OPS Tips & Tricks
General
Comments section
Primary communication method for all aspects of the order
Comments are permanent. Write with care.
Captures history to refer to for questions later
Able to email the comment to one or more specific people
Take advantage of document upload functionality
Centrally collective documentation and quick future reference
Important emails related to the order
Warranties, packing slips with important information such as serial numbers, vendor contact info, etc.
If you are in multiple units, Double-check to make sure you’re in the correct unit
Located in the upper left-hand corner under the requester tab
Status bar at the top of the page helps you check where your order is in the process
Requester
Creating an effective business purpose statement
Tell why and what of the purchase — just the facts.
Examples:
Internal Hosting: Group name, Date, and Short description of the activity and why needed
External Hosting: Visitor Last Name, Location, Date, Short description of the activity and why needed
Travel (on pcard): Conference acronym, Location, Date(s), Short description of the activity (i.e., attend, present, etc.)
Expense: lab supplies, PI X, class number, student group, etc.
Waiting on approval
If several days with no response or questions from the approver pass, USE THE COMMENTS SECTION to send the approver a direct message to check on the status or remind them as they may have missed the email notification
Marketsite Orders
Create an ePro Requisition for each request individually.
Requesting for Others
Remember to use “order placed on someone else’s behalf” functionality
Shortcode Owner and Finance Approver
Never hit deny
Use the comment section to clarify details of the purchase first
Alternate approver
Assign an alternate approver if you’re going to be out of the office for a unit determined length of time (i.e., out more than two days, a week, etc.)
Purchaser
- Use the comment section to track the ETA of items
- Use SSC to process pcard transitions and create the report
- Use the comments section to indicate that the order will arrive in multiple packages
- Assign an alternate purchaser if you’re going to be out of the office for a unit determined length of time (i.e., out more than two days, a week, etc.)
- For documentation, especially with AMAZON (and similar vendors):
upload the email with the confirmation numbers to help with tracking and history
Pcard require receipts that show the items have been shipped
Follow unit preference for storage of packing slips in OPS
- When purchasing, if possible, put the OPS order number in the department reference field orsimilar reference field
Supplier Information
(Only one supplier can be on an OPS ticket)
Search for a Supplier: You can select from the dropdown list of commonly used vendors, and OPS will autofill the rest of the information.
If the supplier isn't listed you can enter one by using the Use unlisted supplier button.
To create a permanent supplier, click the blue Create New Supplier button. A pop-up will appear. Fill in as much information as you need to create the new supplier. If you are using a university supplier, it is best practice to include the supplier ID for your own future reference. The only required field is a supplier name.
If the requester has already entered the supplier and you want to make that supplier permanent, you need to click the blue Edit Form button to bring up the Create New Supplier button.