Purchase to Pay
Manage Invoices for Payment
- Checking Invoices or Credit Notes
- Processing Invoices or Credit Notes
- Handling Incorrect Invoices
- Filing original Invoices
- Supplier Payments Notes
Checking Invoices or Credit Notes
When you receive an Invoice or Credit Note, you should date stamp it immediately and check the following details to ensure it is legally valid:
- The Invoice is correctly addressed to the University and relates to the department
- (Where relevant) the Purchase Order number is shown
- That the supplier's VAT number is shown
- The Invoice totals are correct
'Copy' invoices or credit notes should be stamped appropriately. The Payments Guidelines 
(41kb) provide useful guidance on what to check to ensure Invoices are not delayed for payment.
Processing Invoices or Credit Notes
If all the above are correct, best practice recommends that the Invoice or Credit Note should be signed by an authorised signatory. (It is the responsibility of the Departmental Administrator to ensure the signatory list is maintained.)
Invoices/Credit Notes can be entered onto Oracle Financials, depending on your departmental preference, by either:
- Sending the Invoice to the Payments Team, or,
- Processing it locally within your department
If your Invoice is to be processed by the Payments Team and does not relate to a Purchase Order, before sending it:
- Code the Invoice - write the Cost Centre/Project Code, and Natural Account Code on the Invoice; write the correct tax code to use on the Invoice, and finally, an authorised signatory needs to sign and date the Invoice.
If you are processing the Invoice within your department, you should either:
-
Match an Invoice to a Purchase Order
(298kb), or, - Enter a Standard Invoice (223kb) where there is no Purchase Order to be matched
For details on processing a Credit Note, refer to the relevant document below:
- Enter a Quantity Credit Note (255kb)
- Enter a Price Credit Note (319kb)
- Enter a Credit Note for an Invoice not Matched to a Purchase Order (240kb)
Handling Incorrect Invoices
Incorrect value
Where the total value on the Invoice is greater than agreed, you should
request a Credit Note from the supplier. The Invoice should still be
entered onto Oracle Financials, as detailed above, but put on 'hold'
awaiting the Credit Note. For further guidance contact the Helpdesk.
Non-valid
If the details (other than the total value) are incorrect and the
Invoice is deemed to be invalid, you should return the Invoice to the
supplier, logging its receipt and return on a spreadsheet or similar.
Do not enter the Invoice onto Oracle Financials.
Filing original Invoices
For tax and audit purposes, original Invoices must be retained for seven years in a suitable format and storage location. Further guidance on suitability of storage can be provided by the Payments Manager.
Supplier Payments Notes
- The main weekly payment run is each Thursday
- Foreign payments are processed each Monday
- The aim is to pay as many suppliers as possibly by BACS
- Payments deemed to be 'urgent' can be run on any day of the week
- Invoices are only selected for payment when they are due under the agreed payment terms with the supplier (normally 30 days)
- Due invoices will NOT be selected for payment if they are on hold - to resolve invoice holds refer to Open purchase orders and invoices on hold
- Spot checks, by the Payments Team, are carried out on items selected for payment
- for such items, where invoices are filed locally, you will be asked to provide the original invoice
- where it is not possible, payment of the invoice will be delayed pending further investigation
- US Dollar payments (USD) made to an address and bank account in the US are paid using dollar cheques drawn against a University dollar bank account held in the US. This is also done on a weekly cycle, with cheques being produced on a Wednesday - invoices received by the Payments Team by noon on Wednesday (or input locally within departments) will be included in the weekly run if they are due for payment.