Receive fast payment with a purchasing card (PCard)

The recommended way for you to receive payment is with a credit card called a PCard. PCard payment is the fastest and easiest way to get paid for goods or services.

PCards can be used to pay at the point of sale, either in person, on-line or over the phone. You need to provide a receipt or tax invoice (including any GST) to the school or corporate office for the goods or services to confirm payment has been received.

E-invoicing

Register your business on the NSW Government Supplier Hub and submit e-invoices for faster payment and greater visibility of invoice status.

The department has adopted electronic invoicing (or e-invoicing) to speed up the processing and payment of your invoices, when you receive a purchase order from us.

E-invoicing allows for the automated exchange of invoice information directly between your accounting systems and ours, and:

• cuts down the need for manual input while processing invoices, reducing mistakes
• doesn’t need you to generate paper-based or PDF invoices that must be printed, posted or emailed
• doesn’t need us to manually enter or scan your invoices into our accounting system.

You’ll need to include a purchase order (PO) number on your e-invoice when you send it to us, either:

1. digitally from your accounting system (connected via an eInvoicing accredited service provider)
2. directly through the buy.nsw Supplier hub, where you can also track the status of your invoices.

Note: PCard is still the department’s preferred method for any goods or services under $5K. Please continue to accept PCards wherever you can.

See E-invoicing on the ATO website for more information.

For further help with e-invoicing, email: transactions.buy@customerservice.nsw.gov.au.

Follow the accounts payable purchase order process

If you can’t accept payment by PCard or submit an e-invoice, you’ll need to follow the purchase order process to issue an invoice to the department:

1. Supply the school or corporate office with a quote for the goods or services you are providing.

2. Ask for a purchase order (PO), their full name and contact number.

3. Send a correctly rendered invoice referencing the PO to:

Our payment terms are generally 30 days from the time the department receives your correctly rendered invoice unless you are a registered small business and qualify for faster payment terms.

Our payment terms are generally 30 days from the time the department receives your correctly rendered invoice unless you are a registered small business and qualify for faster payment terms.

Pre-approval is required for non-PCard purchases

As a government agency we need authorisation prior to purchasing goods or services for non-PCard purchases. The Government Sector Finance Act (2018) outlines the authorisation and delegation requirements for government agency spending. Without a PO, you risk providing goods not authorised with appropriate delegation, which may lead to delays in payment.

We can only process your invoice when…

The correctly rendered invoice includes:

• a valid departmental purchase order number typed on your invoice
  Note: Purchase order numbers start with a '4' and are ten digits in length. Ensure you have received a PO number as part of your authorisation to supply goods or services.
• the name of the recipient or ABN. When supplying to:
  • a school, use ‘NSW Government Schools’ or the school name or ABN 18 246 198 266
  • a corporate office, use ‘Department of Education’ or ABN 40 300 173 822.
    Note: Do not make an invoice out to an individual or directorate.
• a Department of Education contact name
• standard ATO Tax Invoice compliant details, including your identity (business name) and ABN.

Compliant invoicing

EDConnect only accepts compliant invoices.

This means:

• you must have received a purchase order (PO) number from the school or business unit that purchased the goods or service, before issuing your invoice, and this number must be typed on your invoice.
• we'll only accept invoices emailed from you directly to EDConnect Accounts Payable.
• if you send us an invoice without a PO included, we'll return it to you and won't process the invoice until we've received a compliant (correctly rendered) copy.

Tips to get paid on time:

• Ask to be paid by PCard or register for e-invoicing.
• Insist on a PO where PCard payment isn't possible.
• Ensure there is a place to provide a PO number for online ordering.
• Ensure the typed PO is always in the same place on your invoice.