Help
If you require help with training content, system access, or other aspects of Unimarket, please contact AskOtago.
If you have questions about an order or purchase request, please contact your local Supply Chain hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below you will find a list of questions and answers related to Unimarket. This list will be regularly updated with relevant information.
Q.01. What is Unimarket?
A. Unimarket is an e-procurement platform previously in use by some divisions of university operations. It has been expanded to include almost all requisition, purchase order and invoice-matching activity accross the entire organisation.
Q.02. Why is the University of Otago doing this project?
A. The University of Otago’s Unimarket Enhancement project seeks to replace a number of disparate purchasing systems with a single modern user-friendly purchasing tool: the Unimarket platform. The University has chosen to extend and enhance the use of Unimarket across its wider divisions because of the many benefits it will bring.
Q.03. When did the University roll out this project/when was Go-Live?
A. Unimarket went live on Monday 17th of April 2023.
Q.04. Who can access Unimarket?
A. All University staff members, post-graduate students and contractors will be able to access Unimarket using Single Sign-on.
Q.05. How do I access Unimarket?
A. You can access Unimarket via the University of Otago ‘Otago staff’ page, or by visiting Unimarket directly.
Q.06. Is Unimarket going to replace Finance One?
A. No. Finance One will remain the core finance system of the University but Unimarket will replace the purchasing module.
Q.07. How does the approval process work in Unimarket?
A. All requisitions created in Unimarket will go through an approval process. Once your requisition has been completed by your relevant Supply Chain Hub, it will automatically be routed to the first person in the approval chain. Depending on the requisition value and account code/s used, it may require multiple people to approve before it is sent to the supplier.
In some instances, there may be additional approvers for certain categories of purchases. Examples include purchases where permits are required, and purchases of IT hardware and software.
Q.08. Are existing standing orders going to be loaded into Unimarket?
A. Where possible, existing purchase orders will be completed in Finance One. After most transactions have been completed, the remaining transactions will be moved to Unimarket.
Q.09. Where can I find out more information about Unimarket?
A. More information can be found at the following sites:
- University of Otago Unimarket training site (this site)
- University of Otago Unimarket communications blog
- Unimarket Community Help page
Q.10. Whom do I contact for any Unimarket related enquiries?
- If you require help with training content, system access, or other aspects of Unimarket, please contact AskOtago.
- If you have questions about an order or purchase request, please contact your local Supply Chain hub.
Q.11. Which Supply Chain Hub am I supported by?
A. The Supply Chain Hubs and the areas they support is detailed below:
North Hub: Sciences Divisional Office; Statistics; Botany; Coastal People: Southern Skies CORE; Chemistry; Computer Science; Geology; Human Nutrition; Mathematics; Physics; Dodd-Walls Centre (CORE); Marine Science; Marine Science Boats; Psychology; Surveying; Science Communication; PE Sport & Exercise Sciences; Food Science; Biochemistry; Microbiology & Immunology; Research Infrastructure (OGF & CPR)
SOM Hub (Dunedin): Deans Office; General Practice & Rural Health; Preventice & Social Med; Psychological Med; Womens & Child Health; Medicine; Surgical Science; Bioethics; Otago Med School
SOM Hub (Wellington): Obstetrics & Gynaecology; Pathology; Surgery; Paediatrics; Public Health; Radiation Therapy; Psychological Med; General Practice
SOM Hub (Christchurch): General Practice; Population Health; Uni of Christchurch; Medicine; Centre of PG Nursing; Obstetrics & Gynaecology; Orthopedics; Paediatrics; Pathology; Psychological Med; Radiology; Surgery, Ortho, Anaesthesia
Property Hub: Colleges; Property Services; Energy/Custodial; Campus Development
South Hub: Anatomy; Pharmacology & Toxicology; Physiology; Pharmacy; Pathology; National Poisons Centre; NZ Pharmacovigilance Centre
West Hub: Zoology; Dental School; Dental Clinics; HTRU; Physiotherapy; Ngāi Tahu Māori Health Research Unit; The Centre for Global Health; Interprofessional Education (IPE) Centre; PIRSSU; Kōhatu – Centre for Hauora Māori; Health Sciences Divisional Office; Student Health
Central Hub: Academic Office – HEDC, Pacific, Student Services; Commerce; Corporate Office; External Engagement; FSD; Human Resources; Humanities; ITS; Transformation & Improvement; Operations Office; Shared Services; VC Office
Q.12. How do I contact my local Supply Chain Hub?
A. Here are the contact details for each of the seven supply chain hubs at the University:
North Hub – purchasing.north@otago.ac.nz
South Hub – purchasing.south@otago.ac.nz
Central Hub – purchasing.central@otago.ac.nz
West Hub – purchasing.west@otago.ac.nz
Property Hub – purchasing.property@otago.ac.nz
School of Medicine Hub – purchasing.som@otago.ac.nz
Union Hub – purchasing.union@otago.ac.nz
Purchase Orders / Orders
Q.13. Is a Purchase Order number required for all invoices?
