Supplier Record (Vendor) Management

Suppliers (Vendors)

A supplier is most often a company that sells products (e.g., office supplies) or provides services (e.g., elevator repair) to the university community. A supplier can also be an organization or entity (e.g., another university or a city), a small unregistered business or a contractor (an individual). A supplier is anyone who the university needs to pay (except for staff salaries and student bursaries or awards).

Supplier Record

Ensuring the university has all pertinent details from the supplier helps with the validation process and protects both the supplier and university from fraudulent activities. It can also reduce payment delays to the supplier. A complete and accurate supplier record must be created in PeopleSoft Financials before a purchase order can be issued or an invoice can be paid.

The supplier record, referenced by a unique 10-digit ID number, contains all the details needed to successfully transact business with the supplier:

• Legal name and trade name or preferred name
• GST registration number and withholding tax information (if applicable)
• Physical and mailing address(es), email address(es)
• Contact name(s) and phone number(s)
• Currency of settlement and payment terms
• Payment method (e.g., cheque or EFT) and banking details

If the supplier also needs to be available in SupplyNet, a specific flag in the supplier record is selected to allow it to integrate to SupplyNet. This integration runs at noon and overnight on weekdays.

To gather or update supplier information use the following two forms:

• New Supplier Request form - used to add a new supplier to the system 
• Supplier Change Request form - used to make changes to an existing supplier’s information (e.g., address or payment information has changed)

How To Request a New Supplier When Creating a Requisition (in SupplyNet)

1. Search SupplyNet for your supplier by entering their name in the supplier field. If no results are found, a new supplier needs to be added to PeopleSoft first.

2. Download the New Supplier Request form on the SupplyNet homepage and email it to your supplier contact to complete and return to you.

   NOTE: This form is mandatory and must be completed by the supplier, not by a university employee.

3. When the completed form is returned to you by the supplier:

   1. Initiate a freeform requisition in SupplyNet.
   2. Attach the completed New Supplier Request form along with supporting documents (e.g., void cheque, supplier quote), if applicable.
   3. Select Supplier - New in the supplier field of the requisition.
   4. Submit for approval.

   NOTE: You will receive a warning message as a reminder to attach the form. 

4. Procurement and Contract Management will receive the requisition, validate the details and will route the requisition to the Supplier Maintenance group for a new supplier ID to be created in PeopleSoft Financials. 
5. Once the supplier ID has been integrated into SupplyNet (which happens at noon and nightly), Procurement and Contract Management will use the new supplier ID to create the purchase order.

Requesters (initiators) are notified when comments are added to a requisition and when a requisition becomes a purchase order, so will be advised throughout the process.

How To Request a New Supplier Without a Purchase Order

If you need to pay a new supplier but will not have a purchase order in SupplyNet (e.g., the transaction is eligible as a Direct Pay invoice or Payment Request form), a supplier record in PeopleSoft Financials is required first. 

If you are unsure if a supplier has already been set up in the system (by a different department), you can search PeopleSoft Financials. See How To Look Up A Supplier (Vendor) ID. If no results are found, proceed with requesting a new supplier.

1. Download the New Supplier Request form from the Finance Procurement and Planning Forms Cabinet and email it to your supplier contact for completion. Request they return it to you along with their invoice (if they have not already provided you with an invoice).

   NOTE: This form is mandatory and must be completed by the supplier, not by a university employee.

2. Submit the completed New Supplier Request form along with the applicable invoice or Payment Request form to Shared Services Finance via the U of A Service Portal which can be accessed from the Staff Service Centre webpage.

   Select the appropriate service request item:

   1. Direct Pay Invoice Submission
   2. Payment Request Form Submission
   3. Submit a Finance Form - select Direct Pay Invoice, Payment Request Form or Other from the dropdown

3. Shared Services Finance (Payment Services) will set up the supplier record first and will then be able to enter the invoice or form to create a payment to the supplier. The departmental requester will be advised of the supplier ID number and the voucher ID number when the ticket is resolved.

   Depending on the volume of new supplier requests, the complexity of the associated validation, and the timeliness of responses to our questions, it can take five to 15 days to set up a new supplier. Please ensure requests are submitted as soon as possible and notify us of any important deadlines. For example, if there is a payment deadline for a conference registration, please include that date with your submission.

   If the transaction is eligible for a PCard (a Corporate Purchasing Credit Card), pay by credit card instead. A supplier record is not required for PCard transactions.

How To Request a Change to an Existing Supplier Record

To request a change to an existing supplier record needed for a requisition, purchase order or invoice in SupplyNet or for a Direct Pay invoice or Payment Request form, the process is the same:

Examples: A supplier’s address has changed, or a supplier wants to be paid electronically instead of by cheque.

1. Download the Supplier Change Request form from the Finance Procurement and Planning Forms Cabinet and email it to your supplier contact to complete and return to you.

   NOTE: This form is mandatory and must be completed by the supplier, not by a university employee.

2. When the supplier returns the form to you, ensure that either an active purchase order number or a current invoice number is referenced (near the top of the form).

3. Submit the Supplier Change Request form to Shared Services Finance via the U of A Service Portal which can be accessed from the Staff Service Centre webpage.

   1. Submit with a Direct Pay invoice using the Direct Pay Invoice Submission. 
   2. Submit with a Payment Request form using the Payment Request Form Submission. 
   3. Submit using the Submit a Finance Form if the order or invoice is already in SupplyNet. Be sure to select Other Form (Finance) and add comments into the Additional Details text box before attaching the completed Supplier Change Request form and clicking Place request.

   Note: A supplier may submit the Supplier Change Request form to the service portal themselves, however, there must be a current transaction pending for this supplier.

4. Shared Services Finance (Payment Services) will validate the details, follow up with the supplier as needed and make the applicable changes to the supplier record in PeopleSoft Financials.

Supplier changes integrate to SupplyNet on weekdays at noon and nightly.

Depending on the volume of new supplier requests and change requests, the complexity of the associated validation, and the timeliness of responses to our questions, it can take five to 15 days to update the supplier record. Please ensure requests are submitted as soon as possible and notify us of any important deadlines. For example, if the supplier’s old bank account is closing in 12 days from the time of request, please provide that detail.