1. Can any vendor have a Master Agreement?
Yes. A Master Agreement can be set up with any vendor regardless of commodity or spend. To get the process started, submit your contract request via the New Contracts Request portal and in the comments section write “Please set up Master Agreement".
2. How do I know when to involve IT in the contracting process?
Please engage the Procurement Department as soon as possible by submitting a Contract Request http://purchasing.uclahealth.org/submit-vendor-quote. Once a Contracts Analyst has accepted the request, she/he will reach out to you and set up a call to discuss your project and see if you need to involve other internal stakeholders.
3. Can we piggyback off a UCLA campus contracts?
UCLA Health and UCLA Campus maintain two separate Procurement departments each with their own contracting process. UCLA Health cannot piggyback on Campus contracts at this time. If the supplier does have an active campus agreement, please alert the Contracts Analyst assigned to review the contract. They may be able to use language agreed to in the campus agreement to save time during the review process.
4. How do I know if a BAA is required for a contract?
As a general rule, if PHI (Protected Health Information) is exchanged with the vendor a BAA is required for the contract. If you don’t know if a BAA is required, alert the contracts analyst assigned to the contract that PHI may be involved and she/he will work with the vendor to determine if a BAA is required.
5. How long does a BAA take to review
At this time our Compliance department has let us know that the current turnaround time to review a BAA is 30 days, so keep that in mind when a BAA is involved with your contract.
6. What happens if I work with Procurement earlier in the process and submit the contract request in the portal but I don’t know exactly how much the contract value will be because it’s in an early stage of development?
We understand that you may now know the final contract value in the initial stages of the contract process so use your best guess in determining the contract value. This number can be changed at any time by the assigned contract analyst during the contracting process should the number change.
7. More information is needed on how to submit contract requests that involve master projects with multiple vendors.
If you’re working on a master project involving multiple vendors, please alert the UCLA Health Director of Procurement to set up a meeting to discuss any special needs you may have regarding your master project.
8. Can I go back into the Contracts Entry Portal to update/change information?
No. Please send an email to the Contracts Analyst assigned to review the contract any updates or changes you would like to make regarding a contract submittal.
9. What is the Contract Expected Completion Date?
After the contract analyst has had an opportunity to review your agreement, she/he will provide you with an estimated contract completion date on when she/he thinks the contract will be fully executed. This is based on the contract complexity and the contracts analysts’ workload. As this is an initial best guess estimate, please note that this date may change based on evolving circumstances.
10. How can I submit an EMPAC requisition without knowing the dollar amount of the contract?
We understand that you may not have a final dollar value of the contract when engaging Procurement earlier in the contracting process. When this is the case, please use a best guess in determining the value of requisition. You can update this number at any time in EMPAC before the contract is closed out in our system. You can also submit the EMPAC requisition with notes detailing that the contract is in process and has not been finalized.
If you need to change the EMPAC requisition amount after the contract has been closed out but before the PO has been generated, please contact the Contract Analyst assigned to review the contract with this updated information.
11. I have my Requisition number(s); can I submit my invoices now?
No. Once a contract is fully executed and closed out in our system, an email is sent out to the Buyers that it is ok to move forward with processing the requisition and create the Purchase Order. Once the Purchase Order is processed and released (usually 1 to 3 days after the contract is closed out in our system), you may submit your invoices to accounts payable for payment.
12. Will I receive a notice from the Buyer once the PO is completed?
Yes. When entering in a requisition you have the option to add comments to the PO in EMPAC. Once you have entered all of the required information and the requisition # has been assigned, you may enter comments through the “header” page of your requisition. Click on “ADD COMMENTS”. Under “Comments to Print on Headers on Internal Documents”, you may request the Buyer to notify you once the PO is completed or request a hard copy of the PO. All comments to the Buyer and/or Purchasing Assistant should be entered here. Please provide the name(s) and email of the individuals you wish to have notified. You may request a copy of the PO to be sent to the vendor as well, as long as the vendors email is provided.
13. Can I print a copy of the PO from EMPAC?
No. Requisitioners cannot print a copy of the PO from EMPCA. Requisitioners can request a copy of the PO by adding comments in their EMPAC submission that they would like to receive a PDF copy. See 12 above.
14. What happens when a vendor cannot meet our insurance requirements?
Risk Management can grant exceptions to vendors to waive certain sections of our insurance requirements but please note that granting exceptions is extremely rarely and done only under certain circumstances. If you feel you have an insurance exception, please reach out to Regi Foster with the supplier’s name, what product or service(s) they are providing and some information on why you or the vendor believes we should grant them an exception. Regi will communicate that to the Risk Management department for review. http://purchasing.uclahealth.org/new-vendor
15. Am I responsible for negotiating pricing?
Price negotiation is a collaboration between your department and the Procurement department with the goal being to get the best possible pricing for UCLA Health. The earlier you can submit your new contracts request into the contracts review portal the more time you and your assigned contracts analyst will have to negotiate pricing.
If you have any additional questions or comments
Please contact Mark Sampson at msampson@mednet.ucla.edu or (310) 794-0408.
