A purchase requisition is a formal request to buy goods or services from a supplier. It is created in Workday and routed through an approval workflow before reaching the Purchasing Department. Once received, Purchasing reviews the requisition to ensure it is complete, complies with applicable policies and procedures, and that the purchase provides fair pricing and a reasonable delivery timeline.
Creating and Submitting Requisitions
If a campus contract exists for the goods or services you need, it must be used first before considering other suppliers.
Goods or services should not be received without first submitting a requisition and receiving an issued purchase order. Involving Purchasing and your buyer in the process early is important and ensures a smooth procurement process.
In Workday, all employees have access to create and submit requisitions. A requisition should include all necessary information related to the purchase, including:
- Quote
- Estimate/scope of work
- Selected supplier
- Clear purchase description
- Appropriate spend category
- Applicable worktags
It should also include any relevant approvals or notes to assist the buyer with processing, such as deposit requirements, contract signature deadlines, or other time-sensitive details.
Guidance for Submitting a Requisition
Refer to the for step-by-step guidance.
Search for Suppliers
- Use the ) system to search all suppliers registered with the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE).
- Visit the Campus Contracts webpage to view current campus-wide contracts for commonly purchased goods and services.
Requisition Best Practices
Refer to the following best practices when creating a requisition in Workday.
Selecting Requisition Type
Choosing the appropriate requisition type in Workday is essential to ensuring your request is routed correctly, approved without delay, and processed efficiently by Purchasing. The following requisition types are available to select from:
- Goods and services: used for standard goods purchases or services.
- Open-ended/Blanket PO request: procuring goods or services over a defined period of time, e.g.: fiscal year or contract term with the intent of multiple payments/invoices.
Guest speakers or independent contractors requisition types are not currently used. To see the payment request process for guest speakers or independent contractors, refer to the Independent Contractor Services Agreement (ICSA) for Guest Speakers or Short-Term Services.
Requisition Setup Tips
- Use Service Lines wherever possible unless purchasing trackable assets as defined by Property Control that require the use of Goods Lines.
- Avoid the use of line splits where possible.
- Do not use freight and other charges fields in the requisition header, instead use a service line with a freight spend category.
- Exclude Personally Identifiable Information (PII) from line descriptions and external memos. Line descriptions and item descriptions should match the quote, including part numbers, item descriptions, service descriptions, etc.
- For Services and Open-Ended/Blanket Purchase Orders, ensure that your start and end dates reflect the dates of service
Adding Attachments
When adding attachments to a requisition, each supporting document should be uploaded as an individual document, including if applicable
- Contract Documents
- Quotes
- Accessibility Approval
- Host Forms
- Additional quotes if required
- Competitive Exceptions
Contracts or documents that require a signature should be attached as a Word document.
Policy and Compliance
- Accessibility: Incoming digital content, software, and information and communications technology (ICT) products need to be reviewed for accessibility before purchase, adoption, or renewal in accordance with 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó’s Accessibility Policy. Obtain accessibility review and approval by emailing accessibilityresourceteam@unlv.edu with supporting documents, including supplier name, contracts, quotes, and other correspondence.
- Host forms: Any requisition using the hosting detail code must have a signed hosting form attached
Requisition Checklist
- Supplier: Refer to or the Campus Contracts webpage to select the appropriate supplier. If searching for a supplier, you can search by spend category in or contact your assigned buyer.
- Worktags: Identify the appropriate worktags for the purchase, including:
- Spend Category
- Program
- Gift
- Grant
- Project
- Detail/Activity Codes
- Item Description: Descriptions must match the quote or contract (part number, item description, or service description) and exclude irrelevant details or PII. Refer to requisition setup best practices above.
- Start and End Dates (for services): Indicate when the service begins and ends.
- Attachments: Attach all relevant documents as separate attachments. Refer to the attachments best practices above.
Processing Times and Expectations
While the complexity of each purchase request can vary, Purchasing processed the majority of FY25 requisitions within 0–5 days. Factors that may extend processing time include, but are not limited to:
- Incomplete or missing documentation on the requisition
- Contract redline, legal review, negotiations, and signature routing
- Facilitating formal solicitations
- Evaluation of competitive exception requests and justifications
- Obtaining insurance certificates
- Approvals
- Budget failure
If a requisition cannot be processed within 5 business days, your purchasing buyer is responsible for communicating the delay and providing an update on the status.
Requisition Business Process
A requisition follows a business process that includes approvals from the managers of the worktags used, the manager of the employee who submitted the requisition, and additional approvals based on the selected spend categories. The status of the requisition can be tracked in the process history. A requisition is not received by Purchasing until it is in a successfully completed status.