Our County is currently planning to transition into using the Contracts Module, however we've noticed a feature that, if altered, could save us processing time. Currently, when setting up a new Contract you must "allocate" the contract amounts to specific budget accounts before you can requisition a P.O. against said contract. This is great for some, but not all.

In some instances we have estimated amounts not to exceed for open-ended contracts where no amount is encumbered until such a time that goods/services are ordered. For example, grant writing services is used by various departments. Instead of Finance Staff having to manually allocate the funds prior to a P.O. requisition being prepared, why not just enable the P.O. requisition process automatically allocate the funds upon generation of the P.O.?

To continue with this scenario, a Department needs assistance from the grant writers, solicits an estimated budget/quote under the contracted rates/terms and needs to requisition against the Contract. They can submit the requisition to their budget lines and then Purchasing/Finance staff will review the requisition for compliance with the contract terms before approving. Once approved the contract is allocated/encumbered.

Currently, there's the added step of the Department letting Purchasing/Finance know about the need, Purchasing/Finance manually allocating, and THEN the Department can submit a requisition, get their secondary approvals, etc.