Copiers

All of the copier vendors offer both rental and purchase options as well as associated maintenance options.  
See preferred vendor list and details, which also includes templates for requisition language that you can easily copy and paste when creating your requisition

By using the Copier Request for Quote Worksheet, each vendor you contact should provide you with easily comparable information to help you make your decision.  It is suggested you gather quotes from multiple vendors, including at least one IPHEC vendor, to ensure you truly get the best solution to your department’s needs.

• Copy Cost/Overage: Some copier agreements come with a copy allowance.  This means that a certain number of copies are allowed per billing cycle and are included in your rental/maintenance agreement.  Knowledge of your usage patterns can save you money.  If you are a department that makes a high number of copies in two specific months but few copies the rest of the time, you may want a contract that allows you to choose the billing cycle with that in mind: by having the overage billed quarterly, biannually, or annually, departments can save money.  However, not all companies allow this contract type.  
• Cost Per Click: Other copier agreements do not include any copy allowance, but rather have a fee associated with each copy made.  It is important when comparing quotes that you take into consideration how many copies you make annually– what looks like a low monthly payment may not work out as such once you take this into consideration.
• Included Items: Each copier contract can provide different items included, such as toner, drums, consumables, and staples.  Be sure to ask what is included in any rental or maintenance agreement.

 

Yes. All copiers and maintenance agreements require a requisition, regardless of the dollar amount.  The purchase order must remain open as long as your department has this rental or maintenance agreement the vendor.  

The requisition should be submitted for the anticipated total initial term cost of the copier rental/purchase, as well as the maintenance and any copy cost or overage.  If the contract states that the agreement is for three years, for example, with two additional single year renewal options, you would want to put it in for the full amount that would be spent for the first three years.  

The Business Office manages the requisition intake process

When creating the requisition for a new copier, use the copier template language found below and be sure to include the physical address of the intended copier placement. A list of campus building addresses can also be found in this document.

You will most likely have at least two account numbers in your resulting requisition.

Object Codes
Copier Purchase (each piece of equipment < $5,000)	861000
Copier Purchase (each piece of equipment > $5,000)	862000
Copier Rental	709100
Copy Costs (per click or overage)	730000
Prepay	140000

For the line item in Colleague, copy and paste the following text and edit it to match
your specific requisition:

RENTAL or PURCHASE
<make & model number> ~
-Feature 1 ~
-Feature 2 ~
INCLUDES: ~
-__ b/w copies/mo (or quarter, year, etc) ~
-__ color copies/mo (or quarter, year, etc) ~
- Consumable supplies included for all prints ~
-OVERAGE RATES: ~
--Cost Per Page (Mono): $.XXXX ~
-Cost Per Page (Color): $.XXXX ~
TERM: ~
-Eqt Fee: $__/mo ~
-Term: XX months ~
USAGE/OVERAGE ALLOWANCE: $xxxxx
PHYSICAL LOCATION: ~
Department ~
ISU Building, Rm # ~
Street Address ~
Normal, IL 61790 ~
 
BILLING ADDRESS: ~
Department ~
Mail Code ~
Normal, IL 61790-xxxx ~

(please note the tildes are necessary for formatting in Colleague)

Finally, any additional cost incurred past the end of the initial fiscal year should be
entered as a prepay account line within the purchase order. The prepay account
line is not reflected in Cognos. It also does not encumber against the current
fiscal year’s budget.

At the end of the fiscal year, you must submit a rollover by using Sharepoint’s Purchase Order Change Form.

This must be done after the final invoice for the current fiscal year has been paid. 

As part of this rollover process, Purchasing will roll the balance of the existing purchase order into the next fiscal year, with the same account numbers you originally requested.  If any account numbers change, please submit the updated account number in Sharepoint as well.  Please try to be as clear as possible so as to avoid delays as the team has a significant number of rollovers at the end of the year and clarity is always deeply appreciated.

• If you are extending the contract or exercising one of the renewal options in the contract, remember to add funds to cover the coming fiscal year, including anticipated overage.
• If the contract is at the end of its term and you do not wish to extend it, you can instead complete a close request.  This means that there should be no further payments made for the maintenance or rental of this copier.

A visual guide for the rollover process can be found here

Technology Services: Many departments require technology staff to coordinate the installation of a new copier to ensure that it is networked and set up accurately for your department.  Remember to coordinate the installation with your appropriate technology support.

