A Purchase Order should be used whenever you order materials or services from a company.

Use a Purchase Order (PO) for

• Equipment & Supplies
• Printing
• Film Rentals
• Advertising
• Servicing & Repair
• Conference Registration
• Hotel Reservations
• Catering
• Airline Tickets
• Photography
• New Membership
• New Magazine Subscriptions

How to use a Purchase Order

When submitting a purchase order,  plan ahead. It takes time to process a purchase order, both here and at the company. If you know you will have a deadline, give yourself plenty of time in advance.

Be sure to fill out the PO completely. The top white copy of the purchase order is the actual order form. This copy is mailed to the vendor and performs two functions.

• It places the order with the vendor.
• It informs the company of our conditions of order which is printed on the back of the vendors’s purchase order copy.

Things to look for

• Proper billing address
• Tax Exempt number
• Notification that we have no receiving dock and require inside delivery
• Delivery Address
• Please specify in the allotted space where the items are to be delivered
• To service the mailrooms better, please specify your room number on the PO.Bids - An order for $2500  or more must be accompanied by three competitive bids. Original  copies of these bids must be sent to the Business Office.
• Attachments - Any samples, forms, letters, etc... that you want mailed to the company should accompany the purchase order when it is sent to Business Office.  This includes all ad copies when placing advertisements.
• Confirming Purchase Orders - Should only be used when you call in the order - after receiving your copy of the numbered PO.   When you call company and place your order (make sure to give them the PO or BPO number). The Business Office will mail the confirming copy.

Short notice situations

• Fill out the PO.
• Put a check in the "confirming order" block so that when the company receives the PO, they will not duplicate the order.
• Make sure that you have all the necessary signatures.
• Bring it to the Business Office. The Business Manager will sign it and a purchase before it will be processed.

Pre-Paid Orders

Pre-paid Purchase Orders should be used when an order requires payment before it will be processed. Examples include

•  Discounts given for prepayment
• Company requests prepayment
• Conference registrations, hotel deposits. etc.

Fill out the PO - Place a check in the "prepayment" block. The Business Office automatically mails all prepaids unless there are special circumstances for picking it up.

Please note:

• All order forms to be sent out with the purchase order should be attached when it is sent to the Business Office.
• Pre-paid purchase orders should always have two copies of the order form (the original and a copy) attached.
• Please be sure to complete the purchase order with a valid address and what you are purchasing.

It is not necessary to write a new PO each time a membership or subscription is renewed. Simply approve the Renewal Notice with your signature, date and budget number, and forward the notice to the Business Office for payment.