CF Procurement Glossary

Account	5-character CUNYfirst Chartfield used to categorize the nature of each transaction: Asset, Liability, Revenue or Expense. TIP: Accounts that begin with "5" are expense accounts, (e.g. 51001 - Office Supplies, 51002 - Paper Supplies, 52805 - Services-Catering); and accounts that begin with "8" are budgetary accounts, (e.g. 80120 - NPS Supplies and Materials, 80121 - NPS Travel, 80122 - NPS Misc. Contractual Services). See Chartfield Structure. See also CUNY General Ledger Chart of Accounts - Operating Expenses including Budget Codes and Category Codes
Alternate Approver	In the event of the absence of an approver – vacation, illness, extended travel – the approver can delegate his/her approval role to another individual. This delegate, (also known as an adhoc approver), MUST have an approver role in the CUNYfirst system and should have the expertise - either department fiscal knowledge or category knowledge to provide meaningful oversight. It is strongly recommended that approvers perform this delegation PRIOR to absence to ensure department workflow, (see also Selecting an Alternate User to Approve Requisitions).
Amount Only	Amount Only is the CUNYfirst term for "blanket" or "open-market" order. Amount Only purchase orders are in place for a single fiscal year and are used if a department is unable to predict the cost of specific goods or services or the associated quantities, (see also Amount Only Requisitions).
Available Budget	Available Budget = (Allocated Budget) - (Pre-encumbrances) - (Encumbrances) - (Expenditures). TIP: Departments can view their budget in CUNYfirst by running the following query: CU_BUDGET_OVR_EXP_DEPT_SR (see also Run Query).

Budget Check	Budget check is a commitment control batch process that runs periodically throughout the day to determine whether funds are available for fully approved requisitions. If the budget status is "valid," Budget Check creates the pre-encumbrance for the approved requisition and the requisition is routed to the Purchasing department worklist. If the budget status is "Error," departments must take corrective action to address the status, (e.g. verify availability of funds in department budget and possibly secure additional budget dollars; verify and/or correct category codes to ensure expensing to appropriate budget accounts with available funds). Purchasing agents must also budget check purchase orders before they are approved, (see also Budget Check Requisition - Manual).
Budget Status	The status of a requisition after it has been budget checked that can reflect either: Valid, Error, or Not Checked. If the status is "Not Checked", then Requesters can rely on the budget check batch process that runs periodically throughout the day or perform a manual budget check of approved requisitions through "Manage Requisitions." If the status is "Valid", the requisition will automatically rout to the worklist of the Purchasing department. If the status is "Error", departments must take corrective action to address this status, (see also Budget Check and Requisition Status/Budget Status/Available Actions).
Business Unit or (GL Business Unit)	The CCNY GL Business Unit is: CTY01. Within General Ledger, Business Unit is the 5-character alpha numeric identification code that holds the highest level of control from a recording and reporting perspective. Business Unit is formerly known as College Code in the legacy system.

Category Approval	Three categories of goods and services require category approval in CUNYfirst: 1) Facilities (large equipment, furniture, equipment maintenance services); 2) Hazmat (Hazardous materials, and related items and services to maintain systems involving hazardous materials); 3) IT (Computer equipment, services, software). Routing to category approvers runs in parallel with routing to department approvers when requisitions are submitted for approval by Requesters.
Category Code	10-digit code selected by Requesters when adding an item to a requisition to describe the type of goods or services requested, (formerly known as Commodity Code in the legacy system). Category codes determine which budget account will be pre-encumbered for the line item and whether or not the requisition requires category approval, (see also CUNY General Ledger Chart of Accounts - Operating Expenses including Budget Codes and Category Codes).
Change Order	When Purchasing Agents make changes to a dispatched P.O. in CUNYfirst, such as: contract number, quantity, amount, receiving , additional lines, etc. Change orders are budget checked for each change.
Chartfield Structure	CUNYfirst Chartfields provide the basic financial data structure to segregate and organize transactional and budget data; and allow for detailed reporting at the department level. There are eight Chartfields: Account, Fund, Department, Major Purpose, Operating Unit, Program, Funding Source and Special Initiative. Each has a defined purpose and the combination of Chartfields brings meaning to transactions for both recording and reporting purposes, (see also ChartField Structure Lookup Tool to view your department's chartfields).
Commitment Control	A module of CUNYfirst used to enforce budget control over the college's spending by enabling "encumbrance" or "commitment" accounting. Budgets are defined for each department and each spending transaction is tracked against available budget amounts, (see also Budget Check).
Confirmatory Order	CUNY has centralized all purchasing functions within the Purchasing department: 1) to ensure compliance with State laws and regulations governing purchasing; 2) to ensure cost containment through obtaining reasonable prices; 3) and to maintain control procedures relevant to the issuance, approval and administration of purchase orders and contracts. According to CUNY Procurement policy, "confirmatory orders," or purchasing commitments made by unauthorized individuals, are subject to NON-PAYMENT by the University and PERSONAL PAYMENT by the unauthorized individual. If you have not been specifically granted authority to commit the College or the University, then you are not authorized to make commitments on behalf of the College/University.

