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Electronic invoicing for suppliers

Electronic invoicing, or eInvoicing, is a safe, fast and environmentally responsible way to do business with us. We partner with the SAP Ariba Network to provide our suppliers with a cloud-based solution to manage orders and invoices centrally and to use Early Payment Offers (EPO) to meet your changing cash flow needs.

Join the Ariba Network free of charge to get started

You'll need an Ariba Network account to transact with us. All transaction and account fees are waived so you can use your account, the Ariba Help Center, and the Ariba Supplier Mobile App, all free of charge.

Contact the BC Hydro Accounts Payable Helpdesk to register your account. Then, use our eInvoicing Supplier User Guide [PDF, 3.9 MB] to get up and running on the Ariba Network quickly and easily so you can start managing your orders, invoice and payment discounts right away.

The Ariba Help Centre is your one-stop shop for support on the Ariba Network. Log in to your Ariba Network account and click the '?' Help Centre icon in the upper-right corner. The help centre has tutorials, FAQs, and other helpful materials. You can also access help by email, chat, or phone.

You can find our eInvoicing Supplier User Guide [PDF, 3.9 MB] and other helpful information in the portal. To access the portal, log in to your Ariba Network account. Now click on the Account Settings icon in the upper right corner of your Ariba homepage, then select Settings and Customer Relationships.

Email our BC Hydro Accounts Payable Helpdesk or call 604 663 3572 and we'll help you get started.

Update your Company Profile and Account Settings directly within your Ariba account then contact your BC Hydro Rep to update your information in our systems. See the eInvoicing Supplier User Guide [PDF, 3.9 MB] section Keep Your Account Current for more information.

The Ariba Supplier Mobile App allows you to access your Ariba account from your mobile device. You can use the app to manage your transactions directly from your iPhone, iPad, or Android device. You can access the mobile app from the App Store or Google Play.

Invoicing

Suppliers prepare and submit their invoices for payment electronically from their Ariba Network account. Invoicing is quick and can be done from anywhere on any electronic device; computer, laptop, smart phone or tablet.

See our eInvoicing Supplier User Guide [PDF, 3.9 MB] for tips on preparing and submitting your invoices for payment.

Email our BC Hydro Accounts Payable Helpdesk or call 604 663 3572 and we'll help you with any questions.

No, your order and an approved Service Entry Sheet must appear in Ariba before you can invoice. BC Hydro now requires an approved Service Entry Sheet in the system as a confirmation of the received services before suppliers can invoice.

A complete and accurate invoice is the best way to help us pay you on time.

If you have a Purchase Order (PO) your invoice must be addressed to BC Hydro and include the following:

  1. An invoice number.
  2. Total invoice value, with taxes clearly identified.
  3. Quantity and unit price.
  4. GST / HST Registration Number (if you're charging GST / HST).
  5. A BC Hydro Purchase Order Number.
  6. Service Entry Sheet number
  7. Contact name and email address of person responsible for your invoicing process.
  8. Invoice attachment needs to be a PDF.

If your invoice is missing information, it can't be processed and will be returned to you for correction.

BC Hydro pays invoice terms from date of receipt.

Questions? Email us at accountspayable@bchydro.com or call 604 663 3572.

Suppliers can turn on the SES notifications by logging in to Ariba and follow the below steps (see page 5 of the eInvoicing Supplier User Guide [PDF, 3.9 MB] for more information) 
  1. Click on company settings
  2. Click on notifications.
  3. Click on network notifications.
  4. Click on all check boxes beside Service Sheet Failure and Service Sheet Status Change.
  5. Enter up ​to 3 email addresses for each notification.
  6. Click on Save.

As of August 4, 2020, BC Hydro will pay the full amount of GST up-front on contracts that are subject to a holdback. We’ll release the holdback amount when the project is complete. Under the new process, there is no longer a requirement for the supplier to issue an invoice and collect GST on the holdback amount. BC Hydro will automatically make the payment. 

However, there are instances where payments would have been made on contracts before or after the change in process on August 4, 2020. When the holdback is released on these projects, an invoice will still be required to collect GST on the holdback amounts deducted prior to August 4, 2020. See a full description of the updated process
 

  1. As the supplier, you’ll complete services based on contractual obligations according to BC Hydro’s terms and conditions.
  2. You’ll then issue a second invoice for the holdback amount and the remainder of the GST amount only if the previous invoices were processed before August 4, 2020 and the invoice was billed a net of holdback and collected GST on the net amount. 
    Note: If your previous invoices were processed after August 4, 2020, you’re not required to issue a second invoice for the holdback as long as your initial invoice was billed in full.
  3. We’ll complete and approve the Holdback Release Certificate Form and submit it to our Accounts Payable department for payment.
  4. The holdback payment is then released.

Payment

For Canadian suppliers, payment is made by direct deposit using Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT). For international suppliers, payment is made by wire transfer, bank draft or cheque at BC Hydro's discretion.

An authorized BC Hydro representative will provide you with our Direct Deposit Application Form to collect your banking information. When you're ready, email the completed form back to the same BC Hydro representative for processing.

No, please don't enter any banking information in your Ariba account. Your banking information is part of your BC Hydro supplier profile and should only be provided to an authorized BC Hydro representative.

Notify your BC Hydro representative to update your banking and payment information in our systems. If you don’t have a BC Hydro representative, email our BC Hydro Accounts Payable Helpdesk or call 604 663 3572.

Early payment offers

Our Early Payment Offer program (EPO) allows our suppliers to take early payment in exchange for a discount.

All approved invoices are eligible for EPOs. EPOs are easy to use, completely optional and can be accepted on an invoice-by-invoice basis. Payment discounts are applied only to the EPOs you accept; if you don't want to accept the EPO, simply ignore the offer and your invoice will be paid on your usual scheduled payment date. See the Early Payment Offers section in our eInvoicing Supplier User Guide [PDF, 3.9 MB] to set up and manage your EPOs.

The discount percentage is calculated daily on a sliding scale and will decrease the closer you get to your scheduled payment date.

You can see your EPOs in the Ariba Inbox Early Payment tab, but you'll also want to turn on EPO email notification [PDF, 3.9 MB] to receive your EPOs via email.

Yes, you can set up EPO Auto Acceptance Rules [PDF, 3.9 MB] to automatically accept EPOs for you.