For Suppliers

Welcome to the University of Washington Supplier-Dedicated Webpage!

Each section below includes information regarding how to get started as a new UW supplier, purchase order and invoicing guidance, a reminder on maintaining your supplier account while engaging with the university, and links to supplier diversity and corporate social responsibility information. Important links for the university's Terms & Conditions, critical contact groups at the university and links to UW's Supplier Orientation events are also available.

Getting Started as a New Supplier

1. Initiation - UW employees interested in engaging with new suppliers must initiate the process by submitting the Supplier Request Form (accessible to UW staff only) which is forwarded for review by their operating unit, then reviewed by Supplier Administrators; suppliers engaging with UW staff should provide a business email matching the company's profile for a contact at the company that can provide all company details and IRS Forms, such as an Accounts Receivable representative or Controller

2. Registration - U.S. (domestic) and non-U.S. (foreign) companies selected to engage in business with the University of Washington are invited by email to complete the required Supplier Registration process and attach required IRS forms 

3. Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) Verification - UW verifies the prospective supplier's U.S. Taxpayer ID& Number (TIN) information (EIN or SSN) with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); UW must hold all payments until the correct TIN information is received and confirmed as matching IRS files - without exception - as any inconsistencies may result in IRS penalties; registration forms are returned to suppliers for correction when TIN mismatches occur and must be resubmitted to continue the registration process

4. Payment Enrollment - Supplier completes the enrollment process for electronic payments; instructions are sent after Supplier Registration is processed and approved; see Payment Options below.

Please Note: Current or recently separated employees are typically not eligible to be suppliers to the university. Suppliers must disclose and departments must ask about previous UW employment or affiliation history prior to making any agreements or doing any business; UW staff must consult the resources available, including UW policies describing eligibility for supplier status in APS 32.3 and EO 32, and the Tax Office's online guidance for determining Employee or Independent Contractor classifications and additional training materials.

Payment Options

The University offers the following payment options, some through UW's banking partners' solutions. During registration, all suppliers must select one electronic payment method; upon completion of supplier registration, suppliers are active for payments by mailed paper check while enrollment for electronic payment options are processed.

vPayables (also called ePayables)

vPayables is a virtual Bank of America card payment method available to U.S./domestic companies with merchant terminals for processing card-based payments.

When registering with UW, selecting the ePayables (BofA) option allows the company information to be used to set up the virtual bank card (please allow 10 business days); no physical card is issued. Suppliers are issued a card number, expiration date and CVV number; for data security, some details are included in a welcome email from UW, while other card details are included in the secure email from a [@]works.com account when the first payment is made. Cards are set up with a zero ($0.00) balance and only funded when UW issues payment, then a secure electronic remittance advice email is sent including invoice numbers and amounts, as well as card details to process payment using a merchant terminal.

Payments are processed as credit card transactions and standard merchant fees will apply, which may not be passed to UW.

ACH deposits through Paymode-X

Paymode-X, part of Bank of America, is a direct deposit ACH option available to U.S./domestic companies and non-U.S./foreign/international companies with U.S. banks.

When registering with UW, selecting the Paymode option allows the company information to be used to initiate the Paymode-X ACH process (please allow 10 business days) to link UW as a payer to an existing Paymode-X account or to a new and authenticated Paymode-X account; Paymode-X accounts which are ready to accept UW payments are communicated back to UW weekly, on Thursdays, and applied to the supplier record for the next payment to be made by ACH. Accounts are two types: Premium account (with fees) or Basic account (no fees) - see a comparison of membership types

  • For new Premium account enrollment, complete the secure UW enrollment directly with Paymode-X by visiting the Paymode-X Enrollment website. Premium accounts will incur a network fee from Paymode-X, which may not be passed to UW.
  • For new Basic account enrollment, contact the Paymode-X enrollment team at 1-800-331-0974 or enrollment[@]paymode-x.com for Basic enrollment instructions; this step cannot be completed until approximately one full week after successful completion of UW registration.

Suppliers newly enrolling in Paymode-X must complete the secure UW enrollment directly with Paymode-X. The team at Paymode-X communicates with newly enrolled companies to authenticate bank account information. When the full process of authentication is complete, new accounts are sent an email from Paymode-X with the subject line “The Paymode-X Membership for [Company/Supplier Name] is Active.” Suppliers can check enrollment status and discuss the Premium or Basic account features by contacting the Paymode-X enrollment team at 1-800-331-0974 or enrollment@paymode-x.com.

Suppliers with existing Paymode-X accounts can update bank account information and manage their Paymode-X accounts by logging into their account or by calling Paymode-X membership support at 1-877-443-6944; UW does not maintain any banking information for suppliers enrolled in Paymode-X for ACH deposits.

