WAVEWORKS PROCUREMENT FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
A guide to the most common questions and answers for successfully creating, submitting, and managing orders using WaveWorks Procurement. For additional support, contact Procurement Services at procurementservices@tulane.edu.
Select below to jump to each section
- Creating and Submitting Requisitions
- Punch Out Orders
- Restricted Categories
- Approval Workflow and RASU
- After Approval
- Receiving and Receipts
- Searching for Requisitions and POs
FAQ for Creating and Submitting Requisitions
Use control or command-F to search for keywords throughout this FAQ
Q: Why can't I submit my requisition?
A: Requisition submission failures are almost always caused by one of the following:
- Missing required fields (red asterisk *)
- Missing cart header delivery information
- Incomplete or invalid account string
- RASU Details not entered when required
- Budget validation failure
- Restricted category without proper alignment
- Supplier or supplier site not selected
Review the following before submitting:
- Supplier selected
- Supplier site selected
- Quantity entered
- Price entered
- Category selected (non-catalogs)
- Account string complete (all segments)
- Distribution total equals line total
- Delivery header completed (Attention-To & Room Number specified at the Header Level pencil icon)
Q: Why do I have to enter Delivery information at the cart level?
A: Delivery must be entered at the header level, not just the line level.
Steps to Correct:
- Go to the Shopping Cart
- Click the pencil icon (Edit Cart Header)
- Go to Additional Information
- Enter required delivery details
- Click Update and submit
Q: How do I know what account string to use?
A: Procurement does not assign funding. Account strings are provided by departmental Financial Managers and can be looked up in WaveWorks using the GL Account Alias punch out on the RSSP
home screen.
Departments are responsible for:
- Cost center validity
- Natural account alignment
- Project/task validity
- Budget availability
Q: Can I change the natural account?
A: Natural accounts behave differently depending on how the requisition is being charged.
Natural Accounts for GL (non-project) requisitions:
- Automatically assigned based on browsing category
- If manually changed, will revert to original value upon submission
Natural Accounts for project requisitions:
- Driven by expenditure type (even if expenditure type differs from browsing category)
- Will revert to original value upon submission if manually changed to a natural account that differs from the expenditure type
- Users cannot type within the account string to override the natural account. Natural account can only be revised by changing the expenditure type (projects only).
Q: How do I check if my budget will pass before submitting?
A: Procurement does not assign funding. Account strings are provided by departmental Financial Managers and can be looked up in WaveWorks using the GL Account Alias punch out on the RSSP home screen.
From the cart:
- Click “…” next to Submit
- Select Check Funds
Possible results:
- Passed
- Warning
- Insufficient Funds
If Insufficient Funds appears:
- The requisition will submit but with warnings unless there is an issue with the account selected.
Important Distinction:
Check Funds does NOT display:
- Reserved
- Liquidated
Those appear in the Funds Status field after approval.
Q: Why is the system requiring a category?
A: The category you select drives requisition workflow actions, including:
- Approval routing
- RASU triggering
- Reporting classification
- Compliance controls
- Spend tracking
Selecting the wrong category (or expenditure type) can:
- Prevent RASU from triggering
- Trigger incorrect approvals
- Cause accounting conflicts
- Misclassify restricted purchases
FAQ for Punch Out Orders
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Q: What is a punch out order?
A: Certain supplier catalogs are accessible from within WaveWorks. Users can shop directly from the supplier online catalog, create a shopping cart and use that cart to create a Requisition. The available punch out suppliers are:
- Airgas
- Amazon
- B&H Photo-Video
- BD Bio Sciences
- Bio Rad
- CDW-G
- Dell Computers
- Fastenal
- Ferguson
- Fisher Scientific
- Grainger
- Graybar
- HD Supply
- Lowe's
- McKesson
- Medline
- Millipore Sigma
- NAPA
- Qiagen
- Staples
- ThermoFisher
- VWR
- WESCO
Q: Why can’t I duplicate my punch out requisition?
A: Punch out requisitions cannot be duplicated because:
- They originate from a supplier-hosted catalog
- Configuration is session-based
- Pricing and category mapping are supplier-controlled\
- Oracle cannot recreate punch out session
To repeat order:
- Return to supplier punch out site
- Rebuild cart
- Submit new requisition
Q: Why can’t I change the price on a PO to a punch out supplier?
A: Only certain changes to punch out POs are possible:
Allowed:
- Quantity changes only
Not allowed:
- Unit price changes
- Manual price override
If price must change:
- Cancel PO
- Recreate requisition from punch out site
Q: Why can’t I change the category on a punch out requisition?
A: Category is mapped from supplier classification to Oracle category. It is locked on punch out lines.
If you note an incorrect category on a punch out order:
- Contact eProcurement
- Do NOT override
- Do NOT cancel unless instructed
This is a mapping configuration issue.
FAQ for Restricted Categories
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Q: What are the restricted categories?
A: The following categories are restricted and tied to Natural Account 63110:
- Radioactive Materials or Products
(Radioiodines, Radionuclides, other radioactive materials)
- Chemical Biological Substances
(Antibodies, living organisms, biological molecules)
- Chemicals, Gases, and Compounds
(Chemicals, compressed gases, cryogenic materials, alcohol)
If one of these categories is selected:
- Additional approvals may trigger
- RASU may be required
- Natural account must align with 63110
- Documentation may be required
Buyer must verify alignment before escalation
FAQ for Approval Workflow and RASU
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Q: Why isn’t my approval workflow generating?
A: If RASU is required (based on the use of a RASU-required expenditure type) and RASU details are missing:
Under View Approvers, user will see:
“We cannot assign approvers at this time.”
RASU Details Location (Line Level Only):
- Open requisition
- Click into specific line
- Click Delivery and Billing Details (truck icon)
- Under Billing section, scroll down
- Click “…” (ellipsis)
- Select Edit
- Under Additional Information:
- Enter Cost Center number in RASU Details field
8. Click Update
9. Re-check View Approvers
If RASU Details are not entered (and a RASU expenditure type was used), workflow will not generate at all. If a non-RASU expenditure type was selected and a RASU expenditure type should have been selected, RASU approvers will be excluded from workflow. Please be sure to select the correct expenditure type so the requisition receives all the necessary approvals
Q: How do I see where my requisition is in approval?
A: Before submission:
- Cart → “…” → View Approvers
After submission:
- Open requisition → “…” next to Edit → View Approvers
This displays:
- Full approval chain
Current approver
Approval status
Q: Why was my requisition automatically rejected?
A: Oracle can auto-reject due to:
Approval Rules Evaluate to “Reject”
- Missing or inactive manager
- Invalid job level hierarchy
- Cost center owner not defined
Budgetary Control Failure
- Invalid or closed budget account
Invalid or Missing Accounting
- Disabled GL segment
- Invalid project/task
- Project not chargeable
- Grant expired (very common in higher ed)
Supplier / Supplier Site Issues
- Supplier inactive
- Supplier site inactive
- Supplier site tied to wrong BU
- Supplier not enabled for purchasing
