BIS Administrative Procedures

BIS Administrative - Categories

Managing Category Codes:

Open your browser (Netscape, Internet Explorer, etc.) and go to the BIS Homepage(bidinfo.umn.edu)
Login and go to the System Administrative Home Page
Click the Categories link

From the Manage Categories page you can organize the categories numerically or alphabetically.

Add a category:

Click on the Add button. This takes you to the Edit Category page. Here you can enter the category name and code. Also, this is where you decide whether the code is visible or not visible. This distinction is for administration and testing of the categories. If you want to test a category, then make it not visible. All other categories will default to visible and all vendors will be able to see those categories when they are applying to be on BIS. When finished, click the Add Category button. This button will add the category to the database. To return to the Manage Categories page, click the Manage Categories button.

Edit a category name or number:

Highlight the category in the category display window
Click the Edit button and make the necessary changes
Click the Update Category button to save your work
Click the Manage Categories button to return to the Manage Categories page.

Remove a category from the list:

Highlight the category in the category display window
Click the Remove button.

NOTE: The application should not allow you to delete/remove any category that has a vendor associated with that category.

Reporting:

Once a year you will need to review the categories with the buyers to make sure everything is still up-to-date and correct. Make a report for each of the buyers with the appropriate categories and email it to them. If there are changes, make the category changes, and then update the report for the buyer.