Premium accounts will incur a network fee from Paymode-X, which may not be passed to UW.

Wire Transfers

Wire transfers are available to non-U.S./foreign/international suppliers with foreign banks in USD currency.

When registering, non-U.S. suppliers should attach a copy of their Bank Verification Letter for the account, or the bank transfer account details on company letterhead to ensure wire/bank transfer payments can be made; must include Bank Name, Account Number and/or IBAN, and Bank Identification Code (BIC/SWIFT), along with intermediary bank SWIFT code, if applicable

Checks

Checks are available for individuals/independent contractors (suppliers with no business name or business bank account) and one-time payments.

Note: Additional payment card options exist for engagements with Harborview Medical Center

Purchase Order Process & Invoicing Requirements

Primarily UW will use two main methods to transmit purchase orders (PO) and receive invoices: Email and EDI

Email: Many companies will receive POs from UW by email, including all relevant attachments. Invoices for UW purchase orders which were received by email, fax, or any non-EDI transmission method should be emailed in Portable Document Format (PDF) to uwashington@ghxinvoicing.com. Please review and conform to the UW Purchase Order & Invoicing Best Practices.

EDI (Electronic Data Interchange): Companies doing business with UW Medicine and/or Harborview Medical Center, and those that have an EDI-integrated RoundTrip catalog, are members of the GHX Exchange and therefore will receive purchase orders through EDI, and invoices will be issued to UW by EDI.

Organizations within UW have different purchase order numbering formats; UW Academy purchase orders are formatted as PO-0100001234 while UW Medicine purchase orders are formatted to include an additional letter indicating the issuing clinic, such as PO-U-0100001234 or PO-H-0100001234.

Contracts, Subawards or other Agreements may have other numbering formats and associated processes; please inquire with the sender or department contact if assistance is needed, and follow the invoicing guidance included on any UW purchase order.

If no purchase order is issued, suppliers are responsible for coordinating the invoicing process with the unit, school or department that engaged them for services, and those units, schools or departments are responsible for invoice submission to UW's financial system as well as payment status.

UW is not using the Workday Supplier Portal to receive Invoices or transmit Purchase Orders, thus no log in to Workday is currently necessary for UW suppliers.

Maintaining Your Profile

Suppliers are expected to communicate directly by email with enterprise Supplier Administrators to suppliers@uw.edu to keep their company data current. 

Suppliers who do not have business with UW for a period of approximately two years are periodically set to an inactive status and will require new registrations in order to ensure company details are current to do business with UW again. Much like getting started as a new supplier, UW employees re-engaging with inactive suppliers must initiate the process by submitting the Supplier Request Form, which is accessible to UW staff only.

Company changes, such as changes to Taxpayer ID Number and business name (including trade names or Doing Business As names) typically also require the submission of a new Supplier Registration.

Changes to procurement/order emails or business addresses are easily communicated to Supplier Administrators by email. UW suppliers who are regularly paid by UW and have an address change or addition typically do not need to re-register. Contact Supplier Administrators directly with a copy of IRS Form W-9 or W-8 featuring the current Taxpayer Identification Number and explanation for supplier record adjustments.

Please note: Individuals and Sole Proprietors using personal data such as an SSN as their Taxpayer Identification Number should simply email Supplier Administrators to request supplier record changes, and the UW team will verify the individual's identity; please do not send any correspondence including SSN via email.

Please Note: UW does not store nor maintain supplier banking information for U.S. companies or U.S. banks; U.S. suppliers paid by Paymode-X must communicate any bank changes directly to Paymode-X through their account or by calling Paymode-X at 877-443-6944); non-U.S. suppliers requesting bank transfer payment (wire payment) in USD should provide a copy of their Bank Verification Letter for the account or the Wire/Bank Transfer details on company letterhead to Supplier Administrators directly, including Bank Name, Account Number, and SWIFT/Bank Identification Code (BIC) to ensure wire/bank transfer payments can be made.

ADA Digital Accessibility

At the University of Washington, we are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible environment for everyone. This commitment extends to our procurement practices, where we actively collaborate with suppliers who share our dedication to accessibility and ADA compliance.

Resources for current and prospective suppliers offer the guidance and tools necessary to ensure accessibility compliance in the products and services we acquire. Together, we can build a more inclusive future by embedding accessibility into every stage of our partnerships. 

By partnering with suppliers like you, we can ensure that the technology, products, and services procured by UW empower everyone in our community to fully engage. Thank you for supporting our mission to make accessibility a cornerstone of everything we do.

Clear Expectations for our supplier community

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 

 

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