Statewide Financial System for New York State
Vendor Guide to New York State’s Centralized
Vendor Management Processes
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Introduction
Introduction
| New York State’s implementation of a Statewide Financial System (SFS) provides many benefits to the State and its vendors. One of the benefits of SFS is the establishment of the New York State Vendor File, a centralized repository to maintain timely and reliable information on all vendors registered to do business with the State. The Office of the State Comptroller’s Bureau of State Expenditures created the Vendor Management Unit (VMU) to manage this file. The purpose of this manual is to provide the information and guidance vendors need to register with the State and update their information after they are registered. The VMU has created this manual in a format that allows vendors to navigate based on specific questions in order to seek out specific answers. Please email any additional questions or suggestions for improvements to this page to VMU@osc.state.ny.us. Thank you for doing business with New York State. |
What Is a New York State Vendor?
| A New York State vendor is any business entity, individual, not-for-profit, municipality/local government, or school district that provides goods or services to, has an ongoing relationship with or receives payment from New York State. | ||
What Is the New York State Vendor File?
| The New York State Vendor File is a centralized database of all vendors that provide goods or services to, have an ongoing relationship with or receive payment from New York State. The file identifies each vendor by a State-assigned ten-digit vendor number instead of by its federal Tax Identification Number, which is currently used by New York State. The New York State Vendor File standardizes vendor information for all State Business Units. This will help reduce payment-processing time, allow vendors to manage their own State vendor records and improve vendor reporting. |
Must a Business Register Prior to Bidding on State Contracts?
| The Vendor Management Unit’s policy is that Business Units will not initiate vendor registration for potential bidders. A State Business Unit will initiate vendor registration when it intends to enter into a business relationship with a bidder that is not already a registered New York State vendor. |
Who Manages the New York State Vendor File?
| The Office of the State Comptroller’s Bureau of State Expenditures created the Vendor Management Unit (VMU) to manage the Vendor File. The VMU is responsible for the daily operations, maintenance and audit of all vendor records. The New York State Business Units are responsible for collecting and submitting vendor data to the VMU for vendor registration. The VMU will issue the vendor a New York State Vendor ID when review of the data is completed. |
Who Maintains the Data on the New York State Vendor File?
| Vendors that receive New York State Vendor IDs will be responsible for ensuring the accuracy of their data on the Vendor File. This information includes legal business name, address, contact information and banking information. It is important all information is correct for payment processing. When changes are necessary, the vendor must take the appropriate steps to update and/or correct the data on the Vendor File. (Refer to Maintenance for instructions.) |
Registration
How Do I Become a Registered New York State Vendor?
| To establish the New York State Vendor File, the Vendor Management Unit pre-populated the file with a core set of data provided by existing vendors. Vendors that provided this data are currently registered and have been assigned New York State Vendor IDs. These vendors will not need to register again. (Refer to How Do I Know if I Have a New York State Vendor ID to confirm your registration.) State Business Units will initiate the vendor registration process when they want to do business with an entity that is not a registered New York State vendor. The New York State Business Unit will contact the vendor to collect the information necessary to enroll the vendor in the New York State Vendor File. |
What Information Is Needed to Become a New York State Vendor?
| New York State Business Units will work with vendors with which they are doing business to determine if the vendor is registered on the New York State Vendor File. If the vendor is not a registered New York State vendor, the agency is responsible for collecting the necessary data to add a new vendor to the New York State Vendor File. The Office of the State Comptroller has created a New York State Substitute Form W-9 for vendors to submit to the requesting New York State Business Unit when registering to become a New York State vendor. The New York State Substitute W-9 form requires the legal name of the vendor, the federal Tax Identification Number (TIN), the remittance address and contact information for the vendor. The New York State Substitute W-9 form is the only documentation New York State will accept to register a vendor. The Vendor Management Unit (VMU) relies on the State Business Units to obtain a completed Substitute Form W-9 for any vendor not already registered with a New York State Vendor ID. Any vendor that wishes to do business with New York State must complete the Substitute Form W-9 and submit it to the requesting New York State Business Unit for processing. The State Comptroller is responsible for accurate tax reporting of all reportable disbursements made through the Statewide Financial System. The VMU uses the data collected on the New York State Substitute Form W-9 to validate your TIN. This ensures the accuracy of information contained in the Vendor File and avoids backup withholding. (Refer to What is Backup Withholding? for more information.) If you are a foreign vendor, refer to Foreign Vendors for information on the registration process. Once a vendor has submitted a Substitute Form W-9 and has received a New York State Vendor ID, there is no need to resubmit additional Substitute W-9 forms when doing business with other New York State Business Units. Vendors will use the issued New York State Vendor ID when doing business with all New York State Business Units. |
What Is a Valid Federal Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)?