Department	5-character CUNYfirst Chartfield identifying an institutional academic or administrative unit that manages budgets and expenditures, (see also Chartfield Structure).
Department Approver - Level 1 and Level 2	Department Approvers approve requisitions and validate budget availability and department purchasing priorities, (see also Revised CUNYfirst Procurement User Access Request form).
Desktop Receiving	Requesters input quantities or costs into CUNYfirst for goods and services they receive, allowing for Accounts Payable to voucher transactions for payment. Timeliness of receiving is critical to vendor payment by the Accounts Payable department. Requesters are required to create receipts in CUNYfirst immediately upon receiving ordered goods/services. The Accounts Payable department must voucher payments to vendors within 30 days of receiving a proper invoice OR receipt of goods/services, whichever is later, (see also Create Receipt).
Dispatched (or P.O. dispatched)	The requisition has been placed on a PO, and the PO is enroute to the vendor.
Document Tolerance	Allowable price adjustment that Purchasing Agents can make between the requisition total and the purchase order total: 10% or $500, whichever is lower.

EMPL ID	8-digit number that uniquely identifies each user in CUNYfirst. Users obtain this ID when they activate or claim their CUNYfirst account as a first-time user, (see also CUNYfirst First-time User Account Activation).
Encumbrance	The Purchasing department reviews fully approved requisitions with a valid budget status, and issues purchase orders to vendors. The purchase order commits the funds from the pre-encumbrance to create an encumbrance against the department's available budget and is a legal obligation for a future expense, (see also Pre-encumbrance).

Inspection

Three categories of goods and services require system inspection in CUNYfirst: 1) Facilities (large equipment, furniture, equipment maintenance services); 2) Hazmat (Hazardous materials, and related items and services to maintain systems involving hazardous materials); 3) IT (Computer equipment, services, software). When prompted for an inspection while creating a receipt in CUNYfirst, Requesters MUST forward a completed CUNYfirst Procurement Inspection form to Property Management located in Marshak 024B. (See also Inspect Receipt.)

Interfaced

When the CUNYfirst purchase order has successfully transmitted to and is accepted by the Statewide Financial System (SFS).

Line Item

When creating a requisition, line items are generated after Requesters complete the mandatory fields, (i.e. fields with asterisks, including the Vendor ID), of the "Add Items and Services" input screen and the Requester clicks the "ADD" button.

Location Code

Internal location for delivery of goods/services i.e., building location and room number, office number, lab name, etc:

CUNYfirst Building Designation	Campus Location
25-7-67	25 Broadway (CWE)
AB	Wille Administration Building
CG	Compton-Goethals
HR	Harris Hall
MS	Marshak Science Building
NA	North Academic Center
SA	Spitzer School of Architecture
SH	Shepard Hall
ST	Steinman Hall/Grove School of Engineering
WG	Wingate Hall

Major Purpose	3-character CUNYfirst Chartfield set by the CUNY Budget Office to track expenditures and meet State and City reporting requirements, (e.g. 100 - Instruction, 150 - Research, 250 - Academic Support). See also Chartfield Structure.
Manage Requisitions	CUNYfirst "Manage Requisitions" is where Requesters can: monitor progress of the requisition to payment; copy requisitions to create a new requisition; edit an existing requisition; manually budget check fully approved requisitions; or cancel requisitions. (CUNYfirst Navigation: Financials Supply Chain>eProcurement>Manage Requisitions)
Matching (or Voucher Matching)	CUNYfirst Voucher “Matching” verifies that the invoiced quantity and price are accurate to the Purchase Order, the Receipt, and the Inspection (when required) prior to vendor payment, (i.e. 3-way matching: P.O.>Receipt>Voucher. 4-way matching: P.O.>Receipt>Inspection>Voucher. 3-way matching occurs with most goods and services. 4-way matching occurs with the three categories of goods and services that require entry of a system inspection: IT, Hazmat and Facilities).

