Supplier Registration: Frequently Asked Questions

Modified on Thu, 4 Nov, 2021 at 4:09 PM

Frequently Asked Questions

There are a number of frequently asked questions in regards to registering as a supplier with Leicestershire County Council, Nottingham City Council and/or Nottingham City Homes. We have collected a number of these below:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Before Starting Your Registration
Completing the Registration
Speeding Up The Verification and Approval (incl. Supplier Type Breakdown)
After Submitting the Registration
Supplier Portal

Before Starting Your Registration

When registering as a supplier, you will be asked to provide an attachment. Please ensure you have to hand:

For Trade Suppliers	For Individuals or Sole Traders
A company letter headed document or invoice document containing bank details and company information (if applicable)	A screengrab of a bank statement showing address and account details OR a copy of your bank statement/ paying in slip and proof of address.

We also require the following information to be entered in the Taxpayer ID field (please ensure that the Tax Country is selected to open the Taxpayer ID field)

For Ltd Companies	For Sole Traders	For Individuals
Please have your company registration number to enter in the Taxpayer ID field.	Please have your unique Tax Reference number (UTR) to enter in the Taxpayer ID field.	Please add your DOB in numeric format (i.e. 10041981 for 10th April 1981) in the Taxpayer ID field.

What happens if I save my registration progress?
If you save your registration part way through, you will see a message stating: "Your registration request was saved. An email was sent to you with the URL to return to the registration. Any tax identifiers you provided weren't saved". The only way to re-access your registration form is to go through the specific link that will be sent to you (please check your spam or junk folders if you do not receive this - the link will be sent from eism.fa.sender@workflow.mail.em2.cloud.oracle.com)
Where can I get guidance for completing the registration?
You should have been provided with some guidance to aid the completion of your registration form, if you have not received this please speak with your council contact. For further issues, please see the FAQ’s below or visit emss.org.uk/suppliers.

Completing the Registration

Is there any other way to register?
All trade suppliers and trade individuals will be required to register through the Portal, please liaise with your council contact if this is not possible.
Where can I access the guidance on completing a new supplier registration?
We have prepared a number of articles that will help when registering. You can check the emss.org.uk/suppliers page to access videos and guides that walk you through the process step-by-step.
What is my supplier type?
We have prepared a full explanation of all supplier types later in this document under Speeding Up The Verification and Approval (incl. Supplier Type Breakdown)
I do not have a business address but this field is mandatory. How do I continue?
If you or your organisation hold a bank account, please use the same address that you use for that to register. If your organisation doesn’t have its own bank account, we advise using the address of somebody involved in the organisation (for example, a secretary or treasurer). This information is protected by GDPR rules, and not visible to others.
We are not VAT registered and do not have a DUNS number, so what can we use for a tax ID?
- For an individual, we recommend using your date of birth, in the format ddmmyyyy.
- For a small organisation, such as a charity, club or community association, we suggest using your charity number or UTR number. Alternatively, a memorable date such as the date the organisation was set up, or the date of birth of a key person linked to the organisation (I.e. secretary or treasurer) can be used. Please note that the information provided is protected by GDPR rules, and not visible to others.
Why is my sort code not in the dropdown list?
Please ensure you are selecting the correct Bank Name (HSBC, for example, has more than one). Please use https://www.fasterpayments.org.uk/sort-code-checker to verify your correct bank name.
The form states that my bank account details already exist. How do I continue?
If you receive this alert, please leave the details blank and add a note to approver to confirm that the bank details already exist on the system. If you already have a supplier account with either Leicestershire County Council or Nottingham City Council, your bank details will likely already exist in our system.
What do I put in the DUNS Number/ Taxpayer ID or Tax Registration Number field?
We have produced videos and guides to support in the registration and these are available at emss.org.uk/suppliers. Please refer to page 5 of our Supplier Registration guide which clarifies what is required for each setup. Please note that only one DUNS, Taxpayer ID or Tax Registration number is required to submit your registration.

