What to consider before buying goods and services using My Oracle

Using My Oracle

Our purchasing system, My Oracle, is like an online shopping website where you can add goods and services to a shopping basket. It allows us to automate interactions with your suppliers and to process payments.

It is paper-free and it allows suppliers to send us online invoices.

The paying for goods and services process diagram (PDF, 200KB) shows an overview of the purchase to pay process when buying goods or services, from creating a requisition to the supplier being paid.

Other payment options to consider

Not all payments for goods and services are made through My Oracle.

Purchase cards (P-Cards) can be used for one off purchases of less than £2,000 (two thousand) where the supplier is not on My Oracle and there are no corporate contracts that cover your requirement.

The Electronic Payment Request tool may be used where it is not possible or practicable to use My Oracle or a P-Card. It can be used to pay for one off goods and services purchases under the value of £10,000 (ten thousand) where the supplier is not on My Oracle, and we will never trade with them again.

Your financial responsibilities

You should make yourself aware of your financial responsibilities when using the system and spending the council’s money.

My Oracle supports our Financial Regulations (Chapter 8 income and expenditure) (PDF, 1.6MB), which drives best practice when making payments to our suppliers.

Contact the P2P team

To get support or ask a question about the buying process, contact the P2P through the Assyst portal by selecting ‘Financial Services’ and then ‘Purchase to Pay (P2P)’.

External suppliers with support with invoicing and payment queries should contact AP.servicecentre@essex.gov.uk.