Procedures (Accounts Payable)

Accounts Payable Procedures
Effective from 01 July 2014
Version Number: V2.4
Author:
Accounts Payable Manager
Finance
University of Salford
Accounts Payable Procedures V2.4
Document Control Information
Status and reason for development
Status:
This document replaces Accounts Payable Procedures V2.3, published July 2012
Reason for
development:
Revision History
Date
The document has been revised to reflect the changes in process under the Procure to Pay project,
centralising the administration of University purchase order invoices
Author
Summary of changes
Version No.
Procedure Management and Responsibilities
Owner:
Finance Director - Julie Charge
Author:
Accounts Payable Manager – Jane Broughton
Others with responsibilities
(please specify):
Head of Procurement, David Horton for Procurement compliance responsibilities
Assessment
Equality Analysis
Legal
Information Governance
Academic Governance
Cross relevant assessments




Consultation
Staff Trades Unions via HR
Students via USSU
Any relevant external bodies
(Please specify)
…………………………………..
Authorised by:
Finance Director
Date authorised:
01 July 2014
Effective from:
01 July 2014
Review due:
01 July 2014
Cross if not applicable



Cross relevant consultations



Document location:
e.g. University Policy & Procedures page: www.salford.ac.uk/university/governance/policies-and-procedures
Document dissemination and communications plan
Email link to University staff involved in finance July 2014
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Accounts Payable Procedures V2.4
Contents
1.0
Scope and Objectives ...................................................................................................................................... 5
2.0
Procedure Roles and Responsibilities ............................................................................................................. 5
3.1
Supplier payments .......................................................................................................................................... 5
a.
When do we pay? ........................................................................................................................................... 5
b.
Contacts & locations ....................................................................................................................................... 5
c.
How do we pay? ............................................................................................................................................. 6
d.
How do you request payment?....................................................................................................................... 6
4.1
Processing Purchase Invoices and Credit Notes ............................................................................................. 6
a.
Finding a supplier ............................................................................................................................................ 6
b.
Requesting a new supplier .............................................................................................................................. 7
c.
Small value, one off payments ........................................................................................................................ 7
d.
Generating a purchase order and placing an order ........................................................................................ 7
e.
Engaging with a Supplier without a purchase order ....................................................................................... 8
f.
Confirming receipt of goods (Goods Receipting) ............................................................................................ 8
g.
Invoices outside of PO tolerance, over £100k or additional invoice lines not covered on the PO ................. 8
5.1
Paying a supplier invoice................................................................................................................................. 8
a.
Supplier invoice format:.................................................................................................................................. 8
b.
Authorising the invoice for payment .............................................................................................................. 8
c.
Hard copy invoices .......................................................................................................................................... 9
d.
Claiming invoice discount ............................................................................................................................... 9
e.
Splitting invoice between two or more project codes/ purchase orders ....................................................... 9
f.
Time frame for processing an invoice & viewing the document .................................................................... 9
g.
Supplier Remittances ...................................................................................................................................... 9
h.
Disputed invoices ......................................................................................................................................... 10
i.
Credit Notes ................................................................................................................................................. 10
j.
Statement reconciliation .............................................................................................................................. 10
6.0
Supplier relationship .................................................................................................................................... 10
7.0
Consolidated Invoicing ................................................................................................................................. 10
8.0
Recovering a debit balance .......................................................................................................................... 11
9.0
Authority to spend – delegated budget authority ....................................................................................... 11
10.0
Closing purchase orders ............................................................................................................................... 11
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Accounts Payable Procedures V2.4
11.0
