Complex Procurement Processes
Comment - It is currently quite difficult to understand the 'big picture' of the procurement processes on campus.
Answer - All the relevant regulations regarding procurement appear on the Technion website under the 'Administration' tab. These regulations (in Hebrew only, though) assist in understanding the entire procurement process on campus. During 2024, the procurement department will begin training new administrative and academic faculty members to assist in streamlining and making the entire procurement process much more accessible.
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Comment- Handling of orders, especially ones from overseas, is sometimes quite delayed without the ordering party knowing that he/she is supposed to perform any action.
The person issuing the order - usually an academic staff member - cannot track the order, so in case the order 'got stuck' at some control checkpoint, the ordering party does not know about the delay.
Answer - Any party issuing an order in the SAP system can track the order from the minute it was issued right up to its delivery to the lab. For further assistance, please contact your faculty's administrator or Simona Goldstein:
| simonago@technion.ac.il |
Purchasing Equipment
Comment - The number of procurement employees dedicated to supporting the purchasing of equipment is too scarce, in my opinion. In addition, the procurement personnel is physically distant from the researchers, so new academic staff members are required to spend many hours in negotiations with equipment suppliers, then bargaining leverages are also affected since each Principal Investigator operates as an individual.
Answer - An additional employee was recently hired in the Purchasing department designated to handle the procurement of laboratory equipment. One can always contact them and even arrange a meeting. Purchase consolidation is performed in all cases known to us.
Goods Receipts
Comment - When one has issued an order, then later on one receives an email requesting goods confirmation, alas many times the lab that has issued the order did not get the goods, so it might be the goods were delivered to an adjacent lab or weren't delivered at all, therefore one cannot confirm receipt of the goods.
Answer - The goods' receipt is sent via the "Nipendu" supplier portal. If the goods have not yet arrived at the lab, one can reject the invoice and write a note to the supplier: "The items did not reach their destination, and therefore the invoice was not approved.
Another option is to approve the invoice only once the items arrive at the lab.
It is impossible to cancel the option to receive emails for goods that were not delivered.
Tracking Order Confirmations
Comment - Currently campus regulations obligate an additional signature only for goods prices that are above 50,000 NIS. Please consider adding such a signature for real-time budget monitoring.
Answer - Adding the signature tier will inevitably delay the procurement process. In case there is a specific need for tighter budgetary control, one can contact the SAP department and ask to create a specific purchasing approval process that will meet this particular need.