E-INVOICING Action Required: OB10 Registration

Transcription

1 E-INVOICING Action Required: OB10 Registration March 2013 Dear..Sir/Madam, Unilever has taken a strategic decision to encourage all suppliers to migrate towards electronic invoicing. Unilever Europe receives thousands of invoices electronically each month via OB10, from hundreds of suppliers, delivering proven benefits of faster, more effective invoice processing to both suppliers and Unilever. To date Unilever has received over one million invoices through OB10 which has resulted in the following extensive and proven benefits for our Suppliers; Improved on-time payments to you as Unilever suppliers No missing invoices and the need to resend them No delay because of paper via mail Less invoice errors and higher automated matching because of improved invoice quality Faster feedback from OB10/IBM if there are invoice issues The reduction in manually handling invoices has increased our efficiency Visibility of Invoice status within Unilever Payment System on the Ob10 Portal We strongly recommend that you take this opportunity for improving our way of working together. Please find in the attachments to this letter, the options available to send electronic invoices to Unilever via OB10. We would like to remind you of our operating standard of No PO No Pay. Please ensure that there is a Purchase Order (PO) in place before you deliver goods or services to Unilever. PO s need to be referenced in invoices as well to facilitate the payment process. Timetable for further steps: Next 5 Days OB10 will contact you to help you understand the electronic invoicing process and the options available and enable an informed decision. If you choose the Web Form, you can register immediately and start submitting electronic invoices 30 April 2013 You need to confirm to OB10 the preferred option for e-invoicing If you choose for the Integrated Solution, OB10 will contact you to enable the integration with your system. 31 May 2013 You can start transacting electronic invoices to Unilever.

2 Additional information is available at or click here. If you want to contact Unilever about this change in our way of working, or if you have a problem with meeting the mentioned timelines, then please contact your Unilever Procurement Manager. Kind Regards, Javier Iglesias, Procurement Operations Director Alan Cane Purchase to Pay Operations Director

3 Frequently Asked Questions What is Unilever s expectation from the supplier regarding e-invoicing? Electronic invoicing is Unilever s preferred and recommended means for our suppliers to initiate the payment process. We expect and strongly recommend all suppliers to sign-up for e-invoicing to improve and optimise the invoice payment process and will only accept valid reasons for not joining that will have to be approved by the supply manager. Will electronic invoicing help my account to be paid on time? Using the OB10 service will help to ensure that we can pay you on time by greatly reducing the time taken for an invoice to enter our systems, accelerating the resolution of any errors or omissions in the data on the invoice and by eliminating the risk of the invoice getting lost in the post. Are there fees associated with this service? Yes, there is an annual membership fee if the integrated solution is chosen and there is also a transaction fee for each invoice or credit note processed by the OB10 network. The transaction fee is fixed irrespective of the number of invoice lines or the value of the invoice although does decrease on a sliding scale as you send more electronic invoices through the network. Will Unilever pay the fees? Unilever does not pay your costs for sending paper invoices (printing, posting etc.) and will not cover the fees for e-invoicing. Benchmarking studies have shown that the switch to e-invoicing offers competitive costs for invoice administration. OB10 will assist you to select the most cost effective option for your business based on size, complexity and the volume and frequency of invoices expected. What does the 'Integrated solution' membership fee cover? The membership fee covers the cost to OB10 of setting you up on their network and the general costs of maintaining the network. This is an annual cost irrespective of the number of your customers that you service via the network or the volume of invoices that you send. I already send some invoice data directly to other customers; can I send EDI/XML Invoices directly to Unilever? No, EDI and XML are just data formats as far as OB10 is concerned; therefore you can use this preferred format to deliver the data to OB10. Unilever cannot take any electronic invoices directly from suppliers (even if these suppliers are already exchanging information for other supplier integration programmes like e4us). I already have the facility to make invoices available to my customers via the Internet - allowing them to view an image of an invoice on the web. Can I use this facility instead of OB10? No, the OB10 network ensures that the data that you send can be uploaded into the Unilever payment processing system (DCIW) and where applicable can then be matched to a goods receipt record. Offering Unilever an image of the invoice or an option to download the data in a fixed format does not meet this requirement. Do I need to install any software? No. The only 'software required are digital certificates that the service employs to authenticate users (one for each computer you wish to access the network from). You have the option to use a standard internet browser to upload electronic files created by your existing accounting system. Your customers use the browser to collect pending invoices. If required OB10 can provide optional software that will fully automate the delivery process. What if I don t have a system capable of creating electronic invoices? You can access the OB10 secure website and create invoices online using the web-based Invoice Generator (IG). No software installation is required. All you need is an Internet connection and a standard browser.

