Coupa FAQs
The Coupa Supplier Portal (CSP) is free to use and lets Babcock suppliers receive purchase orders and sourcing requests, create invoices online, and manage catalogues all in one place.
We’ll send an invitation to your main contact as part of our onboarding process. Once that email arrives, just click the link and you can register in under five minutes. If the invite hasn’t reached you, send us a note at [email protected] and we’ll resend it. After you’ve signed up, your CSP account will automatically link to Babcock.
If you already have a CSP account, you’re most of the way there. We’ll still send you a Babcock CSP invitation so we can set your company up properly in our system. Once you accept that invite, you’ll be able to link Babcock to your existing account.
There’s no need to let us know that you already use Coupa with other customers — CSP lets you manage multiple customers from one login using the “Select Customers” dropdown.
You don’t need any extra software. Coupa runs in the cloud, so all you need is an email address and a web browser to log in and work with Babcock.
Here are some useful links with information on the Coupa Supplier Portal:
Yes – suppliers without VAT registration number will have ability to transact via the Coupa Supplier Portal.
Coupa treats your company as one legal entity, so it can’t separate POs or invoices by department. The best approach is to manage this internally — for example, by giving each department its own CSP user so they can view and work with the POs and invoices they need.
Yes – you can have as many users as you need. Your CSP admin can add new users and choose what access each person has.
Yes – you will be able to serve multiple Babcock legal entities through the same CSP profile.
Please refer to the supplier help page on the Coupa website: https://supplier.coupa.com/help/
No – if your company is one legal entity, you will receive one CSP invite and view all POs on the portal.
Just log in to your Coupa Supplier Portal account, open your profile settings, and update your email address. You might be asked to verify the new email before it’s fully updated.
Your primary account administrator can add or remove users in the ‘User Management’ section of the Coupa Supplier Portal. Each user just needs their own unique email address.
You can keep your company details up to date by editing your profile in the Coupa Supplier Portal. If you’re making any major changes—like your company name or legal structure—please also let our procurement team know.
If you decide you no longer want to supply to Babcock, just reach out to our procurement team and they’ll help you with closing the account. We do recommend keeping your account active, even during quieter periods, just in case you need it later.
Try resetting your password using the ‘Forgot Password’ link. If that doesn’t work, clear your browser’s cache and cookies or try another browser. And if you’re still having trouble, supplier support can help.
Yes – you can use the Coupa Supplier Portal on your phone or tablet — it works really well on mobile. For bigger jobs, like creating invoices, it’s still easier to use a desktop so everything’s clear and easy to manage.
Take a quick screenshot of the error and note what you were doing at the time. Then send it to our supplier support team so they can help get it sorted quickly.
Create your invoice in the Coupa Supplier Portal against the correct purchase order. The portal guides you through the required fields, and you can attach a PDF of your usual invoice if needed.
No – all invoices must reference a valid Babcock purchase order number. If you believe you should have a PO but don’t, please contact the relevant department before providing goods or services.
No – once an invoice is submitted, it can’t be edited. If you need to change something, contact accounts payable and they’ll help you resubmit it.
Yes – you can invoice in stages. If you only deliver part of an order, just create an invoice for the quantity you’ve supplied so far. You can submit additional invoices against the same purchase order as you complete more of the delivery.
After you submit an invoice in the CSP, you can download the Legal Invoice anytime. Just open the invoice record and click the ‘download’ link next to the Legal Invoice field — perfect for keeping your own records.
An invoice issue can be flagged in two ways.
- A comment can be added to the invoice. These comments will be communicated via email notification and also via a portal notification (if notifications are set up on the user’s CSP account).
- The invoice is disputed back to the supplier. The dispute will be communicated via email notification and also via a portal notification (if notifications are set up on the user’s CSP account).
If an invoice gets rejected, you’ll receive a notification explaining why. Just review the feedback, make any needed fixes, and resubmit the corrected invoice through the CSP. If necessary, you can also raise a credit note before submitting a new invoice.
No, invoices can only be submitted one at a time. If you need another option, cXML might work — just email [email protected] to check if it’s suitable.
Yes – you can submit multiple invoices against the same annual PO. Just invoice the amount for each month as you go. If an invoice goes over the value of a PO line, it may need an extra check in the Babcock system, but otherwise your monthly invoicing process stays exactly the same.
Yes – when quoting for work/services please ensure this is detailed.
Any email addresses you add to your Supplier record in Coupa will get the PO notifications. Anyone set up in the CSP will get them too, as long as their notification settings are turned on.
No need to check Coupa every day — if you’ve turned on your notifications, Coupa will email you as well as show alerts in the portal.
