Doing business with Camden
At the council, we have a paperless Purchase to Pay system which enables the full purchasing and payment process to be carried out online. This includes everything from order creation and authorisation to receipting and invoice matching.
Who the policy covers
The policy covers all our suppliers, unless they form part of any agreed exceptions arrangements.
No Purchase Order, No Payment policy
We operate a No Purchase Order, No Payment policy. This means that we will not process or pay invoices unless you quote a valid Camden Council Purchase Order number on your invoice and comply with the required invoice processing criteria detailed below.
Failure to do so mean your invoices will not be paid. We'll reject the invoice and you will not receive a notification. It is important to log into the self-service portal Camden's e-invoicing service to check this.
Commitment from you
It is a requirement that suppliers commit to:
- provide goods and services only when in receipt of a valid purchase order generated from our ordering system
- quote the valid Camden Purchase Order number on all invoices or credit notes submitted to the Council. Invoices without a valid purchase order number will be rejected without notification
- submit all invoices and credit notes electronically as advised below
- provide credit notes for any goods returned or service not delivered if a contract continues. If a contract does not continue, you're expected to refund the money to us
- use the Supplier Portal to find information on purchase orders, receipts and invoice payments
- accept all payments by BACS
- where feasible, and in discussion with us, provide electronic catalogues of goods and services provided. These catalogues can be used to simplify purchasing
- keep your contact details up to date with us
Invoices
To make sure your invoice is processed correctly, make sure the following is clearly stated on the invoice:
- the word ‘invoice’
- invoice number (or unique identification number)
- correct Camden Council Purchase order number
- your company name, address, VAT registration Number
- your contact details, for any queries
- our name and full address
- clear description of what goods or service was provided, matching the relating purchase order
- date the invoice was created (invoice date)
- the amount being charged
- VAT amount, if applicable
- total (gross) amount owed
You also need to make sure your invoice:
- only contains items that are on your purchase order. Any additional items will need a new purchase order number and will result in the invoice being rejected
- has the correct supplier details that match the ones on your purchase order
- has the contact name and details of the person at the council who ordered the goods or services
How to submit an invoice
Our system only accepts PDF files and any other format will be rejected without notification. Text on the invoice should not overlap as system cannot process the invoice.
You can only send one PDF invoice per email - no other attachments, macros or hyperlinks should be in the email.
Do not send ZIP files or attachments within attachments as they will be rejected automatically by our system.
If your invoice does not meet these requirements, it will be rejected without notification.
This must be read in conjunction with the Supplier Information document, as that will provide important information on self-service.
Send your invoice by email to: AIPInvoices@camden.gov.uk.
Reasons for rejecting an invoice
We may reject your invoice because:
- no valid purchase order number has been quoted
- it was sent in the wrong format
- invalid purchase order number (for example, it's missing a digit)
- the invoice exceeds the value of the purchase order that was originally sent to you. You should contact the person who raised the purchase order request to correct it, then resubmit the invoice
- we have not goods receipted the item. The invoice will be placed on hold until the service receipts the purchase order
- the purchase order number is closed, cancelled or invalid
- more than one purchase order number has been quoted on one invoice
- a credit note was sent but does not quote a related invoice number
Method of payment
We pay all bills by BACS, and new suppliers must supply their bank details.
If you need to change your bank account or other detail, you should do this using the Supplier Portal. If you do not use Supplier Portal, write to us on letter headed paper and email it to suppliers@camden.gov.uk. We will not act on changes of details notified on invoices.
Wait for confirmation of the changes before submitting the invoice, as payment will be sent to the details held in the system and having to rectify it to your new details will delay your payment.
Payment terms and conditions
It is our policy that all valid invoices will become due for payment 30 days from the date it was received by our system. Where contractual clauses are agreed which vary the terms of payment, these will be honoured. It is very important invoices are sent directly to the web centre to avoid payment delays.
Our terms of trade also include provision for late payment in accordance with the November 1998 Act of Parliament.
We reserve the right to withhold payment where the goods or services have not been provided in accordance with the contract or dispute. We expect our suppliers to pay any sums due to sub-contractors promptly and within a period not exceeding that set out above.