Purchasing Intake Portal implementation & information sessions

September 8, 2021

Summary

  • On Tuesday, September 28, 2021, the Procurement team will implement a new Purchasing Intake Portal that will formalize the process for requesting sourcing and purchasing support from the Procurement team.
  • Information sessions demonstrating the Purchasing Intake Portal’s functionality and ease of use will be held on September 23, 28, and 30, 2021.

Details

About the Purchasing Intake Portal

Once implemented, the Purchasing Intake Portal will: 

  • Formalize the process for University departments and business units to request support and/or submit work to the Procurement Team. 
  • Drive simplicity and clarity in engaging with the Procurement team.
  • Provide an intuitive, user-friendly interface for the Yale Community to engage Procurement, removing Workday complexity for engaging Procurement.
  • Operationalize Procurement’s shift from Departmental Management sourcing to a Category Management sourcing model that will route the support request to the Purchasing category subject matter expert, driving greater efficiency and value for the purchaser. 
  • Be available from the Procurement website. 

The Portal will be used to engage with a Procurement specialist to easily and efficiently: 

  • Source a supplier or good/service; support a negotiation/quote
  • Understand the intent/impact of a policy
  • Request support for an issue with a supplier
  • Request support for data analysis
  • Submit a contract for review/signature
  • Submit a request to close a Purchase Order(s)

The Purchasing Intake Portal is not meant to replace direct conversations or relationships you have built with the Procurement team members. Instead, it is a tool that will:

  • Streamline and simplify the process for requesting Procurement support
  • Create a case file with all relevant documentation to track support workflow status
  • Increase workflow efficiencies. For example, the case may be accessed by any member of the Procurement team who can then provide you with support when your assigned contact is out-of-office. 

Therefore, please reach out to the Procurement team to discuss your Procurement support need. The Procurement specialist will advise you of the next steps and then ask you to complete the Portal to formally initiate the support request. 

The Purchasing Intake Portal will not replace current AP processes in Workday. Workday will continue to be utilized to create requisitions and make purchases through SciQuest. Payment requests, supplier invoices, etc., processes will not change. After implementing the Purchasing Intake Portal, Workday’s Create Requisition task will be disabled for submitting contract review/signature requests and closing Purchase Orders since those requests will then be initiated through the Portal. Requisition types 03 and 04 will be disabled.

The Portal will begin with one question: “How may we help you?”  You will select from the following options:

  • Source a supplier or good/service; support a negotiation/quote
  • Understand the intent/impact of a policy
  • Request support for an issue with a supplier
  • Request support for data analysis
  • Submit a contract for review/signature
  • Submit a request to close a Purchase Order(s)

Your selected response will generate a second question customized to your support request. The Portal will allow you to provide additional details and attach relevant files as needed. 

Once you submit your request, it will be routed to Procurement, and a case number will be assigned. You will receive a confirmation email confirming your submission, your case number, and the Procurement specialist who will be working with you. 

Information Sessions

To learn more about the Purchasing Intake Portal, when to use it and how to use it, please register for one of the following information sessions. To register via TMS, log onto the VPN and click here

  • Thursday, September 23, from 11:00 a.m. - noon
  • Tuesday, September 28, from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
  • Thursday, September 30, from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Questions?

Please contact the Purchasing Help Desk at purchasing.helpdesk@yale.edu with questions regarding the updates.