Information for suppliers

Procurement at the University of Reading

All procurement activity within the University is carried out in accordance with legal requirements, financial regulations, our procurement policy and procedural guidance. This includes spend funded through research grants. Our objective is to secure maximum value for money, consistent with acceptable standards of quality and service.

The University operates a category management approach to procurement activity. This category approach enables us to be strategic about the way we buy goods and services, so that we maximize the funds that we commit to research and teaching. Category Managers are responsible for different areas of spend.

eMarketplace 

The University eMarketplace went live in August 2022 and the majority of our purchasing activity now goes through that system.

Additional information for suppliers

eMarketplace Terms and Privacy Notice

eMarketplace Supplier Login

 NEW SUPPLIERS: registering as a supplier to the University on eMarketplace

This process starts with a member of staff submitting a request via a TOPDesk ticket to register a new supplier (potential suppliers cannot do this step themselves). The stages which follow are shown below. Potential suppliers should pay attention to stages 2 & 3:

Stage	Description	Ticket status
1	Initial review The New Supplier & Amendments (NS&A) Team reviews the staff member's request to register a new supplier. They will be contacted via the ticket if any issues are anticipated, or if further information is required.	Assigned
2	eMarketplace invite sent from NS&A team to supplier etc. The potential supplier will be sent an invitation to register in the eMarketplace supplier portal. This requires them to click on the link to register, enter their details and agree to the portal terms of use. They will also be asked to provide independent verification of the bank details to protect against fraud.	Awaiting Supplier
3	Review of supplier submission and request for clarification The NS&A Team will review the details submitted by the potential supplier. Various due diligence checks have to be performed before a supplier can be approved. Occasionally the registration has to be rejected back to the potential supplier to correct errors or inconsistencies, and the registration is on hold until these are resolved. Otherwise, no further action is needed from the potential supplier at this stage.	In Progress
4	Supplier approved/rejected The supplier registration has been approved, the supplier will receive confirmation via email of their eMarketplace registration, and the supplier will now be visible in eMarketplace to staff.	Resolved/ Closed

 

Supplier registration can take up to 4 weeks to complete, as a number of due diligence checks are carried out BUT the timeframe is also largely dependent on how quickly potential suppliers respond to the invite to register, and any subsequent requests for information. Suppliers should be aware of this and monitor inbox(es) for emails from no-reply@emarketplace.reading.ac.uk

 

Purchase Orders 

The University operates a 'No PO, No Pay' policy, please do not accept requests for goods or services from the University of Reading without provision of an official Purchase Order.

This will ensure clarity around the goods or services we are asking you to supply and will also provide you with the University's terms and conditions.

Invoices and Payments 

• The University no longer accepts paper-based or handwritten invoices.
• Invoices must as a PDF attachment only, and must not be sent via a link for us to download or in a zip file.
• Invoices must contain a valid University Purchase Order Number and the correct legal entity name e.g. University of Reading, Henley Business School Ltd etc.

**Change to invoices submission from August 1st, 2022**

With the launch of our new eMarketplace in August 2022, suppliers must ensure their invoices are submitted to the correct email address as outlined below:

PDF Invoices with purchase order numbers starting in 35XXXXXX should be submitted to einvoices@emarketplace.reading.ac.uk. This is an unmonitored email address  - no statements or questions/correspondence should be sent to this address. Suppliers will be able to see the status of the payment for these invoices in the My Invoices section of the supplier portal.

Payment Terms

The University is working hard to ensure all payments are made within the terms of the contract/order. Our standard payment terms are 30 days from receipt of a valid and undisputed invoice. Payment runs are being performed twice a week.

Please only contact invoices@reading.ac.uk if you a have a query related to a payment which is overdue.

Invoices with all appropriate information will be paid in a timely manner, reducing the need for queries and chased payments. A valid PO should also assist in avoiding fraudulent activity; we are aware that a number of scams have recently been directed at Higher Education suppliers - see the fraudulent activity warning for further details.

Deliveries

All goods and services must be delivered to campus, apart from in very exceptional circumstances, for essential supplies, where the University may agree to delivery to other sites than the campus. This will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Tenders

Please continue to monitor In-Tend for business opportunities - In-Tend.

Key Contacts

University telephone lines may not be answered. To help us respond to you as quickly as possible please send correspondence to our shared e-mail inboxes, where available staff will be able to access your request or query:

Procurement and tender-related enquiries - procurement@reading.ac.uk

Accounts Payable enquiries - invoices@reading.ac.uk