Guidelines for External Purchase and Payment of IANR Livestock for Research and Teaching Purposes

These guidelines have been developed for faculty members who initiate the purchase of livestock for research and teaching purposes and for the IANR Business Centers’ Financial Processing Team and University Procurement staff who process the supplier payments. As the faculty member anticipates livestock purchases, this document outlines the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

The University of Nebraska, as Buyers of livestock (purchasers), must comply with the Packers and Stockyards Act (P&S Act) (Source: USDA “Prompt Payment for Livestock Purchases”). The P&S Act requires that livestock buyers must deliver full payment to the seller (aka supplier), or to an authorized representative, at the point where livestock possession is transferred.

If the University is unable to provide payment at point of transfer, we are required, with due diligence, to process the payment as expeditiously as possible. The following guidelines have been developed to meet the prompt payment objective of the P&S Act:

Livestock Purchases $25,000 or Greater

  1. Before purchasing livestock for any project or purpose, the faculty member must obtain prior written approval from the appropriate cognizant Unit Leaders (e.g., Department Head/Director and, when applicable, the Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center (REEC) Director) and the IANR Dean (e.g., Agricultural Research Division (ARD) or College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR)). NOTE: The faculty member should send one email to all required approvers rather than separate emails.
  • After receiving approval, the faculty member must forward the approval email to their Business Center Manager. The email will be retained, compared against the invoice(s) submitted by the faculty member, and uploaded to Ariba as supporting documentation.
  • The faculty member is responsible for ensuring the number of animals purchased and the price paid do not exceed the quantity or budget authorized by the Dean. 

If a livestock purchase agreement is required, the faculty member must send it to the Business Center Manager, who will forward it to Procurement for review. Under the Board of Regents Executive Memorandum No. 14—which outlines the delegated administrative authority to approve certain types of University contracts—the ARD Dean has been authorized by the UNL Chancellor to sign contracts for livestock and livestock feed, including both purchases and sales, up to $75,000.

 

  1. At least one month before the seller expects full payment, the faculty member must email their IANR Business Center Manager to notify them of their plan to purchase livestock. The notification must include:
  • The seller’s name
  • The seller’s email address and phone number
  • The estimated total cost
  • The projected payment date. 

The Business Manager will then forward the faculty member’s plan-to-purchase email, along with the approval-to-proceed email from the IANR Unit Leader and the Dean, to the appropriate IANR Accounts Payable (A/P) team to notify them of the upcoming livestock purchase transaction.

  1. Effective February 6, 2026, IANR has been granted a one-year exemption from competitive procurement requirements for livestock purchases between $25,000 to $74,999. During this exemption period, these purchases do not require comparable quotes or a Non‑Competitive Procurement Documentation (NCPD) form. 
  • For livestock purchases of $75,000 or more, when an auction is not used and specific animals must be acquired from a sole source (e.g., for specialized genetic research), the faculty member must complete and submit the Non-Competitive Procurement Documentation (NCPD) form. The form must describe the situation and provide justification for requesting an exemption from the competitive procurement process. 
  • Faculty must contact their Business Center Manager to obtain the NCPD form. This form is available in Ariba.
  • After completing the form, the faculty member must return the NCPD form to the Business Manager. The form will be forwarded to Procurement for review and approval consideration and will be uploaded to Ariba when the Direct Pay invoice is submitted.
  1. The State of Nebraska requires electronic payment of supplier invoices of $25,000 or more. Because of this requirement, all sellers must be enrolled in the Automated Clearing House (ACH) funds transfer system. The Business Center’s Accounts Payable (A/P) contact will check whether the seller is setup in the University’s Ariba payment system.
  • If the seller is already registered in Ariba and is set up to receive ACH payments, no further action is required.
  • If the seller is registered in Ariba but not set up to accept ACH, the seller must complete the UNL ACH Enrollment Form (available in SAPPHIRE).
  • If the seller is not registered in Ariba, the Business Center’s A/P contact will submit a new supplier request. The seller must then complete the registration and ACH enrollment information using the Ariba email link sent to them via email. 

Once the seller submits all required information, establishing a new supplier—or updating an existing one—to accept ACH payments may take a minimum of ten business days.

  1. After the Business Center’s A/P contact confirms with the faculty member that the supplier has been set up in the system, the faculty member may complete the livestock purchase with the seller.
  2. When the faculty member receives the seller’s invoice, they must review all livestock purchase information to ensure it aligns with the approved purpose and budget. The faculty member must also verify that the quantity, description, and settlement amount are correct. 

To authorize payment, the faculty member must sign the invoice and include:

  • A brief description of the business purpose description (for example, the research or teaching project name)
  • The cost object number that will be used to fund the purchase 
  • A Non-Competitive Purchase Documentation (NCPD) form, if required
  1. The faculty member must submit the approved invoice on the same day the livestock is delivered or taken into possession, or no later than the next business day. A scan of the invoices and any supporting documents (such as scale tickets, if applicable) should be sent to the appropriate IANR financial operation listed below:
  1. Immediately upon receipt, the invoice(s) will be entered into SAP Ariba using the following guidelines:
  • Supplier Invoice # (input field is limited to 16 characters): 
    • Enter the supplier’s name (abbreviate if needed), followed by a hyphen and the invoice number (e.g., BLACKBURN-265). 
    • If there is no invoice number, use the first three letters of the purchase month plus the date of purchase (BLACKBURN-APR19).
  • GL Account: Use 531506 - Livestock Animal Purchases
  • Enter “Pay immediately” in the Comments Box and clearly identify the method of procurement, such as: 
    • “Livestock was purchased at auction.”
    • “Livestock was purchased under the 2/6/26 IANR Procurement up to $75K non‑competitive exemption.” 
    • “Livestock purchased, NCPD attached.”
  • Documentation: Write the Ariba-generated invoice request number on the physical invoice (e.g., INVBLACKBURN-265-3993).
  1. The Business Center’s A/P contact will scan the invoice and any supporting documentation into an Adobe PDF file and upload it to Ariba.