| As part of the New York State vendor registration process, the Vendor Management Unit requires a valid United States-issued TIN and Legal Business Name. A valid TIN is a Social Security number, an Employer Identification Number or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. Vendors are required to have valid TINs in order for New York State to comply with the Internal Revenue Service federal reporting regulations. The State Comptroller is responsible for accurate tax reporting of all reportable disbursements made through the Statewide Financial System. The VMU uses the data collected on the New York State Substitute Form W-9 to validate your TIN. This ensures the accuracy of information contained in the Vendor File and avoids backup withholding. Refer to What is Backup Withholding? for more information.) Each foreign vendor doing business with New York State is required to have a United States-issued TIN or have a valid exemption. (Refer to Foreign Vendors for information on this process.) |
What If I Do Not Have a Federal Tax Identification Number (TIN)?
| All vendors, except foreign vendors with valid exemptions, are required to have valid United States-issued TINs to become New York State vendors. A valid TIN is necessary in order for New York State to comply with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) federal reporting regulations. If you need to obtain a TIN, contact the IRS directly to apply. Apply online at www.irs.gov or call toll-free (800) 829-4933. International applicants must call the IRS at (215) 516-6999 (not toll-free). If you are a foreign vendor, refer to Foreign Vendors doing Business with New York State. |
How Do I Know If I Have a Registered New York State Vendor ID?
| The Statewide Financial System (SFS) Program will send an email to the designated vendor contact on file containing the issued New York State Vendor ID and instructions for initial login into the Vendor Self Service portal, when available. A vendor that knows it has been issued a New York State Vendor ID but does not know what it is can:
Phone: (855) 233-8363 or (518) 457-7717 |
What If I Did Not Receive an Email Notifying Me of My New York State Vendor ID?
Any vendor that submitted a New York State Substitute Form W-9 to a New York State Business Unit and has not received notification of its Vendor ID via an email or letter should:
Phone: (855) 233-8363 or (518) 457-7717 |
What Are Some Potential Problems When Registering for a New York State Vendor ID?
The New York State Business Unit will contact each vendor with any problems that occurred during the registration process.
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What If My Federal Tax Identification Number (TIN) Was Not Validated by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?
| As part of the registration process, the Vendor Management Unit submits each vendor’s TIN and Legal Business Name to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for validation. The IRS validates that the TIN was issued for the Legal Business Name the vendor provided to New York State. If the VMU cannot validate this information with the IRS, the vendor will be notified. It is the vendor’s responsibility to resolve any issues pertaining to validation. To resolve any issues with validation, do the following:
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Foreign Vendors
What Is a Foreign Vendor?
| A foreign vendor can include a corporation that was created or organized outside the United States and has a legal address outside the United States, or an individual whose permanent residence is outside the United States. It is critical the Vendor File contains the information that Business Units need in order to administer an approved contract, create a purchase order or process a payment in the Statewide Financial System (SFS). All vendors, including foreign vendors, must be registered with New York State and included in the Vendor File. |
How Do Foreign Vendors Register with New York State?
| The State Comptroller is responsible for accurate tax reporting of all reportable expenditures made through the Statewide Financial System. When registering a foreign vendor, the Vendor Management Unit uses the Foreign Vendor Registration Request Form completed by the New York State Business Unit, in conjunction with the appropriate Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form W-8 or Form 8233, to ensure accuracy of information contained in the Vendor File and to avoid backup withholding. (Refer to Am I Exempt from Backup Withholding?) Any foreign vendor that wishes to do business with New York State must complete the IRS Form W-8 or Form 8233. The Office of the State Comptroller relies on the State Business Units to obtain a completed IRS form for any vendor not already registered with a New York State Vendor ID.* The available IRS forms for foreign vendors are as follows: Form W-8 ECI – Certificate of Foreign Person’s Claim for Exemption From Withholding on Income Effectively Connected With the Conduct of a Trade or Business in the United States Form W-8 BEN – Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner for United States Tax Withholding Form W-8 EXP – Certificate of Foreign Government or Other Foreign Organization for United States Tax Withholding Form W-8 IMY – Certificate of Foreign Intermediary, Foreign Flow-Through Entity, or Certain US Branches for United States Tax Withholding Form 8233 – Exemption From Withholding on Compensation for Independent (and certain dependent) Personal Services of a Nonresident Alien Individual * Please note, if you have submitted the appropriate forms and have received a New York State Vendor ID, there is no need to resubmit additional IRS forms when doing business with multiple New York State Business Units. You will use the issued New York State Vendor ID when doing business with all New York State Business Units. The appropriate IRS forms must be submitted to the requesting New York State Business Unit for processing. |
New York State Vendor Self Service
New York State Vendor Self Service
New York State Vendor Self Service is the online application a vendor can use to maintain addresses, contact information, and inquire about the status of a purchase order, invoice or payment. This online application is the preferred method to perform maintenance to a vendor’s New York State vendor account information on the Vendor File. |
Enrollment
How Do I Enroll in New York State Vendor Self Service?
