Compliance with UNE Procurement Policy and Invoice Submissions

As part of our ongoing efforts to ensure compliance with our policy and in response to an external audit finding, this is a reminder regarding our procurement policy and invoice submissions. 
 
For clarity, below is a simplified version of the procurement process:

1. Budget Approval: Once the budget is approved, review existing suppliers or approach the market for suppliers to meet your needs.
2. Request Quotes/Proposals: Obtain a quote or proposal from the supplier.
3. Generate a Purchase Order (PO): A requisition must be raised to generate a PO before goods are ordered or an engagement begins.
4. Attach Required Documents: The PO must include the quote/proposal, contract, any required exemptions (RFE), and TAG approval if required.
5. Invoice Payment: Invoices cannot be paid without a purchase order unless they fall under a PO exception.

Effective from 1 September 2024, all invoices must be accompanied by a valid Purchase Order (PO).

Invoices submitted without a PO cannot be processed and will be returned for rectification to ensure compliance. This policy applies to all services provided unless they fall under the exception categories (open exception document). Please note that this is not the implementation of a new policy, but the reinforcement of our existing policy.
 
Steps for Compliance:

1.    Request a PO: Before commencing any work or requesting delivery of any goods or services, please ensure that you have an approved PO.
2.    Include PO Number on Invoices: Ensure that the PO number is clearly indicated on all invoices when submitting them. A reminder to your suppliers will assist here, particularly if they understand payment cannot be made without a PO number. All invoices are to be emailed to finap@une.edu.au to be processed for payment.
 
To assist with this transition, we will be sending reminders to all staff over the next four weeks. Additionally, we will provide a grace period until 31 August 2024 to allow for staff retraining on the process. All suppliers will be contacted and advised that a PO must be raised before submitting an invoice for their services.

We appreciate your cooperation and understanding in this matter, and look forward to having this audit finding closed after the next review!

If you have any questions or require further clarification, please do visit the procurement page via Procurement – University of New England (UNE), or contact the Procurement team at procurement@une.edu.au.