The purpose of this process is to maintain procurement compliance and spend visibility without hindering critical response times while allowing flexibility for purchases requiring expedited processing. An Emergency Order is defined as a purchase requiring expedited processing due to an immediate business need that cannot be met by standard procurement timelines.

I. Determine If It Is an Emergency (Before Purchase)

It is critical to distinguish a true emergency from poor planning to ensure compliance and control.

• Valid Examples (Qualifies for Emergency Process):

• Operational downtime risk

• Safety-related needs

• Critical equipment failure

• Time-sensitive client commitments

• Non-Emergency Examples (Must Not Use Emergency Process):

• Last-minute planning

• Missed deadlines

• Convenience-based requests

II. Process for Approved Coupa Suppliers (Retroactive Requisition Submission). 

An emergency does not bypass Coupa; it merely delays the entry to maintain 100% spend visibility as per NFI policy.

A. Retroactive Coupa Requisition Submission

1. Timeline: A Coupa Requisition must be entered within 24 business hours of the service being performed.

2. Requisition Type: Select the standard service header, but begin the Description field with "EMERGENCY."

3. Supporting Docs: Attach the emergency service ticket or the initial quote/invoice provided by the technician on-site.

III. Exception: Suppliers Not in Coupa

If the emergency vendor is not already in Coupa, the action depends on whether they will be used again.

• Case A: New/One-Time Suppliers (Unlikely to be used again):

• Contact Strategic Sourcing or AP for direct payment to the supplier via credit card to avoid onboarding delays.

• Case B: Recurring Suppliers (Will be used again):

• The supplier must be onboarded using our standard onboarding process.