What do I need to do as a supplier to use ERS?
The biggest
change will be turning off your invoice generation process for Agilent orders.
If it is not possible to physically stop producing the invoices, you will need
to ensure that these invoices are not sent to Agilent. One suggested solution
is to get the invoices mailed to an internal mailbox in your company.
Do I still generate invoices and send to Agilent?
No, Agilent's SBI
(Self-Billing Invoice) will replace any invoices generated from suppliers. You should no longer create and send
invoices to Agilent
How will I know what you are paying me for?
The self-billing
invoice generated by Agilent will be sent to you and will include information
that will enable you to correctly apply our payment. The Self Billing Invoice
created by Agilent will include the Agilent PO number, item description,
quantity, amount, date received and your delivery note number.
How will I receive a copy of the SBI?
When you are being set up on ERS, you will be asked to indicate your preference for receiving the
SBI. The options available are email,
fax and post. Email is the preferred
choice, as this will be the fastest and most reliable method to receive the
SBI.
What Payment Terms are used for ERS?
ERS uses the standard
payment terms to calculate payment from the date goods are received into
Agilent stock. ERS eliminates lost invoices and discrepancies between the PO
and the invoice, thus removing most sources of payment delays.
How do I handle freight with ERS?
Agilent's
policy for inbound freight requires that goods be sent with one of Agilent's
preferred freight carriers. Agilent has contracts with these carriers, and they
bill Agilent directly for freight costs. By using these carriers, you do not
have to worry about reclaiming freight costs from Agilent. In order for ERS to work properly, we will
no longer accept pre-paid freight costs added to your invoices.
What if I need to bill for additional costs for the goods?
The price on the Self Billing Invoice (SBI) created by Agilent is derived from the purchase order or
blanket purchase agreement. Work with your Agilent buyer to ensure that these
additional costs are included on the purchase order.
What do I do if the invoice total on the SBI is not correct?
You will receive the
Agilent SBI 2 to 3 weeks before it is paid. During this time you can speak with
your Agilent Buyer if there are any discrepancies. It is still possible to
correct discrepancies after the invoice has been paid, but identifying issues
early will help ensure faster payment.
What if I don't want to go on ERS?
ERS is Agilent's
preferred process to generate payments to suppliers. We strongly encourage all of our key suppliers to move on to this
process and participate in its benefits. Your ability to use ERS will be
included in future supplier assessments.
What are our suppliers saying about their ERS experience?
Here is what some of our suppliers are saying about their ERS experience with Agilent:
"It takes one hour a week to reconcile the
Self Billing Invoice"
"Cash flow has improved"
"ERS
significantly reduced the number of Invoice queries
Will the SBI Agilent generates include my packing slip
number?
Yes, if you provide a
packing slip number with your delivery, it will be captured for the SBI. If no packing slip number was provided, this
will be blank on the SBI. You also have
the option of having the Self Billing Invoice number take the same number as
your packing slip number. For example, if your packing slip was #12345, the
Self Billing Invoice would be "ERS-12345", and this number appear on the
remittance advice of the payment.
Is there an automated way to load SBI on the supplier end to reduce their
reconciliation effort?
There is currently no option to receive the SBI in a
specially formatted file. If you choose to have your invoices created per
packing slip, you will receive the pack slip number on your electronic
remittance.
How often are the SBIs generated?
When will they be sent out?
Self Billing Invoice (SBI) can be produced per packing slip or
consolidated to have one invoice per day. At the time of set up on ERS, you
need to indicate your preference to Agilent.
Regardless of how the SBI's are created, they will be sent out on a
weekly basis.
If the receipts are bundled at the end of the
week, then the terms really become net 40, don't they?
ERS will be run on a
daily basis, so that an invoice will be created for the goods received that
day. The invoices will be mailed out to the supplier on a weekly basis, but the
invoice date will be the date the goods were received, not the date the
invoices are mailed out.
What about shipments in containers? It may take months to reach the
destination. What is the invoice date?
With ERS, the payment terms start on receipt of the goods at Agilent. In our current system, if the supplier sends us an invoice, we
still hold that invoice until the material is received.
Where is ERS legal?
The legality is based
on the ship-to address of the ERS invoice and actual payment. Currently, ERS is allowed in Australia,
Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland,
Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, United
Kingdom and United States. For some
countries, there are specific invoice requirements that must be met for ERS to
be legal
Is ERS supplier-site specific, or for the company as a whole?
We can set up ERS at the supplier site level. Therefore we could have one of the supplier's sites for
ERS and another supplier site Standard PO, this is the suppliers choice.
We use Exel as a carrier, per Agilent's request, and they require an invoice. Will Exel continue to require the invoice?
Yes. The carrier needs the value of the goods for customs
declarations. This can be provided on
either an invoice or packing slip. The
invoice or packing slip is retained in Receiving, and not sent to Accounts
Payable. For ERS, we are asking that
the supplier not forward any invoice to the Global Financial Services (GFS),
and allow our ERP to generate the SBI.
I am currently participating on the Agilent legacy ERS program, what
will change for me when Agilent moves to Oracle?
There will be very little change for existing ERS suppliers once Agilent transitions to Oracle. Agilent will be asking you how you wish to
receive your SBI in Oracle – email or fax, as hardcopy mailing of SBI will no
longer be an option. Your Agilent buyer
will be asking you to confirm your existing email or fax number or to provide
one, for your SBI. We will also be
asking how you would prefer the invoices to be created – one invoice for every
delivery, or one invoice created per day, capturing all deliveries for the day.
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