Policies and Procedures
August 23, 2000
Campus Purchase Orders (CPOs) are used to record inter-departmental transactions to the University's accounting system. CPO forms may be obtained from Financial Services, D-148 ASB. Some specialized CPOs are also used in various departments including: Ticket Authorizations for campus events, Guest Checks for various Dining Services units, Courier Services for post office and courier charges, and Surplus Sales handled through the Purchasing department.
General CPO guidelines:
1. All CPOs must be processed within 30 days of services rendered or materials purchased.
2. CPOs must be typed or legibly written in ink.
3. Any changes to a completed CPO must be approved in writing by the buying department.
4. Financial Services must receive CPOs written near the end of the fiscal year before the announced year-end cut-off date to be included in the current year activity.
5. Departments should keep their copy of the CPO on file for one year beyond the current fiscal year.
6. While capital equipment may be purchased through CPOs, special account coding is required (please contact Financial Services for assistance).
Instructions to initiate and complete a CPO:
The BUYING DEPARTMENT normally initiates the CPO by filling in the first section identifying:
1. Speedtype, account, and subclass (if applicable).
2. Department name, address, phone number, and date.
3. Quantity, description, and occasionally the estimated cost.
4. Authorized signature at the bottom of the CPO.
After filling out the CPO, the buying department should retain the fourth copy and send the first three copies to the selling department.
The SELLING DEPARTMENT completes the remainder of the CPO by entering:
1. Speedtype, account, subclass (if applicable).
2. Department name, address, phone number, and date.
3. Rate, actual cost, and total actual amounts for the buying and selling departments.
4. Authorized signature at the bottom of the CPO.
After completing the CPO, the selling department should send the first copy to Financial Services, D-148 ASB, retain the second copy, and send the third copy to the buying department.
Financial Services will RETURN a CPO to the buying or selling department if:
1. Department name, speedtype, account, description, amount, or signature is missing.
2. Actual cost exceeds estimated cost.
3. Estimated cost has been altered.
4. Total amounts in the buying and selling department box and total CPO amount are not equal.
5. Total cost is less than $5.00 (except for the specialized CPOs mentioned above).
