Finance and Administration

Award of Distinction for Loss Prevention

On May 13, 2009, Florida State University’s Department of Environmental Health and Safety (FSUEH&S) received from the state of Florida Interagency Advisory Council On Loss Prevention (IAC) the “Award of Distinction for Loss Prevention”. The IAC is sponsored by the Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Risk Management.

This award recognizes the University’s dedicated efforts in loss prevention through an objective comparison of the University’s’ safety program to established best practices in loss prevention. The University was recognized by the IAC as having a safety program that far exceeds minimum standards for recognition.

From Left, R.J. Castellanos, Department of Financial Services, Donna O’Neal, Deputy Chief Financial Officer for the Department of Financial Services, Laymon Gray, FSU (Executive Committee Member IAC), Dave Wiggins Chair of the IAC

Laymon Gray of FSUEH&S attended the awards ceremony on behalf of the University.

Law Enforcement Torch Run

Law Enforcement Officers from over 300 Florida agencies participate in the state wide-torch run to benefit the athletes of the Special Olympics Florida. Every year more than 3000 officers carry the torch through 60 Florida counties. The Torch Run started on March 30th and will culminate at the Opening Ceremonies on May 15, 2009.

Left to right, Lt. Trumbower, Sgt Cutchins, Maj. Sprague and Sgt Murphy

This year 4 members of the Florida State University Police Department participated in the Law Enforcement Torch Run. Major Lisa Sprague, Lieutenant Jason Trumbower, Sergeant TJ Cutchins and Sergeant Thomas Murphy.

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Blanket Purchase Orders Becoming Obsolete

In order to monitor the prices charged by FSU contract vendors and to enable the University to capture accurate data regarding the goods and services purchased, we will be significantly reducing the number of blanket purchase orders issued to cover routine operating expenses. Effective July 1, 2009 blanket purchase orders will be replaced by a combination of ordering through the OMNI E-Market and use of the FSU Visa Purchasing Card (“the P-card”).

Purchasing through the OMNI E-Market brings accuracy, efficiency and speed to the ordering process. Many of the E-Market catalogs “punch-out” to the vendor’s own website, ensuring that the stock numbers are the vendor’s current product listing. Model numbers and stock-keeping units (SKU’s) are subject to change throughout the year; the vendors in the E-Market are required to keep their catalogs up to date, and to honor the pricing shown in their on-line E-Market catalog. In the past, the inadvertent transposition of stock numbers or pricing, the omission of crucial ordering information, or out-dated pricing frequently led to delays in shipping. Quite often, duplicate orders were received, when more than one departmental representative was contacted by a vendor who couldn’t process our purchase order. The E-Market significantly reduces these problems.

The E-Market also streamlines the ordering process. Orders placed through the E-Market are eligible for “auto-sourcing.” Auto-sourcing bypasses additional review by Purchasing Services and dispatches your purchase order directly to the vendor after all internal approvals have been secured. Using the E-Market can shorten the ordering process from days to minutes! Currently, 17 companies are available through E-Market; our goal is to expand this vendor list to 40 over the next few years.

Using the FSU P-card is another option available to departments. Like the E-Market, P-card orders are placed directly with vendors in a matter of minutes and are far more flexible than blanket orders. More vendors accept the P-card than accept blanket purchase orders, and there is no need to set up and monitor a purchase order for each vendor you might use during the year. If one vendor can’t supply the items you need when you need them, the P-card lets you shop until you find a vendor who can.

To schedule an on-sight demonstration of the E-Market, or to learn more about the P-card, please contact Nancy Milburn, Strategic Sourcing Manager, at 644-9725 or nmilburn@admin.fsu.edu.