Each registered New York State vendor will receive an email that will include its New York State Vendor ID and instructions on how to enroll in the online Vendor Self Service application. |
What If I Declined the Initial Opportunity to Sign Up for the Online Vendor Self Service?
If the vendor declined the opportunity but now wishes to enroll in the online Vendor Self Service application, the vendor should contact the SFS Help Desk: |
How Do I Obtain a Vendor Self Service User ID and Password?
If the vendor does not have a valid email address on record, refer to How Do I Change Existing Contact Information? |
Who Is the Primary Contact?
The Primary Contact is the person within the vendor’s organization who is authorized to represent the vendor and who makes legal and financial decisions for the organization. This person was identified and designated as the vendor’s Primary Contact on file when the vendor was registered with New York State. |
Who Is the Primary Contact Assigned to My Vendor Record?
The designated Primary Contact on file is the person within the vendor’s organization who was authorized to represent the vendor. This is typically the person who makes legal and financial decisions for the organization. |
What If the Designated Primary Contact Leaves the Organization?
Refer to for instructions on how to change vendor contacts using the Online Vendor Self Service portal or by a manual paper process. |
Login
How Do I Login to the Online Vendor Self Service Application?
How Do I Change My New York State Vendor Self Service Password?
What If I Forget My New York State Self Service User ID and Password?
When a vendor cannot remember its New York State Vendor Self Service User ID or Password, the vendor should contact the SFS Help Desk: |
What if I Am Locked Out of My New York State Vendor Self Service User Account?
When a vendor cannot remember its New York State Vendor Self Service User ID or Password, the vendor should contact the SFS Help Desk: |
I Am a Delegated Guest User, How Do I Login to the System?
Upon becoming a registered New York State Vendor, the person designated as the vendor’s primary contact will have the ability to designate additional users’access to New York State Vendor Self Service. The primary contact adds the new user, creates login and password information, designates roles and for which supplier, and must send the new user the URL Link, assigned user ID and password. View steps here. |
User Roles
What Are the Vendor Self Service User Roles?
There are two types of user roles that can access the vendor’s Online Vendor Self Service Account, an administrator role and a guest role. |
Can There Be More Than One Administrator Role Associated With My Online Vendor Self Service Account?
Yes. It is up to the vendor’s Primary Contact to share the provided Vendor Self Service User login credentials with the individual to whom he/she wishes to give an administrative role. To understand the Online Vendor Self Service roles, refer to What Are the Vendor Self Service User Roles? To login to the Online Vendor Self Service, refer to How Do I Login to the Online Vendor Self Service Application? |
How Do I Delegate Additional Administrator User Roles to Access My Vendor Information?
When a vendor would like to delegate an additional Administrator User Roles to access its vendor information, the Primary Contact should share the provided Vendor Self Service User login credentials with the individual to whom he/she wishes to give an administrative role in order to create his/her own User ID and password to access the Online Vendor Self-Service system. |
How Do I Delegate Additional Guest User Roles to Access My Vendor Information?
The vendor’s Primary Contact or other administrator role may provide additional users with access to New York State Vendor Self Service. The Primary Contact adds the new user, creates login and password information, designates roles and for which vendor (supplier), and must email the new user a link to the URL, and the assigned user ID and password. |
User Access
How Do I Disable an Administrative User Access to the Online Vendor Self Service Portal?
In order to disable an administrative user’s access to the online Vendor Self Service application, the vendor’s primary contact should contact the SFS Help Desk: |
How Do I Disable a Guest User Access to the Online Vendor Self Service Portal?
Review Payments
How do I review Purchase Order, Invoice and Payment information in eSupplier?
Maintenance
How Do I Make Changes to My Vendor Information?
| Once registered, the vendor is responsible for ensuring its information on the Vendor File is accurate. There are two ways to maintain Vendor File information: online, using the New York State Vendor Self Service application or manually, by submitting the appropriate form(s) to New York State. New York State Vendor Self Service is the preferred method for vendors to update their account information. |
To process a name change, use the “OSC Use Only” box located at the bottom of the Substitute Form W-9 to enter your current New York State Vendor ID. This will allow the Vendor Management Unit (VMU) to locate the current record to update.
