Service Procurement Guide
How a chartered department requests, funds, and documents festival services
1. What Procurement Means Here
"Procurement" is simply this: your department requests a service, the cost is debited from your Departmental Sovereign Ledger, the service is performed, and both the request and the debit are permanently documented. No invoices arrive unexpectedly, and nothing is rendered before it is funded.
2. The Procure-and-Pay Flow
| Step | Action | What the System Does |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Director signs into the NACPA portal. | Verifies charter status and loads your department ledger. |
| 2 | Open the Service Procurement panel. | Displays available services and current Discretionary Credit. |
| 3 | Select a service and event reference. | Quotes the exact debit amount before you commit. |
| 4 | Authorize the draw. | Encumbers the funds and issues the internal NACPA→VAA vendor invoice. |
| 5 | Service is delivered. | Converts the encumbrance to a completed Service Debit with delivery record. |
| 6 | Export your report. | Produces the itemized NACPA Service Report for your business office. |
3. Services Available to Chartered Departments
| Service | Description |
|---|---|
| Competition Entry & Sanctioning | Roster registration, eligibility verification, and league placement for a sanctioned event. |
| Performance Capture & Scoring | APOLLO GNN-scored capture of your ensemble's competitive performance. |
| Highlight Reel Production | Edited broadcast-standard highlight package for recruitment and departmental use. |
| Media & Broadcast Placement | Placement of your ensemble's performance within CAEN programming. |
| Travel & Logistics Coordination | Coordinated transport, lodging, and on-site logistics for the ensemble. |
| Clinical & Instructional Assets | Future Legends clinician sessions and instructional asset access for your students. |
4. The Authorization Gate
If your Discretionary Credit does not cover a requested service, the request is held — not declined and not silently invoiced. You receive a budget alert with the shortfall amount and a transfer request you can forward directly to your bursar. Once funds post, the held request releases automatically.
This single rule is what makes the model safe for a public institution: a department cannot incur an unfunded obligation through this platform.
5. Who May Authorize
Only the chartered Director of record, or a delegate they have named in writing within the portal, may authorize a draw against the departmental ledger. Students cannot procure services and cannot obligate departmental funds.
6. The Internal Vendor Record
Every authorized draw generates a matching internal invoice documenting that VAA performed a specific service for NACPA on your department's behalf. This is the artifact that proves the separation between institutional governance and commercial operations — and it is generated automatically, at the moment of authorization, without manual bookkeeping.
7. Reconciliation and Reporting Cadence
Your ledger updates in real time. Reports may be exported on demand at any point, and a month-by-month reconciliation is retained for the life of your charter — so an audit request arriving two years from now is answered in minutes, not weeks.
8. Worked Scenario — Procuring a Highlight Reel
| Moment | What Happens |
|---|---|
| You open the panel | Ledger shows Discretionary Credit of $1,850.00. |
| You select Highlight Reel Production | System quotes $1,200.00 and asks for the event reference. |
| You attach the Fall Classic event | Quote is locked to that performance record. |
| You authorize | $1,200.00 is encumbered. Internal NACPA→VAA invoice is generated with your name as authorizing officer. |
| Production completes | Encumbrance converts to a Service Debit; the delivered asset appears in your department library. |
| Balance updates | Discretionary Credit becomes $650.00, visible immediately. |
| You export | Service Report now itemizes this draw for your business office. |
9. Naming a Delegate
Directors may name one or more delegates — an assistant director, a program coordinator, a department administrator — with authority to procure. Delegation is recorded in the portal with an effective date and may be revoked at any time. Every authorization stores the actual authorizing individual, so delegation never obscures accountability.
10. Cancellations, Changes, and Disputes
A request that has been authorized but not yet delivered may be cancelled; the encumbrance releases back to Discretionary Credit in full. Once a service has been delivered, the debit stands — the same way a completed travel booking or produced broadcast stands.
To dispute a debit, contact us within 30 days with the invoice number. Every debit carries an authorization record naming the individual who approved it and the timestamp; resolution is made against that record.
11. Frequently Asked Questions
Can a student procure anything? No. Students cannot obligate departmental funds under any circumstance.
Will I ever be invoiced without approving it? No. Nothing is rendered before it is authorized and funded.
What if I need a service urgently and funds have not posted? Authorize the request anyway — it will hold, and release automatically the moment funds post. Call us if the timeline is tight and we will advise on sequencing.
Are prices negotiable? Service pricing is standardized across all chartered departments so that no institution receives preferential treatment. Multi-service seasonal packages are available on request.
Can we procure services outside the catalog? Submit the request in writing. Custom services are quoted individually and, once approved, flow through the same authorization gate and ledger.
12. Support
Procurement questions: viablearts@viableartsllc.com • 757-969-9554. The APOLLO assistant in your portal can quote current balances and walk you through any step of this flow.
