Procurement
Frequently Asked Questions
Process changes
Yes, direct ordering through MSU Tech Store will not have any immediate change due to SAP Ariba’s implementation in how university users order from them.
Yes, MSU IT still requires the IT Readiness form process, which remains the same as it is today and will need to be submitted on a purchase requisition (PR) in SAP Ariba for items not on the Approved Software List.
FAMIS is not impacted by the implementation of SAP Ariba at this time. The UPL team is working closely with the Planon implementation team; all reporting possible with KFS is also possible in SAP Ariba, and UPL has added fields which will later connect to IPF systems to make reporting even easier.
FRIB is not impacted by the implementation of SAP Ariba at this time.
KFS to SAP Ariba
KFS will not go away and remains the system of record at MSU for general ledger entries, vendor records, and payment records. SAP Ariba will become the system of record for procurement—including new POs and contracts—and invoice detail for UPL signature authority.
When SAP Ariba goes live, all new purchase requisitions (PRs), purchase orders (POs), contracts, and invoices will be made in SAP Ariba. Certain PO amendments on existing POs may also be required to be moved to the new system, although existing POs will not immediately sunset in KFS until their scheduled contract end date or until a sunset date for all legacy contracts is announced. Any other eDocs (e.g., PCDOs, DVs, etc.) will remain in KFS.
No, these will remain in our current financial system, KFS, at launch. Associated payments will also be processed via current methods until a sunset date is announced for older orders.
All users that have access to KFS will also be granted access to SAP Ariba and will have the appropriate permissions based on their role in KFS. Preferences will not transfer over, but default accounting, organization, and shipping information can be set within your new user profile at go-live.
Similar to SAP Concur, delegates in SAP Ariba are user-based rather than account-based, so account delegates will not import from KFS.
Access
When MSU launches SAP Ariba generally to users in 2025, a tile will be added to EBS, similar to the KFS tile that currently exists. Spartan Marketplace will maintain its current solo tile and will also be available through the SAP Ariba tile.
Users that submit or are on the routing of a document within SAP Ariba (e.g., account fiscal officer, members of the MAU view node, etc.) will be able to see it. Other users will not be able to see documents unless they are added as part of routing.
Approvals and routing
The purchase requisition (PR) approval workflow generates based on the information provided by the requestor. By default, the account fiscal officer(s) will receive and approve non-catalog PR before they route to Procurement or any necessary central approvers. The IR approval flow will always route to the account fiscal officer(s) and may also route to Accounts Payable or a central approver. In both documents, ad hoc routing is available to accommodate your specific workflow approval requirements.
Note: the routing for Spartan Marketplace catalog orders varies based on the dollar value. Fiscal officers are encouraged to review and update their order auto limit threshold (default of $2,500) as appropriate.
Yes, ad hoc routing is a robust functionality within SAP Ariba with both approver (action required) and watcher (ability to view) options.
Effectively, yes. The person who has denied the PR should provide context as to why that action was taken so the requestor can edit and resubmit the PR as necessary. A nice feature of SAP Ariba is that editing is possible, so that a Deny action does not cause a requestor to have to begin a PR from scratch again.
Yes. All fiscal officers associated with the accounts on a PR will have the opportunity to review, edit, and approve the document before it routes to Procurement and central approvers.
No, there are no implied approvals. If the requestor is the account FO, after submitting the PR, the requestor will have to approve the PR in their FO capacity.
By default, SAP Ariba will send an email notification when your action (e.g., an approval) is needed. However, each user can customize their email notification settings.
Note: If your email has an auto-reply message turned on at the time of receiving an SAP Ariba approval notification, the system will send an error message in response. This does not affect the approval action and can be ignored.
Purchases
The same information that is required today in KFS will be required in SAP Ariba, including: clear specifications and requirements, relevant forms, and the appropriate accounting string.
Yes, non-catalog PRs can be split between goods and services if the purchases are all with one intended supplier.