Payment targets ........................................................................................................................................... 11
12.0
Rejected payment ........................................................................................................................................ 12
13.0
Payments to overseas accounts and payments in foreign currencies (‘foreign payments’) ........................ 12
a.
Foreign payments on arrival in Accounts Payable ....................................................................................... 12
b.
Closing foreign payment / foreign currency purchase orders ..................................................................... 12
14.0
When not to present an invoice .................................................................................................................. 12
a.
Payment Requests UK .................................................................................................................................. 13
15.0
Purchasing Cards/ Credit Cards .................................................................................................................... 13
a.
Purchasing Card transaction limit alteration ............................................................................................... 13
b.
Monthly credit card administration ............................................................................................................. 13
16.0
Student costs, advances and travel expenses .............................................................................................. 13
a.
Student Overseas Travel Advances – Form A ............................................................................................... 14
b.
Student Expense Forms – Form B ................................................................................................................ 14
17.0
Student Bursary Payments ........................................................................................................................... 14
18.0
Staff Interview Payments ............................................................................................................................. 14
19.0
Private Patients ............................................................................................................................................ 15
20.0
Suppliers Threatening Legal Action ............................................................................................................. 15
21.0
Pro forma (pre) payments ............................................................................................................................ 15
Related Documentation ........................................................................................................................................... 15
Monitoring and Performance of Procedure ............................................................................................................. 16
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1.0 Scope and Objectives
Objective:
The purpose of this document is to outline the procedures around placing an order, through to paying a supplier for services or
goods.
Scope:
This document supports compliance with the University Financial Regulations, the Purchasing Card Policy, the International
Credit Card policy and the Student Travel & Expenses Claim Guide (see Related Documentation).
The Accounts Payable section is responsible for the payment of suppliers for goods and services provided to the University.
This includes the reimbursement of expenses to undergraduate and postgraduate students, partner transfers and payment of
bursaries (excluding NHS student bursaries).
The Accounts Payable (AP) section administers to the University credit card accounts, is responsible for international payments
and for the purchase invoice portion of the ‘procure to pay’ (P2P) process. AP processes are performed on Agresso, the
University’s finance system.
This document is intended for Faculty and Support Accountants, Finance Officers, Finance Assistants, administrators with
financial responsibility and staff with budgetary responsibilities.
2.0 Procedure Roles and Responsibilities
Position(s)
Responsible i.e. which position is responsible for ensuring that this procedure operates
as required on a daily basis
Finance Director
Accountable i.e. which one position in the University is accountable for ensuring that
this procedure is applied correctly
Finance Director
Supporting i.e. which positions are involved in delivering the procedure
Accounts Payable Manager
Consulting i.e. which positions need to be consulted if changes in the procedure are
considered
Finance Managers
Finance Officers
Financial Accountant
Finance Managers
Finance Officers
Financial Accountant
Informing i.e. which positions need to be informed about changes in the procedure
3.1 Supplier payments
a. When do we pay?
It is the University’s policy to pay promptly within the terms agreed with the supplier. University of Salford terms of
payments are 30 days from receipt of invoice, as stated in the University’s Financial Regulations.
There are a very small number of suppliers that are paid outside of these terms. If a supplier is to be paid outside of the
usual 30 days, permission is to be sought from the Procurement Department.
b. Contacts & locations
The Accounts Payable office is in Room 120, 1st Floor Faraday House.
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The main enquiry extension numbers are
Suppliers
54114
Payment enquiries
54056
Foreign payments
55042
General enquiries
55042
Process enquiries
55043
Credit card enquiries
52504
There is a centralised email for general enquiries: [email protected]
There is a centralised email for receiving invoices and statements: [email protected]
The address to send supplier purchase invoices to is:
Accounts Payable, University of Salford
Room 120, 1st Floor Faraday House, 43 The Crescent, Salford M5 4WT
c. How do we pay?
A supplier can be paid by one of five payment methods:





By BACS (electronic payment processing taking three days to reach the suppliers bank account)
CHAPS (immediate payment transfer, but incurs additional charges)
Purchasing Card (Visa)
Foreign payment transfer (foreign currency & overseas bank account transfers)
Direct Debit and Standing Order
d. How do you request payment?
Request for payment can be made by:





The supplier presenting a VAT invoice that has a purchase order number printed on the document
Sending a UK Request for Payment form (selected circumstances only)
Sending a Foreign Payment request form
Sending an authorised Student Trip, Expense & Advance Form /Student Expense Claim Form
Sending a Student Payment Request (bursaries only)
4.1 Processing Purchase Invoices and Credit Notes
a. Finding a supplier
A supplier needs to have been approved by the University of Salford Procurement team before an order can be placed.
To see if a supplier is active and available or use, check on Agresso if a supplier is already set up and active. If a supplier is
showing as status ‘C’ or a message shows the ‘supplier ID is illegal’ the supplier account is closed. You may request that
the supplier account be reopened through the University Procurement Team.
Suppliers that have not been paid for 14 months or more will be closed down as a matter of routine.
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Details of supplier set up, amendment and procurement policies can be found through the Procurement Intranet documents.
http://www.purchasing.salford.ac.uk/
b. Requesting a new supplier
If a new supplier is needed or a previously used supplier account needs reopening, you can send an online request
through Agresso, a copy of bank details need to be requested from the supplier, printed or scanned on their letterhead.
Once you have the bank details, these should be attached to the request for a new supplier which is sent to Procurement.
Purchasing will then approve/reject the supplier and this will be available to use on Agresso. The requester of the supplier
can check on workflow the status of the supplier.
c. Small value, one off payments
If you only expect to pay a supplier once, the supplier account still needs to be created, but if there is an opportunity to
pay a one off UK supplier by purchasing card (transactions under £1500 only), this may be a more efficient method of
payment.
Do not pay a supplier by credit card if that supplier is set up on Agresso. There is a risk that a payment may
be duplicated.
d. Generating a purchase order and placing an order
Before engaging with a supplier, the spend needs to be approved by your budget holder.
The mechanism for requesting budget approval is through the purchase order process, within Agresso. This process is
owned by the Procurement Team.
The flow of the request is:
Raise
requisition
Approval by
budget holder
Purchase order
created
PO autoemailed to
supplier
Auto-email with
PO number to
requisitioner
Requisitioner: if you have Agresso access, you are able to raise a requisition yourself (training video can be found on
Blackboard).
Otherwise, you should make your request through your finance team who will advise you on how to request budget
approval.
It is a breach of the University ’s Financial Regulations to request goods or services from a supplier without having
an approved purchase order in place and may be subject to disciplinary proceedings.
In Agresso, the requisition is sent to the budget holder for review. Only when they have approved the proposed spend
will a purchase order number (PO) be generated. The PO will automatically be emailed to the supplier for fulfilment of
your order. The requisitioner will receive an email to confirm the generation of the PO and the PO number.
It is an audit requirement that the requisitioner and the budget approver must be different people. Please refer to
Purchasing for more information.
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e. Engaging with a Supplier without a purchase order
If any invoice comes into AP from a supplier and a PO has not been raised and, therefore, budget approval has not been
sought, the requisitioner of the goods or service will be asked for any reason for the engagement and the resulting
feedback escalated to their line manager and the University’s Finance Director for review. The invoices will be sent back to
the supplier to be re-issued with a valid PO.
f. Confirming receipt of goods (Goods Receipting)
When the goods or services have been received, a ‘good receipt (GR)’ needs to be performed in Agresso. Full instructions
can be found on Blackboard.
If only part of the order has been received, a partial goods receipt can be done.
If the invoice arrives before the GR, a missing goods receipt task will be generated in Agresso, prompting the requisitioner
to confirm receipt.
Only when the GR tasks have been performed on orders will invoices be paid against them.
g. Invoices outside of PO tolerance, over £100k or additional invoice lines not covered on the PO
When an invoice does not match to the order that has been raised, Agresso will generate a task, to the budget holder, for
additional approval or review of the invoice details.
The tasks may be to interrogate and approve/reject an overspend or to consider a price variance.
If there is a variance to the purchase order, the requisitioner will be prompted to leave a note on the task before it is
escalated to the budget approver.
The task may be to approve a payment that exceeds £100,000. This is to comply with the authority process outlined in
the University’s Financial Regulations.
To avoid delaying payment to suppliers, all tasks should be administered to within five working days.
5.1 Paying a supplier invoice
a. Supplier invoice format:
All invoices submitted to the University must

Be addressed to ‘The University of Salford’. If the invoice is to a subsidiary, the subsidiary name should also be
quoted

Display a valid purchase order number

Be dated after the goods/services have been delivered

Have a current VAT number or declare zero rated, goods exempt or the business is not VAT registered

