Information for Suppliers

In order for your invoice to be processed properly, the following steps must be adhered to. If they are not, then the invoice is likely to be returned to supplier and payment will be delayed.

1. Invoices

Invoices must meet the following criteria:

• An official St George’s, University of London purchase order number must be quoted.

• It must be on company headed paper.

• It must include the company’s name, address and telephone number.

• It must be addressed to St George’s, University of London, Accounts Payable Department.

• It must be an original. Accounts Payable is unable to pay on copy invoices/credit notes (the only exception is when the original is lost, then the copy stamped ‘true copy’ will be accepted (fax copies will not be accepted).

• Each invoice must be processed individually.

2. Purchase orders/invoices 

In order to pay an invoice, a purchase order must be raised on Agresso. This applies to all goods and services requested. For details on how to complete a purchase order form, please go to Procurement. 

All invoices will be three-way matched to a St George’s, University of London purchase order or registered for task alerts. However, in exceptional circumstances, where divisions have agreed with the Deputy Director of Finance and the Director of Finance to go outside the procure-to-pay process, these will be acceptable to Accounts Payable. 

Exception to procure-to-pay process:

• credit notes

• non-staff payment requisitions

• one-off invoice payments up to a value of £1k. All other one-off payments greater than £1k will need to go through the procure-to-pay process.

For information on paying an invoice in a foreign currency, please see ‘International payments’ on this page.

Each invoice received by Accounts Payable is registered. If an invoice cannot be matched to a purchase order, then Agresso automatically issues a task alert. 

Non-purchase order invoices are only accepted by Accounts Payable to pay individuals.

An expenses claim form – non-staff (Excel) is only to be used for payment of non-staff expenses (such as travel or parking) and can only be made when there is no official invoice – ie there is no invoice number or VAT charge. If you are a member of staff wishing to claim expenses, you must use the employee expense form (Excel) instead.

The expenses claim form – non-staff must be completed in full and include the following:

• full payee details

• correct coding, with sub-project code and account code

• complete address to where the cheque/remittance is to be sent

• total amount AND the currency payment

• full purpose of payment, including any relevant dates

• all relevant original paperwork, tickets and/or receipts attached to the claim form. A copy of receipts and the claim form should be retained by the claimant

• signed by authorised budget holders, approving Accounts Payable to make payment

• submitted to the Accounts Payable, Finance office, ground floor, Hunter Wing.

All payment requests from discretionary codes must be checked to see that they are within budget. If there is any overspend, the requisition will be returned to the budget holder to be re-coded to a code which has sufficient funds. 

Points to note

• Expenses claim forms that are not completed properly or do not have the correct information attached will be returned to the claimant with a memo stating the reason for non-payment. Finance will not be held responsible for delays on payments where the forms are not completed accurately or without correct documentation attached.

• Budget holders cannot authorise their own claim for expense. The expenses claim form must be countersigned by their department head or department manager.

Expense claim forms or invoices to be paid in a foreign currency must include all of the following details:

• payee

• address to where remittance should be sent

• bank name and address

• bank account number

• swift code or BIC code.

Failure to provide this information will result in any claim being returned to the originator.

Points to note

• International payment requests move through the normal invoice and payment requisition stages. They are paid by BACs on Tuesday mornings.

• International currency payments can be made in the international currency but will reflect in the general ledger in pounds sterling (the conversion is at the banks’ rate on the date of exchange).

• Payment requisitions for foreign expenses where the payee wants to be paid in pounds sterling are converted to pounds sterling on the day of payment.

• International payment can be paid by credit card if it is cheaper than a BACS payment (usually less than £500). The payment method is determined by Management Accounts staff.

Most suppliers are paid by the Banks Automated Clearing System (BACS). Payments are made every Tuesday morning.

To ensure prompt payment, payment requisitions must be with Accounts Payable by the previous Friday, 5pm.