Payment Processing for Goods and Services

The Accounts Payable (A/P) office will only process payments to suppliers in accordance with the terms of contract agreements for services and goods.

Starting in Fiscal 2021, all goods and services are paid after the below three(3) activities occur:

Payment Process: Three-Way Match

1. Purchase Order (PO) – Prior to providing goods or services, suppliers must be in possession of a purchase order from our ERP Finance System. POs from our new system begin with PUR and are followed by a 5-digit number (ex: PUR22330). If you have spoken to an SDP staff person about a purchase of goods or services but do not have an official PO, please reach out to your SDP contact.

2. Invoices –   Supplier invoices must be processed in the system and match the information on the Purchase Order, line for line (more information on how to submit below). Invoices must reference the purchase order number (PURXXXXX).

3. Receipting – The SDP school/office must receive the goods or services and the receipt must be documented in the system.

Once the three-way match is met, the ERP Finance System will process the invoices for payment.

 

How to Submit Invoices to the Accounts Payable Office

The following methods are available for suppliers to submit invoices to Accounts Payable. Please ensure that you are using one method only for invoicing. For example, if you submit invoices through the Oracle Supplier Portal, do not also send invoices via mail.

Regardless of the method used, invoices must clearly reference a purchase order number (PURXXXXX) in order to be paid.

NOTE: For some service contracts with SDP, invoices may need to be reviewed by an SDP contact prior to submitting via the methods below. Please check with your SDP contact to see if this applies to your invoices.

Method                                                                              
Via Oracle Supplier Portal  (PREFERRED) This is the preferred method for quicker payment processing for most invoices. Instructions for invoicing via the portal and other resources available at https://www.philasd.org/procurement/oracle-supplier-portal/

Mail   A supplier can mail a paper invoice to: School District of Philadelphia Accounting Services, PO Box 11726 Philadelphia, PA 19101-1726

 

Tips for Submitting Invoices and Credit Memos

An invoice must include the following:
● Supplier Name – matched to how the supplier is registered in the ERP System
● Remittance Address
● Invoice Date
● Invoice Number
● Purchase Order Number – from the ERP Finance System
● Total Amount Due

Credit Memos must include the same information as above plus:

● Reference the line item and the original PO number to be credited along with the original invoice number.

Do…

  • Use the PO number from the system, including PUR at the start (ie, PURXXXXX).
  • Use Western, Cyrillic, or Greekcharacter sets. Use purchase order and invoice numbers that are
    alphanumeric format; 9-10 characters work best.
  • Submit invoices with: *.tif, *.tiff, *.png, *.jpg, *.doc, *.docx, or *.pdf file extensions
  • Ensure line items on invoices match those that are on the SDP purchase order.
  • Invoice numbers from the supplier must be unique.
  • Follow the lines on the PO as they are Item lines (such as Freight and Shipping and Handling)

Do NOT…

  • Use “PO” preceding the Purchase Order number without spacing
    e.g. Should be PO#: PURXXXXX, not PO#PURXXXXX).
  • Submit invoices that are less than 300 DPI resolution; or files exceeding 5MB.
  • Submit invoices with .xls or .xlsx file extensions.
  • Mark the invoice with pen or pencil in any way.
  • Repeat the same invoice number on different invoices from the same supplier.
  • Add extra lines for Misc or Freight line type if they are not already on the PO.

Pre-Audit Processing

All non-purchase order expenditures, as well as purchase order-related expenses for $250,000 and greater are reviewed before disbursement for accountability includes checking propriety and compliance with contract specifications and participating in bid awards procedures to ensure the integrity of awards.

Additional Contacts/Resources

For questions about invoicing and payment, contact: accountspayable@philasd.org 

For questions about the Oracle Supplier Portal, contact: oraclesupplier@philasd.org