SIMS FMS E-PROCUREMENT EASY REFERENCE GUIDE …€¦ · SIMS FMS – E-PROCUREMENT ... EASY REFERENCE GUIDE FOR IMPLEMENTING SEAMLESS INTEGRATION ACROSS YOUR ... This simple to use

For more information visit www.educationsupplies.co.uk/eprocurementhub 1 of 31

SIMS FMS – E-PROCUREMENT

EASY REFERENCE GUIDE FOR IMPLEMENTING SEAMLESS

INTEGRATION ACROSS YOUR SCHOOL

To help make buying with us as easy as possible, we’ve introduced our new, fully integrated e-

Procurement solution for SIMS FMS, offering you a quicker, more efficient way to place your

orders and receive your invoices.

With our new eProcurement solution, your ordering is fully compliant and will save you – and your

colleagues across all departments in your school – time and money.

This quicker, more efficient way of ordering will also provide you with:

Complete financial management across your school with all orders made across your site automatically importing into your FMS for approval /authorisation

No manual rekeying required as your orders are immediately processed meaning a quicker, faster service to you

Access to the latest products and pricing meaning your order and invoicing will always match

Best value with all our latest offers and promotions regularly updated

But don’t just take our word for it. These customers are already saving time and money by using our

new system.

“The Consortium eProcurement hub is brilliant! It is easy to use and the time it saves me is

invaluable. No more re-typing orders into my SIMS FMS as I can now import the order at the click of a

button.”

“A great admin tool for all school staff, saving everyone so much time and money. Very quick and

easy to use. Overall very impressive. I highly recommned this tool.” – Anne Boucher, Cannington CofE

Primary School

This simple to use guide illustrates how easy it is to connect to our new eProcurement Hub but we’re

always on hand to assist you – simply contact your account manager, or our Customer Services team

on 0845 330 7780.


Contents

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 3

Before You Start .................................................................................................................................. 4

eProcurement Option in SIMS FMS ................................................................................................ 4

DUNS Number ................................................................................................................................. 4

Website Username and Account Details. ....................................................................................... 4

FMS Setup ........................................................................................................................................... 5

Check your Establishment Details ................................................................................................... 5

General Ledger Details .................................................................................................................... 6

eProcurement Settings ................................................................................................................... 9

Supplier Set up: ............................................................................................................................. 13

Ordering Online................................................................................................................................. 16

Checkout ....................................................................................................................................... 17

Requisition Form ........................................................................................................................... 19

Previous Orders ............................................................................................................................. 20

Processing Orders and Invoices in SIMS FMS ................................................................................... 21

Importing ...................................................................................................................................... 21

Viewing Purchase Orders .............................................................................................................. 23

Sending Orders .............................................................................................................................. 24

Receiving Invoices ......................................................................................................................... 25

Importing Invoices ........................................................................................................................ 26

Importing Credits .......................................................................................................................... 26

Invoice and PO discrepancies............................................................................................................ 27

Checking Discrepancies ................................................................................................................. 27

Invoices Not Importing into SIMS ..................................................................................................... 29

Solution ......................................................................................................................................... 29

Further Information .......................................................................................................................... 31


Introduction

With SIMS FMS you can create the content of your order on The Consortium website, and then import it directly into SIMS for review and authorisation.

Once authorised, the order is sent to The Consortium eProcurement Hub. We process your order and an email acknowledgement is sent directly back to you.

Using The Consortium website allows multiple, authorised, people (eg Heads of Departments), to build an order using any internet-connected PC, at home or at work, with fully up-to-date stock levels and prices. Your SIMS administrator can then import these for review and authorisation.

This guide takes you through the steps required to create content orders on the website and retrieve

them back into SIMS, via the eProcurement Hub.

This service is fully compliant, with all requisitions available to print and save for your records.

Teacher, Head of Department, member

of staff creates their order/s on

The Consortium website

SIMS user retrieves the order/s into

SIMS via the eProcurement Hub

The order/s are then sent directly to The

Consortium’s eProcurement Hub for

processing

The purchase order/s are reviewed and

authorised like usual

Requisition forms can be printed for

internal approval and storing for full

compliance


Before You Start

The steps needed to set up the web service ordering facility are clearly outlined in this document.

However, before you begin, there are three pieces of information needed to enable you to start

ordering.

eProcurement Option in SIMS FMS

Many SIMS FMS systems have the Tools → eProcurement Settings option disabled. Please check if

this area is greyed out, and if it is, please contact your SIMS representative to enable it, either at

your Local Authority or contact Capita directly.

DUNS Number

If you do not know your DUNS number, please contact Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) at

http://salesmarketing.dnb.co.uk/find_my_company/ where you will be send your number by email.

Note you need a single not branch DUNS number.

If D&B find that you do not already have a number set up, or if they give you a generic number, you

will need to request to have a unique number set up. There is no charge for this, and the process

takes 3-5 working days.

