Information for suppliers

All invoices/credits/statements must be emailed to accounts-payable@york.ac.uk. Please do not send paper invoices.

To receive payments you need to send your invoices to: accounts-payable@york.ac.uk

Your invoice must quote a valid purchase order number, the University has a ‘No PO, no pay’ policy. Any invoices without a valid order number will be returned unpaid. See our No PO no pay FAQs sheet (PDF , 44kb) for further information.

Unless otherwise agreed, the University will pay all valid invoices within 30 days (see terms and conditions below). Our weekly BACS run is carried out on Tuesdays and funds clear in your accounts on Fridays. Remittance advice is sent electronically. Please note there may be disruption to payments around public bank holidays, particularly over the Christmas period when the University closes for several days.

If you are an individual providing your services to the University you will need to undergo an Employment Status check. Depending on the outcome you may be treated as a casual worker or self employed. Casual workers are paid through our payroll on a monthly basis. Self employed individuals require a valid purchase order to be raised and are paid via the Accounts Payable team.   

The Prompt Payment Code is a Government initiative devised with The Institute of Credit Management (ICM) to tackle the crucial issue of late payment especially to small businesses. The code sets standards for payment practices to be followed by companies signed up to the code. It is designed to give confidence to the supplier that they will be paid within clearly defined terms, and that there is a proper process for dealing with any payments that are in dispute.

By signing up to PPC as part of the Good Business Charter the University of York is committed to:

Paying suppliers on time

Supplier payment terms will be as agreed at the outset of any contract or order with the University. The University's standard payment terms for an undisputed invoice with a valid purchase order are 30 days from invoice date and no later than 30 days from receipt. Any variation from these terms needs to be agreed in advance with the Director of Procurement.

All suppliers will receive an official Purchase Order (PO) from the University. The PO number must be quoted on all invoices. Please do not supply goods/services without an official order as this will delay payment.

Payment Statistics - January 2022 (PDF , 52kb)

Payments Statistics - July 2022 (PDF , 52kb)

Payment Statistics - January 2023 (PDF , 53kb)

Payment Statistics - July 2023 (PDF , 56kb)

Payment Statistics - January 2024 (PDF , 55kb)

Payment statistics - July 2024 (PDF , 55kb)

Providing clear guidance on payment procedures

All invoices must be emailed to: accounts-payable@york.ac.uk

Invoices sent to any other address will not be considered “received” and may cause delays to payment.

Supplier invoices must include the following information:

• date of invoice
• supplier name, address and VAT registration number
• a valid Purchase Order number 
• details of the charge (this should agree with the value of the Purchase Order and if not please provide an explanation for the variance)

The University of York method of payment to suppliers is by BACS. 

Remittance details (payments made to suppliers) are sent via email.

Payment runs to suppliers are made once a week on a Wednesday and will be processed to Supplier accounts on Friday. 

Dealing with complaints or disputes on a timely basis

The University of York is committed to providing good customer service to all of its suppliers and dealing with complaints or disputes on a timely basis.

In case of query the first point of contact for the supplier is the University contact who requested the goods or service. 

Normal enquiries regarding payment of invoices should be directed to the Accounts Payable Team by emailing accounts-payable@york.ac.uk. When making contact please provide the PO number along with the related invoice number and amount. The officer investigating the query will check to see if the invoice is scheduled for payment and advise of the planned payment date. Any other queries will be directed back to the University contact that requested the goods or services.

The University's Standard terms and conditions of purchase (PDF , 60kb) shall apply to all Purchase Orders unless otherwise stated or agreed in writing. 

Where the Purchase Order relates to goods or services that can be supplied under a universities purchasing consortium framework agreement and where the supplier is a current supplier under such a framework agreement, the Purchase Order shall be deemed to be a call-off against that framework agreement and subject to the framework agreement terms and conditions.

In addition, University standard terms and conditions shall apply to such call-offs but framework terms and conditions shall take precedence should there be any conflict with University terms and conditions.

University VAT registration number

647 2055 41

Charity registration number

RC000679