BobcatBUY FAQs

Only authorized users are able to access the BobcatBUY system. OHIO employees should contact their planning unit's financial manager for help obtaining access to BobcatBUY. If access is deemed appropriate, the BobcatBUY Access and Maintenance Request Form (PDF) will need to be submitted to Procurement Services.

Once access has been granted, users should log on with their OHIO ID and password. 

If you are authorized to access BobcatBUY but are having issues logging into the system, please contact Finance Customer Care for assistance via e-mail (financecustomercare@ohio.edu) or phone (740.597.6446).

A punch-out catalog is an external link to the supplier's website created specifically for Ohio University. Its search feature is for the current catalog only. When shopping is completed within the punch-out catalog, users will be transferred back to BobcatBUY to complete the transaction.

A hosted catalog is a version of the supplier's catalog within BobcatBUY. This allows items to be searched and added to carts from within the BobcatBUY interface.

The BobcatBUY search function will only return results from hosted catalogs. To search for an item in one of the punch-out catalogs, click on the catalog's icon to link directly to that supplier's catalog outside of BobcatBUY. You may then use the supplier's search function to find your item(s).

The ability to change quantity is based on the type of catalog that you use to select an item.

• Punch-out catalog: Users will need to navigate back to the punch-out catalog in order to change the quantity.
• Hosted catalog: Users may update items from a hosted catalog directly in the shopping cart.

Yes, new suppliers may be requested by submitting a Request to Add a New Supplier form within BobcatBUY.

Many websites offer temporary sales to increase traffic to their websites.  The contract pricing in BobcatBUY offers significant everyday savings.  In BobcatBUY, supplier pricing generally provides you with savings on shipping and handling fees.

No, BobcatBUY is a Procure-to-Pay system, meaning it handles multiple steps in the purchasing process including:

• Requisition
• Purchase Order
• Invoice Reconciliation
• Accounts Payable

Account numbers to be charged for the the transaction will be entered into the requisition and "billed" when Accounts Payable submits payment to the supplier. If you have any questions about a payment, please e-mail financecustomercare@ohio.edu.

No, there is a workflow process for departmental approvals that must be completed first. There may be additional approval steps at the Finance level based on the amount and type of purchase. Once the entire workflow process has been completed, a purchase order will be created and distributed to the supplier. Users can check the workflow status of a requisition by accessing the View Approvals tab on a pending requisition.

In BobcatBUY, enter the purchase order number into the document search. Once the purchase order has been found, open the history tab. There will be a purchase order delivery message with a system date and time stamp.

While multiple line items are allowed per form, only one form is allowed per requisition. Departmental approvers need to complete the workflow process on each cart. Since the workflow process may vary based on the type of form and purchase you are making, only one form is allowed per requisition.

Attempting to use more than one form on a single requisition may result in a do not mix error within BobcatBUY. Extra forms will need to be removed from the current requisition and added to a new cart.

Yes, completed forms can be added to your personal favorites list. To do this, select Add to Favorites from the drop-down menu. Please note that for purchases that recur on a regular basis throughout the year, a Blanket Purchase Order may be more efficient.

The preferred file type for attachments is PDF. If a PDF cannot be obtained, a JPG is also allowed.

Comments will be available within the comments tab of the item on which they were entered. For instance, if a comment was added to a requisition, it will be on the comments tab for the requisition, but not the associated purchase order or invoice.

You will need to contact the supplier to resolve any discrepancies or to report the damaged goods.  The contact information for the supplier will be included with you order confirmation or packing slip.