A. Yes. University Procurement policy requires that all invoices quote a valid University Purchase Order (PO) number.
This ensures that expenditure is appropriately authorised and allows efficient and expedient processing of invoices.
Invoices submitted without a valid PO number take significantly longer to process, which results in delayed payment to suppliers.
Q.14. Are Purchase Order numbers autogenerated by Unimarket?
A. Yes. When University staff create a requisition for goods or services, this is automatically sent to obtain any approvals required.
When final approval is completed, the requisition becomes an approved Purchase Order (PO), and a PO number is created.
The approved PO is sent to the supplier for processing.
Q.15. How many invoices can be submitted to a single Purchase Order number?
A. Many.
Unimarket allows a single PO to be matched to any number of invoices and credit notes.
Q.16. What charges can be put on a Purchase Order?
A. POs in Unimarket can be used for any supply of goods or services that an invoice could be issued for.
Q.17. How are Purchase Orders created in Unimarket?
A. Unimarket users can create a requisition which gets approved and converted into a purchase order, a PO number is generated and the order sent to the supplier.
Suppliers
Q.18. How do I order from a supplier that is not registered in Unimarket?
A. When the supplier is not known, or where a purchase is from a supplier that isn’t likely to be used again, the requestor can select ‘Misc Supplier’ and Supply Chain will select the correct supplier or process this as a P-card transaction.
Q.19. Do all suppliers need to register for Unimarket (including those that are only used for a single purchase)?
A. All suppliers of goods or services to the University of Otago are requested to register as suppliers on the Unimarket platform.
However, if a supplier only expects to submit one or less than one invoice per month, then they will not be expected to register with Unimarket.
Q.20. How do I request a new supplier?
A. Continue to use the existing process to request a new supplier. Use the links below for the Supplier Request Form(s).
Please send the completed form to accounts@otago.ac.nz.
Q.21. How will a supplier know that I have placed an order with them?
A. The purchase order will be emailed to the supplier. If a supplier has registered for a Unimarket portal, they will also see your order within their supplier portal.
Quotes
Q.22. How does the Request For Quote (RFQ) function work in Unimarket?
A. University staff start the RFQ process inside Unimarket by completing details of what good or service they would like quoted, when quotes are required, and then selecting which suppliers they would like to send the RFQ to.
Suppliers are able to Accept or Decline the invitation to submit a quote.
If an RFQ is accepted, then the supplier has until the due date to provide their quote.
Suppliers enter goods and/or services details they are quoting for into Unimarket, with this detail becoming the PO lines when their quote is accepted by the RFQ initiator.
Q.23. Can the Request For Quote function handle attachments?
A. Yes. Attachments are supported by Unimarket RFQ functionality.
Documents including plans, drawings, and specifications can be attached to assist a supplier in quoting. Suppliers can also attach documents with their RFQ response which might be a PDF version of the quote from the supplier’s systems, or other supporting documentation.
Q.24. Do I still need to request quotes from three different suppliers?
A. As per University policy, you are required to obtain multiple quotes – preferably from at least 3 different suppliers where possible – unless you are requesting a quote for an item under contract with a specific supplier, in which case a single quote is sufficient.
Q.25. If multiple suppliers are invited to quote, who can see what?
A. Suppliers can see their own information via their supplier portal.
When more than one supplier is invited to quote, each supplier only sees their own invitation.
Any quotations provided by suppliers are visible only to the University staff member who created the Request For Quote and to other University staff with appropriate access (e.g. Procurement, Supply Chain, Accounts Payable, auditors etc.).
Invoices
Q.26. What if the Purchase Order and invoice do not match?
A. Unimarket has functionality to handle differences between purchase orders and invoices using a review workflow, where the PO owner is notified that an invoice has been submitted that does not match the PO.
The PO owner can Accept or Decline an invoice.
Declining an invoice requires that comments are entered detailing the issue with the invoice, which are sent to the supplier so any issues can be addressed. Financial re-approval may be required to authorise additional costs invoiced.
Approvals
Q.27. Can I delegate my financial authority to someone else?
A. You can use the new Delegated Financial Authority form to grant or request authority of an account.
Sub-delegations are not allowed. All requests must be approved by the account owner.
Q.28. Are existing delegations going to be shifted over in to Unimarket?
A. Delegations that are set out in the University’s schedule of financial delegations will be in place within Unimarket, such as the head of cost centres and project accounts. Any delegations that have been granted that are below this level will need to be recreated for Unimarket using the new Delegated Financial Authority form.
Q.29. How do I manage approvals when I am out of office/away?
A. In cases where an approver is out of office or away and cannot tend to approval requests, approvers can select another user to approve for them until they return. You can set yourself to out of office by following these steps:
- Go to the User icon and select Out of Office.
- Check the box for I am unavailable.
- Enter the dates you will be Unavailable From and To.
- Select the person you would like to set as the proxy, from the ‘Proxy’ drop down.
- Click Save.
Q.30. How will I be notified that I have an approval to review?
A. If you have an approval to review, you will receive an email with a link that will take you the approvals. You will be able to see all of your outstanding approvals by clicking on the tick in the top right hand corner of the screen, and then clicking on Approvals.
