Here you will find answers to some frequently asked questions about Procurement Frequently Asked Questions will be reviewed and updated as necessary. If you have a question that is not answered below, please contact the Finance Helpline Finance.Helpline@ed.ac.uk Expand all Collapse all Questions by Topic Approval Who approves my Requisition? The main method for requisition approval will be via your line manager and their reporting hierarchy. If the requisition relates to a Project then the specific Project will have it's own approvers who will approve requisitions. When will I know my requisition is approved? The Requestor will receive a notification to say their Requisition has been approved What if my approver/manager is away/absent? If your line manager is due to be away they should delegate their People and Money approvals. If they have not done so then please log a call with the Finance Helpdesk Can I get a Purchase Order without my requisition being approved? No - the Procurement team can only raise a Purchase Order once the requisition has been fully approved Assets I have a question about the 'Asset' fields on my requisition? Please log a call with the Finance Helpdesk. I need help with 'Assets'? Please log a call with the Finance Helpdesk Catalogues What is a Supplier Catalogue? A Supplier Catalogue is a pre-agreed list of commonly used items (typically goods) where the University has agreed a contract and prices. I would like an item to be added to a Supplier Catalogue? Log a call with the Finance Helpdesk and it will be passed to Procurement to review Who agrees the Supplier Catalogues? Supplier Catalogues are agreed by Procurement Cost Codes How do I find out my cost code? Check with the your line manager (or project manager if it relates to a Project). Alternative contact your local Finance manager. How do I find out my project code? Check with the your line manager (or project manager if it relates to a Project). Alternative contact your local Finance manager. Credit Card The supplier only accepts Credit Card payments? If the purchase is no greater than £500 including VAT then complete a requisition and once this is approved then Procurement will place the order with the supplier using a payment card. Can I purchase goods and services via my local department credit card? No - goods and services should be purchased via People and Money and in line with the University's Procurement Policy. Credit Notes Where should Credit Notes be sent? Credit notes should be sent to Finance.helpline@ed.ac.uk for the attention of Accounts Payable. Can I get a credit on the supplier account instead of a Credit Note? No - the credit note should relate to the original Purchase Order where there was an issue. We should not agree to general credit being applied to our University account with suppliers Do I need to 'approve' a Credit Note? No - there is no specific 'approval' required for a supplier credit note. People and Money will automatically try and match the credit note with the original purchase order. If the credit note matches and clears the invoice query no further approval is required. If there is still an issue then the Procurement team will contact you direct. How is a Credit Note processed? People and Money will automatically try and match the credit note with the original purchase order. If the credit note matches and clears the invoice query no further approval is required. If there is still an issue then the Procurement team will contact you direct. Who requests a Credit Notes from a supplier? Procurement will request credit notes from supplier. If a requestor believes a credit note is required then please log a call with the Finance Helpdesk and someone from the Procurement team will be in touch. Goods Receipts Do I need to do a goods receipt? Yes you must do a 'goods receipt' when you have received the goods and checked they are what you ordered and fit for purpose. The goods receipt must be done in a timely manner because otherwise the invoice might block and the supplier might place the University account on hold. What if my goods/service has not been provided? Do not do a 'goods receipt' and log a call with the Finance Helpdesk and Procurement will get in touch with you to assist. What if my goods are delivered via a local Stores? The local Stores staff will go the 'goods receipt' on People and Money on your behalf and let you know your goods are available. Do I need to do a receipt for services (non goods)? Yes you must receipt the service once you have received it. It is important that this is done in a timely manner because otherwise the invoice might block and the supplier might place the University account on hold. Invoices How do I check the payment status of an invoice? Contact Finance Operations by logging a call with the Finance Helpdesk How can I obtain a copy of an invoice? Contact Finance Operations by logging a call with the Finance Helpdesk What does 'No Purchase Order, No Pay' mean? "No Purchase Order, No Pay" means that no commitment should be given to a supplier without a People and Money purchase order number. This purchase order number must be quoted on the supplier invoice - without this purchase order number, the system will not be able to match the invoice with the purchase order and the goods/services receipt. This will lead to significant delays in paying the invoice. Can I just code a supplier invoice and send it for payment? No - you should provide a People and Money purchase order number to the supplier and they must include this on their invoice before submitting it to Finance Operations. Where do suppliers send invoices? Suppliers must only send invoices to apinvoices@ed.ac.uk People & Money How do I request access to People and Money 'Procurement'? Please log a call with the Finance Helpdesk. Procurement Policy What is the procurement policy? The Procurement Policy sets out how the University of Edinburgh manages its procurement with external 3rd parties and trade suppliers for the purchase of Goods, Services, Concessions Licences and Works. Who does it apply to? It applies to all University employees including students, consultants, contractors or agents who are operating in a staff capacity or role and/or acting as buyer/purchaser on behalf of the University. Where can I find it? The Procurement Policy can be found on the Procurement website. https://www.ed.ac.uk/procurement Purchase Order Can I order from a supplier via email or over the phone? No commitment or verbal order can be given to suppliers without a People and Money Purchase Order. Who raises my Purchase Order? Once your requisition is fully approved