Website Username and Account Details.

Your website username and password will be needed as it will need to be entered into SIMS FMS to

allow your SIMS FMS system to connect to our eProcurement Hub.

You will also need to visit our eProcurement Hub status page on our website to confirm that you are

exporting to SIMS as an option on your account and that we hold the correct DUNS number for you.

Please visit www.educationsupplies.co.uk/eprocurementhub/status

Once you have all of the above set up, you’re ready to start the set up the eProcurement Hub

facility.

http://salesmarketing.dnb.co.uk/find_my_company/

http://www.educationsupplies.co.uk/eprocurementhub/status


FMS Setup

To enable FMS to talk directly to our eProcurement Hub the following steps need to be completed:

Check your Establishment Details

Set up your establishment in Tools > Establishment Details

In tab ‘1: Basic Details’. Your establishment details will already be populated. If not, please

complete, including the DUNS number from the ‘Before you start’ section of this document.


General Ledger Details

Now we need to set up a general ledger template.

This will allow incoming orders to be given a cost centre and a ledger code.

Go to Tools > General Ledger Setup

To add a new template go to the tab ‘9: eProcurement Templates’ add click the green plus symbol.


Now complete the pop up box with the below information:

Originator = Your Website Username

CC Mnemonic = Your Website Username

Click the magnifying glass symbol next to Cost Centre field and select the default Cost Centre for this

template. (NB You can subsequently change the Cost Centre details when you have a purchase order

in the system.


Now click the magnifying glass symbol next to the Ledger Code and select the default ledger code

that you would like to use.

The cost centre that you choose will depend on your own establishment's preferences and the

available types, but in general it will be the category for which you most commonly use to order with

us.

Any cost centre and ledger code applied to an incoming order can be amended in your FMS system

once the order has been imported.

Tick the Set Default Template.

Tick the Set Default P&P Template.

Now save the Procurement Template.


eProcurement Settings

Now you need to enter the details to connect to The Consortium‘s eProcurement Hub.

Select Tools > eProcurement Settings

If this is greyed out please refer to the ‘before your start’ section of this document.

In the Web Services section at the top click on the green plus symbol to add a new service.


Enter the following details:

Provider Type = Supplier

Name = The Consortium

URL = https://c.eprocurementhub.com/sims/education

Priority = 1

Active = Yes

User ID & Password = these are the details that you use to log in to The Consortium website

Password Duration = 999 Days

Now save these settings.

To test these settings first highlight the webservice you have just created click on the ‘Test’ button,

this will try connecting to The Consortium’s eProcurement Hub. If all the settings are correct it will

show:

https://c.eprocurementhub.com/sims/education


Select the Web Service that you have just created and then click the magnifying glass symbol in the

‘Linked Suppliers’ section.

In the ‘Available Suppliers’ list select The Consortium so that it is highlighted and then click the

Choose button.

Now click update.

This links The Consortium as a supplier to The Consortium web service details.


Within the ‘General Settings’ section:

Select your “Default XML Order Book” for orders to be assigned when they are imported using this

method.

Check your DUNS Number is in the ‘Establishment DUNS Number’ field – of not, please add it. Refer

to the ‘Before you start’ section of this document for your DUNS number.


Supplier Set up:

Now you can setup The Consortium for web service ordering.

Go to Focus > Accounts Payable > Supplier

Double click on The Consortium.


In tab ‘1: Basic’ the Delivery Code needs to contain your account number and delivery point with a /

separating the values e.g. C00001/000. The account number needs to be the same as in the Delivery

Code and Account Number field.

The Order method tab gives you a list options available for sending the Purchase Orders.

Select ‘W – Web Services’.

In the unique identifier section select DUNS and enter The Consortium‘s DUNs Number

which is 491204269.


In tab ‘5: eProcurement’ enter theconsortium in the XML Supplier reference field.

Now save and close the supplier record.


Ordering Online

You are now ready to build orders online to be imported into SIMS FMS.

Build an order on the website by browsing, searching or using the Quick Order Form.

Once items are in your basket you are ready to checkout.


Checkout

Part one of the checkout screen allows you to confirm your account number and delivery point.

The delivery information page shows the status of products and suggested delivery date (NB You can

update the delivery date in SIMS FMS to next day or to when you require the order).


On the payment information page you will now have the option to ‘Save for Export’ this is what you

need to select to import your orders into SIMS FMS.

Finally check all of your details are correct on the order review page.

Once you are happy click on ‘Place Order’. Please note: this won’t place the order with us; it sends it

to the eProcurement Hub ready for you to import into SIMS FMS.


You will now see the confirmation page stating that your order is ready to import in into your

system.

Requisition Form

On this page your will also see an option to ‘Print Requisition Form’.

This allows the person who built the order to print the order details which can be signed and passed

for approval.


