HokieMart Approver Guide
Table of Contents
- HokieMart Approver Guide
- Roles in HokieMart
- System Requirements
- Web Browsers
- Navigation
- Searching for a Document
- User Profile and Notification Preferences
- Email Preferences
- Document Approval Actions
- Managing Documents Awaiting Approval and Assigning the Document
- Reviewing a Requisition
- General Information
- Shipping Information
- Bill To Address
- Purchase Order Funding
- Reviewing an Invoice
- General Section
- Note/Attachments Section
- Payment Information Section
- Codes Section
- Line-Item Details
- Returning the Document
- Rejecting a Document
- Adding a Comment
- Approval Workflow and History of the Document
- History Tab
- Workflow
- Other Actions
- General Contact Information
- Helpful Links
HokieMart Approver Guide
HokieMart is an e-procurement system which allows Virginia Tech to provide an effective and efficient purchasing system for the university. HokieMart allows Virginia Tech to:
- Secure better pricing of commonly used products.
- Provide one stop shopping.
- Reduce time and effort in the purchasing process.
- Select goods from online suppliers.
- Produce cost savings using HokieMart contract suppliers.
- Improved business practices with the introduction of initial phase approval.
- Increase efficiency with the use of central invoicing and electronic receiving.
- Produce, in conjunction with Banner, accurate and more timely financial information.
- Increase the flow of purchase orders to Electronic Virginia (eVA).
Roles in HokieMart
Requestor – The individual who starts the electronic purchasing process by selecting goods and services and creating a shopping cart. The requestor can use various resources to search for commodities and services and add selected items to the cart. Once all items are added, the requestor proceeds to checkout. After checkout is complete, a Purchase Requisition (PR) is generated.
On Behalf-of Requestor – An individual who initiates the electronic purchase of goods and services on behalf of the Requestor who is authorized to use HokieMart.
Approver – The individual authorized to electronically review, edit, and approve purchase requisitions and invoice documents within their delegated purchasing authority. After verification, the Approver can approve the document or reject part or all of it.
This role approves two types of documents:
- Requisitions – Approval creates a Purchase Order (PO), which is electronically sent to the supplier.
- Invoices – Approval authorizes Accounts Payable to generate payment once the document completes workflow and integrates into Banner.
Receiver – The Receiver is responsible for electronically confirming the receipt of goods and services, ensuring items or services have been delivered as expected. Depending on circumstances such as back-orders or damaged goods, the Receiver may record a full or partial receipt. After HokieMart interfaces with Banner, the system automatically generates a Banner PO number, and in many cases, one person may serve as both Requestor and Receiver. HokieMart provides a centralized invoice receipt process for the entire university, sending all invoices created in HokieMart directly to the Controller’s Office, while departments continue to receive invoices for direct payments and university contract transactions.
HokieMart is open to the entire university; there should be virtually no paper processing. The responsibility of each user is described in one of three guides: Requestor, Approver, and Receiver.
Additional HokieMart resources can be found on the Procurement website or by contacting the HokieMart help desk.
System Requirements
Web Browsers
HokieMart is a web-based product and is used in conjunction with the Internet. Users may access HokieMart from either a PC or Mac. The following browsers are currently supported by Jaggaer for use of HokieMart:
- Windows
- Internet Explorer (IE) – Only Version 11 (previous versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported. Users will be redirected to a page displaying recommended browsers.)
- Edge – Latest version with Windows 10
- Chrome – Latest version – automatically updated by Google
- Firefox – Latest version – automatically updated by Mozilla
- Macintosh
- Safari 4.0 and higher
- Firefox – Latest version – automatically updated by Mozilla
- iPad
- Safari – Embedded browser within the iPad
Please note, iPad is supported by Jaggaer, however, not all Supplier PunchOut sites will support the use of the device. Additionally, although Safari is supported by Jaggaer, not all Supplier PunchOut sites will support this browser.
Navigation
Top, right-hand side of the Home page
- Use the drop-down arrow to narrow search selections.
- The Quick Search bar is for locating documents by number.
- The Heart icon is used to access My Bookmarks, useful for frequently used forms.
- The Flag icon will include the number of Action Items you have to complete.
- The Bell icon will include the number of Notifications you have.
- The silhouette contains basic user information. Here you can view your profile.
Using the Search Tool, you can search for products, suppliers, forms, part numbers, etc.
The Announcements section displays important messages from Procurement.
Searching for a Document
Approvers will have the ability to search for documents, such as requisitions, purchase orders, and invoices, using their unique numbers.
From the Home Page of HokieMart, type in the document number that you would like to view in the top right corner search bar. After entering the number, select the magnifying glass icon.
Follow the same steps as above to view the Purchase Order (PO). Change the drop-down option to Purchase Order then type in the desire PO number and search.
