Upcoming enhancements to how suppliers do business with WVU

To: All West Virginia University and WVU Research Corporation Suppliers

From: Jeff Pratt, Chief Procurement Officer/Assistant Vice President

Date: February 8, 2021

Re: Upcoming Changes to Supplier Registration and Payment Process

We are excited to announce upcoming changes to the way West Virginia University and WVU Research Corp (“the University”) registers and pays suppliers! The University is committed to streamlining and improving payment processes for the supplier community. We truly value our supplier relationships and are committed to improving the consistency and efficiency of how we register, onboard and pay our suppliers. The changes outlined below will allow the University to make great progress in streamlining those processes. For more information on the changes below, visit: https://procurement.wvu.edu/suppliers.

New Supplier Portal
Effective March 1, 2021, the University will launch its Supplier Portal, which will simplify the process of registering suppliers to do business with the University (i.e. receiving purchase orders and/or payments). This new process will provide significant improvements for both the University and its suppliers as it will remove the need for paper documentation and increase visibility on the status of registrations and payments. The portal will give suppliers the ability to:

• Submit their own W9’s securely online
• Communicate directly with the WVU Supplier Registration and Payment Services teams
• Submit invoices directly into WVU's payment system
• See up-to-date registration and payment statuses
• Make real-time updates to their registration details

All registrations for new suppliers and updates to existing supplier records will be required to go through the portal.

Payment Method
The University’s preferred payment methods for invoices (excluding payments currently being made via Procurement Card) are electronic funds transfers (EFT) or single use credit card accounts (virtual cards). These payment methods eliminate payment delays associated with the processing, signing, and delivery of paper checks.
Many of the University’s suppliers are still receiving payments by paper check. We are strongly encouraging suppliers who are receiving paper checks to work with our office to move future payments to an EFT or single use credit card account payment format. Moving to either EFT or single use credit card account is mandatory for suppliers who are currently receiving more than 12 check payments annually.

Invoice Submission
The University’s preferred method of submitting invoices from purchase orders is through our Supplier Portal or electronically through CXML submission. In the rare event that submission through the Supplier Portal or CXML is not possible, invoices must be sent to the email address listed in the Bill To section of the purchase order: pcpsap@mail.wvu.edu. Submission via the Supplier Portal or cXML is mandatory for suppliers who submit more than 12 invoices a year to the University. Invoices submitted via paper will no longer be accepted from any supplier.

Reminders of Invoice Requirements
The University is committed to ensuring the careful use of taxpayer dollars and to operate using best practices. PCPS is requesting all suppliers include the following information on the invoices submitted to WVU for payment:

• Invoice Number
• Invoice Date
• Purchase Order Number (If applicable)
• Remit to Name and Address that matches Secretary of State Registration
• Itemization

Missing or incorrect information can lead to an improper, duplicate, or delayed payment.

Prepayment for goods and services and late fee charges
As a state agency, the University cannot prepay for items or pay late fee charges unless contractually obligated by an approved agreement signed by an authorized procurement officer in Procurement, Contracting & Payment Services.

We also have a helpful Supplier Portal FAQ, but if you have any questions related to the changes outlined above, please contact us at pcps@mail.wvu.edu.