Effective February 1, 2016 the Commonwealth of Virginia implemented a new financial management system, Cardinal, with which the University is required to interface. Within Cardinal, a statewide vendor table has been created to establish a single vendor database for the Commonwealth. As a result, the Commonwealth Vendor Group (CVG) was created to keep up to date vendor records and to ensure all vendor data is managed uniformly and consistently.
All vendors must be properly established in the University's financial system, Banner, as well as Cardinal before an invoice can be processed for payment. Additionally, a vendor must be properly established in Virginia's eProcurement Portal, eVA, for the purchase of goods and services.
In order to better assist departments in determining whether a vendor is properly established, additional vendor information has been added to the Vendor Lookup capability in Self-Service Banner (SSB). The Vendor Lookup can be accessed by logging into OneCampus -> Banner SSB Employee Menu -> Finance -> Vendor Lookup. When searching for a vendor in SSB, if a Cardinal ID is displayed, procurement with that vendor may proceed. If the vendor has not been established in Cardinal, a message “Obtain a COVA W-9 from Vendor and submit to Accounting Support Services” will display.
Departments should be aware of the additional time constraints and ensure adequate processing time is given to Accounting Support Services to establish new vendors. The CVG requires 5 to 10 days to complete the vendor set-up process. Provided all information is legible and accurate. New vendor set up requests should be submitted to Accounting Support Services at least two weeks in advance of processing purchase requests.
The Commonwealth of Virginia has a Substitute W-9 (COVA W-9) that is required in lieu of the IRS W-9 form for each individual who is a US citizen or US resident alien and from each corporation, company, partnership, or association created or organized in the US or under the US laws. The COVA W-9 requires additional information that is needed by the CVG to ensure the vendor is properly established in Cardinal. Please note the COVA W-9 should be returned to Radford University Accounting Support Services, Box 6906 or apas-web@radford.edu and not to the CVG group as stated in the form instructions. Accounting Support Services will work with the CVG to ensure the vendor is properly established.
When submitting a COVA W-9 to Accounting Support Services, Tax Identification Numbers (TIN) and Employer Identification Numbers (EIN) may be e-mailed. COVA W-9's containing Social Security Numbers must be submitted via fax or mail (Accounting Services, Box 6906) and must not be e-mailed. If received by e-mail, the e-mail will be deleted and will not be processed.
The University is using XMedius SendSecure to securely send and receive highly sensitive documents with entities outside the University. XM SendSecure allows for the safe exchange and temporary storage of sensitive files in a virtual SafeBox. Use this link to send COVA W-9's with SSN's.
The COVA W-9 Form may be found online. Please be mindful of the following when submitting a COVA W-9 to Accounting Support Services:
Please see Instructions: Substitute W-9 (COVA W-9) to ensure the COVA W-9 is properly completed.
Knowing additional information about your Vendor can expedite the vendor set up process. The following questions will provide information about the vendor and ensure you have the necessary information. If a contract is being utilized, please contact the Procurement & Contracts office to assist with providing the necessary vendor information.
Questions for Vendors:
It is imperative that the vendor and specific Tax ID/SSN number used on the PO matches the vendor invoice and to whom the vendor payment is issued.
All purchases of goods or services are processed through the eVA procurement system; therefore, the vendor must also be established in eVA. Vendors established in eVA are analyzed by the CVG prior to being established in Cardinal. Please search for your vendor in eVA by Tax ID or SSN to determine if they exist and how they have been established.
When using a vendor for the first time, departments should request the vendor to self-register. Vendor Registration instructions are located on the eVA website.
If a vendor refuses to become self-registered Accounting Support Services will set the vendor up as “eVA state-entered”, however, the University will incur additional costs.
Before initiating any purchase, please verify the vendor is properly established in Banner. The Vendor Lookup can be accessed by logging into OneCampus -> Banner SSB Employee Menu -> Finance -> Vendor Lookup.
Enter name in Search by NAME field or Search by ID (can be Banner ID # or tax ID, SSN) – and click the Submit button, next click on the Name or Banner ID # to see additional vendor details.
Understanding the vendor type displayed is helpful. The vendor type can assist with identifying a SWaM business type. It also reflects a vendor that may need attention before placing an order with them. Please see the following vendor types and description:
A vendor that does not display a Cardinal ID requires additional action before an order can be processed. Please see below to determine the steps needed before the vendor can be used to procure goods or services.
Accounting Support Services will not create a Banner ID without the COVA W-9. Once the form is received it may take 5 to 10 days to be set up in Cardinal. New vendor set up requests should be submitted to Accounting Support Services at least two weeks in advance of processing purchase requests. We want to make every effort to have the vendor set up in eVA, Cardinal & Banner prior to placing an order. Once the vendor is in Banner you are ready to enter a PR in eVA and payment can be made successfully.
Last Updated: 2/10/2024