To: Everyone Who Works with Purchase Requisitions or Vouchers in ConnectCarolina
From: Martha Pendergrass, Director of Procurement Services
Subject: Two Improvements to Purchasing and Payments (CORRECTED)
Category Codes Reduced by 95%
If you enter purchase requisitions or vouchers, you know that you need to enter a category code (also called “commodity code”) for each item you are buying or paying for. These categories are important because they help the University track spending and negotiate better prices, but currently the list is long, so it is difficult to navigate.
Starting Monday evening, May 1, choosing a category will get easier. The number of categories is being reduced from approximately 55,000 to around 850. The category codes that start with “UNC” or “EHS” will stay the same, but the rest of the categories will be rolled up to a higher level (the one that ends in “0000”). For example, instead of choosing 44121702 for Pen or Pencil Sets, you’ll 44120000 for Office Supplies.
If you’ve created “cheat sheets” for yourself or your team, you’ll need to review them and translate them to the new, higher-level category codes. The documents attached to this email will help you make the transition:
- UNC’s Top 20 Commodity Code Families, which lists the 20 most frequently used category codes
- Choosing a Category Code, which gives more details about choosing categories in ConnectCarolina
- New Category Codes – Complete List, an Excel file that lists all the category codes
Fewer Changes Cause Purchase Reqs to Reroute for Approval (CORRECTED)
Currently, asking a buyer to make any change to an approved purchase requisition (even adding a comment) causes it to be rerouted for approval. Starting the evening of May 1, you’ll be able to add comments, and add attachments—anything that does not change the price or where it is charged—and the requisition will not be rerouted for approval. Changing quantity, price, or any chartfield value (including Account) will still restart the approval process.