51ĀŅĀ×

Doing Business with 51ĀŅĀ×

51ĀŅĀ× wants to alert you to an active email scam involving purchase orders and requests for product quotations that purport to originate from 51ĀŅĀ× but are in fact, fraudulent. While the university cannot prevent this illegal activity, we are actively working with law enforcement to investigate these fraudulent email contacts. Suppliers should never provide goods or begin service work without a valid 51ĀŅĀ× Purchase Order.

Suppliers are a vital part of our goal to supply our customers with a best-in-class experience when procuring and paying for the goods and services that are needed.

New Supplier Setup

In order to become a supplier for 51ĀŅĀ×, we require:

• Registration through our Supplier Management Portal, PaymentWorks. Suppliers must be invited by a University contact. The supplier will be required to have the following information when registering through PaymentWorks.
  • A valid tax ID
  • A copy of a voided check or bank statement for banking verification
  • Proof of active Insurance and State of Ohio Bureau of Worker's Compensation status - for more information, see Risk Management's Insurance Guidelines
• Food Licenses for caterers
• Copy of visa (photo and stamp) for all Non-Resident Alien and International Visitors

Please visit our Supplier Management webpage for additional details.

New Supplier Setup

• To update supplier information send an updated Supplier/Payee Information Form.
• If there are changes to the Supplier TIN (tax identification number) or Supplier/Payee Name, include an updated .
• Submit updated information to Supplier Management: 51ĀŅĀ×, 1 51ĀŅĀ× Drive, Ridges Building 18, 3rd Floor, Athens OH 45701, or FAX: 740.593.9890.
• For help completing this form, view the Supplier/Payee Information Form - Quick Reference Guide.

Updating Supplier Information

To update supplier information suppliers will need to log into their PaymentWorks account. Please visit our Supplier Management webpage for additional details.

How We Buy

• Purchase Orders are generated electronically from an eProcurement system (BobcatBUY). This is our preferred method of doing business.
  • Most Purchase Orders are delivered by email from procurement@ohio.edu. Please be sure that your organization does not filter out the ohio.edu domain.
• University representatives with a Purchasing Card (PCard) may purchase goods and/or travel, but no services.
• Please follow shipping and invoicing instructions as listed on the PO or provided by the PCard holder.

How We Pay

• OHIO is recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt organization
• The University's standard payment terms are Net 30 from the date of the invoice
• Payments are made by check, ACH (preferred), wire transfer, or an authorized University PCard (MasterCard). Wire transfers will be used for international businesses only. Other forms of payment should not be accepted.
• The preferred method of invoice submission is to e-mail your invoice to accounts.payable@ohio.edu. Your invoice must include:
  • Purchase Order Number
  • Unique Invoice Number
• If a PCard was used to pay for an item, a detailed receipt should be sent directly to the cardholder, not to Accounts Payable.

RFP Opportunities

51ĀŅĀ×, as an instrumentality of the State of Ohio, and per our Board of Trusteeā€™s, must competitively bid goods and services which exceed the bid threshold of $50,000.  Non-construction bid opportunities are available through an  shared by OHIO and Miami University.  Suppliers that wish to be notified of new opportunities should register through the shared platform.

Design, & Construction Finance is responsible for 51ĀŅĀ×ā€™s construction bid opportunities.

Supplier Diversity

51ĀŅĀ× strives to cultivate relationships with vendors and suppliers recognized by the State of Ohio as Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) and Encouraging Diversity, Growth, and Equity (EDGE). If your business currently is recognized by the State of Ohio as MBE/EDGE and would like information about serving the 51ĀŅĀ× community please contact Finance Customer Care. 51ĀŅĀ× is committed to continuing to promote the use of MBE / EDGE recognized vendors by the 51ĀŅĀ× community. More information about obtaining MBE/EDGE recognition by the State of Ohio is available through the .

Vendor Information Security

While the University routinely engages with outside businesses or service providers to help pursue its mission, entrusting these vendors with University data introduces risks that can have a detrimental impact if proper data-protection precautions are not in place. Therefore, to help manage those risks, OHIO IT has developed the  for vendors. This risk assessment(opens in a new window) is required for all information technology, communication, or software purchases/renewals, including ā€œfreeā€ services and services developed in-house. 

The purpose of the vendor review is not to control the unitā€™s choice of vendor for an outsourced solution, but to provide an assessment of risks associated with an outsourced solution. To expedite the process, it is recommended that the unit sponsor request the department complete the Technology Review form as soon as they decide to engage the vendor for the solution.ā€ÆAdditionally, the Request for Proposal (RFP) process should include a request to the vendor to complete the .ā€ÆThe Information Security Office recommends that the results of the information contained within the Vendor Technology Workbook be taken into consideration when choosing a vendor using the RFP process. 

Accessible Technology

Information technology products developed at, purchased by, or used at the University should be accessible to all faculty, students, and staff, including those with disabilities. To reach this goal, those responsible for making decisions about which products to procure must consider accessibility as one of the criteria for acquisition. This is especially critical for enterprise-level systems and other technologies that affect a large number of students, faculty, staff and/or members of the public. Under the  University Information Technology Accessibility Policy, a 3-question risk assessment will be conducted when purchases are being made to review for accessibility.

Sustainability

The Department of Finance fully supports the efforts of the Office of Sustainability and the 51ĀŅĀ× Sustainability plan. The Office of Sustainability has released guidelines for sustainable purchasing. These guidelines include sustainable attributes of purchased goods, disposal of goods, and a recommended sustainability clause for RFPs and RFQs. 

Purchasing Regulations

Our decision making is driven by:

• 51ĀŅĀ× Policy and Procedure
• IRS and other Federal Regulations
• Grant-specific Guidelines