Purchasing

Purchasing at Manhattan College is managed through our UniMarket e-procurement system as a standard purchase order development program. Unimarket is integrated with our Banner finance system to maintain budget requirements and encumbrances.

Designated Manhattan College staff and administrators may make purchases through the external suppliers with premier websites, hosted catalogs and registered company profiles within Unimarket.

Terms and Conditions

Banner & Unimarket Account Request Procedure

Unimarket New User Application

Banner 9 Purchasing Guide

Purchasing - Quick Reference Guide 

For more information contact the assistant director of purchasing & operations (ADP) at 718-862-7361 or the Business Office at 718-862-7456.

Vendor Selection

Vendor selection can be researched through several methods and resources.

  • The department requesting the purchase has researched optimal suppliers based on the type of product, specifications etc., and their research for best supplier must also include best pricing. For orders more than $1000, at least 2-3 quotations should be obtained, in particular when using capital funds.

  • ADP provides source(s) upon request. Various vendors are affiliated with the College and are registered suppliers. Based on the product, multiple sources can be provided with consideration of favorable pricing, multiple quotations, use of cooperative contracts, or other forms of recommendation.

  • RFQ (Request for Quotation) through Unimarket is submitted by requester directly to various premier sources that carry the negotiated product and then requester can select the best offer and proceed to checkout, for a purchase order.

Evaluation is not only based on price but sometimes on other factors, i.e.: delivery terms, service and warranty provisions, rebate programs, contract agreements.

Purchase Order/Unimarket

Purchasing goods and services requires a purchase order be created in Unimarket to verify department approval, encumbrance of expense and final payment of invoice.  

  • Unimarket is the campus e-procurement system. It provides access to premier vendor websites, hosted catalogs and non-catalog order forms to compose a purchase requisition. Pricing agreements are predetermined with the supplier and uploaded into personalized websites for Manhattan College users only. New vendors are able to be uploaded and invited to register and provide their company/tax profiles. All orders are sent electronically to hosted cxml services or company email address.

  • A Request for Quotation (RFQ) allows you to communicate with several premier vendors at one time. All merchandise to be solicited for best pricing by creating a request for quotation, allowing several premier vendors to bid on the product and then selecting the winning bid to cart, checkout and formation of a requisition. That requisition created by the user is then approved by the department budget manager and moves through the approval process based on the total dollar amount, until it is final approved by Purchasing (ADP, Director and/or CFO). The purchase order number is assigned and emailed to the vendor.

Banner

In special circumstances, Banner may be used for purchase orders with approval from the ADP:

  • New Vendors – please submit full company address, contact information, email address and the vendor’s W9 to ADP with any additional documentation required by Manhattan College to obtain a credit account with the vendor.

  • To submit a purchase order on the Banner system, you must first submit a purchase requisition form, including the approved documentation of the goods/services (quotations, contracts, etc.) to the ADP.

  • The ADP will forward the request to the vendor, and verify the vendor is the best one, based on pre-negotiated and NYS contracts, or cooperative purchasing contracts available to the school (E and I, Provista, US Communities, or Premier).

Account Codes

  • These 4-digit account codes coordinate with the department budgets, and refer to the type of purchase, expense or service you are ordering from any given vendor. By using the proper code per line item helps ensure correct allocation and future budgeting.

  • Purchase requests must be submitted through an online purchase requisition (Banner system or Unimarket) with the proper codes. When received, the funds will be deducted from your department’s budget unless the requisition is canceled.  

  • You will be alerted if your purchase is over the account budget. If the overall budget can support the purchase, you may continue to order on the same account code. For budget planning purposes, do not change the account code because of an overspent line. Contact the Controller’s Office if you are at risk of overextending the overall department budget.

Receipt of Goods

  • Most goods are received through the mailroom.

  • As an agent of your department, it is your responsibility to verify that your order was, correct and arrived undamaged, and the invoice details match the original purchase order. Any damaged, missing goods or incorrect invoicing should be communicated directly to the vendor.

Invoice Payment

  • All Unimarket and Banner purchase orders will be paid directly by accounts payable using the information you provided on the original order, and signed invoice.

  • Please, do not use a check request to pay a purchase order invoice. Look up the purchase order number if it is not listed by the vendor on their invoice and enter it for Controller’s Office. Circle the number.

  • Once the goods are received and deemed valid, the head of the ordering department must sign the invoice to be forwarded to the Controller’s Office.

Unimarket/Banner Integration

  • Unimarket, our collaborative online procurement system, imports all purchase orders into the Banner accounting system, where may be viewed, updated, corrected and processed for payment.

  • Orders to LITE Suppliers:

  • These companies do not have their catalog information uploaded for review in Unimarket.

  • Create a requisition by selecting the vendor and submitting a manual order. In advance, the requestor must have the following information to enter into the blank fields on the screen. They include the vendor part number, make/model, manufacturer's number (in some cases) unit of measure, quantity and accurate price. It is recommended that the department obtain a price quote in advance to receive proper pricing information, discounts on volume, etc. before placing a non catalog order. Also discuss the shipping cost and any special requirements for deliveries, i.e.: loading docks, inside delivery to installation. Include this as a separate line item on the requisition. Post electronic quotations on to the requisition next to delivery notes;

  • Upon completion of a requisition by the staff/department, an email for approval is sent to the budgetary manager that supervises the Fund/Org to which the purchase has been assigned for final payment. He/She will determine whether they will approve or decline the purchase, by reviewing the merchandise and accuracy of the Fund/Org/Acct/Program codes applied to the requisition.

  • Following the budgetary manager’s approval, the requisition must be approved by the following individuals based on the cost of the item/goods:

    • ADP - up to $5,000

    • Director - $5,000-$10,000

    • Chief Financial Officer - $10,000 - $1,000,000

  • All information/data within the purchase order is transmitted into Banner. The purchase order is accessible to be viewed in Banner and Unimarket. The encumbrance has been assigned to the budget codes as entered in the Unimarket order. At this point, any changes, payments, etc. for purchase order are done via Banner.

  • PDF of PO: To view and forward the purchase order, requestor can open the PDF, of the purchase order in Unimarket and send it as an attachment. The requestor can also COPY a previous order and create a new requisition and proceed through checkout. Copied order can be edited by user.

Unimarket Training

  • Private training sessions are available by arranging an appointment with ADP. New employees or those that are planning to purchase on their own are encouraged to contact the ADP to schedule a training session.

  • Group training sessions are announced in advance. It is recommended that all users attend these larger group sessions to be updated on Unimarket’s changing procedures, features and other tools.