Have the correct address and bank details of the supplier (matching to the Agresso account set up)
Supplier invoices that do not have a PO number, that are short-dated or do not quote an invoice number will
be returned, unpaid, to the supplier.
b. Authorising the invoice for payment
Once the supplier invoice is received into AP, the invoice image will be scanned into Agresso, be indexed and matched to
a goods receipted purchase order.
If the invoice and the order matches, the goods receipted and the invoice is within a 2.5%/ £25 maximum tolerance, then
the invoice will be updated for payment and be paid within the credit term of 30 days.
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A series of checks will be run on each invoice that arrives within the Accounts Payable department, including

Correct supplier details

Correct VAT and payment amounts
If there is no GR for the order, a missing goods receipt (MGR) task will go out to the requisitioner. All MGR tasks must be
administered to within 5 working days. If there is a reason that the requisitioner cannot confirm receipt of goods, they
should email [email protected], so avoiding being followed up as part of the AP process to clear non-GR
invoices.
Not administering to GR tasks in good time may result in the supplier being paid late, so negatively affecting the supplier
relationship. Late payment charges may also be applied to the invoice, resulting in additional charges being made to the
cost centre project codes. Late payment can also impact negatively on the credit rating of the University, resulting in less
attractive finance rates and commercial negotiations.
c. Hard copy invoices
The original supplier purchase order invoice is no longer retained in the AP department as the hard copy is scanned and
retained within Agresso.
d. Claiming invoice discount
If the supplier offers an early settlement discount, the reduced invoice amount will be entered on Agresso. This may
result in POs remaining open with small balances.
e. Splitting invoice between two or more project codes/ purchase orders
Purchase orders can be raised with multiple project codes on different lines.
f. Time frame for processing an invoice & viewing the document
All invoices received into AP, with a valid PO, will be registered within six working days. Invoices that have been
processed can be viewed on Agresso on the ‘Open and Historic items per supplier’ field.
The scanned image of the invoice can be viewed by selecting ‘Document’.
Only invoices that are in query may remain unregistered until the query has been resolved by the requisitioner.
Invoice payment: The University has one weekly BACS payment run in which supplier invoices that fall due for payment
within that week will be captured for payment. The BACS run is on a Wednesday and it takes two working days for the
funds to clear the suppliers’ accounts.
Payment requests need to be received by Monday 12 noon to be included on the Bacs run. Anything received after the
deadline will not be processed for the BACS run and, therefore, may be paid late, on the following weeks run. Any
invoices that are paid outside of the supplier payment terms form part of a monthly report that is submitted for review
to the Director of Finance.
DEADLINES FOR ANY UK PAYMENT REQUEST IS MONDAY AT NOON – NO EXCEPTIONS
g. Supplier Remittances
When a supplier has a payment listed on the weekly BACs run, a remittance is automatically emailed to each supplier on
a Wednesday afternoon.
Copy remittances can be requested by emailing [email protected]
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h. Disputed invoices
If an invoice is under a dispute, it is still be registered on Agresso. This ensures that the invoice is visible, so if a supplier is
chasing the University for payment, the query can be correctly handled. The item is ‘parked’ to ensure it is not paid.
The invoice is matched to a credit note once a dispute is resolved, or deleted if the supplier writes to confirm that they
are deleting the record on their side.
i. Credit Notes
If a credit note is due against an invoice (this may be due to a cost or quantity error), it is only to be processed on Agresso
if there is a corresponding invoice registered.
This will help ensure that no debit balances remain on the supplier accounts.
j. Statement reconciliation
Account Payable reconcile all the top 50 supplier statements that are received monthly. All the other statements are
reconciled quarterly. Any invoices that appear on the statement but not on the Agresso system are investigated and
corrective action taken (copy invoices requested or debit balances recovered).
The most recent statement for each supplier is kept on the suppliers file within Agresso. This is kept as proof of
control and diligence and forms part of the annual audit review.
6.0 Supplier relationship
At contract and framework level, the supplier relationship sits with the Procurement Team.
The working supplier relationship is the responsibility of the requisitioner. If there are reasons to request credit notes,
alterations to pricing of the invoice, payment date queries etc. those details are to be resolved between the requisitioner
and the supplier.
7.0 Consolidated Invoicing
There are suppliers to the University that supply high volume, low value items, across multiple Schools and departments.
Where possible, these suppliers are asked to provide just one monthly consolidated invoice. This process helps reduce
the amount of processing time taken and assists with paying high volume invoices in a timely manner, while reducing the
error rates.
As well as the invoice, there will be data relating to the orders placed. When this data is received an upload will be
created and loaded into Agresso detailing the individual transactions and project codes. Each of the budget holder’s will
be E-mailed a copy and this is their opportunity to journal incorrect postings to the right project/account code or query
any incorrect costs with the supplier directly. Authorities to spend should be in place for all items purchased on
consolidated invoice, although no PO is needed.
The supplier who produce a consolidated invoice include
Key Travel
CATS Reprographics
CoolerAid water
Ricoh – Managed by Satish Patel
BOC
Maestro Pressure Coolers
Mainline Taxis
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Accounts Payable Procedures V2.4
