick Input

screen. This can be done subject to the following rule;

The order has no invoices, or if part invoiced, the individual order lines must

be either not invoiced at all or fully invoiced, i.e. there can be no part-

invoiced order lines.

If this is the case, you can enter an account code, the total nett amout and the

total VAT amount; the amounts being the totals for all items on the order,

ordered against that account code. If there are several account codes on the

order, you can repeat the input in turn, for each account code, but must

calculate the invoice amounts relating to each code yourself.

Select the "Quick Input of an Invoice for a multi-item Order" menu option.

A screen similar to Figure 4, see Appendix, will be displayed.

You will first need to retrieve the required order:

Click <ENTER QUERY>

Input the order number

Click <EXECUTE QUERY>

If the order is not found, it may be either a typing error, or the order is

already completed or cancelled.

(If you navigated to this screen by clicking 'Bulk Invoice Input' on the order

lines screen as in 7.1(c), the order details will automatically be displayed).

Once the order is retrieved, press <RETURN> to move to the date box, and

enter the following items:

ITEM MANDATORY

/OPTIONAL NOTES

Date

Invoice

Number

Nett Amount

Currency

Code

VAT

Amount

Ledger Code

Departmental

Ref

Mandatory

Mandatory

Mandatory

Mandatory

Mandatory

Mandatory

Optional

The date on the invoice.

The invoice number. If there is no

invoice number, devise a meaningful

reference.

The total nett amount on the invoice

to be paid against the account code

entered below.

S=Sterling, E=Euros. At present, only

sterling values may be entered.

The VAT amount associated with the

nett amount just entered. If there is no

VAT to pay, enter 0.00

The Account Code bearing the cost of

this invoice. Defaults to the first

available on the order.

Your departmental reference.

The cursor will finally move to the "OK to Save this Information Now?"

box. Either enter N and amend your input, or Y to proceed. If you press Y,

you will be asked if you want an invoice coding slip to be printed. If so, load

the coding slip stationery in your printer when prompted. On completion,

this order will automatically be marked as "Completed" or "Part-Completed"

on the database, as appropriate.

8. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q: I am raising an order for several departments to gain some discount. Can

I enter the various account codes on the order lines screen to show the cost

split?

A: No. You are only permitted to enter account codes for your own

department/sub-departments. In the above case, you must enter all the

estimated costs and actual costs (invoices) against your department, and

recover the costs using a "journal transfer" form.

Q: My order will use more than 22 lines. What should I do?

A: Put what you can on one order. Then raise another order for the

remainder.

Alternatively, enter one order line with the total estimated cost and in the

description box enter 'See attached schedule', and attach a document listing

all the items you wish to purchase. This could be used for example when

purchasing a large number of different books.

Q: I am buying items for two or more cost centres in my department. How

should I fill in the screens?

A: If you are buying multiples of items, enter the quantities, account codes,

unit costs, etc. separately for each account code on the order lines screen

(see Figure 2, Appendix). If you are buying one item and splitting the costs

over several accounts (for example, a piece of equipment part funded several

schools in your faculty) you can either:

a) Enter all the estimated cost against one account and split the costs when

the invoice arrives. Note, however, that this will adversely affect the

committed expenditure (i.e. outstanding orders) against that particular

budget.

b) Split the costs on the order form:- but here you will need to carefully

consider the wording on each order line to prevent confusing the supplier.

One way of doing this would be to put the item description and total cost in

the order header comments. Then put the text "Split Costs" on each order

line description.

Q: I am using the up/down arrows on a blank screen, and the bell rings with

the message "Field must be entered". What should I do?

A: If necessary, acknowledge the message by pressing RETURN. Then click

<CLEAR RECORD>.

Q: How do I deal with foreign currency orders?

A: Input the order as with any other, but on the order line input, enter an

estimated cost in sterling in the estimated cost box, not the unit price box.

This ensures a) no estimated cost appears on the order form and b) a sterling

estimated commitment will be made against the appropriate budget. When

the invoice arrives, enter a sterling value for the invoice amount, even if this

has to be a guess. Print off the invoice coding slip, and mark it manually as a

foreign currency payment prior to sending it to the Payments Office.

When the final cost of the invoice and associated bank charges is known, the

Payments Section in Finance will amend the cost for you if necessary.

Q. I cannot enter/amend invoice details because the order is marked as

'Completed'. What should I do?

A: Query the order on 'Input Orders and Invoices'. Change the order status

from 'C' (completed) to 'P' (part invoiced). Click <SAVE>. Click <ORDER

LINES> and change the line status from 'C' to 'P' for the line(s) you wish to

enter/amend invoice details against. Click <SAVE>. Now click

<INVOICES> and enter/amend the invoice or credit note details. Click 'Print

Invoice' to print the invoice.

9. FINANCIAL REPORTING

Reports will be provided to schools/departments, from the Finance Office,

showing budgets along with outstanding commitments (i.e. un-invoiced

orders) and actual expenditure (i.e. invoice payments). When you receive

and input an invoice, there will be a time delay between your input and input

at the Payments Section, Finance.

Until the invoice is input at Finance, it will continue to be reported as an

outstanding commitment, and not as actual expenditure. Only when it is

input by Finance will the change from commitment to actual take place.

You can use your order input screens as enquiry screens to view when the

invoice was input at Finance, or use the "View Supplier Invoice Payments"

screens to see whether or not the payment has been made to the supplier.

10. SUMMARY

10.1 Inputting Orders

Select "Input and Amend Orders and Invoices" screen. Input order header

details. Click <SAVE> to obtain order number. Click <ORDER LINES>

and input order lines. Click <SAVE> and print order form.

10.2 Inputting Invoices

a) EITHER: Select "Input and Amend Orders and Invoices" screen. Click

<ENTER QUERY>, enter the order number, click <EXECUTE QUERY> to

retrieve the order. Click <INVOICES>. Input invoice lines as appropriate -

separate lines for each order line and account code. Click <SAVE> and print

invoice coding slip when prompted.

b) OR: For multi-line orders where the invoice is for the whole order. Select

"Quick Input of an Invoice for a multi-item Order". Use the query keys as in

10.2 a) to retrieve the order. Input the invoice details and enter Y to proceed.

Print the invoice coding slip when prompted. See 7.4 for full details.

10.3 Inputting Credit Notes

Follow the procedure in 10.2 a). Enter the amount as a negative value.

10.4 Cancelling an Order

Select "Input and Amend Orders and Invoices" screen. Use the query keys as

in 10.2 a) to retrieve the order.

To cancel the entire order, change the order header status code to "X".

To cancel some (not all) of the order lines, instead, click <ORDER LINES>

to display the order lines.

Move the cursor down to the lines to be cancelled, and change the

order line status code to "X".

In both cases, save the changes by clicking on the <SAVE> icon.

APPENDIX

SCREEN LAYOUTS

Screen shots