Handbook of Business Procedures

7.5.1. ECOMMERCE - UT MARKET

A. Introduction

UT Market, a subsystem of the Financial Resource Management System (FRMS), is an electronic procurement system that enables shoppers to browse for products across multiple supplier catalogs, select items for purchase by placing them into a virtual shopping cart, and assign carts to authorized UT Market buyers. Buyers make the decision to check carts out of UT Market and turn them into requisitions in FRMS Procurement. Final approved requisitions are then electronically dispatched to the suppliers as purchase orders.

University of Texas at Austin employees can access UT Market from the eCommerce tab in FRMS Procurement.

B. UT Market/FRMS Roles

Orders are initiated in UT Market and then completed in FRMS Procurement. Users can have one or multiple roles in the systems.

1. UT Market Shopper

• Authorization: Any current university employee can access UT Market as a shopper.
• Actions: A shopper can browse catalogs for available items, put items in a shopping cart, and assign the shopping cart to another shopper or to a UT Market buyer for review. A shopper cannot check out a cart, but must assign the cart to a buyer to complete the order.

2. UT Market Buyer

• Authorization: To have the buyer role in UT Market, a user must have update (U) or super (S) command authorization for the PBU command in Electronic Office Management (EOM). A user may also complete the  Introduction to UT Market for Buyers training.
• Actions: A buyer can shop, check out the shopping cart, and create an FRMS requisition. Once the buyer completes and approves the requisition, the document will route for final approval. The routing path is determined by the account number(s) used on the document.

3. FRMS Approver

• Authorization: Anyone assigned to a desk that is in the document’s routing path can approve FRMS requisition documents.
• Actions: An approver can review and approve the requisition in FRMS at the departmental level. The document may reach final approval at the departmental level or may route to other areas for additional approval, including the Purchasing Office, the Office of Sponsored Projects, Environmental Health and Safety, etc.

4. FRMS Receiver

• Authorization: The receiver role in FRMS requires a user to have update (U) or super (S) command authorization for the PD2 command in Electronic Office Management (EOM).
• Actions: A receiver enters an electronic receiving report into FRMS once the items arrive.

C. UT Market/FRMS Procurement Process

1. UT Market Shopping Process

To start an order in UT Market, complete the following steps:

• Shop: A shopper shops in the online catalog, adds items to a cart, and assigns the cart to a UT Market buyer.
• Check out: The buyer reviews and checks out the shopping cart from UT Market.
  
  Note: Once the cart is checked out of UT Market, no changes can be made to the cart or to the draft requisition in FRMS. If the requisition is incorrect, a new cart must be created and checked out.

2. FRMS Purchase Process

• Requisition: The buyer creates a requisition in FRMS and completes all accounting and shipping information. The buyer then submits the requisition for departmental approval.
• Purchase Order: Once the requisition is final approved, the purchase order is created and electronically sent to the supplier for processing. The supplier sends acknowledgement of order receipt to the buyer.
• Shipment: The product is shipped to the university for delivery to the department (desktop delivery) or to Central Receiving.
• Receipt: The receipt of the product is documented electronically in FRMS. For desktop delivery, departments must enter the receipt within 72 hours of the delivery. If shipments for a purchase order are split over multiple days, an electronic receipt should be entered for each partial shipment.  Receipts for items delivered to Central Receiving are created by central receiving personnel.

  Per Accounting and Financial Management's Inventory Best Practices  and Payment Vouchers handout:

  • The individual (receiver) receiving  the shipment must be different than the buyer.
  • The receiver is responsible for signing and dating all invoices and/or packing slips . If the receiver verifies a shipment via email, a digital certificate must be attached to the email.

  Part 20.3.3.Financial Records states that packing slips and other support documentation received as hardcopy must be submitted to the Image Retrieval System to be imaged or retained in the department in accordance with all applicable retention codes.

• Invoice and Payment: The supplier sends an electronic invoice which triggers the electronic matching process, voucher creation, and payment scheduling.

D. Benefits of the UT Market/FRMS Procurement Process

Processing orders in UT Market results in many benefits to the university including reduced processing time, lower product cost, greater administrative control, and lower administrative costs.

• Shoppers can save frequently ordered items in "favorites" lists, eliminating the need to search for them later.
• Shopping in UT Market eliminates the need for departments to use paper order request forms, which reduces redundant entry of product information into multiple systems.
• Pricing provided in UT Market is pre-negotiated by the university, eliminating the need to call suppliers for a price quote.
• FRMS requisition information is populated electronically from the supplier’s catalog, resulting in fewer order entry errors and less data entry for the department.
• Purchase orders are electronically created and dispatched; administrative personnel do not have to contact suppliers directly for order placement.
• Suppliers receive purchase orders electronically and many suppliers can immediately begin fulfilling orders.
• All purchases are reviewed and approved prior to order dispatch, and funds are encumbered.
• Regardless of where items are delivered, all invoices and payments for UT Market orders will be processed by Accounts Payable, eliminating the need for departments to receive invoices and create vouchers.

E. Additional Resources

Additional information and assistance with UT Market orders:

• Introduction to UT Market for Buyers
• FRMS Training Resources
• askUS
• Purchasing Office
• Inventory Best Practices handout
• Payment Vouchers handout
• Part 20.3.3. Financial Records

Part 7. Purchasing - Table of Contents