Our Frequently Asked Questions page is the quickest way to find answers to many of the questions that are normally asked by our suppliers.
Our FAQ page is organized by the following subjects:
eCommerce Questions
Supplier Registration Questions
eCommerce Questions
Contracting/Pricebook
Question: How do we handle variable pricing in the pricebook?
ANSWER: Pricebooks should contain pricing on all items (repeatable work). In an instance an item or service needs to be priced differently we will work together to update the current pricebook rates in place. We can create price ranges for commodities which change frequently (fuel, etc.) in the pricebook.
Question: How often can suppliers update pricing? Is there a standard?
ANSWER: The review frequency should be determined and mutually agreed in writing with your Hess Contract Manager.
Question: How should suppliers manage third party charges that are reimbursable under contract?
ANSWER: Third party charges should be captured in the pricebook where possible. Work with your third party suppliers to determine rates upfront where possible. If the charges are unknown, the supplier will need to provide supporting documentation to verify charges.
Blanket Purchase Orders
Question: Are Blanket Purchase Orders (BPOs) required?
ANSWER: SAP is our system for all business transactions including payments. A Blanket Purchase Order (47xxxxxxxx) may be a requirement for the appropriate buying channels and serves as a mechanism for processing invoices and receipting.
Question: How does Hess distribute BPOs to the supplier?
ANSWER: A Hess Contract Manager or Hess eCommerce team member will provide the supplier with necessary BPOs as well as the active BPO Reference Line. One BPO will be issued for each Hess entity a supplier is performing work in; thus a supplier may have only one BPO or many.
Question: What is the planned duration for each Blanket Purchase Order (BPO)?
ANSWER: A Blanket Purchase Order is evergreen may be revised approximately every 2-3 years, depending on the frequency of work provided by your company. We will not need to create a new one each year.
Question: Is there a dollar limit on the work order for planned versus actual for the BPO?
ANSWER: Yes, there will be a limit that is managed internally within Hess. Additionally, your BPO is checked “unlimited”, but is set up for $1.00 (internal administrative reasons). Note that you will see a RED PO alert on all BPO invoices for this reason, but this will not cause your invoice to fail.
Question: Does the PO handle materials any differently? (Do we need to do anything different?)
ANSWER: The Material PO (451xxxxxxx) allows for invoicing against one PO, multiple PO reference lines and multiple charge codes. Any excess material purchased on a PO will be returned to the Supplier and not to inventory.
* BPOs should not be used for Warehouse inventory, only Discrete Material (Standard) POs.
eCommerce and Open Invoice Software
Question: With all of the other Open Invoice customers, will we have the ability to upload into Open Invoice?
ANSWER: If you have the ability to extract a download from your accounting system, you can use third party tools to upload directly into Open Invoice. Uploading invoices directly from your accounting system into Open Invoice through LIDO (Log in/Drop of) is available and Supplier Link is now available. Contact Open Invoice directly for more details.
Question: Do we have an eCommerce integration plan for those who are not in eCommerce?
ANSWER: We do. Hess is continuing to enable targeted suppliers to use our eInvoicing solution. This list of targeted suppliers changes as our business needs change. If you are a non-eCommerce supplier and are interested in becoming one, please consult with your Hess Contract Manager or the eCommerce team directly (eCommerceproject@hess.com).
Supplier Actions
Question: What will approved suppliers need before commencing work for Hess?
ANSWER: For standard eCommerce business, either a Discrete (Standard) Purchase Order or a Blanket Purchase Order (BPO), Cost Object(s), Contract Number (if applicable), and Hess Company Entity. Note that this information is mandatory for successful invoice submission.
Question: Who do I contact if I have an Open Invoice related issue or question?
ANSWER: Communicate the invoicing changes to all of your employees. If you have problems once you begin the process, make sure to communicate to Hess by emailing your issue to eCommerceProject@hess.com . Below is an example format to email questions to the Supplier Self Service Team:
Subject line: Your company name – brief description of issue – date
Email Body: Explain issue in further detail; take a snapshot of Open Invoice screen if needed. Provide contact phone number in case further clarification is needed.
You will receive a Service Now Incident Number (beginning in INC) for each incident you email the eCommerce Support Team. This same INC number will be used to communicate with you until the issue has been resolved. When replying to the eCommerce Support Team, reply to the email address provided on your incident (hess@service-now.com). Please do not change the email address in this field. Also, please do not cc eCommerceProject@hess.com in your communications. This will cause a duplicate incident number.
Invoicing
Question: What is a charge code?
ANSWER: A charge code is given to a supplier each time work is called out to be performed. A charge code will come in the form of a Work Order, Network Activity code, Cost Center (for Discrete Purchase Order only), or an AFE (for Warehouse Materials only).
