Vendors & Suppliers

A vendor profile must be available in Accounting & Reporting at Columbia (ARC), the University’s financial system, in order to process payment requests for a guest/outside party, supplier, service provider, or consultant. This process is administered by the University's Vendor Management (VM) unit who is responsible for maintaining all vendor profiles. Our Business Office assists departments, centers, and programs in their efforts of requesting the creation and modification of domestic and international vendor profiles. If you have any questions, please contact the Vendors Team at [email protected].

Three Steps
  1. The first step before extending invitations to guests or purchasing goods and services from suppliers, service providers and consultants is to create a vendor profile. Please be sure to verify payment eligibility for international Guests based on their visa type. 
  2. The second step is to address any prerequisites or additional requirements that may apply to suppliers, service providers and consultants, depending on the type of goods and service they will provide, which must be fulfilled prior to commencing work or requesting payment.
  3. The third step is to submit any pending payment request via the G: Drive for payment processing or prepare an expense report on behalf of a domestic Guest in Concur Expense.
    Payment Types
    1. Goods and Services — payment for a supplier, service provider or consultant against invoice
    2. Honoraria — payment to a guest lecturer/outside party as an expression of thanks
    3. Reimbursements — reimbursement to a guest or in-class speaker for expenses incurred
    4. Prizes/Awards — payment to a Student who won a prize or was granted an award
    5. LRAP — Loan Repayment Assistance for eligible participants (Financial Aid Only)

    Vendor Profiles

    An online registration must be completed by the new vendor/payee in PaymentWorks where they create an account and add their banking information. Payee should complete the registration process within 24 hours and address any question/correction as soon as possible to avoid delays in the registration process. 

    To request a new vendor/payee, send an email with the following information to [email protected] with the subject: Create non-CU Profile: Payee's Name

    • Payee's Full Name
    • Payee's Email Address
    • Payment Type/Business Purpose
    • Is this an international person?
    • Is this person coming on-campus?
    IRS Forms: 
    Payment Eligibility

    The types of payment the University can make to Guests from other countries depend on their immigration status and visa type. Please verify payment eligibility by reviewing this chart which is based on DHS and IRS guidelines: Allowable Payments by Visa Type

    1. Business Office sends invitation to Payee from PaymentWorks
    2. Payee creates account in PaymentWorks and completes registration 
    3. PaymentWorks Team reviews registration within 5 business days 
    4. PaymentWorks Team approves invitation and creates Vendor ID*

    *If registration was completed successfully and was not returned for corrections.

    To verify if a vendor has an existing profile, submit a request with the following information to [email protected] with the subject: Vendor Inquiry: Payee's Full Name

    • Payee's Full Name
    • Payee's Email Address
    • Payment Type/Business Purpose
    • Is this an international person?
    • Is this person coming on-campus?

    The first step before purchasing promotional items is to choose one of the following vendors are licensed to use Columbia trademarks for promotional giveaway items: Approved Promotional Vendors

    The second step is to determine if the amount of the purchase will be less than or more than $2,500. Purchases from approved promotional vendors under $2,500 can be paid for using the P-Card. If the amount of the purchase is $2,500 or more, it will require the issuance of a Purchase Order. 

    The following vendors have already been vetted and approved by Columbia University. We strongly encourage you to choose from one of these vendors when organizing meetings and events: Approved Master Agreement Vendors