Procurement Training & Resources
The Procurement Department offers resources on Stratus Financials functions through a series of detailed self-help documents in PDF format and selected videos.
Please review the self-help documents, presentations and videos available via the links under the headings throughout this page. If further assistance is needed, please contact the Procurement Department at procurement AT_TOWSON or 410-704-2171.
Exciting Stratus News!
We are excited to announce that significant improvements have come to the Stratus user experience!
HOW DOES THIS IMPACT YOU?
Oracle鈥檚 newly released Redwood technology innovation resulted in the replacement of the current 鈥渃lassic鈥 Stratus purchase requisition module with the new Stratus Responsive Self-Service Procurement (RSSP) requisition module effective 12/11/2024.
You will notice that this new RSSP module brings with it a new look and feel, a simplified and intuitive requisition process and the exciting new enhancements listed below:
- A more engaging and streamlined user interface redesign where the pages will respond/adapt to the size of the device being utilized allowing a more user-friendly mobile experience.
- Improved and advanced search filters: Easily find requisitions with refined criteria.鈥
- Preview Approvers: Users can see approval workflow BEFORE submission鈥.
- Insert Ad-hoc Approvers: Requesters can insert ad hoc approver(s) for a requisition during checkout鈥.
- Approvers can modify requisitions: Approvers now have the option to edit a requisition if something is incorrect when they get the notification to approve instead of having to reject and send it back.鈥
- Enhanced Status Tracking: Clearer visibility into requisition status鈥.
- Guided Journeys: We were able to embed documentation and/or videos into the pages to help users with the requisition process.
The Redwood technology also resulted in a new look to the Stratus homepage. You will notice a new green background color while the various icons and scrolling menu remain unchanged. Note: No other application in Stratus besides the purchase requisitions module has changed.
TEAMWORK
A big thank you to our Stratus team, Procurement, OTS, as well as the Change Champions across various campus departments who were involved with testing the new RSSP requisition module and providing feedback!
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and was instrumental in the development of the training resources which can be found on Procurement's website. We have also created a to help you learn the new RSSP requisition process.
If you have any questions or issues, we ask that you utilize the and select Software & Applications/Stratus. For questions, use the option 鈥Submit a Request/Question.鈥 For issues, use the option 鈥Report a Stratus Problem.鈥 The advantage of the tech help system is that you can view the status of your ticket at any time and receive live updates.
Thank you for your cooperation as we continue to move 快活视频forward in Stratus.
Gina Peach
Director Financial Systems and Technology
Dominic Edet
Acting Director, Procurement
Get Started
- All 快活视频employees should complete training for the modules you expect to use, starting with general navigation, employee reimbursements, travel and purchasing.
- Supervisors, financial stewards and cost center managers must complete training for all Stratus modules. Financial stewards and cost center managers should review the quick reference guide (PDF).
- These docs apply to more than one module so it might be helpful to refer to them throughout the process: Stratus glossary terms and definitions (EXCEL), delegate/reassign tasks when out of office (PDF) and manage delegates (PDF).
Purchasing
- Watch the to the new RSSP module
- Watch the full on Redwood and Oracle's new self-service Procurement (RSSP) Module
- See how to enter a requisition in RSSP (PDF).
- See how to withdraw a requisition (PDF).
- See how to prepare a requisition for another requestor (PDF).
- See how to manage/view a requisition (PDF).
- See how to edit a requisition as an approver (PDF).
- See how to duplicate a requisition (PDF).
- See how to approve a requisition (PDF).
- Receipts - receiving (PDF).
- Receipts - how to make a change (PDF).
- Receipts - create a receipt (PDF).
Stratus Responsive Self-Service Procurement (RSSP) FAQ
How do I change my description, price, and/or category?
To change these details, click on the requisition line description link in the cart.
How do I change the billing and delivery information?
To update the requisition's delivery and billing details, click the pencil icon next to the line item.
What should I do if I can't update my source and cost center?
If you're unable to update, please ensure you are clicking outside the box after making your changes and you have the correct Source and Cost Center combination.
How can I add additional approvers?
To add additional people, click on the cost center manager鈥檚 name, and the "Add Approver" option will become visible. Once you click on Add approvers a search box will appear.
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Tip: Search by first name.
How do I split the cost of a requisition between multiple Cost centers?
To split a cost center, click the pencil icon next to the line item. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the billing information, then click the three-dotted menu. Select the "Split" option to create a second distribution. Enter the charge account details as needed.
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Note: You need to know the correct Source and Cost Center combination before entering. The Alias feature is not available in RSSP.
