Procurement Procedures
Process of setting up suppliers on the University system
Criminals are increasingly trying to set up bogus suppliers and amend supplier bank details in order to commit fraud.
To minimise the risk of fraud we undertake supplier diligence which involves the supplier providing to the University the supplier’s details on a supplier letterheaded document. This letterhead must be signed and in pdf format. We also ask for further evidence from a supplier’s bank, such as a paying in slip or bank statement (with transactions and balances obscured). We ask for this to provide further assurance that the bank details provided are genuine. We cannot set up a supplier in our system without these pieces of information.
The same process is followed for any amendments to data for existing suppliers to the University, and the same documentation must be provided.
Procurement processes
The University makes full use of commodity frameworks (such as those administered by the North Western Universities Purchasing Consortium) when procuring goods and services. When an open tender exercise is required, the University uses the InTend tendering portal and Contracts Finder to advertise opportunities. The University’s InTend portal can be accessed here. The University’s financial policies can be found here.
Purchase orders & invoices
The University operates a “no purchase order no pay policy”. All invoices must include a University-issued purchase order before they can be processed for payment. Any invoices that are received without this will be rejected. Further information on this can be found here. No goods or services should be provided to the University without a valid purchase order in place.
The vast majority of purchase orders will be automatically sent via a functional mail address – finance-purchaseorder@salford.ac.uk. However, sometimes a copy of a purchase order may be sent from a member of University staff’s email address. Official University emails are always sent from an @salford.ac.uk domain. There is a risk that fraudsters may send a purchase order to a supplier which appears to have come from the University, by using a very similar email domain. Suppliers should take care that any purchase orders received come from an @salford.ac.uk domain. If there are any doubts as to whether a purchase order is genuine, suppliers are advised to email finance-purchaseorder@salford.ac.uk so this can be confirmed, before any goods or services are provided.
Please note that the University’s standard payment terms are 30 days from date of invoice. Any exceptions to this must be approved by the Procurement team in advance. All invoices must be sent to invoices-finance@salford.ac.uk before they can be processed for payment. All invoices should be sent electronically rather than in the post.
Modern Slavery
The University is committed to eliminating all forms of modern slavery from its supply chains. A copy of the University’s modern slavery statement can be found here.
Sustainability
Further information on the University of Salford’s sustainable procurement practices can be found here.