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Purchasing and Materials Management includes receiving, shipping, and inventory control functions. As such, the Department has responsibility for the receipt of goods, the delivery of supplies and equipment, and the inventory control of all equipment owned by the University.

RECEIVING
The Department of Purchasing and Materials Management includes receiving departments in the Sorrell Maintenance Building and the Medical Education Building. In addition, Receiving operates a delivery service. The objective of this service is to deliver supplies and equipment, which have been received against a purchase order, to the requesting department within 1 to 2 days of receipt. Packages will not be released or delivered until an approved purchase order has been received. In order to maintain this level of service, it is not practical to pick up materials for departments and deliver them to other locations on campus. Personal packages will not be shipped to an individual on campus and are the sole responsibility of the individual. Security and delivery are not provided by the receiving departments, for State supported resources may not be used for private purposes. Before you call Receiving to check on the status of a shipment, please call the vendor and confirm that the material has been shipped. Also, be prepared to give Receiving the appropriate purchase order number, encumbrance number, or credit card order information. Otherwise, call your buyer for help.

When supplies and equipment are received at the University, receiving personnel inspect the material and report the receipt of material to effect payment for the goods. For this reason, it is extremely important that all purchase order initiated deliveries of goods come through Receiving.

Problems can occur when receiving material. They generally fall into one of these three categories:

1. Over shipments: If more material is received than ordered and you wish to keep     it, a change order memorandum is required by Purchasing. If a vendor error     resulted in the over shipment, then the vendor bears all costs associated with     returning the material. If you have not already been contacted by Receiving,     please contact the Receiving Department Supervisor and buyer to coordinate     disposition or resolution of the over shipment.

2. Damaged goods: Normally, visible damage is detected and reported to the     vendor by Receiving. If you find hidden damage after signing for the material,     please contact the Receiving Supervisor immediately. Do not use any of the     material and save all packing material.

3. Incorrect material: If something other than what you ordered is received, the     Receiving Department will contact you. If you want to keep the material, a     change order memorandum is required, or Receiving can return the goods for     you. Material incorrectly ordered by the department may result in restocking     and shipping charges which the department must pay. The return of such     material must be coordinated by the department with both the buyer and     Receiving Department Supervisor.

SHIPPING
The Receiving departments at the University can coordinate the shipment of outbound goods. Express deliveries are offered through UPS. Shipping charges are expensed back to the department at the end of the month. Packages must be taken by the department to Receiving before 3pm for same day pick up. Departments shall set up their own accounts with Fed Ex and Airborne. Contact the Manager of Accounts Payable for details, since this qualifies as an essential service.

If equipment is being shipped to a vendor for repair or simply being returned, the department must prepare an electronic encumbrance or use the credit card in advance to cover the estimated shipping charges. Packing or crating of equipment is the department's responsibility. However, Plant Operations may be able to assist you. They can also deliver the equipment to Receiving for shipment from the University. A special encumbrance is not required for shipments via UPS.

Regardless of the situation, any outbound shipments or returns of goods to vendors must be accompanied by the appropriate documentation. A letter inside the package addressed to the vendor is always a good practice to explain the situation. If the vendor is authorizing the return of the material at no charge, the department should get a "return authorization"number or form from the vendor. If the vendor is paying the freight charges, the department should share this information with Receiving. If the vendor will issue a UPS "call-tag", Receiving also needs to be aware of this. Otherwise the outbound UPS costs will be charged to the department.

INVENTORY
All inventory purchased by the University and the Foundation becomes University property upon receipt. Items costing more than $1000 and having a useful life of one year or more are considered equipment for inventory purposes. The security of University equipment is the responsibility of the department possessing physical control. Ultimately, it is the department head who is responsible. If equipment is moved from one room or department to another, the department head must notify Receiving to update inventory records. Yearly, the department head is expected to validate a listing of equipment charged to the department. Once every two years, a physical inventory is conducted by Receiving Department personnel. University property may not be cannibalized, traded-in, thrown into the dumpster, or disposed of in any way without the approval of the appropriate Supervisor of Central Receiving. (Please note that the inventory of facilities space, i.e. rooms and buildings, is a responsibility of Facilities Inventory. They are not responsible for University equipment.)

SURPLUS PROPERTY SALES
Twice a year, Receiving conducts public sales of surplus property, usually in April and October. Departments are encouraged to send obsolete, uneconomically repairable, and unusable property to Central Receiving for subsequent sale. Since storage space is extremely limited, please contact the Supervisor of Central Receiving before you send anything over. Usually an announcement is made 30 days prior to each sale. Departments shall receive a portion of the proceeds from anything which sells, less sale expenses, in accordance with the Higher Education Purchasing Manual.

One John Marshall Drive, Old Main 108, Huntington, West Virginia 25755-4100
Ph: 304.696.3157
Fx: 304.696.3333