“IMMEDIATE PAY: Attached is Ariba INV (invoice number or name) for the purchase of (quantity) (type of livestock). Please process payment via ACH to (insert Ariba Supplier Number and Supplier Name).” 

  1. The Business Center’s A/P contact will email copies of the livestock purchase invoices to the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). A courtesy copy will also be sent to the respective faculty member to confirm that IACUC has been notified. IACUC  Committee members will retain these invoices for protocol documentation and compliance tracking.
    • Megan Ebbers (MEbbers2@unl.edu), Assistant Director, Institutional Animal Care Program (IACP) 

IACUC Committee Contacts:

IACUC Email Subject Line Example (include the IANR department name and the livestock type): 

  • PREEC Steers Purchased Invoice
  1. The Business Center’s A/P contact will monitor the SAP Ariba Approval Flow daily until it is verified that the invoice(s) are fully approved and the Reference status indicates that payment has been issued. Prompt ACH payment by UNL is required to meet the P&S Act objective. 

If the payment transaction does not show as paid within four (4) business days after the final Ariba processing approval step, the Business Center A/P contact will email the P2P team members listed in Step #9 (copy to the respective Business Center Manager) to request an update on payment status.
 

Livestock Purchases Less Than $25,000

  1. At least one month before the seller expects full payment, the faculty member must email their IANR Business Center Manager to notify them of their plan to purchase livestock. The notification must include:
    • The seller’s name
    • The seller’s email address and phone number
    • The estimated total cost
    • The projected payment date. 

The Business Manager will then forward the faculty member’s plan-to-purchase email to the appropriate Accounts Payable (A/P) team to notify them of the upcoming livestock purchase transaction.

  1. To expedite payment, the Business Center’s Accounts Payable (A/P) contact will check  whether the seller is setup in the University’s Ariba payment system.
  • If the seller is already registered in Ariba and is set up to receive ACH payments, no further action is required.
  • If the seller is registered in Ariba but not set up to accept ACH, the seller must complete the UNL ACH Enrollment Form (available in SAPPHIRE).
  • If the seller is not registered in Ariba, the Business Center’s A/P contact will submit a new supplier request. The seller must then complete the registration and ACH enrollment information using the Ariba email link sent to them via email.

Once the seller submits all required information, establishing a new supplier—or updating an existing one—to accept ACH payments may take a minimum of ten business days.

  1. After the Business Center’s A/P contact confirms with the faculty member that the supplier has been set up in the system, the faculty member may complete a livestock purchase with the seller.
  2. When the faculty member receives the seller’s invoice, they must review all livestock purchase information to verify that the quantity, description, and settlement amount are correct. 

To authorize payment, the faculty member must sign the invoice and include:

  • A brief description of the business purpose (for example, the research or teaching project name)

  • The cost object number that will be used to fund the purchase. 

     

  1. The faculty member must submit the approved invoice on the same day the livestock is delivered or taken into possession, or no later than the next business day. A scan of the invoices and any supporting documents (such as scale tickets, if applicable) should be sent to the appropriate IANR financial operation listed below:
  1. Immediately upon receipt, the invoice(s) will be entered into SAP Ariba using the following guidelines:
  • Supplier Invoice # (input field is limited to 16 characters): 
    • Enter the supplier’s name (abbreviate if needed), followed by a hyphen and the invoice number (e.g., BLACKBURN-265). 
    • If there is no invoice number, use the first three letters of the purchase month plus the date of purchase (BLACKBURN-APR19).
  • GL Account: Use 531506 - Livestock Animal Purchases
  • Enter “Pay immediately, livestock purchased” in the Comments Box 
  • Documentation: Write the Ariba-generated invoice request number on the physical invoice (e.g., INVBLACKBURN-265-3993).
  1. The Business Center’s A/P contact will scan the invoice and any supporting documentation into an Adobe PDF file and upload it to Ariba.
  • After uploading, the A/P contact will send a purchase-notification email to the respective Business Center Manager and the following Procurement (P2P) Team members: 
  • Email Subject Line: Use "URGENT Invoice – Livestock Purchased” and include the Ariba document number. 
  • Email Body: Include a brief description to summarize transaction, such as:
    “IMMEDIATE PAY: Attached is Ariba INV (invoice number or name) for the purchase of (quantity) (type of livestock). Please process payment via ACH to (insert Ariba Supplier Number and Supplier Name).” 
  1. The Business Center’s A/P contact will email copies of the livestock purchase invoices to the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). A courtesy copy will also be sent to the respective faculty member to confirm that IACUC has been notified. IACUC  Committee members will retain these invoices for protocol documentation and compliance tracking.
  • IACUC Committee Contacts:
  • Email Subject Line Example (including the IANR department name and the livestock type): 
  • Animal Science Steers Purchased Invoice
  1. The Business Center’s A/P contact will monitor the SAP Ariba Approval Flow daily until it is verified that the invoice(s) are fully approved and the Reference status indicates that payment has been issued. Prompt ACH payment by UNL is required to meet the P&S Act objective. 

    If the payment transaction does not show as paid within four (4) business days after the final Ariba processing approval step, the Business Center A/P contact will email the P2P team members listed in Step #7 (copy the respective Business Center Manager) to request an update on payment status.

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