Chartwells
Reed (Authorised through the REMAS system)
Orange/EE
8.0 Recovering a debit balance
Accounts Payable will recover any creditor account with a debit balance. A debit balance may have arisen as a result of a
duplicate payment, a credit note received after payment of an invoice, payment to the wrong creditor or an error in the
credit invoice administration.
The creditor will be contacted with copies of relevant documents by Accounts Payable requesting a refund of the debit
amount. If this is not received, or an explanation received, within 21 days, a reminder letter will be sent to the supplier. If
after 28 days this has still not been resolved, a letter informing the creditor of legal action will be sent.
Debit balance cheques must be sent to Accounts Payable for deposit and Agresso updating. Occasionally they are sent in
error to College/School/Support Units. If this happens the College/School/Support Unit should forward the cheque to
Accounts Payable for immediate processing to balance the supplier account.
9.0 Authority to spend – delegated budget authority
There are only selected personnel within the University that are authorised to release budgeted funds.
The signature of the authorised person is held on file within central finance. Details of delegated authority can be found
under the Regulation/Fraud section of the Finance Intranet.
A list is published of all approvers, with their approval limits and cost centres, again available through the
Regulation/Fraud section of the Finance Intranet.
Queries on authorised spend of existing signatories can be made through the Payroll office.
Only invoices/expenses that are to be paid outside of the P2P process require a hard copy, original signature. The
authorising person must have the authorisation limit to cover the entirety of the amount spent.
If a payment document is signed by an unauthorised person or a person who does not have a sufficient authorisation
limit, the document will be returned to the department for re-authorisation.
10.0 Closing purchase orders
If a balance remains on a purchase order or the order is not used, a list of orders to close can be submitted to [email protected] for closure. No registered, unpaid invoices should remain on the PO when a close request is
submitted. This should be done on a monthly basis.
11.0 Payment targets
It is the intention of the University to pay all suppliers within the agreed payment terms. In order to maintain a positive
credit rating and to adhere to the Universities Financial regulations, the University expects a minimum of 85% of all
payments to be made within the suppliers’ payment terms.
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12.0 Rejected payment
A BACS may be returned unallocated when the supplier bank account is closed, there is an error on the account or there
is some form of sanction on the account holder. In these circumstances, the payment will be returned to the University’s
bank account and Accounts Payable will contact the department, asking for proof of bank details on the supplier
company letter.
13.1 Payments to overseas accounts and payments in foreign currencies (‘foreign payments’)
For both sterling payments overseas and payment of invoices in foreign currencies, the University uses a preferential
banking arrangement through Santander, detached from the main banking processes.
On Agresso, a purchase order should be raised in the usual way. The purchase order should be goods receipted.
The only exception to raising a PO is for Student Commission payments and payments to partners (grant reallocation).
An e s t i m a t e o f t h e c o n v e r t e d c u r r e n c y c o s t s h o u l d b e m a d e .
UKFOREX at
http://www.ft.com/markets/currencies
An e s t i m a t e c a n
be found using
Details of the transaction should be recorded using a Payment Request Foreign Form which can be found on the Finance
Intranet.
An invoice should be attached to the paper form and submitted, with an authorised signature, to Accounts Payable.
All supporting documentation/email trail/supplier audit trail should be attached to the form and invoice. Documentation
may include funding contracts, funding schedules, research grant documents, receipts for expense claims and budget
breakdowns. This is to meet with cross boarder money movement compliance requests.
Unless an arrangement has been made with the supplier, the University does not pay the recipients banking
charges/ costs of transfer for international banking.
The University Purchasing Cards must not be used for foreign currency transactions as the VAT implications of the
purchases are not taken into account in the same way as foreign payment transfers. There are occasional exceptions
which can be viewed within the Purchasing Card Policy which can be found on the Finance Intranet.
a. Foreign payments on arrival in Accounts Payable
Foreign payments are transacted by the Accounts Payable Team, once a week. The deadline for these requests is close of
business Tuesday to be processed on Friday. There are no exceptions to this deadline, anything received after this will be
processed in the next week’s payment run.
Foreign payment recipients do not receive a remittance advice, as with all UK BACS payments.
Once Accounts Payable receive confirmation of payment leaving the bank, the foreign payment transactions are posted
direct to the general ledger, using the codes supplied by the department on the Foreign payment request form on the
intranet.
Payments arriving with the supplier’s bank can range between two and ten days from processing time, dependent on the
payment destination country and the currency.
b. Closing foreign payment / foreign currency purchase orders
POs should be raised for overseas and foreign currency payments. They should also be goods receipted against, for the
sake of accurate accruals at month and quarter end.
The PO will be closed by AP/ Procurement once the transaction has been posted to the general ledger. If there is a
balance remaining on the PO, it will not be automatically closed, so, if they are no longer needed, these are to be
included on any PO closing lists submitted to [email protected]
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14.0 When not to present an invoice
No invoice is necessary when requesting payments for

