Purchase orders and invoicing

No purchase order, no payment policy

If you supply goods or services to the council you must not accept verbal or written instruction to supply goods or services from any member of staff unless they provide you with a valid purchase order number.

If you submit a non-compliant invoice, you'll receive an email advising you that your invoice is not compliant and that future invoices with no purchase order number will not be paid.

Council staff are required to issue you with a formal purchase order number for the supply of goods and services. If you do not quote a valid purchase order number on your invoice, we will contact you to ask you to provide it. The invoice will not be paid until this is supplied.

Please make sure you request a purchase order number from your council contact when an order is placed. Co-operating with this policy is one of the best ways to ensure your invoice is paid promptly.

Purchase order numbers

Our financial system produces purchase order numbers in the format ‘8nnnnnn’ e.g. 8123456. Most PO numbers will look like this. Each order must be accompanied by a purchase order number supplied by a member of council staff. If a Wokingham Borough Council employee requests goods or services from you without providing you with a Purchase Order number, please refer them to this policy. Do not accept the order until a purchase order number is provided.

If you have a question about an invoice or about the 'no purchase order, no pay policy', email: accounts.payable@wokingham.gov.uk

Purchase order terms and conditions

• Read our Services Purchase Order terms and conditions (PDF document)
• Read our Goods Purchase Order terms and conditions (PDF document)

Invoices

To assist with the processing of your invoice for payment, your invoice should contain:

• Your company name and address   
• Your VAT registration number (if applicable)
• Invoice number
• Invoice date
• Valid purchase order number
• Customer’s name – this must be Wokingham Borough Council
• Name of the service area requesting goods/service or council contact person (this can be found on our purchase order)
• Full description of the goods/services supplied
• For each line item: quantity, description, unit price, net value, VAT rate, VAT value, line total
• Invoice totals: Net, VAT, Gross
• Where goods/services are not vatable this should be shown clearly

To ensure the timely processing and payment all invoices should be sent electronically to: accounts.payable@wokingham.gov.uk quoting a valid purchase order number. 

Failure to do this may result in delays in processing your invoice and making payment to you.