Lubricants procurement

This information is relevant to third-party suppliers to the bp lubricants business globally, whose Legal Entity details can be found within the 'Update your details' section below. This includes manufacturing and market lubricants and related products and services to the automotive, industrial, marine and energy markets.

On this site we provide guidance on the standard ordering and invoicing method for goods and services, on payment methods, on how to update your details and much more. You will find links to each of these and to our terms and conditions below.

Considering these requirements will allow a better collaboration and cooperation between us and can greatly improve the efficiency of our operation.

Transacting with us

This page provides information about ordering and payment methods, together with expectations when transacting with bp lubricants.

This information is relevant to third-party suppliers of goods and services to the bp lubricants business.

Ordering and payment channels

bp lubricants has two core channels available for transacting with third-party suppliers. The preferred channel varies based on the type of transaction and the amount.

• Credit card (procurement card): For approved low value purchases, Visa or MasterCard can be used as a method of payment.
• Purchase order: For the purchase of goods and / or services which is subject to BP's standard terms and conditions of purchase or references an agreement.

Credit card (procurement card)

For low-value expenditure, where suppliers accept payment by Visa or MasterCard, the preferred payment method bp lubricants adopts is via procurement card.

Process

Your bp lubricants representative will make contact with you for a quote of the required Goods / Services. At this point make your bp lubricants representative aware that you can accept payment by procurement card.

Should the goods / services be suitable for procurement card payment your bp representative will provide instruction to supply by phone or via the internet for example.

Payment will be made by your bp representative utilizing their procurement card. 

Where payments are being made by procurement card you should email the (VAT) receipt / invoice marked as paid and addressed to the relevant Legal entity, direct to your bp representative. The invoice must clearly indicate “PAID-IN-FULL”. Ensure you have your bp representatives direct email address for this purpose. Please do not submit duplicate invoices unless specifically asked to do so.

Purchase order

If a purchase order is necessary, you must not start work on behalf of BP lubricants or supply goods to us until the purchase order has been received by you.

If you have not received a purchase order you should contact your business representative directly. 

Process

Your bp lubricants representative will make contact with you for a quote of the required goods / services.

Your bp lubricants representative will use this quote to raise the relevant purchase order.

Upon receipt of the purchase order we request that you supply the goods / services within the indicated time frame.

Should you be unable to fulfil the order requirements, email your bp representative with full details.

Once you have dispatched the goods or agreed the value of the services with your bp lubricants representative, please submit your invoice for payment to the stated bill to address on your purchase order.

Payment will be made in accordance with the relevant payment terms.

Return to vendor policy

bp lubricants operates a return to vendor process and as per contractual agreements, holds the right to return invoices should they fall short of certain criteria.

bp lubricants will not accept invoices if:

• The document type is not specified (invoice or credit note).
• It quotes an incorrect bp name and / or address.
• The invoice currency does not match the purchase order currency.
• It holds an incorrect or an invalid purchase order number.
• It holds incorrect VAT %.
• Some details on the invoice are illegible.
• There is a missing or illogical invoice date.
• The invoice number is missing.
• There is a missing or incorrect supplier VAT registration number.
• The vendor details are missing.
• The bp VAT registration number is missing or incorrect.
• The purchase order number is missing.
• It is a duplicate invoice.
• The invoice has been manually amended (defaced).
• The document does not quantify the goods or services sold.
• No exchange rate is quoted. Applicable to invoices that quote local VAT that are in a different currency to that of the legal entity’s home currency.

Should a document be received by bp lubricants that contains any of the above inaccuracies, it will be rejected by us and returned to you for correction. It will be returned to the email address that we have for your company for correction. Please ensure we always hold the correct up-to-date information for you.

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Invoice submission guidelines

To ensure timely payment of invoices, you'll need to comply with our invoice submission guidelines

When to submit

Invoices must only be submitted to us after the start of work or supply of goods.

What to submit

Invoices must contain:

• The purchase order number.
• The document type (invoice or credit note).
• The bp name.
• An invoice date and number.
• The vendor name and address.
• Vendor VAT registration number (where VAT registered).
• An itemised breakdown of all charges, consistent with the type of purchase order raised.
• Bank details for the account receiving the payment.
• The exchange rate quoted where invoices quote local VAT that are in a different currency to that of the legal entity’s home currency.

If you have not received a physical purchase order for goods or services that you are being asked to provide to us, you should contact your business representative directly.

Invoices must be in a computer generated format and be compliant with tax office or Inland Revenue Office legislation, based on the relevant tax jurisdiction.

Finding information on a purchase order

The purchase order number can be found in the ‘Information’ section at the top left hand side of your purchase order.

The bill to address can be found in the lower box on the left hand side of your purchase order.

How to submit

Submit your invoice to the correct location based on the legal entity making the purchase and the agreed payment method.

Purchasing card 

For payments by purchasing card, send the (VAT) receipt, or invoice clearly marked as 'PAID-IN-FULL', directly to your bp representative via email.

Purchase order

Send all invoices directly to the email address (or postal address) noted in the 'bill to address’ box on the first page of the purchase order.

Email is the preferred way to submit invoices (where legally possible).

Emailing invoices

Although submitting your invoices (or credit notes) to us via post is still acceptable where a postal address is quoted on the Purchase Order, the easiest and quickest way is to email us.

If you are emailing an invoice:

• Invoices must be in PDF format.
• There should only be one invoice per file and one file per email.
• The email address should be in the 'to' field, not the 'cc' field.
• There should not be text or signatures in the body of the email.
• Your email should not be encrypted.
• The size of your email should not exceed 25mb.

What not to do

Invoices must not:

• Include any unauthorized charges.
• Exceed the total value of the purchase order.
• Include any credit line items. These should be sent through as a separate credit note.

Invoice payments

Payment of an invoice depends on the payment terms we have agreed with you, the date when an invoice is received, and the accuracy and completeness of the invoice.

Our standard payment terms are 60 days, unless otherwise agreed with our Procurement team. The payment term is quoted in the information box at the top left hand side of your purchase order.

Payment dates are calculated from the date the invoice is received into our ERP system. If you have not received payment for an invoice, please contact us by emailing the invoice query email address as stated on your purchase order.

The invoice query email address can be found in the Information box at the top left hand side of your purchase order.

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Purchase to pay checklist

Before commencing any work on behalf of us or supplying any goods to us, you should complete the purchase to pay checklist

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Update your details

Existing transactional suppliers can update their details via email.

If you need to update your details and you are one of our existing transactional suppliers, you can contact us using the relevant email address below:

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The above information is general only about ordering and payment methods for bp lubricants. In the event of any conflict between these provisions and those contained in a specific PO and / or Contract, the PO or Contract (as appropriate) will take precedence.

Note that each Lubricants Legal Entity may hold differing Terms and Conditions, so please ensure you refer to your country Terms and Conditions for specific details.

If you have any queries, please contact your bp business representative.