Student expenses but receipts must be included, along with a copy of the Trip Request form

Interview expenses

Bursary requests (with the exception of NHS bursaries that are dealt with externally)

Conference & registration fees (Payment request UK) please note the supplier still needs to be set up.

Payment to partner organisations (Payment request UK )
a. Payment Requests UK
If UK conference fees cannot be paid on the department credit card (i.e. the supplier does not accept credit cards), a
Payment Request UK form can be submitted for this payment type. The supplier still needs to be approved by
Procurement.
As conference fees (excluding accommodation that can be booked through the University’s preferred travel provider) are
usually a one off transaction that needs to be paid in a timely manner, this is the only exception when using this form.
The Payment Request UK Form needs to be fully completed and signed by an authorised signature with:

An invoice attached

A booking form attached

Audit trail documentation attached
Payment will be made to the conference host by BACS.
Payment transfers to for partner project shares are administered to using this form.
15.1 Purchasing Cards/ Credit Cards
The full Purchasing Card Policy can be found at the Procurement Intranet page
a. Purchasing Card transaction limit alteration
If a transaction is planned that will exceed the card holders’ transaction limit, a temporary authorisation should be sought
through the Head of Purchasing.
b. Monthly credit card administration
Within 21 days of the end of the month, a fully completed credit card transaction log should be posted to Accounts
Payable. Transaction details along with a comprehensive description of goods or services supplied should be completed.
The transaction log must be signed by an authorised signatory, not the card holder. There will be only one person
authorised to sign the transaction log, per department or College. If these are not sent in on time then the card may be
suspended.
Once authorised, the transaction lines must be processed through web Agresso and the original log posted to Accounts
Payable. Copies of the log and receipts should be kept within the department, but available for regular review.
Training will be given on monthly card administration prior to a credit card being issued by the Procurement team.
16.1 Student costs, advances and travel expenses
Student accounts needs to be set up on Agresso before any payments are made by using the student set up form which can
be found on the finance intranet.
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A student payment request for items such as grants and department specific items can be requested
using Student Payment Request
Both documents require authorised signatures.
Once complete, the forms should be forwarded to Accounts Payable where they will be passed for payment
on the next available BACS run. The student details will be cross referred to the registered student
database, to ensure appropriate course registration.
The deadline for Bacs payment is Monday at noon anything received after this day and time will be
processed in the following week’s Bacs run.
a. Student Overseas Travel Advances – Form A
For a specific overseas project or overseas trip a student may need to be paid an advance (excluding media
projects – they are administered through the petty cash system – please see more information at
http://intranet.salford.ac.uk/finance/cms/pages/category?id=5
A maximum of 75% of the total cost may be agreed as an advance. This is at the discretion of the
department administering to the advance. A Student Trip, Student Expense & Advance Request Form A should
be completed.
Full details of how to claim an advance for travelling costs that cannot be prepaid by the University can be
found in the Student Travel & Expenses Claim Guide at
http://intranet.salford.ac.uk/finance/cms/pages/category?id=4
Payment will be made in the same week if the paperwork is submitted by the 1pm Monday processing
deadline. Payment will be paid by BACS.
The process and guide must be explained/given to the student and it is the responsibility of the approver to
make sure the right documentation is received when the advance is due to be paid back.
b.
Student
Expense
Forms – Form B
To reclaim expenses and to offset any advance, the student and the department must complete and submit
to Accounts Payable a Student Expense Claim Form with a Receipt Breakdown, along with a copy of the
original Student Trip, Student Expense & Advance Request Form (form A).
A breakdown of costs needs to be completed and attached, along with all receipts to the form. The
form needs an authorised signature and the form submitted to Accounts Payable. If the student guide has
not been followed and there are receipts missing or incorrect then an adjustment will be made and the
requisitioner informed. These may even be rejected if we have not followed the right guidelines and
regulations.
Payment will be made in the same week if the paperwork is submitted by the n o o n Monday
processing deadline. Payment will be paid by BACS.
17.1 Student Bursary Payments
The following items come through
Accounts Payable

