Blanket Orders

We have blanket orders with the following companies:

• Barnes & Noble

• Yankee Book Peddler

• Harrassowitz

• MIPP International

• Aux Amateurs de Livers

• Literal Books

• Kubon & Sagner

• East View Publications

A blanket order is a purchase order issued by the campus procurement office to cover all of our purchases for unspecified items from that vendor during the fiscal year up to a given dollar amount. Blanket orders are only opened when we have a contract with the vendor, if we do a high volume of business with the vendor, or if we routinely do business with the vendor but can't effectively use VISA (usually this occurs with a foreign vendor that can't provide price/availability information). The state requires that we have a FEID or FEID (Federal Employer Identification Number) or Social Security Number for all U.S. vendors that we issue a purchase order to.

Set-up

The Acquisitions Librarian gives authorization to request a blanket order for books with a given vendor for a specific dollar amount. The High Volume Ordering Coordinator requests the blanket order via a Requisition Form in the Peoplesoft procurement system. The campus accounting office approves the blanket order and sends a print copy to the vendor. Thereafter, we're able to send library purchase orders directly to the vendor via their ordering system, via e-mail, or by mailing Aleph purchase order with the campus purchase order number (PO #) included in the order in the Order Number 2 field.

Procedures

• For YBP orders, duplicate search then place the order in GOBI. The order will be automatically sent to Aleph via EDI. If there is a matching bib record in Aleph, include the system number in the GOBI Aleph System Number field to cause the order to attach to the existing bib record in Aleph. Orders will appear in Aleph two days after placed in GOBI. GOBI ordering is completely paperless--no printouts or other paper are needed. The Acquisitions Librarian will monitor ordering via e-mail notifications and reports.

• For Barnes & Noble orders, duplicate search then place the order in Barnes & Noble (you must have an account set-up) and in Aleph. Print both orders and the order confirmation from Barnes & Noble and place in a labeled folder and put in Acquisitions Librarians in-box so that she can monitor. Folders will be filed in a special Barnes & Noble file drawer.

• For other vendors, create the order in Aleph and e-mail or print and mail orders in accordance with your own and the vendor's preference. Rush orders should always be e-mailed. Put print-outs of the Aleph order in the appropriate "to be signed tray" so that the Acquisitions Librarian can monitor. Printouts will be filed in a special Assorted Vendors file drawer in a file folder for the appropriate vendor.

Payment

When goods are received in the library, authorized accounting and receiving staff confirm that all of the goods specified on the invoice are included in the package, and sign a "Goods & Services" stamp on the invoice, which is a sworn statement that we have received all of the materials as specified on the invoice. Acquisitions staff confirm that the materials received are materials that we ordered and receive them in Aleph. The invoice is then released back to Accounting & Receiving, and they approve the invoice in both Peoplesoft and Aleph. The invoice then goes to the campus Accounts Payable Department, which authorizes the payment, causing the State of Maryland to issue a check to the vendor.

Procurement Card (VISA)

A Procurement Card, or VISA card, is a simple credit card, owned by the state, but issued in the name of a specific staff member, for that person's use, for matters of official state business. VISA is UMBC's preferred procurement method for all small purchases. Both the High Volume Ordering Coordinator and Special Ordering Technician have Procurement Cards to make VISA purchases. All VISA purchases must be authorized in advance by the Acquisitions Librarian or the Head of Technical Services.

Procedures: Frequently Used Vendors

Frequently-used VISA vendors are:

• Amazon.com

• Amazon.com.uk

• Amazon.com.de

• Amazon.com.fr

• Arkiv Musik

• Barnes & Noble.com

• Facets

• Films Media Group

• Insights

• JPC

• PBS Video

• Powell's

• SheetMusicPlus.com

Frequently used vendors are established by the Acquisitions Librarian. Once established as a Frequently Used Vendor, VISA orders with the company can be prepared with just the vendor database record printout and the Library Purchase Orders (with the word VISA in the Order Number 2 field), without any additional supporting documentation.

When preparing orders for these companies, follow these steps:

• Search the vendor database and print the database record of available items. Be sure to include as many pages of the record as necessary so that all detail information is included.

• Create orders in Aleph with the word VISA in the Order Number 2 field.

• Print 3 copies of the Aleph library purchase orders.

• Attach the Aleph purchase orders to the back of the vendor database printout.

• Bundle all of that vendor's orders together and put a "Book Order Worksheet 1 VISA ORDER Pre-approved Vendor" sheet on top.

• Put the bundle in the PO's To Be Signed Tray.

Procedures: Other VISA orde