Requisitions and Purchase Orders

What's a Purchase Requisition?

A purchase requisition is the formal document completed by a department which notifies Office and Procurement Services of good or services to be procured.

What's a PO?

A purchase order (PO) is an official document issued by Office and Procurement Services to a vendor (seller) to legally secure goods or services. It specifies the type, quantity, and price for the goods and/or services.

What's the Difference?

A requisition is internal and a PO is external.



In general, all purchases of goods and services require OPS review and approvals. The following are exceptions where departments may obtain services following the guidelines in place by the University.

AU One Card Purchases under $1,000
Items picked up in person under $1,000

Goods and Services that do not require a PO:

  • Books, tapes, etc.
  • Catering: Food, Beverages, and Entertainment
  • Cellular phones (Contact ITS)
  • Film rentals
  • Flowers (Contact the President’s Office)
  • Freight Bills
  • Mail services
  • Membership renewal fees/dues
  • Postage
  • Registration fees, conferences and seminars
  • Subscriptions - magazines, periodicals
  • Travel Services

A purchase order is generated upon receipt of a purchase requisition.

To obtain a requisition fill out AU Requisition Form or call us at 607-871-2698.

  1. Contact and Delivery Information
  2. Your product and its description
  3. Vendor contact information
  4. FOAP (Fund Org Account Program)
  5. Budget Supervisor approval
  6. Research approval (if applicable)
  7. Special Notes to Procurement
Directions to fill out requisition document

After your requisition has been submitted, OPS will review the paperwork for completeness. The ordering method (PO or credit card) will be decided and your order will be placed with the vendor. A copy of the PO and/or requisition will be sent to you via email for your records.

  • No signature from budget supervisor on requisition
  • No Research approval on requisition (if applicable)
  • Waiting for the vendor to return a Vendor Registration Form

Shortly after you receive your goods, the vendor will send an invoice/bill to Accounts Payable. Accounts Payable will email you to confirm that your order has been received and is complete prior to paying the vendor. All packing slips should be forwarded to Accounts Payable, located in Jordan Hall. If the vendor accidentally sends you the invoice, please do NOT pay the vendor using an AU One Card. Send it to Accounts Payable for processing.

You can identify our PO numbers on the invoice because they are usually formatted as:

P000#### or 167###

If OPS placed the order using a credit card, your packing slips and any invoices received should be sent to OPS in Greene Hall, rather than Accounts Payable.

When defective merchandise is received from a supplier, or the item(s) received are not the item(s) specified on the purchase order, the shipment will be subject to return to the supplier for credit or exchange. Office and Procurement Services will coordinate the return, and ensure that good business practices are followed.

Whenever a department needs to return merchandise to a supplier the department must:

  • Contact OPS within five business days of receipt of the item(s)
  • Explain the reasons for returning the merchandise
  • Provide the name of the supplier, purchase order number and date the order was received

Office and Procurement Services will:

  • Coordinate the pick-up of the item(s) received
  • Contact the supplier and arrange for a credit or the replacement of the item(s)

Goods Damaged in Transit

For goods damaged in transit, the department must contact OPS within 24 hours of receipt of the merchandise.