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Tip: After entering the source and cost center information, click outside the box to ensure the system registers your input.
Is the receiving process still the same?
Yes, the receiving process is still the same as in the classic version. Only the requisition process has been updated.
How do I save a requisition for later?
To save a requisition for later, while in the cart, click the Actions tab in the top right corner. You鈥檒l see the Save for Later option.
Will the process for change orders be different?
No, the process will remain the same. You will still need to submit a new requisition for the initial purchase order and indicate any changes in the description.
How do I add an additional line to my cart?
If your requisition contains supplier information:
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After entering your requisition details, click Add to Cart on the first line. A confirmation prompt will appear with the option "Create Another Request."
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Click this option, and a new page will open to create another line with the same supplier.
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Repeat this process for each line item you wish to add.
Note: You will only see the "Create Another Request" option in the confirmation prompt if your requisition contains supplier information. If you choose to X out of the prompt, it will clear the form, allowing you to enter new details for a second line. However, this will require you to re-enter the supplier information.
If you requisition does not contain supplier information:
Once you complete filling out the information for a requisition without supplier information, you will not see the option to Create Another Request. After adding the requisition to the cart, you can:
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Simply X out of the prompt and enter the second line鈥檚 requisition details directly into the requisition form, or
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Navigate to the Self-Service Procurement tab at the bottom of the page, select Create Non-Catalog Request, and enter the new line details there.
To add an additional line item to a requisition saved for later or in draft status:
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Navigate to the My Requisitions page, search for, and select the requisition you wish to complete.
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You will be taken to the Cart.
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At the bottom of the page, select the Self-Service Procurement option. This will take you to the page containing the Create Non-Catalog Request button.
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Click the Create Non-Catalog Request button to add a new item.
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Follow the directions in Step A to continue adding additional lines as needed.
How do I edit a requisition as an approver?
From Stratus Notification Bell
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Under action required, click on the Requisition hyperlink that will take you to a separate page for the requisition details.
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Scroll down to the bottom of the page.
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Look for the **Edit Requisition** link.
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Click on it to open the requisition and enter **Approver Edit Mode**.
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This will allow you to make changes to the requisition before approving it.
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Navigate through the requisition and make the necessary changes.
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Once done, click Submit.
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Wait a minute or two to receive another notification email to approve the requisition.
Tip: You can find the new notification in your Bell Icon, where you can simply click Approve.
From notification Email
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Scroll down to the bottom of the email and click on the Edit Requisition hyperlink.
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This will take you into the application, where you'll enter Edit Mode.
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Navigate through the requisition and make the necessary changes.
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Once done, click Submit.
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Wait a minute or two to receive another notification email to approve the requisition.
Tip: You can find the new notification in your Bell Icon, where you can simply click Approve.
How do I preview my requisition PDF?
- This feature will become available in Release 25A, scheduled for February 2025. In the meantime, if you need to preview your requisition before submission, you can use the Preview Draft Requisitions report as an alternative. The report, titled 快活视频Preview Draft Requisition, can be accessed via the link at the top of the Requisition Cart
- Note that once you Submit the Requisition, email notification will contain a PDF copy of the requisition. Again 25A, February 2025 will bring the feature to allow you to pull a PDF copy of the requisition before and after submission from within Stratus.
How can I check the status of my requisition?
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Navigate to the three-dotted menu located next to your requisition line.
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Click on View Document History.
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This will display a detailed history of your requisition, including key updates and its current status in the workflow.
Expenses: ProCard
- Watch the
- See how to create a ProCard expense report (PDF).
- See how to approve a ProCard expense report (PDF).
- See how to view a rejected expense report (PDF).
ProCard FAQ
If a faculty member is a ProCard holder, are they responsible for approving ProCard transactions?
Yes, all cardholders are responsible for reviewing, reallocating, if necessary, reconciling and submitting their ProCard transactions. By submitting, card holders approve their expense reports. After submission, expense reports will be reviewed and approved by their supervisor, cost center manager and financial steward.
What if the cardholder is the cost center manager?
The cardholder鈥檚 transactions would be approved by their supervisor and financial stewards so for auditing purposes, this is sufficient.
Can students (undergraduate and graduate) complete tasks like ProCard reallocations in Stratus?
No. Students will not have a Stratus Financials login.
Can ProCard transactions be reallocated to another cost center?
Yes. A cardholder will be able to reallocate to other cost centers but the financial stewards and cost center managers of those cost centers need to approve them. The current ProCard reallocation and reconciliation system is going away. There should be open communication with any financial stewards and cost center managers about transactions hitting their budgets.