User Profile and Notification Preferences
Each HokieMart Approver will have a personalized profile which must be created prior to performing HokieMart functions. Your profile is created by General Accounting when you submit your HokieMart Access Request Form.
Email Preferences
When a requisition or invoice is submitted in HokieMart and awaiting approval, emails can be automatically generated to notify Approvers. By default, certain email notification boxes will be selected. Approvers may choose to check additional email notification boxes to increase the level of individual notification. By placing the cursor over the description, a brief definition will be displayed to assist users in deciding.
- Select the silhouette icon.
- Select View My Profile.
- Navigate to the notification preferences section.
The notification preferences are categorized by type. Approvers will want to turn on notifications under the Shopping, Carts, and Requisitions section, as well as the Accounts Payable section. Select the type of notification from the menu and select the edit option.
In the edit section, select the type of notification you would like to modify from the drop-down menu (none, email, notification, or email and notification).
- None (Default) – No notifications are delivered by the system.
- Email – The system will send an email to your Virginia Tech email address.
- Notification – The system will add a notification to the Notifications Menu on the top of the HokieMart page.
- Email and Notification – The system will do both listed above (Recommended).
For requisition notifications, we recommend turning on the PR Pending Workflow Approval email and notification in the Shopping, Carts, and Requisitions section.
For invoice notifications, we recommend turning on the Invoice Pending Workflow Approval email and notification in the Accounts Payable section.
Document Approval Actions
As an Approver, you have the responsibility to review and verify the data on the PR. The Approver is responsible for ensuring that purchases are appropriate university expenditures.
As part of the review process, several actions may be taken, outlined in the sections below.
Managing Documents Awaiting Approval and Assigning the Document
Approvers can work their approvals on a notification basis, or they can view all documents needing their approval in a queue. From the home page of HokieMart, select the flag icon for action items.
Select the category of document, either Requisitions or Invoices, that you wish to approve. This will bring up your queue of requisitions and/or invoices awaiting your approval. If you have any documents that you have already assigned to yourself, you will see those listed as well.
Select the requisition or invoice number that you wish to review. The document will display for your review. Select the Assign and Further Actions option at the top right-hand side of the page. This will assign the requisition into your personal approval queue. This is important especially for departments with multiple approvers.
Reviewing a Requisition
Approvers are responsible for reviewing requisitions to ensure the appropriateness of organizational funding, correct account codes, and accurate shipping information for department purchases of goods and services. By approving a requisition, the Approver confirms the validity of the purchase.
Throughout the document, to edit, simply select the pencil icon.
Once assigned, the Approver must review and, if applicable, edit the document. The document cannot proceed through the workflow process until the Review is completed. The areas that can be edited are described in the following sections.
General Information
In this section of the review, Approvers can update the following fields of General Information:
Cart Name – The system will automatically assign a name for the cart unless users choose a unique name.
Priority – Approvers can modify the priority of the order. This should be left at normal unless the PO is above department delegation and a time sensitive or urgent purchase.
Accounting Date – This field should be left blank unless you wish to use funds from a future fiscal year. If using funds from the next fiscal year, enter 07/01/ and the year.
Shipping Information
The Ship To is the location where the materials will be delivered. The Requestor designates a Ship To address at the time the requisition is prepared.
As the approver, you will need to review the information and ensure it’s the proper Ship To contact and Virginia Tech Ship To location. To edit this section, select the pencil icon in the Shipping block.
The Send to Supplier field indicates if the HokieMart system is to automatically send a copy of the PO to the supplier upon completion of the requisition through the approval workflow. HokieMart Will Deliver indicates the system will send the PO to the supplier. User Will Deliver indicates the system will not send the PO to the supplier.
Approvers can then edit the contact information, change the shipping address, send to supplier method, or indicate if prepayment is required.
Bill To Address
The Bill To address will be Accounts Payable. This address should not be edited.
Purchase Order Funding
As the Approver, you will need to review the funding information closely to ensure accurate fund, organization, and account codes are being used.
To edit the funding information, select the pencil icon. After the updates are made, select Save to apply changes.
Account Codes are maintained by the Controller's Office.
Reviewing an Invoice
Like Requisitions, the Approver should review all invoices in their queue for appropriate organizational funding and correct account codes for the transaction. Approvers should also ensure timeliness of the payment by providing a quality control review of the date the invoice was received by the department and the date the invoice was submitted as a Payment Request in HokieMart.
Invoices needing approval are those generated by a Payment Request Form. These are forms designed to process a payment for pre-established transaction types.
The invoice approval process will mirror the purchase requisition approval workflow process. To maintain appropriate internal control, the approver must be different than the requestor. The Controller’s Office will conduct a quarterly review to ensure compliance.
Once assigned, the Approver must review and, if applicable, edit the document. The document cannot proceed through the workflow process until the Review is completed. An explanation of the information available on an invoice document is outlined below.