Speeding Up The Verification and Approval (incl. Supplier Type Breakdown)

It is important that your name and supplier type are entered correctly to pass our verification process. In the company field, ensure your name is entered as it appears on your bank account. Please consult the table below for a breakdown of supplier types.

Trade Supplier	Registered businesses that provides a product or service to another entity
Trade Individual	Individuals that provides a product or service to another entity
Central Government Bodies	Includes Government Departments and their ALBs: Executive Agencies, Non-Departmental Public Bodies, Non-Ministerial Departments, and any other non-market bodies controlled and mainly financed by them (e.g. Ministry of Defence (MOD))
NHS Bodies	Include bodies that fall under the National Health Services Jurisdiction (e.g. Nottingham University Hospital Trust)
Not-for-Profit	Includes organisations that do not earn profits for its owners (e.g. Charitable Organisation)
Other LAs	Includes those types of public administration that only cover a specific locality and any non-market bodies controlled and mainly financed by them (e.g. Leicestershire County Council)
Public Corps and Trading Funds	This includes market bodies controlled by either Central Government or Local Government. These include any type of public entity that is a market body. Market bodies are defined as entities that gain over 50 per cent of their income from purely commercial activities
Tax Authority	The primary Government agency that collects taxes (e.g. HMRC)
Feeder	For internal use only - this is required in the system for payment only purposes and must not be used where purchases may be made from the person or organisation.
Individual Payee (Non-Trade)	For internal use only - this type is used used where a non-trade person or organisation is setup.

After Submitting the Registration

How long will it be until my supplier account is setup?
Once you have submitted your registration details, we will aim to process your request within 5 working days. Once completed, a confirmation email will be sent confirming the setup. On occasion, this may be delayed if we are unable to verify the details independently with the supplier. If you have not received the confirmation within 5 days, please contact us by using our contact form.
Who do we complete an external verification for?
We may need to contact you separately to verify your details. This is only likely to happen if your bank is not registered with the banking verification database and or if there are any anomalies with the data provided.
We factor our invoice – how will that affect the verification?
We will need to complete our external verification with both you as the supplier and the factoring company. If you can provide a company letter head for the factoring company at the time of setup alongside your own, please send this in to us as it will help us complete the setup.
My supplier is set up, however I cannot find them when trying to raise a purchase order?
If your Supplier is active, please contact Procurement as the Contract Purchasing Agreement (CPA) may be over the 25K limit for generic spend. Please contact:
- Leicestershire County Council - Ross.Skinner@leics.gov.uk
- Nottingham City Council - Compliant.Purchasing@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
- Nottingham City Homes - Emma.Hinchley@nottinghamcityhomes.org.uk

Supplier Portal

Will I automatically be given access to the supplier Portal?
As part of the supplier registration process you will be asked to agree to the Portal’s terms of use. If you agree to this during your registration, access will be granted at the time of supplier creation. If you do not agree we will continue to trade with you, however you will not have access to the Portal and will not be able make use of the associated access and benefits. If you initially indicated that you would not like portal access but have changed your mind, please contact us by using our contact form.
What will the Portal give me access to?
As a supplier you will be able to use the Portal to:
- Check payment date and see payment details
- Confirm that invoices submitted by email or post have been entered into our system
- Review the stage your invoices are at in the payment process (e.g. if they are on hold)
- Review purchase orders raised by the Council
- Check if a receipt has been created against your purchase orders
- Create a PO-match invoice directly within the Portal
- Edit your profile (e.g. update your bank details or address, as well as add colleagues as additional portal users with varying permissions)
I’m an existing supplier, how do I get access to the Portal?
Initially only new suppliers set up after Oracle Fusion goes live will have access to the Portal. However, we plan to complete a phased roll-out of the Portal to our existing supplier base in the coming months.
Where can I find guidance on how to use the Portal?
You can access relevant guidance and procedures by visiting emss.org.uk/suppliers and from here you can view and download all our user guides as well as accessing ‘How To’ video demos.