Accounts Payable / Purchasing

This document is intended for the use of operations managers, project directors, and Research Foundation personnel. The Research Foundation must ensure that all expenditures comply with sponsor, Research Foundation and University guidelines. The Research Foundation at SUNY Fredonia relies upon the campus' state purchasing department located on the 4th floor of Maytum Hall for taxpayer identification numbers, to ensure that minority business requirements are satisfied, for state contract satisfaction, and for bids over $25,000.

Purchase Orders

Research Foundation purchase orders are system-generated documents that, when accepted by the supplier, serve as a contractual relationship between the Research Foundation and the supplier. The purchase order obligates the supplier to supply the goods and/or services ordered in accordance with the terms specified by the purchase order. It obligates the Research Foundation to pay for the goods and/or services, as long as the goods are received in acceptable condition and the services are rendered in an acceptable manner in accordance with the agreement of the parties.

Process

1. A state purchase requisition should be prepared, containing a description of the goods to be ordered, quantity requested, unit of measurement, price, suggested vendor, appropriate authorization, expenditure category, and the project, task, and award to which the items should be charged.
2. Any quotes from the vendor, ordering forms, registration forms, etc., should be attached to the purchase requisition.
3. These forms should be forwarded to the state purchasing department located on the 4th floor of Maytum Hall. After the approval of purchasing, The Research Foundation Post Award Grants Administration Office (Post Award Office) generates the purchase orders, and state purchasing either mails or faxes the purchase order to the vendor, and then distributes a copy of the purchase order to the appropriate award office and Central Receiving.
4. It is campus policy that all goods are delivered to Central Receiving. They are then distributed to the appropriate personnel on campus as instructed on the purchase order.
5. Upon receipt of the goods, the receiving party affiliated with the project should determine if the goods or services are acceptable or unacceptable.
   • If the order is acceptable and complete, the individual must confirm that they have received the goods and are satisfied with the order by sending an e-mail to the Post Award Office, sending a signed and dated copy of the purchase order itself, or signing and dating the packing slip. The Post Award Office will proceed with payment on the purchase order.
   • If it is determined that the goods or services received are unacceptable, the individual should contact The State Purchasing Office located on the 4th floor of Maytum Hall (673-3438).
6. Invoices should be mailed to the Post Award Office. If for any reason any other Research Foundation personnel receive invoices, they should be immediately forwarded to the Post Award Office for payment.

Out-of-Pocket Expense Reimbursement Policy

Project directors and Research Foundation personnel can be reimbursed for project-related purchases made with personal funds (including credit cards) if purchases comply with the requirements of the campus, the sponsors, and The Research Foundation. Requests for reimbursement should be placed on a state requisition form with the original receipts or documentation attached, description and purpose of the purchase, amount requested, appropriate authorization, the name and address of the person to be reimbursed, expenditure category, and the project, task, and award number to which the expenditure should be charged. Please be advised:

• Taxes paid in accordance with the purchase can't be reimbursed.
• Reimbursement may be delayed due to missing authorization signatures, project, task, and award number, and/or original receipts.
• All purchases should be accompanied by a Research Foundation tax-exempt form.

The reimbursement may be disallowed if the Research Foundation determines that the purchase violated any federal, sponsor, or Research Foundation regulations.

Vendor Payments

When payment needs to be made to a vendor (supplier), a state purchase requisition must be prepared. It must contain the original invoice from the vendor, any receipts, description of the expense, amount due, appropriate authorization, the TIN or FIND number, the name and address of the organization to be paid, the expenditure category, and the project, task, and award to which the expenditure should be charged. If any of the preceding information is missing from the requisition, it will be returned so that the appropriate information can be collected, therefore, resulting in a delay of payment.