Suppliers will not receive any email on successful creation of an Invoice, but will receive a notification with the Invoice has been moved into an ‘Approved’ status.
Yes, absolutely. You can add as many email addresses as you need in Coupa to receive PO notifications. Anyone set up in the CSP will also get alerts, as long as they’ve switched on their notification settings.
You can track the exact status of your payment in the Coupa Supplier Portal. The payment date is calculated from when the invoice is approved, not when it’s submitted.
We’ll pay you by bank transfer using the account details you’ve added in your profile. Just make sure your banking info is kept up to date so payments go through smoothly.
Log in to the Coupa Supplier Portal, open your company profile settings, and update your banking details. Just note that our team may need to verify any changes for security.
Check the invoice status in the portal. If everything looks fine but the payment’s overdue, just contact our accounts payable team with your invoice number.
Yes – you can view and download your remittance advice in the Coupa Supplier Portal once a payment has been processed.
Purchase orders are sent through the Coupa Supplier Portal, and you’ll get an email whenever a new one is issued. Just log in to the portal to view the details and acknowledge it.
Yes, it’s a good idea to acknowledge purchase orders in the portal as soon as you can. It lets us know you’ve received the order and are able to go ahead with it as agreed.
If anything on the PO doesn’t look achievable, contact the Babcock buyer listed on the order straight away and wait for their confirmation before continuing.
Yes – all your historical purchase orders are available in the portal. You can search and filter by date, PO number, amount, and status.
You’ll find the Purchase Order terms and conditions right on the PO itself — both in the ‘Print View’ in the Coupa Supplier Portal and in the email notification you receive.
Babcock are encouraging our P&SC teams to utilise the sourcing module of Coupa, however there may be circumstances where email quotation will still be used, please respond in accordance to the sourcing requirements.
Due to the differing aspects of quote submissions rather than a video there is a workbook available to support Source to Contract and providing quotations. Please contact your procurement representative should you require a copy of the workbook.
Babcock sourcing events can not be accessed via the CSP but can be accessed using the link in the invitation email
No the supplier needs to agree their point of contact. If you send the event to more than 1 person, Coupa sees them as competing bids and expects them both to fully respond to the event
The recommended size limit per file is 16MB per upload.
Ideally total files size should be less than 100Mb to aid download but should not exceed 250Mb and the recommended number of attachments is up to 40.
No – the forms ask if you are JOSCAR registered and if the answer is ‘Yes’ you do not need to complete the form
If you have completed the same form before it will be pre-populated with your previous answers. This means that you can just check if anything has changed eg. ISO certificate date and only update where changes are required.
Yes once you have accessed the event you can select ‘Import from Excel’.
This opens up a box where you can ‘download the response template’ which will open up an excel file and once completed you can then ‘Choose file’ and then ‘Start Upload’.
Yes you can use a CSV upload file to upload multiple items.
After accessing the event, you can communicate with the event organiser through the Message Centre on the bottom left of the screen.
If the event owner/creator has made changes to the event, you need to accept that you have reviewed the changes before you can submit your bid. The checkbox to accept changes is to the left of the submit button.
Export to Excel (CSV file), enter your response, and import the file and is particularly useful when inputting lots of pricing for items/services. This also enables you to share with colleagues who may need to input in to the response.
On your homepage under the “All Sourcing Events” table and under “Responses” you can see if a response has been submitted.
You can not partially participate in an event, all mandatory fields marked with a red asterisk * must be answered before submitting a response.
Ensure that you “Save” your changes frequently.
If a buyer is changing an event, the event closes for editing. When the buyer finishes making changes and submits the event, a new revision of the event is created and you will receive an email notification.
You receive emails periodically reminding you that an event is about to end. If you haven’t submitted your response, you need to respond within the last day of the event. If you have responded, ignore the emails.
About the onboarding process
Babcock requires suppliers to complete a formal onboarding process before a commercial relationship can be fully established. The process collects the information needed to assess your organisation, complete appropriate risk and assurance checks, establish your supplier record, and support future purchasing, invoicing and payment activity. Completing onboarding does not, by itself, guarantee an order, contract or minimum volume of business from Babcock.
Babcock manages supplier onboarding through Coupa and its Supplier Information Management, or SIM, functionality. Coupa is the primary location for supplier information collected during the process. All information requests and onboarding details will be issued and completed through this system.
The request should be coordinated by someone authorised to provide information on behalf of your organisation and able to obtain specialist input where needed.
- They should understand your legal and financial details.
- They should be able to obtain relevant policies, certificates and assurance information.
- They should be able to provide accurate invoicing and payment information.
- They should coordinate input from finance, quality, health and safety, information security, legal or compliance colleagues.
