Approvals and Workflow
How is workflow determined within a department?
How does a restricted grant route to RSPA?
How do I expedite a requisition if one of the approvers is holding up the process?
Can the workflow be bypassed if an approver is not available to approve a requisition?
Can the Approvers edit requisitions?
How will I know if my requisition does not pass FOAPAL Authorization?
How is the FOAPAL used to check whether I am “authorized”?
How are the requesting and approval dollar limits set for users?
When I first submitted my cart, one financial approver’s name appeared, now another approver is listed in that spot. What is happening?
What is "Grant Review Code"?
Are "pop-up blockers" a problem while using buyND?
How is workflow determined within a department?
Workflow is decided between your department’s Budget Administrator and Procurement Services. If you have any questions on how your requisitions flow through the system, please contact your department’s Budget Administrator.
How does a restricted grant route to RSPA?
Restricted grant funds route to RSPA based on the fund (begins with a 2) and the Grant Review number selected on the requisition.
How do I expedite a requisition if one of the approvers is holding up the process?
Please contact each of the Approvers involved with your requisition by phone and ask them to approve the requisition. In general, the system will send an approval email notification to each Approver. Track the approval process before you contact the Approvers. Procurement Services will do their best to process the requisition the same day it has been received.
Can the workflow be bypassed if an approver is not available to approve a requisition?
Approvers are requested to setup substitutes before they become unavailable to approve a requisition. However, if no substitute is set, please contact Procurement Services and we will work with the department to get the necessary approvals.
Can the Approvers edit requisitions?
Yes, an approver can edit a requisition. Please refer to the Approval Guide for more details.
How will I know if my requisition does not pass FOAPAL Authorization?
Requisitions that fail FOAPAL authorization will eventually be displayed as rejected under “My Requisitions”. You will also receive an e-mail depending on the preferences setup in the profile. Check with your Business Manager or Budget Administrator to verify your authorized FOAPALS. Contact the Controller’s Group to make the required changes. Once proper access has been granted, you may copy the rejected requisition, make corrections (if any), and then re-submit.
How is the FOAPAL used to check whether I am “authorized”?
Each department’s Budget Administrator provided the access information to the Controller’s Group. The FOAPAL permissions are maintained in the Finance System and cannot be changed in the buyND System. If you feel these permissions require modifications, please contact your department’s Budget Administrator.
How are the requesting and approval dollar limits set for users?
The requesting and approval limits are assigned by the Budget Administrator in each department.
Approvers also have a dollar approval level. When a requisition exceeds that amount, another approval is required. After your first Approver approved your requisition, the system forwards it to the next Approver. To view the Approvers for the requisition, click on the requisition number then click on the PR Approvals tab.
Grant Review Codes are used to route requistions to the Research and Sponsored Programs Accounting Office (RSPA). Funds beginning with the number two (2) must have a Grant Review code. Failure to select the correct code may delay the approval process. Please select the correct code in your profile (Codes and FOAPAL section.) Codes are linked to specific approvers in RSPA. If you do not know which code to use or who should approve your requisition, please call the RSPA office, 1-7070.
Are "pop-up blockers" a problem while using buyND?
Yes, a pop-up blocker may block some important screens while you are using buyND. Approvers will be most affected by the pop-up blockers. Please watch for a notification in your pop-up blocker tool. If you are able to allow pop-ups from specific websites, then please add https://solutions.sciquest.com to that list. If you need any assistance with this setup, please contact the OIT Help Desk at 1-8111 or e-mail oithelp@nd.edu