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eBuy Announcements

Our newest eBuy vendor! Ferguson Enterprises!

Questions regarding eBuy can be directed via email to ebuy@uiowa.edu.

A few “Helpful Hints” are listed below based upon feedback from eBuy users:

Operating System/Browsers/Punch-Out Sites

Information on the supported Operating Systems and Browsers for eBuy is available on the Training Materials page via the link noted above. Most of campus is using Internet Explorer to access eBuy. A few people have encountered security issues, however. In these cases using Mozilla Firefox instead of Internet Explorer seems to resolve the issue. There have also been some isolated problems with a few of the Punch-Out catalogs, particularly Grainger, CDW-G, and Sigma-Aldrich.  Adding the following web sites to your trusted sites should resolve these issues. www.grainger.com, www.cdwg.com, www.sigmaaldrich.com. Documentation on many of the Punch-Out catalogs is also available in the Supplier Catalog/Website Training section of the Training Materials page.

“Lost” Carts

To locate your cart in PReqs after it has been approved in eBuy, click on the Browse links in the eBuy Shopping Carts section of your PReqs Home page. Or you can search using the Catalog Order Search in the PReq Sidebar. It is important to remember that the process of creating a Purchase Order requires two steps once the Shopping Cart has been uploaded to PReqs from eBuy. The first step is to add the Accounting Information (MFK) to the Shopping Cart, review the Ship To and Line Item information, update as needed, and click the Submit button at the bottom of the panel. A PReq will then be created for each Supplier on the Shopping Cart. The Initiator/Requester must then access each PReq and send it to Workflow.

Changing Ship To Codes in PReqs

The Ship To Code field is updatable and can be changed on either the Shopping Cart or on the resulting Purchase Requisition in PReqs. It is important to make sure that the Ship To Code that defaults based on the Requester ID is correct. This Code determines where the items you have requested will be delivered.

Adding Initiators and/or Requesters

To add additional staff members in your department as either Initiators or Requesters, click on the PReqs Access Form in the PReqs sidebar.  Contact Chris Leichty @ 5-0384 with questions regarding this form.

Please direct comments, questions, or concerns to eBuy@uiowa.edu.

Testimonials

Approximately 1,000 of your UI colleagues successfully used eBuy in its first month.  Here’s what some of them have to say:

  • “I really like eBuy.  I was skeptical at first, but it’s so slick and easy.  Thanks to you and your team for implementing it.”  -Diann Pavelka, UI Research Park
  • “I was a skeptic; now am an enthusiastic supporter of eBuy.  It’s working great for me.  What I like: a. No reconciliation; b. Audit trail to validate when purchase was made and from whom and the amount – that is electronically searchable.”  -Jerry Pike, Facilities Management
  • “eBuy is great!  It’s so fast and efficient.  More importantly, it will help us organize our purchasing and save the University money.”  -Lori Bassler, Internal Medicine
  • “We are using E-Buy to purchase several items in our department.  It is efficient and easy-to-use.  The approval process has been streamlined by the use of workflow.  I look forward to expanded use of this technology.”  -Jeanne Myers, Anatomic Pathology
  • “I was absolutely thrilled when I used your easy to follow program…The convenience of your program has implemented it all into one easy process and I no longer have to put all the information into the orders as the information is already known by your system…..We here on campus do not show your department the gratitude you deserve with all this new programming and I, for one, needed to let you know.   It is great and has been a long time coming.  A process I used to dread is a piece of cake now.”  -Kay Wheeler, Tippie College of Business

If you have feedback you want to share, email it to eBuy@uiowa.edu.

Join your colleagues who enjoy the many advantages of using eBuy:

  • One login to access UI contract pricing from 12 suppliers
  • Streamlined order processing
  • No sole-source or other supporting documents required on eBuy purchases of >$10,000
  • Fewer ordering errors
  • Real-time access to data for budget reports
  • Reduce paper catalogs on campus
  • No reconciling or CVing
  • Guaranteed UI contract pricing