With the Substitute Form W-9, submit a letter stating the following:
- New Vendor Name (including any additional record changes)
- Reason for change
- Date the change becomes effective
- Current New York State Vendor ID
- Name of the person to contact with any questions regarding the change(s). Please include a phone number and an email address.
Submit both the Substitute Form W-9 and letter to the VMU via email
(vendupdate@osc.state.ny.us), fax (518) 402-4212 or mail to:
New York State Office of the State Comptroller
Vendor Management Unit
110 State Street – Mail Drop 10-4
Albany, NY 12236-0001
The VMU will match the new Vendor Name and Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) to the Internal Revenue Service records to ensure the name change is valid prior to changing the vendor name. The VMU will notify the vendor by email (if email address is on file) that a change request has been processed.
Albany, NY 12236-0001
New York State Office of the State Comptroller
Vendor Management Unit
110 State Street – Mail Drop 10-4
Albany, NY 12236-0001
Manual Process
To make additions or changes to addresses, vendors will need to complete an Add or Change Vendor Address form.
To process multiple additions/changes, vendors need to use the Add or Change Vendor Address Continuation form and transmit this with the first Add or Change Vendor Address form.
To process a deletion of an address on the vendor record, vendors need to complete a Delete Vendor Address form.
Vendors must submit completed forms to the Vendor Management Unit via email (vendupdate@osc.state.ny.us), fax (518) 402-4212 or mail to:
New York State Office of the State Comptroller
Vendor Management Unit
110 State Street – Mail Drop 10-4
Albany, NY 12236-0001
In order to make contact changes to the information on file, login to the Vendor Self Service portal using the username and password. To initially login to the Vendor Self-Service portal refer to How Do I Login to the Online Vendor Self Service Application?
Only the New York State Vendor Self Service users with administrative roles are able to add, delete or update an existing Primary Contact. To update an existing Primary Contact, refer to How Do I Change Existing Contact Information? or How Do I Add a Contact to Take Effect At a Future Date? To add a Primary Contact, refer to How Do I Add a Contact to My NYS Vendor Record? To delete a Primary Contact, refer to How Do I Delete an Existing Contact?
Manual Process
A vendor will need to complete an Add, Change or Delete Vendor Contact Information form and submit the form to the Vendor Management Unit via email (vendupdate@osc.state.ny.us), fax (518) 402-4212 or mail to:
New York State Office of the State Comptroller
Vendor Management Unit
110 State Street – Mail Drop 10-4
Albany, NY 12236-0001
View steps here.
To change an email address, refer to How Do I Change Existing Contact Information?
A vendor will need to complete an Add, Change or Delete Vendor Contact Information form and submit the form to the Vendor Management Unit via email (vendupdate@osc.state.ny.us), fax (518) 402-4212 or mail to:
New York State Office of the State Comptroller
Vendor Management Unit
110 State Street – Mail Drop 10-4
Albany, NY 12236-0001Business Structure
The vendor should submit both the Substitute Form W-9 and letter to the VMU via email (vendupdate@osc.state.ny.us), fax (518) 402-4212 or mail to:
- Updated New York State Substitute Form W-9
- A letter stating the type of organizational change, date the change becomes effective, any current New York State contract numbers (if applicable) and any New York State Vendor IDs of vendor(s) associated with the change. If the organizational change applies to an existing contract(s), the letter should also include how the contract(s) are affected.
New York State Office of the State Comptroller
Vendor Management Unit
110 State Street – Mail Drop 10-4
Albany, NY 12236-0001
The designated contact will receive an email with the new New York State Vendor ID if applicable.
Federal Reporting
For any questions regarding your 1099 information return, contact the Office of the State Comptroller’s Bureau of State Expenditures, Federal Reporting Unit, via email (fedrep@osc.state.ny.us), fax (518) 473-4392 or mail to:
New York State Office of the State Comptroller
Federal Reporting Unit
110 State Street – Mail Drop 10-4
Albany, NY 12236-0001
Backup Withholding is an Internal Revenue Service regulation under which a percentage of a payment is withheld from a vendor due to inaccurate or missing federal Taxpayer Identification information.
Generally, 1099 reportable payments made by New York State are subject to backup withholding. Exemption from backup withholding applies to government and non-United States business. Refer to the Internal Revenue Service website www.irs.gov for additional guidance.
Other Resources
