Workday: How Blanket Order Options Work

08/11/2020

Saint Louis University is several weeks post go-live with Workday. The University’s Division of Finance and Business Services is offering a review of the blanket order options available to departments in the system.

The blanket order options in Workday are significantly different than what departments were accustomed to in Billiken Buy. It is critical that the job aids are followed to ensure that purchase orders and invoices can be correctly applied.

How It Works

The two options for blanket orders in Workday are:

Blanket Order option for Non-Catalog Goods and Services

• You expect to receive multiple invoices throughout the fiscal year for one supplier.
• You do not plan to create purchase orders from a punchout catalog against the blanket order. Punchout catalogs are shopping catalogs such as Staples, Dell, Fisher, Amazon, etc. where you “punchout” to the vendor catalog from Billiken Buy.

Workday Task: Create Requisition

• Requisition Type: Standard Purchase Order
  • This non-catalog order should always be issued for services so that multiple invoices can be keyed against it and multiple receipts can be entered to approve these invoices.
  • The supplier will receive a copy of the purchase order, including the dollar amount.
  • Pre-encumbrance takes place when the purchase order is issued.

Visit this link to learn more about Blanket Orders for Non-Catalog Goods of Services job aid.

Supplier Contract – Blanket Order Option for Punchout Suppliers

• You expect to use a punchout catalog in Billiken Buy for purchases (example punchout vendors include: Staples, CDW-G, Dell, Fisher Scientific, McKesson Medical-Surgical, VWR).
  • These “release” purchase orders will be issued to the supplier from Billiken Buy and draw down the balance of the supplier contract – the release order job aid can be found here.
  • The “release” purchase orders do not route for approval like standard purchase orders – they are issued immediately.
  • Workday Task: Create Supplier Contract
  • Contract Type: Blanket Order for Punchout Supplier
  • Supplier contracts do not get issued to the supplier – they do not receive a copy of the supplier contract.
  • Supplier contracts do not create a pre-encumbrance. Instead, encumbrance happens when the “release” purchase orders are issued.
  • Suppliers will bill invoices against the release orders that they receive.
  • Invoices cannot be direct keyed against supplier contracts.

Visit this link to learn more about Supplied Contract Blanket Orders for Punchout Suppliers job aid.

The Blanket Order Decision Tree can be referenced if you are unsure which blanket order option is suitable for the goods/services/supplier that you need.

Contact Business Services or billikenbuyadmin@slu.edu if you need further guidance.

Submitted by Anne Becker.