Department Home page

eBuy Frequently Asked Questions

Accessing eBuy

  1. What browsers and operating systems can I use to access eBuy?
  2. I am a Mac user and I am having difficulty accessing eBuy. What should I do?
  3. What User ID and password should I use to access eBuy?
  4. I don’t have access to Preq system, can I still shop on eBuy?
  5. I get too many emails from the eBuy system – how can I reduce them?

Definition of Roles in eBuy

  1. What is a Shopper?
  2. What is a Requester?
  3. What is the role of PReq Initiators in eBuy?
  4. How do I become a Requester or Initiator?

Shopping

  1. What are my spending limits in eBuy?
  2. Should I start using eBuy instead of my Pcard and purchases from Internal Stores?
  3. Why are my eBuy searches not returning results from all of the suppliers?
  4. What is the difference between a hosted catalog and a punch-out catalog?
  5. Why can't I change quantities on some items in my shopping cart?
  6. Can I request that a specific supplier be added to eBuy?
  7. What is the "Time-Out Session"?

Payment & Shipping

  1. Can I use my Purchasing Card or Blanket PO # to pay for my eBuy order?
  2. If I purchase multiple items in one shopping session, can I charge each item to a different budget or fund/MFK’s?

Submitting Your Order

  1. When I submit my order, does it go directly to the supplier?
  2. How do I know if I can edit items in a shopping cart?
  3. How will I know when my order has been processed?
  4. Do I need to submit receipts or packing slips for my order?

Receiving Your Order

  1. What should I do if I don't receive all my items or if my shipment is incorrect or damaged?

Training & Support

  1. Where can I obtain hard copies of the eBuy training materials?
  2. Whom can I contact for further assistance?

Account Confirmation

  1. How do I approve invoices from eBuy purchases? Do I need to create a voucher for all eBuy transactions?

Accessing eBuy

  1. What browsers and operating systems can I use to access eBuy?
    See Browser Support documentation from Sciquest.
  2. I am a Mac user and I am having difficulty accessing eBuy. What should I do?
    Try using Mozilla Firefox instead.
  3. What User ID and password should I use to access eBuy?
    Use your Hawk ID and password to access the eBuy system.
  4. I don’t have access to Preq system, can I still shop on eBuy?
    Yes and use your Hawk ID and password to access the eBuy system through Self-Service.  You will then assign your shopping cart to your departmental Requester. 
  5. I get too many emails from the eBuy system – how can I reduce them?
    The next time you login to eBuy, click the Profile tab.  From there, click the User Settings Tab, Email Preferences sub-tab.  Uncheck the boxes for any emails you do not need to receive.  Please be aware that if you are a Requester, you may miss a critical alert about an urgent purchase. 
    6. To continue receiving the emails but streamline your Microsoft Outlook Inbox, use the rules function to sort eBuy-related emails to a separate folder.
    ↑top

Definition of Roles in eBuy

  1. What is a Shopper?
    In eBuy, this is the person who chooses/uses items being purchased.
  2. What is a Requester?
    In eBuy, this is the person who enters purchase data into PReqs system.  They are designated by department to oversee purchasing process in eBuy and have authority to place orders.
  3. What is the role of PReq Initiators in eBuy?
    In eBuy, Initiators are called Requesters and have the authority to approve carts and forward the resulting PReqs to WorkFlow.
  4. How do I become a Requester or Initiator?
    Talk to your Departmental Administrator. 
    5. ↑top

Shopping

  1. What are my spending limits in eBuy?
    There is no limit in eBuy for shopping; however, all eBuy orders will require various departmental and other approvals to be processed.  Orders >$10,000 or with capital equipment will require Purchasing Department review. Additionally, your departmental Financial Officer may require additional approvals. Contact your Financial Officer if you are not sure what these rules are.
  2. Should I start using eBuy instead of my Pcard and purchases from Internal Stores?
    No, this is another procurement tool and it’s not intended to replace any of the current systems.
  3. Why are my eBuy searches not returning results from all of the suppliers?
    There are two different types of catalogs on eBuy: hosted and punch-out. The eBuy search function will only return results from hosted catalogs currently in our test environment.  When we go live, the searches will include both punch-out and hosted catalogs.
  4. What is the difference between a hosted catalog and a punch-out catalog?
    In a hosted catalog, The University of Iowa maintains the supplier's part numbers, item descriptions, and prices within the eBuy system. You can use the eBuy search function to search hosted catalogs by keyword or catalog number, but items in punch-out catalogs are not included in this eBuy search. To search for items in a punch-out catalog, you must first select the specific catalog you wish to search. Then you will seamlessly leave the eBuy site and be linked directly to the punch-out supplier's catalog. You can search for products in this catalog using the supplier's search and add these products to your shopping cart that will be returned to eBuy for processing.
  5. Why can't I change quantities on some items in my shopping cart?
    Some items that are configured on a punch-out supplier's web site, such as computers and furniture, cannot be modified once they are in your eBuy shopping cart. You must delete the item or cart and start again if you need to change the quantity.   This functionality is supplier based.
  6. Can I request that a specific supplier be added to eBuy?
    Suppliers were invited to participate in eBuy based on the spend volume, number of transactions and transactions size and departmental use.  The Purchasing Department is happy to take your feedback on this matter and consider it for future phases.
  7. What is the "Time-Out Session"?
    A new “Time-Out Session” indicator appears at the top of the suppliers punch-out site tracking your session time. For security purposes a shopping session on a supplier’s punch-out site will terminate after 20 minutes. If more time is required to complete your order, please click on the “Reset Session” link to refresh your time to another allotted 20 minutes.
    8. ↑top

Payment & Shipping

  1. Can I use my Purchasing Card or Blanket PO # to pay for my eBuy order?
    No.
  2. If I purchase multiple items in one shopping session, can I charge each item to a different budget or fund/MFK’s?
    Yes. You may have multiple MFK’s for order.  Simply indicate the desired MFKs in the Internal Notes and your Requester will enter the information appropriately.
    3. ↑top

Submitting Your Order

  1. When I submit my order, does it go directly to the supplier?
    Depending on your roles, when a Shopper submits the eBuy cart, it will go to the Requester to submit the order. Requesters can place the order and it will auto load to the PReq process.  Additional approvals may be required based on dollar limits, departmental rules and the presence of capital equipment in the cart.  A minimum of 2 PReqs approvals will be necessary for all of these orders.
  2. How do I know if I can edit items in a shopping cart?
    Once a Requester/Initiator submits the cart to WorkFlow and a PReq # (W000…) is assigned, the order(s) cannot be edited.
  3. How will I know when my order has been processed?
    In eBuy, you will be able to set email preferences that will enable you to receive email notification as the order goes through the approval process.
  4. Do I need to submit receipts or packing slips for my order?
    No. Suppliers will submit invoices to Accounts Payable for processing.
    5. ↑top

Receiving Your Order

  1. What should I do if I don't receive all my items or if my shipment is incorrect or damaged?
    You will need to contact the supplier directly to resolve any problem(s) with your order. Contact information and/or instructions are provided on your order confirmation or packing slip.
    2. ↑top

Training & Support

  1. Where can I obtain hard copies of the eBuy training materials?
    See eBuy training materials.
  2. Whom can I contact for further assistance?
    You may e-mail questions to ebuy@uiowa.edu or you may call 319-335-0115.
    3. ↑top

Account Confirmation

  1. How do I approve invoices from eBuy purchases? Do I need to create a voucher for all eBuy transactions?
    Unless the order contains capital equipment or is >$10,000, no approvals are required.  When approvals are required, they will be handled in the same manner as for non-eBuy orders.
    2. ↑top