Transcepta Tips & Tricks

While most suppliers that receive a BearBuy purchase order (PO) are required to submit the invoice via Transcepta, there are limited exceptions. This series of tips, brought to you by the SCM Response Team, will demystify the process for invoices that cannot be submitted through Transcepta. 

Invoice is in foreign currency: 

The Transcepta system can only support invoices in USD. If a foreign currency invoice is unavoidable, it's best to ask the supplier to send their wire payment instructions along with the invoice. Include wire payment details along with a foreign currency invoice in an email to Accounts Payable for manual processing. Read more about wire payments on our website.

Supplier is another university: 

The Transcepta system can only support one payment remittance address per supplier which may be inadequate for universities that have multiple departments/labs. If you place an order (PO) with another university, and you aren't sure how they should submit the invoice to UCSF, please feel free to contact SCM Reponse Team for guidance. 

Watch for more SCM Response Team Transcepta Tips in upcoming editions of SCM News2Use.

In this second tip of this Transcepta series, we will focus on Meeting & Entertainment expenses. 

Facility Rentals: 

Use the facility rental form when a contract is needed. Due to policy compliance, payments for facility rentals are manually audited and entered by Accounts Payable (AP) to the BearBuy Facility Rental PO. Payment processing instructions can be found on the Supply Chain Management (SCM) website here. Facility rental invoices should not include any personal expenses, such as room service and transportation, that should otherwise be reimbursed via MyExpense. When a contract is involved, all payments must be processed on the BearBuy Facility Rental PO. Do not use personal payments such as payment via credit card to be reimbursed via MyExpense. Facility rentals cannot be paid using P-Card. 

Meeting & Entertainment Payment Request Form (M&E PRF): 

Use the M&E PRF when a contract is not needed. The M&E PRF will create a placeholder PO that is intended for internal UCSF use only. The placeholder PO should not be shared with the supplier. The supplier cannot submit an invoice to UCSF or through Transcepta referencing the placeholder PO. For more information about the process, please refer here. 

America to Go: 

Please ensure the agenda, attendee list, and proper approvals are included on the requisition. 

In this third tip of this Transcepta series, we will focus on purchases made outside of BearBuy.

Payment Requests:

The Payment Request Form may be used to request payment for transactions that don’t require a PO, including cell phone/phone lines (e.g., AT&T Mobility), community partner payments, donation/contribution, government fees/visas, guest lodging, honorarium, journal publication fees, memberships, postage/small package courier (e.g., FedEx), refunds, registration fees, student summer programs, subscriptions to periodicals, and utilities. These transactions do not require a PO, and the invoice should not be submitted via Transcepta. Rather, you will attach the invoice (or other required documentation) to the Payment Request Form in BearBuy.

After-the-Fact:

After-the-Fact purchases should be avoided —purchasing goods/services from a supplier without first establishing a PO is considered an "unauthorized purchase" per University of California policy Bus 43. The After-the-Fact form may be used to request payment of a supplier's invoice when a PO was not created for the purchase of goods/services prior to the supplier shipping goods or rendering services and the transaction does not fit the limited scope of the Payment Request Form. In these situations, you may request payment by submitting an After-the-Fact purchase. A valid invoice and completed After-the-Fact Justification form is required.

When you submit a Payment Request or After-the-Fact in BearBuy, you are requesting payment. Your department will approve the request (requisition), and then a voucher will automatically be generated in BearBuy for payment processing. The Payment Request and After-the-Fact purchases are not valid for Transcepta submission. Please do not provide the internal PO number to the supplier as this will confuse the supplier.

