From: C.D. Crepps To: Department Contacts Cc: Finance Office Subject: year-end purchasing-part 1 Sent: MON,APR22@10:19AM GREETINGS, Hope everyone enjoyed the Easter holiday in some way or another! This reminder message is specifically for staff that may assist in the department’s purchasing processes. Please forward to other appropriate staff that may need to receive this message, such as those that EITHER (1) place orders for goods or services, (2) enter requisitions, OR (3) consult with others who do perform either of the first two tasks, AND may not have received this message directly from me. Part 2 of this message will be sent next month. I will be periodically broadcasting information to all of you via email, yet please do not hesitate to contact me by phone or email if you should have any questions or concerns for me about what is communicated. While I am sensitive to the fact that this email message is lengthy, please understand that the topic is not simple. I’ve used headings to group my thoughts. Many times, electrical blackouts come without warning. During an electrical blackout with no backup power source, you can imagine your change in comfort levels. How unfortunate! Below, however, is a forewarning for which many of you have already prepared. Another “new order blackout period” has been planned! See details below. A. GUIDELINES FOR YEAR END PURCHASING To avoid confusion and extra work, please refrain from having any goods and materials shipped after June 24, the last week of the fiscal year. No requisitions should be entered on the last business day of the year (Friday, June 28) or on the first business day of the year (Monday, July 1). And, remember that a requisition should be started when placing the order, including an order for services. And, as a reminder, please feel free to place new orders against your budget, as long as sufficient available budget exists, when placing that order, within the department's budget for other operating expenditures, until the beginning of the new order blackout period. Please attach a printed quote for support. B. NEW ORDER BLACKOUT PERIOD = JUNE 9 TO JULY 8 NEW ORDER BLACKOUT PERIOD = JUNE 9 TO JULY 8 This period relates to placing NEW orders as we approach the end of the current budget year. This period corresponds to the monthly cycle of the Fidelity Visa credit card. The last day to place NEW orders for the fiscal year budget that ends June 30, 2019 is: SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2019 (effectively Friday, June 7, 2019) The first day to place NEW orders for the fiscal year budget that begins July 1, 2019 is: TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2019 The period between these dates is referred to as the “new order blackout period”. New orders placed during this blackout period should be for emergencies and unforeseen circumstances only, such as repairs or replacements needed due to inoperability of certain equipment (including vehicles and air conditioning units), and for other various items for which County employees cannot control or delay. No supplies should be ordered during this period. Make arrangements to order supplies earlier or later, as needed, to avoid placing orders for supplies during the new order blackout period. Supplies purchased during this time should also be for emergencies and unforeseen circumstances only. Make Notes: ---Continue to schedule URGENT repairs and maintenance items for vehicles and for other equipment, unless waiting does not harm your operations. ---Planned maintenance (and some repairs) should be scheduled outside the blackout period. ---ALL supplies should be ordered outside the blackout period. Plan ahead. For future reference, Finance will keep the dates for the “new order blackout period” the same; no new orders should be placed from June 9 to July 8 each year. C. PAYMENTS AND OTHER FINANCIAL ACTIVITY UNAFFECTED To clarify, this blackout period does not affect payments. Payments will continue to be processed during this “new order blackout period”. Also, ongoing services should not be stopped. Entry of the following requisitions on or before June 8 is preferred, when possible: - requisitions of allowances and other payments for the SSA Representative Payees served by Social Services - requisitions of payment for foster care served by Social Services - requisitions of payroll-related matters D. CREDIT CARDS During the "new order blackout period", credit cards may continue to be used for travel-related expenditures. No other purchases on the credit card should be made during this period. As a reminder, throughout the year, credit cards may be used for travel-related expenditures and to purchase goods and materials when no other method of payment is accepted by the vendor. As always, the County's first preference is to initiate payment from Finance, where the County is billed or invoiced by the vendor. Reference the County's policy on merchant card use for more information. CONTACT ME I am available for one on one discussion and will gladly assist you in any way necessary. We appreciate your time and cooperation with streamlining year-end orders and payments for those orders. Best regards, --CD