Information for our suppliers

We have implemented a Strict policy of No PO, No Pay for our suppliers, all invoices are required to have a valid PO number to ensure that invoice payments are processed as efficiently as possible.

This means that suppliers should wait to receive a valid purchase order (PO) number issued by Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust before providing any goods or services. The PO number must be quoted on invoices sent to Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust or payment may be delayed. 

What does this mean to you as suppliers?

All suppliers of goods and/or services to the Trust must ensure that they obtain an PO when an order is placed and prior to providing any works or any goods or services to the Trust. Our PO numbers have the following format:

All NON-PHARMACY purchase orders will start with one of the below pre-fixes:

CF – Charitable Funds

S – Services Orders

ST – General Stationary

STP – Printer Stationary

LC – Catalogue

LS – Stock

CA – Capital

MM - Material Management

MG – Free text Order.

If you are given or hold an order number that does not satisfy this format, your invoice will be rejected.

How you will receive the PO

POs are emailed to suppliers when raised. All PO’s are also made available to suppliers via the self service portal. If you have not already registered for a self service portal account, we encourage you to follow the self service portal link and register online.

All invoices and associated documentation will be processed through the self service portal.

What should I do if I don’t receive a PO?

You should contact the member of staff who gave the original instruction to supply the goods and request the PO number.

What happens if I receive a PO and it does not seem to be correct?

Contact the person who requested the goods or services and the Procurement helpdesk team for clarification at mse.procurementsystemqueries@nhs.net.

Will I get paid any quicker if I quote a PO number?

Our standard payment terms are 30 days from the date of invoice. However, invoices received without a valid PO number quoted will not be paid and will be returned to the supplier. This will lead to a delay in the payment process.

What is the PO number sequence I should expect to receive from MSE?

See above under the no PO no Pay section, orders will usually start with LC/LS/MM/ST/CA/CF/MG.

An invoice has been returned or rejected requesting a valid PO number to be provided. How can this be obtained?

You should contact the member of staff who gave the original instruction to supply the goods.

Are there any services that are not affected by this policy?

Utilities and agency staff booked through Healthroster/LMS. Pharmacy and catering operate their own ordering system, but a PO will be provided by these systems.

What happens if I am asked to provide goods and / or services in an emergency?

They can still be issued with a PO number.

What happens if I supply services before receiving a PO?

Any supplier providing goods or services to MSE where a PO is required without a valid purchase order in place do this at their own risk. Invoices received that do not quote a valid purchase order will be returned to the supplier requesting the purchase order to be quoted on the invoice. No payment will be made without a PO being in place.

Invoices (one invoice per PDF) should be sent to invoices.mse@cloud-trade.com. Where this will be electronically captured and expedited for processing quickly and efficiently.

Upon authorisation of a correct and valid invoice, the standard payment terms of 30 days will then be applied. 

The PO number should be quoted on all invoices.

All invoices should be addressed to:

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation TrustFinance Department, Accounts Payable,Britannia House, Units 12-14 Britannia Park,Comet Way, Southend-on-SeaEssex, SS2 6GB

Hospital pharmacy suppliers

If you currently receive purchase orders directly from Basildon Hospital, Broomfield Hospital (Mid Essex) or Southend Hospital pharmacy departments, there is no change to current order process and invoices should continue to be sent to the relevant email:

Basildon – mse.pharmacy.procurement@nhs.net

Broomfield  – mse.pharmacyinvoice@nhs.net

Southend  – mse.pharmacy.purchasing@nhs.net

Basildon Hospital catering suppliers

If you currently receive purchase orders directly from Basildon Hospital restaurant there is no change to current order process and invoices should continue to be sent to the relevant email inbox: mse.catering.invoices@nhs.net

Agency/temporary staff suppliers

Purchase orders are not required and shifts should continue to be booked via the temporary staffing team and associated systems.

I need to check the status of my orders and invoice(s)

You can register your organisation for our supplier self-service portal at  https://esupplier.mse.nhs.uk/sss/app/register.do.

The portal will enable you to check on orders, invoices and remittances. If you experience any issue registering for this service, contact mse.mseapqueries@nhs.net.

Please check your systems to ensure the correct contact details are attached to our account and invoices.

All of our invoicing is managed using this portal.

The Trust aims to champion and deliver sustainable change and social value locally, across the region and the NHS as a whole.

We are committed to provide health and quality care for all and to minimise our environmental impacts to avoid affecting the health of our residents in the region.

Scope and opportunity exists to fundamentally transform and reduce carbon usage and add value within the Trust and its supply chain leading to lower bills and emissions, increasing equality and well-being as well as reaching wider sectors to influence them.

Our supply chain has a significant carbon footprint and we aim to identify and analyse the highest procured goods that are harmful to the environment and seek ways how best to reduce their impact.

We are exploring consolidated deliveries of our procurement supply chain goods vehicles and how to improve the efficiency and delivery of non emergency patient transport services.

The Trust is required to comply with applicable procurement legislation when engaging with suppliers of goods, works and services. Every purchase will require a form of contract, which in some instances could be as simple as a purchase order for small transactional purchases, but in other instances will be a formal document signed by both parties setting out the key conditions.

While it is common and appropriate for suppliers to interact directly with our service leads, please note that any initial agreements made at this stage are considered ‘in principle’ and will remain subject to review and approval by our Procurement Team.

In most cases, agreements are straightforward. However, for ongoing supplies or services, it will be necessary for the Trust to go through a formal award process before the provision of goods or services begins.

Please contact our Procurement team for guidance at mse.mseprocurementhelpdesk@nhs.net.