When the department submits a PRF/ATF an invoice is required. We ask that the supplier provide an invoice that meets Accounts Payable’s basic invoicing requirements:     

• No quotes, estimates, or pro forma   
• Invoice billed to UCSF 
• Supplier remittance address information 
• Invoice date and invoice number  
• Total amount due for that invoice 
• No manual alterations on invoice details 

Paying Subcontractors:

Subcontract invoices are not submitted via Transcepta. Please carefully follow the Subcontract Invoice Approval process to avoid payment delays. Once approved, do the following:

• The UCSF department (not the supplier) submits the invoice to SCM Accounts Payable (AP) Subcontract Email. 
• Attach the invoice and any backup documentation as a single PDF. Include all pertinent information or notes on the invoice/attachment. The inbox is automated, and information in the subject or body of the email will not be read. Please do not merge invoices; each invoice should be a separate PDF.
• For invoices signed by the P.I. via DocuSign, download the invoice from DocuSign as a PDF and type “Pre-Approved” as the first word in the email subject line.

The following information must appear on the invoice (PDF):

• Name of Subcontractor
• Subrecipient Name, Address, and Contact Information - Essential for identifying the subcontractor and for any necessary follow-up. 
• Remit Address - Where payments should be sent, crucial for ensuring the invoice payment is directed to the correct location. 
• UCSF Subcontract Number or UCSF Funded Research Agreement (UFRA) Number - Important for tracking and managing subcontractor agreements. The subcontract number format is four or five digits, e.g., 1234sc, 12345sc. The UFRA number format is three digits, e.g., UFRA-123. 
• Invoice Number
• Invoice Date
• Invoice Amount
• Chartstring - The UCSF department is to provide the information on the invoice/attachment. 
• Period Covered - Helps verify if the invoicing period falls within the authorization period and if the Accounts Payable is active. 
• Payment Information Advance or Offset - When invoices are generated to offset or utilize the advance payment, the UCSF department is to provide the information on the invoice/attachment. Details should be added stating, “$__ offset advance and pay $___ to subcontractor” on how the payment should be processed. 

Suppliers can contact Transcepta Support for general invoicing issues by emailing [email protected]  or calling (949) 382-2841. Additional guidance can be found on the Transcepta website. Below are some common invoicing errors in Transcepta and how they can be resolved:

• Invalid Purchase Order Number Format?  The supplier should attempt to resubmit the invoice using the correct Purchase Order number format beginning with B00. There should not be spaces or special characters.
• Purchase Order is Closed? The UCSF campus department that placed the order would need to provide a new Purchase Order (PO) or have the existing PO reopened. Contact SCM Response Team for assistance in reopening the PO. New POs should reference the previous PO number and Invoice number so that the order is not duplicated.
• Purchase Order is Not in Transcepta? Purchase Orders (POs) are available for billing in Transcepta one business day after PO creation. Suppliers should wait at least one business day to resubmit the invoice.
• Invoice Total Amount Does Not Add Up Correctly? Suppliers should review the invoice submission for calculation errors and refer to the resource materials for submitting invoices in Transcepta.
• Purchase Order Does Not Match Your Supplier Name? Contact the SCM Response Team to verify that the Supplier Name and Supplier ID number in BearBuy matches the Transcepta profile. 

Yes. You can determine if a supplier is registered with Transcepta by viewing the Voucher Source within BearBuy. If the Voucher Source is labeled as “Invoice Import”, the supplier has been successfully submitting invoices via Transcepta.

Here’s how you look up the voucher source within BearBuy:

1. Login to your UCSF MyAccess account.
2. Click on the BearBuy link to open the application.
3. On the left-hand side, locate the orders icon (third from the top) and click on it.

4.  Enter the supplier name in the quick search box and search for the supplier
5.  From the Type of Order dropdown, check Voucher and click Apply.

6.  Select the most recently submitted Voucher from the results and scroll down to Voucher Source located on the left side column.

7.  If the Voucher Source reads Invoice Import, then your supplier is registered with and submits invoices through Transcepta.

It is important to note that a user’s ability to view voucher information is dependent on user access within BearBuy. If your search yields limited or no results, try having your department’s assigned approvers, such as Requisition Approvers, Voucher Approver, Match Exception Approver, etc., initiate the search.

If you have additional questions about vouchers or Transcepta, please submit a ticket to the SCM Response Team using this form.