Question: Who do I contact if I do not have my charge code?
ANSWER: Your Hess Business Partner (field employee) will provide you with the proper charge code each time you are called out to perform work, but if you cannot locate your charge code data, please contact your Hess Business Partner (field employee) or Hess Contract Manager. If you are using a Discrete (Standard) PO, the charge code data will be printed on the PO printout.
Question: How does a network/activity code or work order function in Open Invoice?
ANSWER: At minimum, one work order or one network will be created for the job. Work orders will be created by well/lease for routine work. We may have 30 to 40 contractors who will all use the same work order or network number.
Question: If I manually override the auto-populated Unit of Measure from the price book when invoicing, will that item be flagged as Off Contract?
ANSWER: YES. Please do not manually override the Unit of Measure data when invoicing. This will cause the item(s) to be flagged as Off Contract.
Question: How do I charge a discounted rate in Open Invoice?
ANSWER: If you are charging a discounted rate, build your discounts into your pricebook rate, or specific line item rate. DO NOT USE the discount feature in Open Invoice.
Question: I need to have a submitted invoice disputed. What do I do?
ANSWER: If you submit an invoice in error, contact our eCommerce team immediately so action may be taken. If the invoice has not been approved, we will be able to have the Technical Reviewer dispute the invoice so you may correct it before resubmitting.
Question: When will the payment term start after a supplier submits an invoice in Open Invoice?
ANSWER: Payment terms start from the date the successful invoice is entered and submitted in Open Invoice. If you save the invoice but do not click “Submit”, the invoice will stay in draft mode. Please note that if your invoice has been rejected and re-submitted, the payment terms will begin upon date of successful submission in Open Invoice.
Question: How should suppliers manage charges that occurred over the weekend?
ANSWER: We encourage suppliers to submit daily when possible. Refer to your Hess Commercial Agreement or Hess Purchase Order for details.
Question: If we have rental equipment with hours to be charged, how will we be able to do this on a daily basis?
ANSWER: Supplier should work with their Contract Manager and the field supervisors on the location to determine the best method for your invoice frequency. The field supervisor should provide the vendor with the hours to be billed. If you are currently submitting rentals daily, weekly, or monthly; we want to optimize your submission time.
Question: Will Work Order (WO) entry be restricted so suppliers can’t input more than one WO?
ANSWER: No, a Service invoice can now be submitted against one Discrete (Standard) Purchase Order, multiple PO lines, and multiple cost objects of the same type (example: Network and Network Activity or Work Order).
Question: Where does the approval of the funds happen? (Is it in the WO itself?)
ANSWER: Yes, once the Work Order has been released (approved) then the work performed is also approved. Work Order cost reviews will monitor expenditures.
Question: How will professional service organizations be able to invoice on a daily basis?
ANSWER: We encourage time to be entered daily into Open Invoice for real time costs; however, firms should invoice weekly at minimum. Consult with your Hess Contract Manager for invoice frequency expectations.
Question: If we invoice daily, Hess will be receiving a large volume of invoices to process versus batch processing on a weekly basis. This places a larger burden on both the contractor and Hess?
ANSWER: We encourage suppliers to submit their invoices daily to get into an operating rhythm where possible. Suppliers can also utilize software or tools to integrate with Open Invoice, known as Business-to-Business (B2B) transacting, which greatly reduces manual work. We have had integration success with many integration solutions, including the following Open Invoice B2B integration solution providers:
Amalto Technologies
http://amalto.com/en/
Atlas - ABS (Act Business Solutions)
http://www.abs-cloud.com/
NextGen Software
http://www.nextgensoftware.com/
Approvals
Question: How does Hess manage the approval process with reviewers who work on rotational schedules, shift work, etc.?
ANSWER: Hess continuously trains field employees with the expectation they will review their invoice items daily and set up substitution reviewers where appropriate. This is an area we are actively improving.
Question: How will I know if an invoice is rejected in Open Invoice?
ANSWER: Hess has developed canned rejection email replies for standard rejection notices. Free text is also available to further describe the rejection, which is viewable on the actual invoice journal. This should provide enough information to address the issue and enable the supplier to correct any necessary items and resubmit a successful invoice. See below section titled "Why was my eInvoice rejected?" for more details.
Question: What is the time frame before a transaction will be escalated to the next person at Hess for approval?
ANSWER: The reviewers should approve their invoices within 24-48 hours. If they have not approved in three days, they will receive a reminder; after five days the invoice will escalate to their supervisor and will continue escalating up within the Hess organization until it is approved or rejected.
Why was my eInvoice rejected?