Is there still a bank statement?
Yes. Cardholders will still receive a monthly statement via US Bank. However, cardholders are no longer required to submit their signed monthly statement.
Faculty have no idea of how to fill out an expense report. Shouldn鈥檛 this task reside with the admins or chairs to complete?
The preparation piece of the expense report can be delegated to an admin if desired, but as a Procurement Card holder, it is your responsibility to make sure the transactions are reviewed, correct, and expense reports are completed.
Can I look up past expense reports?
All expense reports are located the top of the expense module. You can also run a report for completed and pending expense reports.
Why did the cost center on my expense report change during the approval process?
There is an open Service Request with Oracle regarding this issue. If you notice that an expense report ultimately hit your default cost center when you鈥檝e changed from your default to a different cost center, please email the Stratus Financials team with the details.
Why is the system cumbersome to navigate?
If cardholder鈥檚 are having issues navigating the Stratus, one-on-one training is available to cardholders on how to navigate the expense module and create, approve, and reject an expense report with ease.
The default cost center is not unique to the cardholder鈥檚 department. Do we have to modify budgets on every single sale?
Stratus utilizes HCM supervisor hierarchy and home cost center in each of the workflows. If cardholders wish to change their default cost center, they must submit a request to stratusfinancialsteam AT_TOWSON. However, if there are any changes to the employees HR profiles (i.e. phone number, address, email), this will trigger the HR integration to run and reset the default. If they notice that their cost center reverts back, another request is needed. Note-changes to the default cost center will only apply to expense items created after the default cost center was updated. This will not retroactively update any existing expense items.
The Stratus landing page for Expense Items gives you a place to modify 鈥淭ype鈥, add a 鈥淒escription鈥, and even upload an 鈥淎ttachment鈥 for receipt; however, it leaves no place to adjust the budget number. Why do the Expense Items have a field for Location, which on mine are all blank? It seems like that would have been an ideal spot to put a budget field for Account number.
Stratus was designed for all expenses (Travel, Reimbursement, and ProCard Transactions) to utilize the Expense Module. The location field is used for the Travel and Reimbursement Expense Reports, not ProCard Expense report. Cardholder will need to enter this information on the individual line.
Stratus only has 15 transaction lines for Expense Items on their landing page 鈥 why not expand in full, as the old 快活视频site did?
Stratus was designed for the Procard transactions to be uploaded daily. Thus, the total number of transactions displayed in the Expense Module will vary. However, all transactions will be available until they are placed on an expense report.
Stratus doesn鈥檛 keep a running tally of how much is spent each month by p-card, and I almost always max out my spending limit due to orders for collections. The old site used to give a grand total of our bank statement as it was happening. Does Stratus have this capability?
Stratus was not designed to provide spending limits (monthly and single) and available balance. Cardholders will need to login into US Bank to obtain this information. If cardholder need their passwords reset or assistance with the page, they should email pcpa AT_TOWSON.
When creating an expense report, if you change the type, the account number will automatically change. But if you change the account number, the number will not change correspondingly resulting in a requirement to submit a journal entry to re-classify the expenses. Why?
This is the system鈥檚 configuration. Cardholders are strongly encouraged to review each transaction on their expense report to ensure that the type and account numbers are correct.
Each Visa transaction 鈥淭ype鈥 seems to default to a vendor鈥檚 merchant category code (MCC), rather than to a default set up for the cardholder 鈥 in our case, each p-card purchase in the old system used to default to 鈥渘ew books,鈥 so as a result, we only had to reallocate a fraction of transactions that didn鈥檛 fit into that category each month. Is this possible in Stratus?
At this time, this is not an option in Stratus. However, we have a project scheduled in 2023 to review all of the MCC codes and descriptions in Stratus.
who to contact
Stratus Financials Team
For questions regarding Stratus Financials general navigation, chart of accounts, journal uploads, reporting, or Stratus Financials access, please see our Training & Resources page. You may also contact the Stratus Financials Team at stratusfinancialsteam AT_TOWSON or 410-704-2188.
Business Travel
For questions regarding travel expenses, please contact the Business Travel Office at travel AT_TOWSONor 410-704-5421.
Stratus training and resources for travel expenses can be found here.
Financial Services Help Line
For questions regarding Payroll or Accounts Payable please contact the Financial Services Help Line at finservehelp AT_TOWSON or 410-704-5599.
Stratus training and resources for employee reimbursements and payables can be found here.