Previous Orders

You can view previous orders built online by clicking on “Exported Orders” from the “My Account”

page. Here you can see if they have been loaded into SIMS FMS (either pending or processed) and

you also have the option to print another Requisition form.


Processing Orders and Invoices in SIMS FMS

Importing

To import your content orders from The Consortium eProcurement Hub into FMS click on

Focus > Accounts Payable > Import Orders / Invoices / Credit Notes


When the Import Progress box appears click on the ‘Import’ button.

The system will now connect to our eProcurement Hub and import any content orders and invoices.

Once completed you will be told how many orders and invoices have been imported.


Viewing Purchase Orders

The new orders will now appear at the top of the list of ‘Not Yet Authorised’ purchase orders.

Orders which have been imported via the website can only have order line quantities amended or

lines deleted, you are unable to add new lines at this point.

The special instructions on the order will be FAO: (Name of person who placed the order) anything

after the FAO: will be printed on the label of the box.

For next day delivery or delivery on a specific date, please change the delivery date in the drop down

box and apply the date of your choice.

Please note that ASAP is our standard 3-day delivery.

To change a ledger code and cost code please click ‘tag all’, click ‘edit tagged’ and change your codes

accordingly. Please note you can also change this at line level by clicking on the individual lines.


Sending Orders

Once authorised, click on the print button, this will send the orders back to the eProcurement Hub.

If you need a printed copy for your records click on print again, select “print single file” and this will

send a copy to your printer.

Please note. The first time you do this you may get the following error appear on your screen:

If this happens please re-enter your website password within the eProcurement settings from page 9

of this guide.


Receiving Invoices

Once you have received your order from us your invoice will be available for collection into FMS via

the eProcurement Hub.

You will also continue to receive a copy of this invoice in the traditional manner. Please do note

manually enter these invoices into SIMS FMS for the orders created via the eProcurement Hub

NB

1. You will receive invoices via the eProcurement Hub for orders placed after your activation

date of the invoicing facility.

2. The invoicing facility will be automatically activated upon sign up to the eProcurement Hub.

3. Any orders placed before the invoicing facility was activated will need to be manually

entered into FMS.

4. The eProcurement Hub will only contain invoices for orders which were placed via the

eProcurement Hub.

Any orders which are placed by other methods e.g. phone will need to be manually entered


Importing Invoices

Import the invoices by using the same option as you did for importing orders.

Focus > Accounts Payable > Import Orders/Invoices/Credit Notes

When an invoice has been downloaded go to:

Focus > Accounts Payable > Invoice / Credit Note and your invoice will be in the list.

You are then able to process your invoice as normal.

Importing Credits

Currently credits will be sent in the traditional manor, they will be available for download in the near

future.


Invoice and PO discrepancies

There may be occasions when your invoice and PO do not match. This will be one of three things.

1. A description mismatch, where we have updated the description of a product.

2. An item code has changed eg we have sent you an alternative product.

3. There is a price difference from the original order created on our website to the price of the

product when you processed the official order.

SIMS FMS will alert you to these discrepancies and the follow steps outline how these can be

checked.

Checking Discrepancies

In FMS go to Focus > Accounts Payable > Invoice / Credit Note

On the right had side of the table of invoices the green ticks indicate the invoice correlates to the PO

correctly. However any that have an exclamation mark indicate a mismatch and need to be

investigated

To do this, double click the invoice with the exclamation mark.


Now click on the yellow exclamation mark as highlighted below.

This will inform you of any lines on the invoice where there is a discrepancy

In this example it is showing you the price and product descriptions do not match between the PO

and invoice

Once you have reviewed the issues highlighted, you simply accept (or reject), the invoice as you

would through your standard process.

However, if you do reject the invoice, please contact our credit control department on 0845 330

7780.


Invoices Not Importing into SIMS

When importing invoices into SIMS FMS you may receive a message saying that either of the

documents is unable to be imported. This could be due to the invoice already having been keyed

into SIMS FMS and will result in errors, illustrated in the screenshot below.

Solution

Either our Credit Control team will have proactively contacted you, or we would request that you

contact them (0845 330 7780).

Credit Control will then take the appropriate action to stop this invoice from being downloaded.

Once this update has been completed the result is that the next time you press import you will

receive the message as below:

Document: {Invoice Number} cannot be found on the server.

This action then tells SIMS FMS to stop importing the document again.


This will mean that the invoice is no longer attempting to import.


Further Information

Visit www.educationsupplies.co.uk/eprocurementhub

http://www.educationsupplies.co.uk/eprocurementhub

Documents

SIMS FMS E-PROCUREMENT EASY REFERENCE GUIDE …€¦ · SIMS FMS – E-PROCUREMENT ... EASY REFERENCE GUIDE FOR IMPLEMENTING SEAMLESS INTEGRATION ACROSS YOUR ... This simple to use