No PO, No Pay Policy

As of July 1, 2024, the "No PO, No Pay" policy is now officially in effect at Notre Dame University. This policy requires all departments to provide a purchase order (PO) number and associated receipt number with all invoices to process them for payment, ensuring a 3-way matching process.

Policy Requirement

The University’s Policy: Procurement section 7.2 mandates that "A Purchase Order is required for all purchase commitments, except in cases where a Corporate Credit Card is used in accordance with the Procedure: Corporate Credit Card."

Payments to suppliers will only be processed if backed by an officially approved purchase order and an associated receipt number. No invoice will be paid unless it matches a previously issued PO and receipt.

Important Note

If invoices are received without a PO raised prior, it is the department's responsibility to have a retrospective PO raised.  Please see the Retrospective Purchase Order page for details on how to raise a PO after receiving an invoice.

  • Benefits of the "No PO, No Pay" Policy

    • Ensures Authorisation - Purchases are authorised before goods, services, and works are supplied.
    • Efficient Processing - Enables the University to process invoices efficiently, ensuring a positive payment profile with suppliers/contractors.
    • Accurate Reporting - Allows accurate and timely reporting, budgeting, and forecasting across the University.
    • Risk Reduction - Removes potential risk to the University by formally agreeing on the terms of engagement before the supplier/contractor commits to deliver.

  • Requesting Expenditure

    As a reminder, all University employees must:

    • Not commit University funds without prior issue of a purchase order.
    • Use a University-approved supplier in compliance with the Procurement Procedures.
    • Raise an appropriate purchase order, gain its approval, and communicate the purchase order number to the supplier/contractor.

  • Exception to "No PO, No Pay"

    The following expenditures/circumstances do not require POs. The Exceptions List currently covers:

    • Telecommunication services (landline and mobile)
    • Utilities (i.e., Electric, Gas, Water, Refuse)
    • Postal services
    • Grant payments to research partners and collaborators, where the University acts as lead partner
    • Student recruitment commission
    • Rent (where covered by a signed Long-term Lease Agreement) – short term rental requires a PO
    • Rates (Council and Water)
    • Vehicle tax
    • Payments to or on behalf of Public Bodies – non-procurement related payments only. A PO should be raised in respect of any procurement-related spend
    • Payments to salary sacrifice scheme providers
    • Payments to individuals (scholarships, bursaries, salaries, travel expenses through travel management system, prizes, awards, and refunds)
    • Annual TEQSA registration charges
    • Personal professional membership subscriptions required for role, where pre-approval has been gained from the Chief Finance Officer
    • Purchases from WINC through the University’s account (that comply with the Procurement Regulations)
    • Purchasing and Credit card payments, that comply with the Corporate Card Policy, including low value, generally one-off in nature purchases (below $2,000)

    This list is under constant review, and any further changes will be communicated to our suppliers by email.

  • Emergency Purchase Order

    In exceptional circumstances, an Emergency PO reference can be supplied, followed by an official PO number generated from the PeopleSoft system within two working days.

  • Invoice Processing

    Until January 2025, invoices received without a current valid purchase order number (or an incorrect purchase order reference) will be forwarded to the relevant department that engaged the services. It will be the department's responsibility to raise the necessary PO and complete the receipting process.

    From January 2025 onwards, any invoices received without a current valid purchase order number (or with an incorrect purchase order reference) will be returned directly to the supplier/contractor. The supplier/contractor will be instructed to contact the University employee who requested the goods, services, or works to obtain the necessary purchase order information.

    Please ensure that any purchase order numbers quoted are current and valid. If a limit order is issued to the supplier, please ensure that the value has not already been completed or exceeded with the placement of the new commitment.

  • Invoices

    All invoices must be addressed to the University of Notre Dame Australia and sent as a PDF to accountspayable@nd.edu.au.

    Proforma invoices, which cannot be used for TAX purposes, will not be processed.

For more detailed information about the policy and support measures, please refer to the initial announcement. If you have any questions or require further assistance, do not hesitate to contact us at procurement@nd.edu.au.

Thank you for your cooperation and support.