it automatically transfers to Procurement who will raise the Purchase Order for you. If they have any questions about your requisition, they will contact you direct. Can I purchase items and claim them back on expenses without a Purchase Order? Please refer to the University Expense Policy. https://www.ed.ac.uk/finance/for-staff/financial-regulations-policies-and-procedures/expenses-policy Who sends my Purchase Order to the supplier? Procurement will email Purchase Orders direct to suppliers. How do I know when my Purchase Order has been raised? The Requestor will receive a notification to say their Purchase Order has been raised. Are there any goods or services where a Purchase Order is not required? There are a few specific type of expense where the University will pay third parties via a different method than a Purchase Order. Quotation When do I need one quotation from a supplier? If you are requisitioning an item up to a value of £5,000 (excluding VAT) which is not from your local Store and not from a Supplier Catalogue or website punch-out you must obtain one written quotation from the supplier and attach it to your requisition. When do I need three quotation from a supplier? If you are requisitioning an item between £5,001 and £49,000 which is not from your local Store and not from a Supplier Catalogue or website punch-out you must obtain three written quotation from the supplier and attach it to your requisition Who gets the quotation(s)? The Requestor can obtain one or all of the required quotations or the Procurement team will do this on their behalf. Log a call for assistance with the Finance Helpdesk. Requisition Who approves my requisition? The main method for requisition approval will be via your line manager and their reporting hierarchy. If the requisition relates to a Project then the specific Project will have it's own approvers who will approve requisitions. How do I know when my requisition has been approved? The requestor will receive a notification to say their requisition has been approved. Can someone raise a requisition on my behalf? Yes - they can. They will enter your details on the Requisition and the approval will route to your line manager (not the person entering the requisition onto People and Money). Can I raise a requisition on behalf of someone else? Yes - you can. You will enter their details on the Requisition and the approval will route to their line manager (not yours as the person entering the requisition onto People and Money). Delivery charges? Any additional delivery charges must be included on the Requisition as a separate line. What if I don't know the exact confirmed price? If the exact price is not know then the requistioner should enter their best estimate of the likely total costs. The value is required for approval purposes. It should include all likely costs e.g. including delivery. Stores Where are the University Stores located? There is a complete list of stores, full postal address and contact details on the Procurement website. https://www.ed.ac.uk/procurement/stores-operations Can I get my goods delivered into my local Store? Yes - this is the preferred way of getting goods delivered. What if I do not have a local Store? Then you should ensure you select the most appropriate delivery location (from the drop-down list). Can I just turn up at my store to get something? No - you will have to requisition the items in advance (or have someone do this on your behalf). Stores will not issue goods which have not been pre-ordered Will Stores raise the requisition on my behalf? No - you will have to requisition the items in advance (or have someone do this on your behalf). Suppliers What is an 'Approved Supplier'? An 'Approved Supplier' is a supplier which the Unviversity (via the Procurement department) has contracted with for specfic ongoing goods and services. The University will have a contract arrangement and agreed pricing in place with 'Approved Suppliers'. https://www.ed.ac.uk/procurement/approvedsuppliers What if I can't find an 'Approved Supplier'? If you cannot find an 'Approved Supplier' then you can submit your requisition without a supplier name and Procurement will do the sourcing for you. Alternatively you can log a call with the finance helpdesk and someone from Procurement will get in touch to provide support and assistance. How do I request an update to supplier details ? Log a call with the Finance Helpdesk and it will be passed to Procurement to review. Supplier Payment What are our standard terms of supplier payment? 30 Days from invoice date. How can I check the status of a payment to a supplier? Contact Finance Operations by logging a call with the Finance Helpdesk. Can I make an upfront payment to a supplier before they deliver? No - this should not be done. If a supplier is requesting this please log a call with the Finance Helpdesk and someone from the Procurement team will be in touch to review the situation with you. Can I agree to a quicker payment for a particular supplier or purchase order? You should log a call with the Finance Helpdesk and it will be reviewed by Finance Operations. Tax/VAT I need help about the 'Intended Use' field on my requisition? Please contact the Tax team for further advice by logging a call with the Finance Helpdesk. I need help with Tax / VAT? Please contact the Tax team for further advice by logging a call with the Finance Helpdesk. Who obtains the VAT Exemption Certificate? The Requestor should obtain any VAT exemption certificate and attach this to their requisition. What do I do with my VAT Exemption Certificate? The Requestor should obtain any VAT exemption certificate and attach this to their requisition. Terms and Conditions What are the University Terms and Conditions of Purchase? The University Standard Terms and Conditions of Purchase can be found at the Procurement website. https://www.ed.ac.uk/procurement/informationforsuppliers Can I agree different terms ? No-one can negotiate or agree Terms and Conditions other than Procurement who will engage the support of Legal if required. Please log a call with the Finance Helpdesk and someone from the Procurement team will get in touch with you. The Supplier wants me to sign their Terms and Conditions? This must not be done in any situation. No-one can negotiate or agree Terms and Conditions other than Procurement who will engage the support of Legal if required. Please log a call with the Finance Helpdesk and someone from the Procurement team will get in touch with you. If you require support or have further questions, please email Finance.Helpline@ed.ac.uk This article was published on 2023-11-09
