User Roles

Shopper - Student employees and graduate students are Shoppers, can search and add items to their cart. Shoppers can only assign their cart to a Requester for them to review and place the requisition.

Requester – All permanent faculty and staff. Can submit requisitions/carts and are ultimately responsible for completing mandatory fields on requisitions.

Approver - Are responsible for reviewing and approving the Requisitions, Purchase Orders or Invoices.

 

Forms for Buying and Paying

Punchout Catalog - Shopping experience maintained on the Supplier’s website. Connects directly to the vendor’s website. It will look and behave like you are shopping on the vendor's website.  

Non-Catalog Requisition - Process to initiate a purchase for goods and/or services that are not available in a punchout or hosted catalog.  In most cases, Requestors should obtain a quote from a supplier to attach to the requisition.

Hosted Catalog - Internal ordering that provides access to Supplier’s  negotiated prices but is maintained within SmartBuyMSU.

Payment Request (Non-PO) – Also referred to as a Non-PO Payment Request. Used to pay invoices when a PO is not Required.  See Non-PO list.

After The Fact Request – Used to obtain retroactive approval for a purchase that should have gone through SmartBuyMSU.  Does not send a PO to a Supplier.

Future Funding Approval Form –Requisition to replace PD-1 for Funding Approval for formal solicitations, Does not place order, and does not encumber funds. Requisition number (and form) is also referred to as a FFAN (Future Funding Approval Number)

Legacy Agreement Payment Request – Used to replace BPAs to pay for contracted purchases that Pre-date SmartBuyMSU

 

General Terms

Requisition – A cart that has been reviewed and submitted by a requester. The requisition goes through an approval workflow for review.

Purchase Order (PO) – Automatically Generated by SmartBuyMSU after a Requisition has been approved.  SmartBuyMSU sends PO to the supplier to initiate the purchase.

Change Request - Change Requests are changes to a PO that can only be entered when a Requisition has been fully approved and has generated a Purchase Order.

Receipt – Electronic record that goods or services are received. Required to authorize funds to be released for invoices on requisitions. Requestors must initiate receipt on all POs for goods over $5,000 or all services.

Invoice – Document from a supplier requesting payment for delivery of goods and services.

Contract Request Form - Process to initiate creation of a contract for services. 

Commodity Codes - A code which categorizes the product or service being purchased. MSU uses UNSPSC codes. Used for spend analysis.

Supplier – any company or individual the University does business with or submits payments to

Catalog Supplier – Any Supplier that has either a punchout or hosted Catalog in SmartBuyMSU

Supplier Request Form – Process to initiate a supplier to be invited to register in SmartBuyMSU

Credit Memo - created when money is owed back to the university. Credit memos are created in the same manner as invoices except they are marked as credits instead of debits