Frequently Asked Questions

Requisitions and purchase orders cannot be completed nor the supplier paid unless the selected supplier is currently active in the UW supplier data. Specific information about each supplier is required for IRS, state and university policies. This information is entered as part of the supplier record and assures that timely, accurate payments are made and that the University is able to fulfill certain reporting requirements.

The first step for UW employees interested in transacting with a new supplier is to submit the Supplier Request Form, found in the UW Connect Finance site. The submission creates a ticket, which is forwarded for review by the operating unit, and upon being confirmed as actionable (i.e., onboarding as a supplier is the correct procurement action), is then routed to Supplier Administrators for review and sending the invitation to the supplier contact from the financial system. The request is then Resolved, and next steps are communicated in the ticket back to the form submitter, and anyone added on the form as a Watcher.

Once the supplier takes action to create the Workday Central Login account and submit the Supplier Onboarding Form, including all documents required, Supplier Administrators review the onboarding form, and verify all prospective suppliers' IRS Forms and Taxpayer ID Number (TIN) information prior to approving the submission as a Supplier into the system for use for procure-to-pay processes. Additional steps for suppliers, such as enrolling for electronic payment programs with UW's banking partners, understanding purchase order and invoicing requirements, ongoing responsibilities, and maintaining their supplier record are all described on the university's supplier-dedicated webpages.

Search for suppliers in Workday using the using the search bar with “supplier: [name]” or typing in a known SPL-XXXXXX number, or try the Find Suppliers R1495 report. The R1495 includes the option to search by a supplier's email, either full (person@company.com) or partial (@company.com). Suppliers can also be searched using the REF number from a Supplier Request Form submission for New Supplier requests; for recently onboarded suppliers requested July 1, 2025 or later, simply enter the REF number (i.e., REF1234567) in the Supplier field of R1495.

Suppliers are active for payments by mailed paper check upon completion of supplier onboarding, and while enrollment for electronic payment options are processed. Suppliers have a different options for electronic payment, but not all suppliers are eligible for all programs being offered by the university's banking partners. Details are available for our supplier community on the For Suppliers webpage, and suppliers must contact Supplier Administrators first to begin enrollment in the programs. Available options are:

• U.S. domestic businesses (not individuals) may enroll for either the ePayables virtual bank card program or bank deposits through Paymode-X
• International/Foreign non-U.S. suppliers may receive Wire payments with the completion of an IRS W-8 and Bank Verification Letter

Please note:

• If a program is listed as the Accepted Payment Type but the Default Payment Type still shows Check, this means the supplier has started enrollment for the program and will be paid by check. Only when the Default Payment Type shows the name of the program has the supplier completed program enrollment and future payments will be made with one of the electronic programs.
• UW does not maintain any banking information in UW records for suppliers enrolled in ePayables or Paymode-X. If you see a Settlement Bank Account with "ePayables (BofA)" or "PayMode" shown as the payment type, that is simply coding required for the electronic payment programs; they are not actual bank accounts aligning with the routing or account numbers for the supplier's actual bank.