No, Procurement will manage all requests for quotes from potential suppliers.
SAP Ariba will allow for the expansion of MSU's Spartan Marketplace catalog offerings, which will effectively replace BPOs to achieve the best value for MSU. To ensure appropriate funding and accurate financial reporting, all purchase requisitions must specify the quantity (goods) or length of time (services) needed.
At this time, PRs for capital assets must be submitted via KFS. If an order has both capital and non-capital assets and is likely to be placed with a singular supplier, all items should be submitted on one KFS PR.
The “On Behalf Of” field can be used to indicate the true requestor of the purchase. Before updating this field, please contact the employee to be selected to ensure they have set up their SAP Ariba user profile.
Yes, refer to our tutorial on creating non-catalog PRs.
Yes, however the accounting information in the product will lock if an FO switches to another FO’s account number. Learn more about editing the accounting string in our PR creation tutorial.
Please contact the buyer assigned to your KFS PO to determine if an amendment is appropriate, or if a new PR should be submitted via SAP Ariba.
Follow our job aid on amending a purchase requisition.
Invoicing
Suppliers will directly submit invoices electronically through their SAP Business Network account to MSU’s Accounts Payable (AP) department, providing faster invoice processing, making MSU better business partners to our supply base.
All invoices will route to FOs for approval which is also a confirmation of items received or services rendered. If issues arise, please contact Procurement staff to address fulfillment issues of the PO.
The best way to avoid discrepancies between the PO and the invoice is the same as it is today in KFS: ensure all pieces (including the initial quote, requisition, purchase order, and final invoice) match in terms of line-item quantity, descriptions, and price.
No, the PCard program will remain the same as it is today, and PCard transaction eDocs (known as PCDOs) will continue to be processed in KFS as the financial system of record.
PCard transactions that require a requisition for approval prior to purchase (e.g., IT software) will require the requisition to be submitted via SAP Ariba.
PCard transactions that require a requisition for approval prior to purchase (e.g., IT software) will require the requisition to be submitted via SAP Ariba.
Yes, the invoice detail will be available in SAP Ariba and can be downloaded by university users.
Existing POs will remain in our current financial system, and invoices should continue to be submitted via email to MSUPAY@msu.edu following current procedures.
Yes, invoice details will be reflected on the purchase order, including if there are multiple invoices against one PO. Payment disbursement information will be located within KFS, as the financial system of record.
Suppliers
Yes, conducting business via the SAP Business Network will be required as MSU purchase orders and invoices will soon be transmitted using this platform.
Generally, suppliers new to the SAP Business Network start for free as a Standard Account Supplier; however, suppliers that upgrade to an Enterprise Account may be eligible for fees based on the volume of transactions on the SAP Business Network across all their customer relationships. More information regarding supplier pricing is available on SAP’s website.
When MSU is ready to contract with a supplier, they’ll receive an invitation to register on SAP Ariba and to connect to MSU. Suppliers will be required to have an SAP Ariba account to transact with MSU.
In addition to being able to conduct business with MSU and other suppliers via the SAP Business Network, SAP Ariba offers several benefits for suppliers such as real-time PO delivery and more efficient invoice processing (with self-service status checking).
SAP Ariba has sent Enterprise Account suppliers important communications and instructions for joining the SAP Business Network. This includes establishing a trading relationship with Michigan State University on the SAP Business Network and properly configuring your SAP Business Network account. We appreciate your prompt action on all communications and requests regarding this initiative. Standard Account suppliers will receive more information and sign-up actions.
Suppliers are being onboarded to SAP Ariba as they are selected for a purchase order. If a supplier you’d like to suggest for the purchase does not appear in the available options, please add a comment to the PR for Procurement’s review.
Yes, in alignment with MSU’s Institutional Data Policy, suppliers are required to provide an EIN to receive MSU business via a purchase order (PO). This rule went into effect in January 2023 to protect suppliers’ personal identities and is not specific to SAP Ariba.