Skip to main content

FAQs

Prospective Campus Partners

How does Shared Services support Boise State University?

University Shared Services is a centralized department of financial transaction processing experts designed to improve efficiency, reduce compliance risk and provide support. Shared Services’ primary focus is to provide transactional and consultative support for procurement and payments to partnered university departments.

How do I get started with Shared Services?

Shared Services is happy to schedule a consultation meeting with any campus department identifying department needs and tailoring the appropriate service.

What is the primary system used to place orders with Shared Services?

Shared Services utilizes the Smartsheet platform via intake request form to fulfil department orders.

What kind of support should I expect from Shared Services?

The Shared Services team is highly driven and dedicated to address any concerns and provide timely and superior customer experience.

Is there a cost associated with using Shared Services?

There is no cost to utilize Shared Services currently. However, we are always reviewing our operations and that is something that could change in the future.

Am I able to track down receipts and invoices for auditing since Shared Services will be doing the purchasing?

Any department will have access to the invoice or receipt of any purchase that has been initiated via the Smartsheet Intake Request form at their convenience.

When does Shared Services submit a requisition rather than paying for with a P-Card?

There are certain circumstances which require our team to submit a requisition to purchase order. These circumstances include (but are not limited to):

  • If the purchase is over the P-Card limit. Any purchase over $9,999 requires a bid and must route through the requisition process.
  • When the payment is to an independent contractor.
  • If the payment is being made to a company outside of the United States.

Can Shared Services reconcile my purchases for me at the end of the month?

Yes, Shared Services is capable of performing reconciliation work for any campus department.

Does Shared Services track the shipping of purchases and provide follow up?

The Shared Services team does their best to keep shipping information up-to-date. Unfortunately, not all businesses we order from provide tracking, or they may not inform us when they’ve added tracking information to the online record for the order. If you would like to know where your order is at and don’t see anything on the Smartsheet yet, feel free to reach out to sharedservices@boisestate.edu and we can look into it. Shared Services tracks shipping information and ensures purchases are delivered to the proper destination.

Current Campus Partners

Can Share Services help me with purchasing questions?

Once a department has been on-boarded with Shared Services we are able to provide purchasing policy consultations and assistance.

I received an invoice for an order I placed with Shared Services. Do I need to pay for it?

You do not need to pay for it! In fact, we prefer you don’t. If you receive an invoice, please forward it to Shared Services. If there is still a balance due, Shared Services will submit it for payment, and if it is balance paid, we will add it to the order records.

If we partner with Shared Services, can we still place some orders on our own?

Yes, you can still place orders. We are here to relieve the order processing workload for the departments we serve.

I have found an item for much cheaper through a non-contracted vendor. Do I have to use the contract vendor anyway?

The requester will need to fill out the Procurement Policy Exemption Requests for non-contracted vendor purchases as well as Sole Source Bidding Exemption, orders $10,000.00 and higher, and Scientific Equipment for Research Bidding Exemption. Once this form is approved we can order from the non-contracted vendor.

Who is responsible for initiating correction entries?

If an error was made by the Shared Services team the correction entry will be handled by the Shared Services team. Any other correction entries will be handled by each department.

Can Shared Services help with invoice submittals?

Shared Services can assist any campus department with invoice submittals and payments. Non-PO invoices will be entered in Bronco Hub Invoices tab. For REQs and invoices with a PO the “Okay to Pay” form will be completed by the SS team.