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Answers to Purchase Order questions

Find answers to common purchase order (PO) questions at Central Michigan University.

    Please contact Tammy Campbell. Tammy is the Payables clerk that handles all purchase order payments and credits. Tammy will contact the purchasing buyer regarding your request and, if there are any questions or problems with the request, Tammy or the buyer would contact you.

    Contact Tammy Campbell

    Email the invoice or credit memo with appropriate approvals to payables@cmich.edu for processing.

    Contact the purchasing buyer listed on the purchase order via e-mail with your request.

    The account information set up on the purchase order was based on information provided on the purchase requisition submitted by the department. Therefore, the department is responsible for processing its own journal entry request to move the entries to the desired cost center and/or GL account. If you need instructions on how to process a journal entry request, visit Accounting S​er​vices.

    To access your purchase order (PO) online, use this SAP menu path:

    Logistics > Materials Management > Purchasing > Purchase Order > List Display (or use Transaction Code ME2N)

    Key your PO number in the “Purchasing document” field and click the execute icon. You can access information by double-clicking on either the PO number or the individual line item numbers.

    If you want to know if there were changes to the PO, single-click the PO number or a specific line item number (to select), then click the “Changes” icon at the top of the screen.

    You can access receiving and/or payment information by single-clicking a line item number (to select), then click the “PO History” icon at the top of the screen.

    You can drill down on both the GR and the IR document numbers to get additional information.

    A merchandise PO is set up with the Goods Receipt (GR) indicator checked when the merchandise is to be delivered to Central Receiving. When GR is checked on the PO, the department’s cost center is charged when Central Receiving receives the goods and the online receiving process is completed, NOT when the invoice is processed by Payable Accounting. When Payables processes a prepayment on a PO, the vendor gets paid and the GR/IR account (201300) is temporarily charged until the goods are received. When the goods are received, and online receiving is finished, the department’s cost center will be charged and GR/IR account credited. If goods are delivered directly to the department, the cost center will not be charged until the online Direct Delivery Form has been submitted and processed by Central Receiving.

    NOTE: When PO-purchased goods are delivered directly to the department rather than Central Receiving, the department must complete the online direct delivery form.

    When POs are set up with the goods receipt (GR) indicator checked, the department’s cost center is affected by what is done by Central Receiving. This means that when merchandise on a PO is returned to the vendor, it must also be processed online, against the PO, for the department to be credited for the return.

    Contracting and Purchasing Services should be contacted anytime it is necessary to return (or exchange) merchandise purchased on a PO/BPO. When possible, work with the buyer who created the PO. Anytime a return or exchange takes place, a credit memo or refund should be issued by the vendor. Central Receiving should receive a copy of the Merchandise Return Memos to ensure the department cost center gets credited for the return. Payable Accounting should also get a copy of the memos to ensure proper handling of the credit memo or refund check. Find the Return Merchandise Procedure and related forms on the Purchasing Services website.