Purchase Requests/Procedures

	Purchasing Contact Information
	Kai Matthews Email: Kai.Matthews@courts.wa.gov Phone 360-704-5545 Helen Swenson Email: helen.swenson@courts.wa.gov Phone 360-705-5241

Please contact Kai Matthews at 704-5545 or at Kai.Matthews@courts.wa.gov for purchasing assistance. He will also assist with questions about purchasing guidelines, print requests, copy requests, supply/equipment bid requirements, and questions regarding vendors. If Kai is not available, please contact Helen Swenson at 360-705-5241 or at helen.swenson@courts.wa.gov.

In order to request office supplies or equipment, first send an e-mail to your supervisor requesting written approval and the budget code the purchase should be charged to. It is not necessary to create an incident report for requesting supplies. Once your supervisor has given you their approval, forward the e-mail to Kai.Matthews@courts.wa.gov. If you are requesting software or hardware, please follow the instructions provided below.

Purchase requests are generally processed within three business days. We will contact you if we anticipate a significant delay with order processing. If an order needs to be expedited, Kai will do his best to meet your needs.

If you know exactly what is required, please provide the specific product code(s) or order number(s) for the items being requested, along with your suggested vendor.

The Department of Enterprise Services has statewide contracts for the procurement of many supply and equipment items. When searching for a vendor, Purchasing will always: consider if there is a state contract we may use, look for the best value, verify vendor site security, return policies, and customer service. If you have specified a vendor, and that vendor does not appear to be the best choice, the purchase desk will select an alternate vendor to make the purchase from.

Remember all requests need to include the budget code as well as the manager's approval. Director level managers and the Superior Court Administrator can approve their own purchases.

Direct billing is the process by which an open account is established, the vendor provides a product or service, and an invoice is sent to the Administrative Office of the Courts for payment. AOC employees are encouraged to conduct business via direct billing whenever possible.

The preferred payment method for meals or coffee and light refreshments for meetings is direct billing. To establish an account for direct billing, first obtain the manager's approval for the purchase and then forward the approval along with the request to establish a direct billing account to Kai.Matthews@courts.wa.gov. Kai will provide the necessary information for the vendor as well as any assistance you may need.

When training and conferences are coordinated by AOC, payment for all conference rooms, lodging for attendees and AOC staff, equipment rentals, meals, and coffee and light refreshments should be arranged through the direct billing process.

The Infrastructure Program Associate (Christine Winslow) and Infrastructure Manager (Dennis Longnecker) are primarily responsible for monitoring and assisting with computer equipment and software purchases. Instructions for requesting computer equipment can be found here, and instructions for software requests can be found here. After the purchasing desk places your order request, Customer Services Line 1 will create an e-ticket in Rightnow to track it. You will be copied on the email confirming the order was placed and then, within (3) three business days, you may log on to the eService Center with your RACF ID and open the "My Stuff" tab to see the status of your order.

If your duties involve responsibility regarding AOC fixed assets, see the AOC Asset Management Procedures document posted on the Inside Courts homepage.

Staff Services maintains a large quantity of office supplies in each building. All employees are allowed access to these general-use supplies. These items are available for everyone and may be found in the large supply rooms on the first floor of each building.

Large quantities or special use supplies must be ordered through Purchasing. If you need a special order or a large quantity of office supplies, send an e-mail with your request to your supervisor with a copy to the AOC Purchasing Desk. You do not need to supply a suggested vendor with these orders. Office Depot is the contracted provider for office supplies for the State of Washington. Visit the www.OfficeDepot.com website to locate the item you would like to purchase and include that in your email to your supervisor and purchasing.

It is helpful to have the item number, a brief description of the item, and the quantity you need included in your request.

The AOC has a large in-house Copy Center which produces the majority of our publications and special printing jobs. If you have a printing request, please email the MSD Copy Center to determine if they can complete the job for you. By using the Copy Center, you will achieve significant cost savings.

Print requests that cannot be filled by AOC's Copy Center must be sent to the Department of Printing. The Purchasing Desk will assist you with getting price quotes from the Department of Enterprise Services Printing and Imaging office. If you are satisfied with the cost quote, please get supervisor/budget code approval and forward the request to Jonathan at the Purchasing Desk. Purchasing will complete a printing requisition form and attach it to your sample document for submission to the Department of Printing. Department of Printing jobs typically take about 30 days for processing, so it is essential that you plan ahead and allow plenty of time for job completion.

To request new business cards or to make changes to existing cards, all you need to do is write the new information on your present card and forward it to Purchasing. You can also e-mail the information if an existing card is not available. Manager approval and budget code approval are required and can be sent via e-mail.

The ISD Desktop group maintains a supply of toner cartridges for all AOC printers. If you need a toner cartridge, or have any problem with your printer functioning, create a RightNow ticket and assign it to Desktop. Use the eService Center link located on the tool bar at the top of Inside Courts to submit your request. Desktop staff will send the requested replacement cartridge.

All AOC copiers are under maintenance programs that include toner cartridges. All our copiers are leased from Capital Business Machines and financial services must be contacted if supplies or maintenance is required. There should be one spare toner cartridge of each color located next to each copier. If you need to request additional toner be delivered to your copier, send an email to Kai.Matthews@courts.wa.gov and include the location of the copier, the serial number and the color of toner you require. Kai will request the toner to be delivered.