Open the invitation promptly and follow the instructions. Accept the invitation, complete the requested supplier and transactional information, answer any applicable pre-qualification or risk questions, attach supporting evidence, and submit your response for review. Information Requests can be accessed in the Coupa Supplier Portal under Business Profile > Information Requests. Do not leave a completed response in draft status, as Babcock cannot begin its approval review until the submission has been formally submitted.
Preparing your response
The precise questions depend on the goods or services and the assurance level required. Information may include:
- Legal entity, registration, address and contact information.
- Goods and services to be supplied.
- Invoicing, payment and bank information.
- Quality, insurance, health, safety and environmental information.
- Modern slavery, human rights and corporate responsibility information.
- Cyber security, data protection and business continuity arrangements.
- Financial, legal, subcontractor and other declarations.
Gather the likely documents before starting and carry out a full review before submission.
- Use the exact registered legal name.
- Make sure the company registration details match that entity.
- Give complete answers and explain any not-applicable response.
- Attach current, readable and relevant evidence.
- Check certificates have not expired and relate to the entity being onboarded.
- Explain answers that may require further review.
- Complete all declarations.
- Monitor Coupa for comments or returned actions.
Enter the full registered legal name of the entity that will contract with Babcock, appear on purchase orders and invoices, receive payment, and hold the relevant bank account, policies and certifications. Do not enter only a trading name, parent-company name or group brand if a different legal entity will supply Babcock.
Complete the process for the specific legal entity that will contract, invoice and receive payment. If more than one entity will supply Babcock, each may require separate consideration and a separate record. A move from one legal entity to another is not a simple update and usually requires a new onboarding request.
Where the form permits, select the appropriate not-applicable response and provide a short explanation. Do not use “N/A” to avoid answering a question relevant to your proposed scope. An unexplained or incomplete answer may be returned for clarification.
Documents and evidence
Upload documents that are current, complete, legible, relevant to the proposed supply, applicable to the legal entity being onboarded, appropriately signed or dated where required, and consistent with the answers entered in Coupa.
Provide a current certificate wherever active certification is required. If renewal is in progress, explain the position clearly and provide available renewal evidence. Do not present an expired certificate as current.
The requirement depends on the supplier quality classification and the goods or services. The absence of ISO 9001 may require further review internally. If you do not hold ISO 9001, answer accurately and describe any alternative quality-management arrangements.
Answer accurately and explain why the policy is not held, what alternative controls exist, whether a policy is being developed, and any expected completion date. The absence of controls relating to modern slavery, corporate responsibility, human rights, cyber security, business continuity or data protection may require further review. An honest explanation is preferable to an unsupported “yes”.
Answer accurately and provide the requested details. Reported RIDDOR incidents require Babcock health and safety review. A declaration does not automatically mean rejection, but Babcock may need information about the circumstances, corrective actions and current controls.
Complete all applicable health, safety and environmental questions and attach the requested evidence. If a site-based questionnaire applies, it must be completed. Approval relates only to the assessed scope of supply and does not authorise every type of work within the same risk category.
JOSCAR registration is not mandatory but is preferred where applicable. If Coupa requests JOSCAR information, provide current registration details and evidence. If you are not registered, or JOSCAR is not relevant to your organisation, please explain why.
Bank, invoicing and payment information
Babcock performs a verification call for new suppliers as a fraud-prevention and security control. Vendor Management verifies the information before the relevant approval. The call uses a contact number already held by Babcock or independently provided through an appropriate Babcock source, rather than relying only on a number shown on newly submitted bank evidence.
Provide an authorised finance or company contact who can confirm the bank information. Make sure the person knows Babcock may contact them and is available to validate the details promptly.
Provide official evidence that clearly supports the details entered in Coupa and is associated with the supplier legal entity. It should be signed and dated where required. Babcock checks data entry, official supporting evidence, the source of the verification number and relevant validation results. Do not send bank-detail changes only through an unrelated email.
No. Bank verification is one control within the wider process. Your organisation must complete the applicable questionnaire, assurance and approval steps, and Babcock must finish creating or enabling the supplier record. Do not provide goods or services or assume work is authorised solely because bank details have been verified.
Submitting and tracking the response
Your response enters Babcock’s review and approval process. Depending on the supply, it may be reviewed by procurement, supplier assurance, quality, health and safety, Vendor Management or other specialists.
- Reviewers may approve the response.
- They may request additional information or return it for correction.
- They may require further assurance activity.
- They may decline progression where identified risks or requirements cannot be satisfactorily addressed.
Monitor Coupa and the email account associated with your supplier contact. If more information is needed, the response may be returned with comments. Update the existing response and resubmit it through Coupa.
