When procuring goods and services from businesses, or paying honoraria and reimbursements to guests, please follow the guidelines outlined below to create or update a supplier. To improve your experience, we have referenced steps you can take up-front and throughout the engagement. For foreign suppliers, consider starting the process early enough to accommodate the additional compliance considerations. Lastly, the Non-PO Payment Request Process may alleviate the need to onboard guests to issue reimbursements.
Requesting a New Supplier
1. If the payment is only to reimburse a guest who is a U.S. resident, it is not necessary to onboard the supplier. Please note that the supplier will be paid by check. (To issue a reimbursement via ACH, it is necessary to onboard the supplier)
2. For all other payment types:
Determine if the supplier already exists and is ‘Active’ in the Marketplace. (Here is ‘How-To Search for a supplier’ or the University’s list of Contracts for Preferred Suppliers)
- If the supplier exists but is not ‘Active’, submit a Supplier Request in the Prime Marketplace to ‘Reactivate’ the supplier (Please do not send the request via an email to finance@princeton.edu)
- If the supplier does not exist, create a Supplier Request in the Marketplace
- Refer to the Domestic and Foreign Supplier Payee Quick Reference Cards to identify documentation that needs to be attached to the Supplier Request and Registration
- Inform the supplier that they will receive a Registration Request (check SPAM Filter)
- Domestic Suppliers/Payees are invited to register through the Prime Marketplace and are not required to upload a W-9 form. All relevant information will be collected through the online registration process.
- For Foreign Suppliers/Payees requests, the supplier can be invited or attach a completed and signed Foreign Payee Management form (Entity or Individual) along with other documentation referenced in the Foreign Supplier Payee Quick Reference Card.
Update an Existing Supplier (Reactivate, Update Address/Contact/Bank Account)
1. To reactivate a supplier, submit a supplier request by selecting “Request New Supplier” from the Prime Marketplace, and selecting ‘Update Existing Supplier’ as the reason for the request
2. To Update Address/Contact/Bank Account:
- If supplier is active and has already registered, the supplier can update their record by logging into the Supplier Portal to make the change
- If supplier is active and has not yet registered, create a Supplier Request, and select “Update Existing Supplier” as the reason for the request. The supplier will be invited to register and update their existing information.
How to Resolve Issues That May Occur When Requesting/Updating a Supplier
1. Supplier lost the invitation or we need to invite a new contact:
Create a Supplier Request to have the invitation resent to the same contact, or sent to a different contact.
2. Supplier is unable to log-in to the Portal
Contact our Customer Support partner at 1-800-233-1121 option 2, then
option 1.
3. Supplier’s email is affiliated with another organization (e.g. University) in the supplier portal
Contact our Customer Support partner at 1-800-233-1121 option 2, then
option 1.
Monitoring Your Submitted Supplier Requests
The ‘My Supplier Requests’ page in Prime Marketplace allows you to view your submitted requests. To query your submitted requests, the Request Status filter is a great way to narrow your search (e.g. past 90 days, status). Once you are able to view your requests, you can determine their status based on the descriptions referenced below. Options include:
- Completed indicates that the requestor has completed and submitted a new request.
- Approved indicates that Procurement Services has approved the request and a new supplier profile is in progress. To check on the status of the new profile, return to the Suppliers menu and select ‘Search for a Supplier.’
- Incomplete indicates that the requestor (you) has not completed all of the required information, and/or has saved but not yet submitted the request
- Returned can mean one of two things:
- There's an issue with the request that the requestor needs to fix before it can be processed. The problem will be stated in the return message. Once fixed, the request will need to be resubmitted for review.
- Provides confirmation that the request to update an existing supplier/payee profile has been processed. Please refer to the return message for what action was taken by Supplier Management.
To edit an existing request: You can edit a request if the status is ‘Returned’. If the status is ‘Approved’ or ‘Under Review’, the request is closed and it is necessary to submit a new request. Please note you will not be able to edit a request when the status is ‘Approved’.
Tips to Prevent Delays
- Plan ahead. If you become aware of an event where payment will need to be issued to a supplier or payee, start the process early. Foreign payees most likely will require additional lead time, given the complexities of determining their taxation.
- Monitor the request status by clicking the ‘History’ link. Here you can view comments sent to the supplier for additional information or clarification.
- For example, clarification may be required because the “Tax ID # and Business Name” submitted by the supplier do not match what is reference in the IRS database.
- Similarly, a comment may request a Foreign Supplier to provide missing documentation or clarify their country of residence.
- Please follow-up with the supplier to see if they need assistance completing the registration.
Related Resources
To learn more about Supplier onboarding procedures, please visit the Supplier Management website.