54. Payment of invoices

54.1. The procedures for making all payments shall be in a form specified by the Director of Finance.

54.2. The Director of Finance is responsible for deciding the most appropriate method of payment for categories of invoice.

54.3. College Deans and Directors of Services are responsible for ensuring that expenditure within their College/Service does not exceed the budget available.

54.4. Suppliers should be instructed by the budget holder to submit invoices for goods or services to the College/Service concerned. Invoices must be passed to Finance Services as soon as they have been certified (paper-based system) or matched to order and approved for payment (electronic system).

54.5. Care must be taken by the budget holder to ensure that discounts receivable are obtained.

54.6. Payments will only be made by the Director of Finance against invoices that can be matched to a receipted order (electronic system) and/or that have been certified for payment by the appropriate College Dean/Director of Service or delegated signatory (paper-based system).

54.7. Certification of an invoice or receipting of an electronic order will ensure that:

• The goods have been received, examined and approved with regard to quality and quantity, or that services rendered or work done is satisfactory;
• Where appropriate, it is matched to the order;
• Invoice details (quantity, price discount) are correct;
• The invoice is arithmetically correct;
• The invoice has not previously been passed for payment;
• Where appropriate, an entry has been made on a stores record or College/Service inventory;
• An appropriate account code is quoted; this must be one of the account codes included in the budget holder’s areas of responsibility and must correspond with the types of goods or service described on the invoice.