Part of the ECAT/SAPweb processing involves sending all orders through SAP for approval and automatic creation of a Purchase Order (autopo). On the MIT side, we send ECAT orders from SAP to the vendors via EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) every hour on the half hour. Currently, the vendors have different schedules for picking up the orders from their EDI systems and loading them into their order systems, as follows; all of these schedules are for Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
Once your ECAT/SAPweb requisition goes through all the approval steps, a purchase order (PO) is created automatically in SAP. After the PO is generated, a notification is sent to your SAP workflow inbox that reads, for example,"Purchase Order 4500163290 Created From 0010041370". You do not have to do anything with this notification -- it is for information only.
If you are not familiar with SAP's workflow, here are the steps to access your inbox, display the PO, and delete the notification.
For more information on SAP workflow, go to the SAP Documentation Web page and select the relevant PDF documents to view on your screen or print.
How do I find out MIT's price for items in the vendors'
catalogs?
All of the prices listed in the ECAT vendors' catalogs are the
negotiated MIT prices.
What's the story on delivery charges?
Office Depot, VWR Scientific, and BOC Gases do not charge additional for delivery.
GovConnection adds delivery charges, based on the shipping method requested.
How do I designate that an order be delivered to someone other
than me?
For Office Depot and VWR, change the ship-to name and address on the vendor's
initial catalog page.
For BOC Gases and GovConnection, change the ship-to information on the order
form itself.
Can I change the delivery information after submitting an order
to SAPweb?
No.
What do I do with the confirmation of an ECAT order that is in
my workflow inbox?
All you have to do is click on Execute.
If I create an order but do not submit it to SAPweb, will it be
saved by the vendor?
For Office Depot, yes.
For VWR, GovConnection, and BOC Gases, no.
What is the best way to review my orders?
Go to the SAPweb home page and click on Find a Requisition. Search
for your orders by entering your username in the Userid field and
specifying a date range. You may also specify a vendor number, cost
object, or G/L account.
After submitting an order to SAPweb, how long before it shows
up in Find or Display a Requisition?
The requisition will appear immediately. The PO will be listed about
an hour after the requisition is approved and released.
What is the best time to submit orders, especially for next-day
delivery?
To ensure next-business day delivery of items in stock at the vendor,
orders should be submitted and approved by 10:00 a.m. Mornings are
generally best for doing Web activity, as the Internet is generally
less busy. Note: Some vendors may ship by third-party carrier,
such as UPS. In these cases an order will be shipped on the same day
it is received by the vendor; however, you may not receive the order
for a few days.
Are there limitations on what I can order?
Your authorizations for what you can order and how much you can spend
are set up in the Roles database by your supervisor. Also, certain
items are restricted
and blocked from being ordered through ECAT.
Will the order go directly to the vendor when I submit it to
SAPweb?
This depends on your release strategy. Your order may need to be
approved by someone else in your department. If so, the order will go
to the vendor after your approver has released the order. To see the
status of your requisition, go to the SAPweb home page, click on
Display Requisition, and enter the requisition number.
I submitted an ECAT requisition, and a PO has been assigned,
but the vendor does not show the order in their system. What do I
do?
Call the Procurement Office at x3-3820.
MIT ECAT is restricted to MIT internal use.
Copyright © Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2000 All rights reserved.
Last modified: January 9, 2003