General Section
The General Section on invoices is broken into three (3) subsections:
1. Invoice Information
2. General Information
3. Dates Information
Approvers can see information such as who the supplier is that we are paying, what the supplier’s invoice number is, and what our internal HokieMart invoice number is.
The invoice number always starts with an E and ends with a D. This is the number users can use to pull up the invoice in HokieMart and Banner.
General Information is the next subsection. This subsection provides the Approver with key details, including the Requestor (Invoice Owner), the fact that the invoice originated from the Payment Request Form, and the supplier’s payment terms.
The final subsection under the General Section is the Dates Information. Here, Approvers will see dates such as the date the invoice was received by the department and the due date calculated based on the payment terms.
Approvers should review the Invoice Received Date to verify that the invoice was submitted into HokieMart for payment promptly upon receipt from the supplier.
Note/Attachments Section
The Note/Attachments Section pulls in the invoice and any payment backup information the Requisitioner attached on the Payment Request Form.
Payment Information Section
Once an e-invoice routes for approval and is completed, the document will integrate with Banner Finance. The Payment Information section on each e-invoice in HokieMart will show payment information once a disbursement is made in Banner.
Codes Section
Funding information will display under the Codes Section. Approvers should thoroughly review this information to ensure appropriate funding and account codes are applied to this payment.
Line-Item Details
The final section on an invoice will show the Approver more detailed information on the description and total cost of this payment.
Returning the Document
As an Approver, there may be times that you will need to return the requisition back to the requisitioner to make changes. Please note, the return function is only available on a Requisition Document and is not an action that can be taken on an invoice awaiting approval.
From the drop-down menu, select Return to Requisitioner. Please note, the requisition must be assigned to the approver to have this action as an option.
This will allow you to include a comment explaining why you are returning the requisition. When done, select Save Changes to complete the action.
Rejecting a Document
If you need to reject a requisition or invoice in full, you can perform this action within the system. However, the document will no longer be salvageable to the requisitioner and it will remain permanently rejected. This means that if reentry is needed to ensure a purchase order is issued or a payment is completed, the Requisitioner will need to reenter the requisition or Payment Request Form from scratch. A comment box will open which allows the Approver to add specific notes about the rejection. The note can be seen in the PO history.
Adding a Comment
Approvers can add comments to a Requisition, Invoice, or Purchase Order. In addition, a comment may be sent to other HokieMart users. If designated, notification of a comment will be transmitted via email to the designated recipients. Examples of situations where a comment might be useful are:
- To notify a HokieMart user to submit a receipt.
- To add an attachment.
- To add internal information to a transaction after the document has completed the workflow.
To add a comment, select the Comments Tab.
The drop-down menu will allow user comments from: All, Requisition, Purchase Order, Invoice, or Receipt. We recommend leaving this set to All.
To add a new comment, select the plus symbol in the upper right-hand corner.
- Add your comment to the text box.
- Add recipient(s) for the comment or select one of the recipients already listed.
- Include attachment to comment, optional.
When you are ready to post the comment, select the check mark symbol in the top right-hand corner of the Add Comment box. The comment will now become a permanent part of the Purchase Order or Requisition.
Note: Comments cannot be deleted or edited once posted to the document. Anyone with access to view this document in HokieMart can see the comments.
Approval Workflow and History of the Document
History Tab
This tab provides the entire history of the document process from creation and the individual steps in the process.
An Approver can view the approval steps and any history pertaining to the requisition or invoice by selecting the History tab.
Workflow
The workflow is listed on the right-hand side of each document within the HokieMart system. The workflow lists all the approval stages before the requisition is completed and turned into a PO or the invoice is integrated into Banner for payment. The workflow provides transparency so that document viewers can see the real time progress of a given purchase requisition or invoice.
Other Actions
There are additional steps that may be taken from the drop-down menu.
If you have chosen Assign to place a requisition or invoice in your Approvals folder, you must take action on the document. You do have the ability to take alternative actions.
Return to Shared Folder – Places the document back into the organization folder. This will release you from the approver responsibility and allow another approver to assign the requisition.
Place on Hold – There may be times that you wish to delay action. Using this option, it will not require any action until you change the date.
Forward To – This will forward the document to another assigned Approver. If this option is selected, you will be able to choose another Approver to assume responsibility for approving the requisition or invoice.
General Contact Information
HokieMart – Questions concerning HokieMart functions (rejected/pending PRs and POs), appropriate form usage and procedures, and supplier receipt of orders.
Accounts Payable – Questions concerning the payment of invoices, encumbrances, and expenditures or questions concerning electronic receiving.
Fixed Assets – Questions regarding fixed assets.
General Accounting – Questions concerning Banner Finance Reports or questions concerning updating or adding roles (Receiver, Requestor, Approver) or access to funding.