4 Can I send electronic invoices using OB10 to all of my customers? Yes. Once you are subscribed to the OB10 network, OB10 can enable you to send electronic invoices to any other customers that are members of the OB10 network. Will Unilever make payments using OB10? OB10 is not a payment platform. Unilever will continue to use their current payment method. Will I need to sign an agreement with OB10? Yes, if you choose to be a file supplier you will sign a specific agreement with OB10. If you choose to be a web-based IG supplier you will have to accept the standard terms and conditions presented. What contract duration will be offered and what happens if you stop supplying Unilever in that time? OB10 will offer a standard contract for 3 years. You may also request a shorter contract duration of 1 year. In the event that your business relationship with Unilever ends, then you may cancel your OB10 contract at any point. Once you stop transacting, no further transaction fees will be charged and no further membership fees will be charged from the point of cancellation. I am planning to change my Invoicing software soon; can I wait? Our stated aim is to have all suppliers registered and sending invoices as soon as reasonably possible, ideally within 3-6 months of starting transition. The OB10 network, accepts any incoming data formats (see also Desktop option), you can join the network and send your invoices now, and when you are ready to use your new software, simply advise OB10 of the changes to your invoice data output and they will make the necessary changes to the network, ensuring a smooth transition and uninterrupted invoice delivery. Can OB10 work with non-english speaking technical staff? If you require language assistance to get your account set up please call +44(0) /7430 and ask for assistance in the following languages; French, German, Dutch and Spanish. OB10 also have local client services numbers for the following countries: France Germany Netherlands Spain Ireland Sweden Finland Denmark If I currently submit consignment invoices, will I still be able to do this electronically via OB10? Yes, as long as the standard European Unilever consignment process is followed. Please ask the OB10 implementation manager or support desk for specific details. If I currently use self-billing as part of my business process for invoicing Unilever, will I still be able to do this electronically via OB10? No, selfbilling is not yet supported in the Unilever OB10 setup. Is there further information available on the OB10 service? Yes, please visit

5 1 / 3 e-invoicing and an overview of your options Join OB10 and benefit from: Secure and guaranteed invoice delivery: no more paper invoices getting lost in the mail On-time payment: your customers can process your invoices faster No more delays: invoices cannot be sent with missing information, cannot land on the wrong desk and do not need manual intervention Secure online connection: send invoices easily with no need for additional software or hardware 24/7 access and reporting: enjoy higher processing transparency and better cashflow management Tax compliance: guaranteed legal and tax compliance Easy and cost-efficient invoicing at any time OB10 offers two primary methods for sending invoice and credit transactions. You can either send a data file directly to OB10 using our Integrated Solution or create invoices online using the Web Form through the OB10 Portal. This document explains how e-invoicing works and the options available to you. How it works Supplier Buyer OptionsOverview_GBP, EN, 4/12 Copyright 2012 OB10. OB10 and the OB10 logo are trade marks of OB10 and protected by law.

6 2 / 3 By checking invoices for duplicates and ensuring they contain the information required by your customer, we ensure automated, straight-through processing and enable ontime payment. Through the OB10 Portal you have access to the OB10 archive and a number of reporting functions. Please read this document thoroughly before deciding whether Integrated Solution or Web Form submission through the OB10 Portal is the best option for your company. 1. Integrated Solution: sending an extracted data file This option suits organizations that send a high volume of invoices. The Integrated Solution gives you a fully automated process where invoice data is extracted directly from your billing system and delivered directly into your buyers finance systems. This means: We process data in virtually any format and handle the data transformation based on your customer s requirements No need to install additional software or hardware You can send one consolidated data file for all your invoices Once on the network, you can easily connect and send invoices to other customers Costs for the integrated solution Annual Membership 750* Per Invoice Transaction costs 1 20 invoices per month invoices per month invoices per month ,000 invoices per month invoices per month 0.22 * Buyer connection fees will apply. The annual fee covers the creation and maintenance of your account for a single tax entity. If you have multiple tax entities there will likely to be additional charges. These charges will fluctuate based on the number of formats, and separate connections etc. For more information, please contact your OB10 representative. Please note: transactions are charged on a monthly basis according to volume. Getting started with the Integrated Solution Once your customer invites you to join OB10, one of our onboarding experts will walk you through the registration process. OptionsOverview_GBP, EN, 4/12 Copyright 2012 OB10. OB10 and the OB10 logo are trade marks of OB10 and protected by law.

7 3 / 3 2. Web Form: sending electronic invoices using the OB10 Portal The OB10 Web Form is designed for companies who send a low volume of invoices to their customers each year. The portal offers you a secure connection and guarantees delivery of your invoice to your customers within hours, which allows them to process your invoice and pay you promptly. Costs for using the Web Form There are several pricing options available when submitting invoices through the Web Form. Upon registration, all new suppliers using this option automatically receive 12 free transactions. At the end of your first anniversary, if you have not used all of your free transactions, we will replenish your account back to 12 invoices for you to use during the next 12 months. If you use all 12 free invoices and need more during this 12-month period, you will be required to purchase your first batch of transactions (minimum 25 invoices). You will then no longer have access to the free invoice option. Web Form pricing structure** Transaction Level Transactions 1 12 Free* * The initial 12 free transactions are automatically available, can be used during the course of 12 months and will be replenished at the end of one year. If more than 12 transactions are required during the course of the year, you must purchase at least 25 transactions. Once you make your first purchase, you will no longer have access to the free invoice option. ** Payment options: You can pay by PayPal or credit card. We accept Visa, Visa Electron, MasterCard, Maestro, Solo and American Express. We can also invoice you, however, you will be required to purchase a minimum of 125 transactions and pay an administration fee of 15%. Getting started with the Web Form submission through the OB10 Portal As part of your invitation to join the OB10 network, you will receive an with instructions on how to register. Once your registration is complete, we will send you your login credentials by so you can start sending electronic invoices via OB10. For more information on OB10, e-invoicing and the options available to you, visit or us at [email protected]. OptionsOverview_GBP, EN, 4/12 Copyright 2012 OB10. OB10 and the OB10 logo are trade marks of OB10 and protected by law.