What is a Purchase Order?
Purchase orders contain details of what goods and services you want and how much you are expecting to pay for them.
All correct and approved POs must be in by Wednesday 12:00pm in time for our pay run which is every Thursday. POs need to be fully goods receipted to signal the finance team that it is ready for payment. Suppliers will receive payment the following Monday.
How to raise a PO
Once you have your quotation for goods or services you will need to send the supplier the Purchase Order number, for them to reference on their invoices to receive payments.
How to download POs
When your Purchase Order has been fully approved, you will be sent an email with the Purchase Order attached.
Once downloaded you will need to send it on to the supplier and ensure the Purchase Order Number is quoted on the invoice.
How to complete goods receipting
Goods receipting is a critical part of the Purchase Order process. It communicates to the Union Finance Team that the goods or services have been received and that it is ok to pay the supplier.
How to upload invoice
An invoice lets the Union know how much and who to pay. It is important you get the details on an invoice correct to ensure the goods/services are paid on time. The finance team will only action a PO once it has been goods receipted and correct invoice has been uploaded.
Proforma Invoices
In some cases, the supplier will ask for a payment before the goods/service is delivered. They will then issue a Proforma Invoice. When you receive this, you should create a Purchase Order as usual, tick the Proforma box and then upload the invoice as detailed in the previous section.
A Proforma is not a same day payment option and will be processed same as POs.
The invoice will need to show the Union address Imperial College Union, Beit Quad, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2BB NOT Imperial College London or your address; and the bank details of the supplier must be on the invoice or on the supplier's letter headed paper.
If the supplier will send a refund or deposit back from your Proforma, you will either need to upload the new VAT invoice with the updated final amount or a credit note of the unused amount. Please contact the finance team regarding the Union's bank details and inform them of approximately refund date.
International Payments
Frequently Asked Questions
Q- How long does it take for a supplier to be paid once a PO has been fully approved by the highest authoriser?
A - Once the purchase order is approved, what happens next depends on whether payment is required before or after delivery:
Goods/services supplied on credit (payment after delivery)
- Once PO is fully approved, originator places order with supplier.
- Once goods/services received, originator completes goods receipt on eActivities.
- Once invoice received, originator uploads invoice to eActivities (ensuring it is addressed to Imperial College Union).
- Payment made on or before the due date shown on the invoice.
Goods/services paid for upfront (proforma)
- Once PO is fully approved, originator places order with supplier.
- Originator obtains a valid proforma invoice and uploads it to eActivities (ensuring it is addressed to Imperial College Union).
- If invoice is valid and provided before 12pm on Wednesday it will be included in the Thursday pay for payment to clear on the following Monday. (For time-sensitive proformas such as for events, payment can be set up as a next-day so it would clear on the Friday).
- Once goods/services received, originator completes goods receipt on eActivities.
- If original invoice was a proforma invoice (not a valid VAT invoice), originator must upload the final VAT invoice to eActivities ensuring it complies with VAT documentation requirements.
Q - Why hasn't my approved PO been paid?
A - Not all invoices need instant payment, some of them have a 30 day payment term and will be inlcuded in next pay run.
Please check any of these points and action. If none apply, please contact icu.finance:
- Has an invoice been uploaded?
- Is the invoice addressed to Imperial College Union (not Imperial College)?
- Has the invoice been provided before 12pm on Wednesday?
- Has the PO (if applicable) been goods receipting?
- Are bank details correct?
Q - How long does a refund take once the refund has been submitted into the system by the Activities Team?
A - For refunds from the Online Shop the Systems Team have a service running fairly regularly to process the refunds – so unless they are rejected, you could expect them to reach the customer within 3 - 5 working days. Please contact the Activities Team if it is taking longer.
Q - How can I cancel an incorrect PO once it is goods receipted?
A - You will no longer be able to do so, please contact icu.finance@imperial.ac.uk and explain the situation to them.