Color Copiers:  You may want to ensure that your copier vendor sets up the machine to default to print black when it is being installed, so as to reduce unnecessary color usage-related expenses.

Changing Vendors 

Remember that if you are switching vendors, you will need to coordinate the pick-up of the old machine before you schedule the delivery of the new machine.  This includes the pick-up of a University-owned machine by Property Control.  Note that departments are prohibited from moving copier machines: please contact Purchasing, and if this is a leased machine, also contact your sales rep to coordinate any and all moves, even if they seem insignificant.

You will make all recurring payments (rental or service agreement payments) for the lifetime of the agreement against the blanket purchase order, which may have an updated BPO number each fiscal year.  You will need to receive each month’s costs in Colleague through BPUM prior to issuing the voucher. 

Account Codes to Use with Purchased Copiers
Purchased Machine: Fixed monthly payments w/ regular maintenance	669502
Purchased Machine: Variable monthly payments from click counts/overage	730000
Rental Machine: Fixed payments for life of lease	709100
Rental Machine: Variable payments/meter charge from click count/overage	730000

Copier overage should be included on the requisition and paid against the blanket purchase order.  Please estimate this amount based on historical print counts, coupled with future estimates.

Voucher Date: When you enter a voucher in Colleague, the voucher date should be the last day of rental period.  If paying for yearly rental in advance, use the first day of the period as the voucher date.

Invoice Date: The invoice date field should reflect the date provided on the invoice

Due Date: The due date should be the date the check needs to be issued, which generally will be    included on the invoice.  If a due date is not entered, the voucher will not be paid until after the voucher date.  
Please note that when paying against a BPO, you can only use objects included on that BPO.

If both base and overage charges are included on the same invoice but the invoice shows different periods, use the base charge period as the voucher date.  

Billing Address and Physical Location Address: Copier bills should be mailed directly to the department using the copier.  If you receive a bill that has been routed through another department (such as Purchasing), please  update your billing address with the vendor to ensure the timeliest receipt of invoices.  Also, be sure that your invoice includes the correct physical location of the copier as that might be needed to reroute an invoice.

Billing Questions:  Be sure to confirm that the rental rate and overage rate are correct on your first bill.
If yours does not match, contact the vendor.  If the vendor maintains a discrepancy with the purchase order, then contact Purchasing
Beware of additional fees such as insurance, late charges, and set-up fees on your first bill. If these were not mentioned on the purchase order, they may not be valid.

Make sure that you are not charged extra for these items if your contract includes them.  It is best to notify the copier vendor when you call to place your order that your contract includes these items so they do not erroneously bill them to your account.

Renew Agreement: If you are interested in keeping your copier beyond the original term, you should contact Purchasing to discuss your renewal options.  Once you have confirmed a renewal option is available, you can initiate a renewal with the vendor. You are responsible for initiating and sending notice to the vendor and Purchasing at least 90 days prior to the end of the current contract.  As with a new purchase or rental, Purchasing will need to review the renewal contract and provide an authorized signature.  Any copier renewal should be submitted as an Amendment using the Purchase Order Change Form, unless it is occurring at the time of rollover.

If you are ending your existing copier agreement (to upgrade to new machines, switch vendors, or cancel  maintenance), please follow the below steps:

1. Confirm end of term: Confirm the end of the term for your existing service with your current vendor.  Make sure you have a confirmation from them in writing.  While Purchasing can typically give you an idea of the term  date, our records do not always reflect the actual installation date, and discrepancies can cause billing issues later.
2. Notify Existing Vendor: Notify the existing vendor in writing at least 90 days prior to the end of the contract.         The notice should be confirmed in writing by the vendor.  Copy Purchasing when you send the notification so we can file it with the contract. Remember that a new placement can take six weeks or more to process and receive.  It is your responsibility to plan a specific date as a pick-up date and delivery date for the new machine.  

Remember that if your machine is a rental, you are prohibited from moving the machine at all: the vendor must be contacted to move it (and keep Purchasing in the loop when any move is scheduled).  If you believe your department owns your machine, please refer to your sales rep or contact ISU Purchasing for next steps.

NOTE: Be aware that different vendors will bill your final invoice differently.  Several of them bill the entire month’s fee for the last month rather than prorating it to match the removal date per the contract.  Additionally, the monthly allowances are prorated by day.