Bursaries

Erasmus payments
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Student prizes
Student accounts needs to be set up on Agresso before any payments are made. A student account can be
requested using a Student Payment Account Request
A student payment request needs to be completed, authorised and submitted to Accounts Payable. The
form can be found at Student Payment Request
Financial aid payments are processed for payment within Accounts Payable, but no paperwork is
submitted. The payment files are generated through Banner on a local basis.
18.0 Staff Interview Payments
Under certain circumstances, staff interview expenses will be reimbursed through Accounts Payable.
Staff interviews that have resulted in an offer will be paid through the payroll department. Only unsuccessful
applicants are paid through Accounts Payable.
A staff interview form must be completed and authorised by the Head of Department / Human Resources
before passing for payment. The form should be passed, with receipts through to Accounts Payable. The
payment will be paid by BACS to the claimant.
Authorisation for non UK travel, accommodation and subsistence is authorised by the Head of
Department. The UK element of a claim is authorised through the Human Resources department.
The form template can be found on the
HR intranet.
The form must be passed to Accounts Payable within seven days of the claimant submitting the
completed form to ensure prompt payment.
As with all individuals, payment will be made in the same week if the paperwork is submitted by the
n o o n Monday processing deadline.
19.0 Private Patients
Within the College of Health & Social Care, external patients may be invited to take part in medical trials.
Patients that participate may be reimbursed a set fee. This is not payment for time, only a reimbursement for
attendance and travel.
The patients are referred to as ‘private patients’ and they must be set up on Agresso as a supplier. In order
to pay the patient, a supplier set up form must be completed (paper based), a signature obtained from the
patient on the medical department’s paperwork and a private patient payment request file completed. All
of this internal paperwork is only available within the College of Health & Social Care.
As with an invoice, a requestor and authorised signature must be on the payment request, then the
payment submitted to Accounts Payable.
Payment will be made in the same week if the paperwork is submitted by the noon Monday processing
deadline. Payment will be paid by BACS.
20.0 Suppliers Threatening Legal Action
Invoice disputes should be handled by the departments finance team, but once a supplier escalates a dispute
to pre legal or legal status, the department needs to contact the Accounts Payable Manager with full details.
The Accounts Payable Manager can be contacted
on ext 55159
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The dispute will still need to be addressed by the department, but there is a need to centralise the query
and paper trail to address the issue with the supplier at an account level.
21.0 Pro forma (pre) payments
If a pre payment or pro forma payment is required by a supplier, authorisation for the payment should be
sought through the Head of Procurement. The written authorisation should be forwarded to [email protected]
Related Documentation
Purchasing Card Policy
Student Travel & Expenses Claim Guide
International Credit Card Policy
Financial Regulations
Delegated Financial Authority
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