Justification to Carryover Prior Fiscal Year POs
Overview
Once a Purchase Order (PO) has been carried over to the next fiscal year, it requires a justification to keep it open and carry it over into the next fiscal year. If needed, this application (Justification to Carryover Prior Fiscal Year POs) is used to justify keeping those POs created in the previous fiscal year open. This process is web-based and allows users to search for their own POs, download information to Excel, and document justifications without having to route paper. Anyone that has access to the Requisition and Number Generator module in My UW to create requisitions will have access to this application. The application is available to justify POs beginning in May and will be available until mid-June.
Only POs created in the previous fiscal year that are still open will be found in the application. For example, a PO created in FY 2018 that had a balance carried over into FY 2019 and still is open with a remaining balance to roll into FY 2020 would be found. Any PO created in the current fiscal year that is still open at the end of the fiscal year will remain open and does not need to be justified. All POs listed in this application are automatically set to close before the end of the fiscal year unless justified as needing to stay open. If you do not need the PO to stay open, simply do nothing and it will be closed in June. All justified POs will remain open and be carried into the next fiscal year.
NOTE: Grant sub-agreement POs are exempt from this process and will not be closed until requested by Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP).
Step by Step Instructions
Download a set of step by step instructions with screen shots as a pdf.
- Choose "Justification to carryover prior fiscal year POs" from the main menu of the Requisition and Number Generator Module in My UW.
- Search for POs by entering any part of your Department ID in the search box and clicking the "Search for POs" button.
(To search for a specific PO, choose "Requisition Number" as the search type and enter the number you are looking for).
- NOTE: If the message "No POs found" appears in red above the "Search for POs" button after it is clicked, then there are no POs funded on that Department ID that require justification.
- The results screen lists all POs that will be closed at the end of the fiscal year unless justified through this application.
The PO list shows the PO ID, Status, and Balance. To view your results in Excel use one of the following buttons:
- The Export Funding Lines button will export PO funding for the open funding lines associated with each PO from your list. If a PO has more than one line of funding, each funding line and its remaining balance will be listed and the PO number would then appear more than once.
- The Export PO Balances button will export PO balances for a summary of PO information. Each PO is only listed once with its remaining balance, but no funding information is supplied.
- To view more detailed information about a specific PO in your list, choose the "Funds" button to see all the funding information for that PO or the "PO Details" button to view all of the items and other detail information about that PO.
- To keep a PO from closing, click the "Justify" button for that PO ID, choose a reason, and click the "Keep PO Open" button. A detailed description is only needed if you choose the "Others" category. The PO's status is now changed to "Keep Open". If you decide at a later time to close the PO, click the "Justify" button again and click "Close PO" to change the status back to "Close PO".
- If you would like the PO or POs to close at the end of the fiscal year, simply do nothing.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which POs are listed in the justification application?
This is only a specific set of POs that were created prior to July 1, 2018, that had a balance carried over into FY 2019 (current fiscal year) and are still open with a remaining balance. To roll into FY 2020 they would require a justification. - Is this how I would carry over any PO to the next fiscal year? Does this apply to all my POs eligible for carryover?
No, the only POs listed in this application that require justification are those that had already been carried over once. For example, these would be POs created in FY2018 that were carried over into FY2019 and are still open with a remaining encumbrance. Any POs that remain open at the end of the fiscal year will be able to be spent against next fiscal year and will have any remaining encumbrances carried forward into FY2020. - Who determines if it is appropriate to carryover a PO?
If you have questions about whether or not a PO should be kept open and carried over into the next fiscal year, please consult your Dean's Office. The PO should meet one of the criteria listed on the justification page or have another legitimate need for remaining open. - What happens if I do not justify the PO for carryover?
If the PO is not justified to be carried over, it will be closed in June before the end of the fiscal year. - Will I lose the encumbered funds if I do not justify the PO for carryover?
Most types of funding are not lost; however, if you are concerned about the funds encumbered on your PO (especially GPR funds) being lost, consult your Dean's office for further instructions. If the Dean's Office is concerned about potentially losing funds, please consult the Budget Office for further information. - Can I get a list of all my POs that are affected?
Yes, the application will provide a listing of all affected POs. Enter your Department ID (as specified in the Step by Step instructions above) and click "Search for POs". Your listing appears on the next screen and can be downloaded to Excel for further analysis by clicking the "Export Funding Lines" button. - What if I don't find any POs for my Department ID?
Not every department has POs that require a justification to be carried over. If the "No POs found" message appears, then there are no POs funded by that department that are old enough to require a justification for carryover. All POs created in the current fiscal year do not require a justification to be carried over. Those that remain open at the end of the fiscal year will be able to be spent against and will have any remaining encumbrances carried forward into FY2020.