Not necessarily. It usually means information is incomplete, inconsistent, unclear, out of date or unsupported. Read all comments, address every action, replace unsuitable evidence and resubmit. A final decline is different and means the supplier cannot proceed for the proposed requirement.
Reminders are issued because a response is still awaiting supplier submission. Babcock’s process identifies reminders at approximately days 3, 5, 10 and 20. If you believe you have completed the questionnaire, check whether it was submitted rather than saved, or whether it has been returned for action.
Outstanding actions are monitored and escalated after 30 days. Depending on the stage of onboarding, Babcock may refer the matter to the relevant Business Unit for follow-up. If the onboarding requirements remain incomplete, the onboarding process may be discontinued after 6 months. To proceed, the supplier would then need to be re-engaged, and a new onboarding process initiated where appropriate.
Outstanding supplier questionnaires may eventually be removed and the associated record made invalid. The process provides for forms still incomplete at six months to be reviewed for removal. If you still wish to proceed after a long delay, your Babcock contact may need to restart or re-establish the process.
There is no fixed end-to-end completion time in the process. Timing depends on the completeness of your response, validity of evidence, clarification needs, risk and assurance level, specialist reviews, and internal approvals. A complete, accurate and well-supported submission is the best way to avoid delay.
An expedited or exception process is controlled by Babcock and cannot be selected by a supplier. Where the standard questionnaire cannot be completed, appropriate Procurement Director approval may be required before an alternative route is considered. An exception may involve reduced initial checks but does not necessarily remove the need for full onboarding later.
Maintenance, revalidation and ongoing responsibilities
If information submitted during onboarding changes, add a comment to the submitted Form 2/2E in Coupa to notify Babcock of the update. Any supporting documentation should be attached at the same time to enable review and processing of the change.
Notify your Babcock contact promptly. A legal-entity change requires a new onboarding request and supplier record. The previous entity may be expired or made inactive. Do not simply overwrite the old company name and bank details with those of the new entity.
Babcock may ask suppliers to revalidate or recertify information so master data, assurance information and evidence remain accurate. We actively manage expired certificates and require these to be updated via a Coupa form.
Our due-diligence revalidation is focused on suppliers meeting a defined internal data measure criteria.
Babcock issues reminders for outstanding revalidation actions. If a response remains outstanding, the case may be escalated and the supplier record placed on hold after approximately 30 days. A hold status will prevent new Purchase Orders from being raised against the supplier until the revalidation has been completed, submitted and approved. The hold can be removed once the updated response has been reviewed and approved by Babcock.
The action depends partly on the period of inactivity. Records inactive for under 12 months may be reviewed and revalidated. Records inactive for more than 12 months require full onboarding. Your Babcock contact must initiate the appropriate route; do not assume an old supplier number can automatically be reused.
Supplier records are retained in Coupa and SIM while the supplier is associated with an active Babcock engagement. When a supplier is no longer actively engaged with Babcock, the supplier record will be made inactive in accordance with the supplier-record process, although the information will remain accessible in the system. The external webpage should also link to the applicable Babcock Supplier Privacy Notice.
Common onboarding errors
The most common problems are incomplete answers, inconsistent legal-entity information, missing or expired documents, incorrect bank evidence, unresolved reviewer comments, and forms being saved without submission. Check specifically for:
- A trading name, parent company or registration number that does not match the supplying legal entity.
- Blank mandatory fields or unexplained “N/A” responses.
- Answers that conflict with attached evidence.
- Expired, incomplete, unreadable or incorrectly assigned documents.
- Missing declarations or unsupported risk-related answers.
- Omitted site health and safety information or unreported RIDDOR details.
- Bank data that differs from official evidence, relates to another entity or cannot be independently verified.
- Reviewer comments that have not all been addressed.
- A form left in draft, resulting in continuing reminders and possible escalation.
Use this final quality check. Completing it will not guarantee approval, but it should reduce avoidable returns and delays.
- The registered legal name and company number match.
- The entity shown will contract, invoice and receive payment.
- Every mandatory question is answered and not-applicable responses are explained.
- Answers are accurate and consistent with the attachments.
- Documents are readable, complete, current and applicable to the correct entity.
- Health, safety and environmental sections are complete where applicable.
- Risk-related answers contain sufficient explanations and evidence.
- Declarations have been reviewed and completed by an authorised person.
- Bank details exactly match official evidence and an authorised verification contact is available.
- Attachments have clear, meaningful file names.
- All returned-form comments have been addressed.
- The form has been submitted, not merely saved as a draft.
- We will continue monitoring Coupa and the registered email account.
About Coupa
Coupa is our supplier collaboration platform, designed to streamline procurement processes and make it easier for our suppliers to do business with us.