Working with the University: Procurement

If you have any issues accessing documents on this page contact suppliers@sussex.ac.uk.

Criminal Finances Act (2017) Statement

The University of Sussex is committed to ensuring that all business carried out by the University, and any subsidiary companies, is conducted with integrity, transparency and fairness, and in compliance with all relevant rules, regulations and legislation. The University and its subsidiary companies are committed to preventing the facilitation of any form of tax evasion.

The University recognises the importance of fostering positive business relationships and the need to maintain the confidence of the many institutions with which it does business.

This statement reflects our commitment to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships (in line with the University’s Financial Regulations and associated policies), and to implementing and enforcing systems and controls that seek to ensure tax evasion is not being criminally facilitated by any of our associated persons.

Purchase orders

For general purchases, suppliers of goods and services must be in receipt of an official purchase order from the University before any order is fulfilled or dispatched.

You must quote a purchase order number on supplier invoices, otherwise payment will not be made. For further information on how to avoid delays in payment, please read our Faster Payment Guide [PDF 625.43KB].

General conditions

Our standard Terms and conditions of purchase [PDF 110.21KB] will apply to all purchase orders let by the University unless specifically stated otherwise in writing.

All organisations wishing to provide goods, services, or to undertake work on behalf of the University of Sussex are expected to comply with the Supplier code of conduct [PDF 426.29KB].

Tender notices

Details of the University's current tenders can be found on our Supplier Network. Companies may register their details to express an interest in tender opportunities that may be advertised from time to time.

The University of Sussex also advertises in the Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Community (OJEU) where appropriate.

Other contract opportunities can be found at the Government's supply portal, Contract Finder.

Supplier Network

The University engages with suppliers and individuals via the Supplier Network. This enables the University to maintain better relationships as well as easily identify businesses and individuals that it may wish to engage with in the future.

As such, we require all those with whom we do business to register on the Supplier Network.

Key benefits for suppliers and individuals include:

Easily control the information the University holds on you
Maintain your payment details in real time (you can update these yourself to ensure they are always up to date for faster payment)
Sign up for alerts for future opportunities with the University, wider HE sector or nationally
Achieve ‘Approved Supplier’ status

FAQs

Supplier Set-Up

1. Why have I been sent a link?

You have been sent this link because someone at our organisation wishes to buy your goods or services. Until you click the link and submit your information, answering all questions, we cannot approve you into our Finance System, and will not be able to pay your invoices. Once you are on our Finance System, your goods and services are then accessible to all of our employees.

2. I have been notified by email that an 'Invitation to Engage' has been sent to my organisation but I cannot find this email or an email containing the link.

Sometimes this email goes to SPAM, if so please move the email to your inbox as some email providers will not allow links to work if the email remains in your SPAM folder.

Do not attempt to access our portal by any means other than the link we have sent you. Do not attempt to register yourself on the Proactis Network, this will not register you with the University.

3. I have clicked the link - now what do I do?

Please put aside around 10 minutes to complete the form. You must do this to the stage where you can set a password otherwise you will be locked out of the Portal (if this happens, email suppliers@sussex.ac.uk). There are a number of compulsory questions to answer before you can set a password but if you click save as you go and you can review your answers after you have done so.

Please see How to Respond to an Invitation to Engage on the Supplier Network [PDF 445KB] for further guidance.

4. Why do I need to complete the questionnaire in full?

The University will only work with those individuals and organisations who meet certain criteria around risk profiling and data management; this also includes criteria relating to our policies on working ethics (like meeting the minimum wage as an employer) and the environment. The information we gather in this process will also determine how we work with you in future. If you complete the process in full, your goods and services are then available in searches made by all of our staff. If you do not complete the process, we are not able to work with your organisation.

5. I have received an Invitation to Engage, but I cannot access the account. Why?

1. This may be because your firm is already registered on the platform and are already providing goods and services to other businesses/universities. You will need the existing account holder within your organisation to log in and add you as a user. If you don’t know who this is, please contact Proactis (the platform provider) on suppliersupport@proactis.com. Please let suppliers@sussex.ac.uk and your university client know that you’ve done this. We may be able to access who your Organisation’s existing user is to assist you.

2. You may have already followed the link and accessed the Portal, but because you did not reach the point where you set a password the Portal has locked you out. Please email suppliers@sussex.ac.uk so we can assist.

6. I would like to discuss some of the University's PO Terms and Conditions before submitting. What do I do?

You must agree to our terms of purchase in order to proceed. The University will only accept alternative terms in exceptional circumstances, i.e. where we have a large spend with your organisation. In this instance, if we have already agreed alternative terms with you, you can still click to agree and the alternative terms will apply.

For anything else, please email suppliers@sussex.ac.uk.

7. Why does the registration stop me proceeding to page two?

Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and ensure you have completed the CIS Classifications box on the bottom left hand side, as it is a mandatory field. If construction is not relevant to what you provide, select ‘none’.

8. How do I add additional users and contacts (during registration)?

You may wish to add additional users who can have access and update items in your supplier record, for example one team (member) may be responsible for updating banking information and another for Terms and Conditions. There are two different methods for this process depending on whether you have completed Registration (and been approved as a supplier by the University) or whether you are still in the registration process.

Please see our additional guidance documents - How to Add a User in the SRM [PDF 187KB] and How to Amend Contacts and User Details [PDF 522KB].

9. How do I update my organisation's bank details after I have registered?

Please see How to Amend your Bank Details on the Supplier Network [PDF 398KB] for further guidance.

10. How do I update other details after I have registered?

Please see our guidance documents: How to Amend Contacts and User Details [PDF 552KB] and How to Amend Other Details on the Supplier Network [PDF 317KB] for further guidance.

11. How do I get a new password (after I have registered)?

You can always request a new password by clicking on the link below the login field which reads ‘cannot access your account?’

12. How do I raise an issue with the Portal?

You can log a ticket with the helpdesk provider.

Please see the Guide to Helpdesk Registration on the Supplier Network [PDF 1.25MB] for further guidance.

Invoice Capture

1. I have received an email from noreply@proactis.com requesting additional information, what do I need to do?

Please read the email to establish what additional information is required by the University to enable us to process the document. Respond by clicking the Review Query link, which will show you an image of the relevant document and a field for your response.

You can also add a comment, which will be visible for us to read.

2. I have been asked to provide a purchase order number for an invoice, how should I enter this?

You only need to enter the 7 digit purchase order number. The department suffix/prefix is not required for this purpose.

3. I have clicked on the Review Query link but it states “this query is no longer active”, what should I do?

This means the query has been resolved so you can delete the email.

4. I am unsure what information the University needs. How can I find out what is required of me?

In the top section of the screen you will see comments advising what information is required from you.

5. I would like to print a copy of the invoice provided in the link, how can I do this?

There is a ‘file’ icon above the ‘your response’ field. Click this to open or save the attached pdf document.

Contact

Email: suppliers@sussex.ac.uk