SIMBA: Supplier / Vendor Registration FAQs - Internal Use

This article is intended for SIMBA end-users.

The purpose of this article is to provide answers to Frequently Asked Questions on the topic of Supplier / Vendor Registration.

Who should register to become a supplier / vendor?

Businesses and individuals who provide goods and services to the University will need to register. This includes one-time suppliers such as guest lecturers, honorariums, research participants, athletic officials, local non-profits, etc.

Penn State requires a FI supplier, or a company, organization, or individual who normally is paid through the non-PO invoice to register and update data including banking information for Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments. Registration also satisfies the IRS requirements to collect a W-9 form and properly classify vendors.

Why can’t we pay suppliers / vendors as a one-time payment? 

Penn State makes many types of payment to individuals who are not employees. These include payments to guest speakers, honorarium, research participants and non-employee awards. All suppliers, including individuals, must be registered through the Supplier Portal before payment can be made. We must maintain consistent and correct supplier / vendor information in SIMBA.  We also need to collect a W-9 form from anyone who we will be providing non-employee payments, as required by the IRS. The information in the portal provides the required W-9 information as well as additional information required to classify the supplier appropriately. The portal also replaces the ICE form which was used to determine if an individual was eligible for independent contractor status vs employee.

How does an individual or business register to be a supplier / vendor?

First, double check that they are not registered as a vendor already. Visit the Knowledge Base Article: Supplier/ Vendor Look-up FAQs for more information on looking up vendors.

If they are not in the system, they will need to be set up as an FI Vendor in SIMBA. An FI Vendor is a company, organization or individual paid through the Non-PO invoice. This ranges from utility companies to guest lecturers to research participants and local non-profits. We are requiring registration for all vendors. Once registered, the individual or business can update their data including banking information for ACH.

Individuals and businesses should visit the Info for Suppliers page from Penn State Purchasing and choose Become a Supplier. Then follow the steps outlined. It is also recommended that they review the Penn State Purchasing Supplier – Frequently Asked Questions and the SIMBA Supplier / Vendor Registration FAQs for Suppliers / Vendors.

Is registering in the Supplier Portal for both individuals and businesses?

Yes! There is only one system to register both purchasing suppliers and FI vendors, including individuals. That system is PaymentWorks

What do I do if the supplier / vendor cannot or will not use the Supplier Portal?

First, double check that they are not registered as a vendor already. Visit the Knowledge Base Article: Supplier/ Vendor Look-up FAQs for more information on looking up vendors.

If they are not already registered, ask the individual to complete the first page of the IRS W-9 form (which asks for name, address, SSN, and signature) and provide a phone number and email address if they have one.

The email address is used for:

• Sending user ID, password and website address to suppliers / vendors so they can perform self-service in the Penn State Supplier Portal.
• Distributing Purchase Orders for Procurement. 
• Sending Remittance Advices for ACH/Wire Payments.

Once the IRS W-9 form is complete, the individual should send documentation by mail or fax (email is not secure). The unit can then enter the information into the Supplier Portal on behalf of the individual and upload the W-9 form. In the comment section, be sure to enter: Guest Speaker (for example) – entered by xxx@psu.edu for (Name of Dept/College/Campus/Admin Unit).  

If you are working with an individual who is a foreign national, they will need to provide a W8 or 8233 form to register. Please review the NON-U.S. Citizen Payment Guidelines at Penn State - which is what is expected at the time of the invoice entry.

Please note that individuals who use the portal to register can select ACH as a payment option. Departments should NOT collect banking information from individuals. Individuals manually registered will be paid by check – we cannot enter ACH information for individuals through the department. Please see Policy AD53 – Privacy Policy for reference. 

How do we pay a vendor that doesn't complete registration?

If the vendor refuses to register, please request them to put something in writing and forward the request to psusuppliers@psu.edu for further review.

Do we receive a notification once a supplier's registration is approved?

The vendor/supplier receives an email when their application is approved in PaymentWorks, however no Penn State employee is identified.

After a supplier completes their registration and receives the 2 emails from PSU Purchasing following their approval, does the supplier need to complete the actions in those emails before their record returns as a hit in the Display Business Partners search?

No, the supplier will display in the business partner search after their registration has been approved by the Supplier Admin Team and they get their FI role set up in SIMBA.

How long will it take a Vendor Admin to review registration and either approve or reject it? What additional steps are there?

The supplier registration review and approval timeline is approximately 3-5 business days.

Supplier registration steps:

1. Individuals and businesses visit the Penn State Purchasing Info for Suppliers page and choose New Applicant. Then follow the steps outlined.
2. Upon submission of the application, registration is approved after the Supplier Administration Team reviews and verifies the data.
3. Suppliers receive 2 emails from vendor-reg@psu.edu within 10 business days of registration approval.
   
   1. The first email includes a temporary URL and user ID.
   2. The second email contains a temporary password. Suppliers have 31 business days before the temporary login expires.
4. Suppliers are prompted to change the temporary ID and password upon login.
5. Accounting Operations extends the FI role that is needed for payment.
6. Job runs overnight to finish the set-up process so supplier can be used for shopping carts and purchase orders.

Do all supplier applications go through the Purchasing Department?

All supplier registrations come to a central inbox monitored and managed by a Vendor Administration Team.

If a vendor is setup as a business partner, are they good to use?

A vendor that is set up as a Business Partner in SIMBA needs to have an FI role to be paid and needs a Purchasing role to be used on a Shopping Cart or Purchase Order.

Can a vendor check to see if they are already in the system?

No, the vendor does not have access into our system, but they can email psusuppliers@psu.edu and ask someone to check.

Do the vendors we are inviting to participate in a bid have to be registered, or just those to whom the job / award is granted?

Only those vendors who are awarded the work and will be paid by the University must be registered. If a bid is awarded to a vendor not yet registered, the vendor must register before they can receive payment from the University.

If we use a PCARD to pay for a Supplier invoice (county-based expense) now, do they have to register in the system?

No. We pay VISA, not the supplier.  

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