Receipt	Requesters create receipts in CUNYfirst to acknowledge that the ordered items were received or the service was performed, and that it is OK to pay the invoice. System receipts are REQUIRED for ALL lines of a requisition. Timeliness of receiving is critical to vendor payment by the Accounts Payable department. Requesters are required to create receipts in CUNYfirst immediately upon receiving ordered goods/services. The Accounts Payable department must voucher payments to vendors within 30 days of receiving a proper invoice OR receipt of goods/services, whichever is later, (see also Create Receipt).
Requester	A requester is defined by CUNY as the person who creates requisitions in CUNYfirst and who is responsible and accountable for purchases. Additionally, requesters are responsible for entering system receipts into CUNYfirst to document satisfaction with and receipt of goods/services, (see also Revised CUNYfirst Procurement User Access Request form).
Requester's Supervisor	The Requester's Supervisor is responsible for the first in a series of approvals for new and edited requisitions. TIP: In order to streamline the approval process, it is recommended that Requester's Supervisors also assume the roles of Department Approver - Level 1 AND Level 2, (see also Revised CUNYfirst Procurement User Access Request form).
Requisition	An authorized request for the purchase of goods or services, (CUNYfirst Navigation: Financials Supply Chain>eProcurement>Create Requisition).
Requisition ID	10-digit ID number assigned when the requisition is saved or submitted for approval in CUNYfirst.
Requisition Lifespan	In "Manage Requisitions," click the expand section icon located to the left of searched requisitions to view the Requisition Lifespan; which provides an overview of a requisition's progress from creation of the requisition to payment. Requesters can view the current status of a requisition and as steps are completed or are in progress, drill-down links become active to view more details.
Requisition Summary	Displays all of the items that the Requester has added to a requisition with the item description, quantity ordered, unit of measure, total number of lines and the total amount. It is analogous to an e-commerce "shopping cart" that appears as a sidebar below the main menu on the left, when creating a requisition:

Sensitive Purchase	Selected purchases wherein the purchase price is less than clip levels, (<$5,000, <$1,000), and has been identified by CUNY, to be tagged and inventoried; e.g. computer equipment, computer accessories, printers, cell phones, etc., (see also CUNY General Ledger Chart of Accounts - Operating Expenses including Budget Codes and Category Codes).
Shipping Line	A separate line item added to a regular requisition, (i.e. non-amount only), to account for shipping charges. In regular requisitions, Requesters should: 1) enter the shipping amount from the vendor quote; OR 2) enter a 10% estimate; OR 3) enter the sentence, "There is no shipping charge" in the Additional Information area of the requisition. TIP: The category code and category name for shipping is: 7810000000 - Mail & Cargo Transport, and shipping charges expense to 80122 - NPS Misc. Contractual Services. Remember to designate the shipping charge line item as "Amount Only," (see also Shipping Charges).
Sourcing	When the Purchasing department converts a requisition into a saved purchase order in CUNYfirst. Partially or fully sourced requisitions can no longer be edited by Requesters through CUNYfirst.
Special Initiative	3 or 4 character CUNYfirst Chartfield that identifies college specific activities mandated by university management for a designated purpose, (e.g. COMPACT, Black Male Initiative [BMI]). See also Chartfield Structure.
Special Item	CUNY uses the "Special Item" link, ONLY, to add physical goods and services to requisitions in CUNYfirst. When creating a requisition, the "Special Item" link is under the "Special Request" tab, during step "2. Add Items and Services."
Student Stipends	Many departments offer an additional source of funding to students in the form of stipends. Stipends to students may be awarded after the completion of some service, (e.g. participation in a mentorship program), or they may be based on other criteria established by the department, (e.g. academic merit). Stipends paid to students are subject to tax laws that must be accommodated in the payment process, (see also CUNYfirst Business Procedure - Processing Student Stipends).

P.O. ID (Purchase Order ID)	Unique 10-character CUNYfirst number to identify the purchase order transaction.
Pre-encumbrance	Fully approved and budget checked requisitions with a budget status of "valid," creates an expected expenditure amount or pre-encumbrance against the department's available budget. Pre-encumbrances record the initial amount of funds to be held for that particular requisition. When Purchasing creates a purchase order, the pre-encumbrance becomes an encumbrance, (see also Encumbrance).

UOM	Unit of Measure. How the goods are measured, e.g. box, carton, etc. TIP: It is recommended that Requesters use "EA," (Each), as a unit of measure for ALL CUNYfirst requisitions.
UserName	Generated upon successful completion of CUNYfirst first-time user account activation and generally consists of firstname.lastname##, (where ## equals the last two numbers of your CUNYfirst EMPL ID). See also CUNYfirst First-time User Account Activation.

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Fund	2-character CUNYfirst Chartfield used to designate tax-levy, non-tax levy and appropriated non-tax levy funding, (see also Chartfield Structure).
Funding Source	6-character CUNYfirst Chartfield used to monitor revenue earned from education/operating programs and sponsored projects. Funding Sources include, but are not limited to: donor contributions, scholarships, loans and endowment income, (see also Chartfield Structure).

Vendor ID	10-digit unique ID that identifies a particular vendor in the CUNYfirst database of vendors registered to conduct business with the State of New York. CUNYfirst Navigation: Financials Supply Chain>Vendors>Vendor Information>Add/Update>Review Vendors
Voucher	8-digit electronic document generated in CUNYfirst when the Accounts Payable department processes the purchase order for payment and that serves as certification to the NYS Office of the State Comptroller that ALL requirements of verification have been met to make vendor payment.