Comptroller's Office
	Accounts Payable Home
	C-Forms
	Purchase Orders
	Voids and Reissues
	Document/Forms
	Contact Information
	Feedback

Comptroller's Office
University of Pennsylvania
Suite 312 Franklin Building
3451 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215.898.7593 (Phone)
215.898.0817 (Fax)

[ Accounts Payable ]

Purchase Orders

Method of payment - invoice against supply or service purchase order

Financial Policies: 2300 Procurement/Disbursements

All new vendors require a W-9 in order to be set up in BEN. Each individual or company will be given a unique supplier number. In addition, each must have a valid tax identification or social security number entered into the Purchasing/Accounts Payable vendor file. Companies which merge or change names are given a new supplier number; the old supplier is inactivated. This prevents end users from selecting a supplier which no longer exists. A home address is required for all individuals except employees.

Invoices are sent to AP via mail or intramural mail. Once received by AP the turnaround time for invoices to be processed is between 3 and 5 days. All invoices must have a valid purchase order number in order to get paid. Payment terms for vendors are net 30 days unless the vendor offers a discount.

** Please note: All new PO vendors are setup by the Purchasing Department.

All invoices should be sent to:

Accounts Payable, Room 440
3451 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, Pa. 19104-6281
Fax: 215.573.4234
Phone: 215.898.2626

Invoice Holds

System holds are placed on invoices when:

1. The purchase order amount is $5000 or more
2. The quantity differs
3. The price of the invoice line is greater then $25 of the purchase order line

Purchase order invoices are matched by the line description as well as the quantity and price. An invoice number should be used once and only once. Duplicate invoice numbers are checked by the system and if it is determined to be a duplicate it is returned to the supplier with either a check number and date or the hold status.

Approving Invoice Holds - depending on the type of hold, holds are released by either the buyer receipting the quantity billed in BEN or by placing the Holds Resolved Markup on the image.

When responding to BEN Alerts, please do one of the following:

1. Quantity Received Hold - Enter a receipt. It is not necessary to stamp the image. If the receipt was done properly, the invoice will transition out of the user’s inbox overnight. The amount received on the PO must equal the amount billed for the hold to release.
2. Quantity Ordered Hold - Use the Holds Resolved Markup through MarkView to release the hold.
3. Maximum Shipment Amount Hold - Use the Holds Resolved Markup through MarkView to release the hold.
4. Comment Requested - Use the Return to AP Markup through MarkView with a detailed explanation as to why you are sending the invoice back. If you are requesting the invoice to be cancelled, please state so and provide a detailed explanation on why the invoice needs to be cancelled.

Purchase Order Invoices

Purchase order numbers should not be finally closed until all invoices have been received and processed, which will include a check number and date the check was issued. All purchase order numbers are finally closed by the AP department. Invoices that are sent to AP on Finally Closed or Cancelled PO’s will be rejected back to the vendor asking them to contact the buyer. If the buyer determines payment is needed, the invoice must be submitted to AP via a C-368 Form (C-Form).

Cancelled Purchase Orders - Departments should never cancel a purchase order that has been matched to an invoice.

Please email apsup@exchange.upenn.edu for all Final Close requests with a detailed explanation on why you need the PO Finally Closed. The buyers name must also appear in the Final Close Request.

A Final Close request for a PO that still has an open invoice on it in the system will be rejected.