Policy 3-161: Stores and Receiving

‌Purpose and Scope‌

1. Purpose.

   To outline Procedures and responsibilities for the receipt and storage of materials and supplies, and processing of damage and other contractual claims arising from purchasing transactions.

2. Scope.

   [reserved]

‌Definitions‌

[reserved]

‌Policy‌

1. The Stores and Receiving Department is responsible for the receipt and distribution of all materials ordered for delivery through central receiving.

2. After receiving and inspecting purchased materials, the Stores and Receiving Department will transport such items to the appropriate delivery point and obtain appropriate signatures on the corresponding receiving documents. These documents will be used by Procurement & Contracting Services (Procurement) and Accounts Payable departments in processing payments and finalizing orders. No further approval from the requisitioning departments will be necessary in the invoice payment process.

3. The Stores and Receiving Department will inspect all shipments for obvious damage, irregularities, or other discrepancies. However, the requisitioning department is ultimately responsible for the acceptance of the merchandise, and should take the following steps upon discovery of any damages, irregularities, nonconformity with specifications, or other discrepancies:

   1. Notification of damage should be given immediately to Procurement in writing, including the following information:

      1. Vendor name and purchase order number.

      2. Date received.

      3. Item or items damaged or affected by discrepancies, irregularities, or nonconformity with specifications, together with a detailed description thereof.

      4. Condition of parcel upon receipt.

      5. Location of parcel.

   2. Failure of the university to report damaged shipments to the carrier within fifteen (15) days after taking delivery may forfeit the right of the university to file such damage claims. Departments must therefore report any damaged shipment to Procurement within ten (10) days after receipt of the shipment, so as to allow time for the preparation and filing of a claim.

   3. All damaged materials should be preserved in the condition in which received and must be kept in the original shipping containers until instructions for disposal are received from Procurement. Compliance with this requirement is extremely important because, in most instances, an inspection report is required before a claim can be filed. This inspection report is prepared by the carrier and covers the packaging and shipping materials as well as the damaged merchandise.

4. It is the responsibility of Procurement to arrange the filing of all claims for damaged materials, as well as to initiate requests for replacement shipments.

5. The return of any supplies or materials to the vendor, whether due to damage, misshipment, or other reasons, should be arranged through Procurement to assure that appropriate credit is received.

   1. The Stores and Receiving Department has limited facilities available for the packing and shipping of outgoing materials. Questions concerning the handling of such outgoing shipments should be directed to the Stores and Receiving Department.

   2. When arrangements have been made with Procurement to return items to a vendor, the items may be delivered to Stores and Receiving for this purpose, or a pickup requested. The purchase order reference number must be prominently displayed on all such items being processed for return.

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      Sections IV- VII are for user information and are not subject to the approval of the Academic Senate or the Board of Trustees. The Institutional Policy Committee, the Policy Owner, or the Policy Officer may update these sections at any time.

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‌Policies/ Rules, Procedures, Guidelines, Forms and other Related Resources‌

1. Policies/ Rules. [ reserved ]

2. Procedures, Guidelines, and Forms. [ reserved ]

3. Other Related Resources. [ reserved ]

‌References‌

1. [ reserved ]

‌Contacts‌

The designated contact officials for this Regulation are:

1. Policy Owner(s) (primary contact person for questions and advice): Associate Vice President for Financial Services

2. Policy Officer(s): Chief Financial Officer

   See Rule 1-001 for information about the roles and authority of policy owners and policy officers.

‌History‌

Revision History.

1. Current version. Revision 3.

   1. Approved by Institutional Council November 10, 1980 and Editorially revised April 15, 1991 with Effective Date of April 15, 1991.

   2. Editorial Revisions

      1. Editorially revised January 25, 2024 to move to current regulations template.

      2. Editorially revised April 15, 1991

2. Renumbering

   1. Renumbered from PPM 4-7