Common automated eInvoice rejection and error responses and what they mean:
Rejection Response: PO 451xxxxxxx has insufficient funding (or similar message).
Corrective Action: The PO line(s) you are attempting to use has insufficient funds. Please contact your Hess Contract Manager or Buyer for a PO increase. Alternatively, refer back to the person that provided you the invoicing data for PO verification.
Rejection Response: Invalid PO line. Please consult your business partner for an updated PO/PO line.
Corrective Action: The PO line(s) you are attempting to use is in need of an update. Please contact your Hess Contract Manager or Buyer. Alternatively, refer back to the person that provided you the invoicing data for PO verification.
Rejection Response: Selected Price is not compliant with the Contract or Pricebook
Corrective Action: Review invoice and search for any item(s) with a RED OC alert, correct the price to make it compliant with the pricebook, then resubmit the invoice.
Rejection Response: Please contact contract manager to update PO Line for ERS.
Corrective Action: The PO you are attempting to use for your service invoice requires updating in order for the invoice to process properly. Please contact your Hess Contract Manager and indicate your rejection notice so proper updates can be performed on the PO.
Rejection Response: Purchase Orders must be electronic.
Corrective Action: The PO you are attempting to use requires updating in order for the invoice to process properly. Please email the Hess eCommerce team at ecommerceproject@hess.com for updating.
Rejection Response: Please contact contract manager to update the PO for material processing.
Corrective Action: The PO you are attempting to use for your material invoice requires updating in order for the invoice to process properly. Please contact your Hess Contract Manager and indicate your rejection notice so proper updates can be performed on the PO.
Rejection Response: Please contact the Contract Manager to update the PO limit tab
Corrective Action: The PO you are attempting to use has a cost center as the account assignment and is marked unlimited, which is prohibited at Hess. Please contact your Hess Contract Manager and indicate your rejection notice so proper updates can be performed on the PO.
Rejection Response: PO number, PO line number, or Charge Code is invalid or missing
Corrective Action: Confirm the Purchase Order number, Purchase Order line, and Charge Code data with your Hess Business Partner (field employee) or Hess Contract Manager to ensure accuracy, then resubmit the invoice.
Rejection Response: Invoice should only have debit lines
Corrective Action: Each invoice should only contain debit or credit items, not both. If submitting a CREDIT invoice, ensure you are choosing CREDIT instead of ORIGINAL invoice and the quantity of item(s) is negative, then resubmit the invoice.
Rejection Response: All invoices require backup documentation. Please resubmit with appropriate justification
Corrective Action: Attach mandated backup documentation, then resubmit the invoice.
Rejection Response: Company Code xxxx is not the same as the SAP CompanyCode
Corrective Action: The Purchase Order you are attempting to submit against may not be valid for the Company Code you are submitting against. Confirm that the two items are pointed to the correct Company Entity, or consult with your Hess Business Partner (field employee) or Hess Contract Manager to ensure accuracy, then resubmit the invoice.
Rejection Response: Purchase Order 4xxxxxxxxx is not valid because the invoice supplier site is not included as a supplier site on the Purchase Order.
Corrective Action: The Supplier Site you are attempting to use may not have been set up in Open Invoice for invoicing with Hess. Contact contact the eCommerce team at eCommerceproject@hess.com and include the error message for account correction.
Rejection Response: All line items must reference the same PO, PO Line, and Charge Code (BPO only)
Corrective Action: One BPO invoice can only reference one PO, PO Line, and Charge Code, and all data must point to the same Hess Company Entity. Confirm the data with your Hess Business Partner (field employee) or Hess Contract Manager to ensure accuracy, then resubmit the invoice.
Rejection Response: Missing or invalid PO line number. All lines must reference the same line (BPO only)
Corrective Action: Confirm the line number with your Hess Business Partner (field employee) or Hess Contract Manager to ensure accuracy, then resubmit the invoice. Note that the PO line will always contain five digits. Add preceding zeros when necessary. For example “00010” for line 10 or “00100” for line 100.
Rejection Response: No contract referenced. Please reference a valid contract (Pricebook suppliers only).
Corrective Action: Confirm the pricebook number/name with your Hess Business Partner (field employee) or Hess Contract Manager and resubmit referencing the appropriate pricebook.
Rejection Response: All line items must reference the same PO
Corrective Action: One invoice can only reference one PO. Confirm the data with your Hess Business Partner (field employee) or Hess Contract Manager to ensure accuracy, then resubmit the invoice.
Rejection Response: All line items must reference the same PO, PO Line, and Charge Code
Corrective Action: One invoice can only reference one PO, PO Line, and Charge Code, and all data must point to the same Hess Company Entity (Service Invoices only - Material Invoices are configured differently). Confirm the data with your Hess Business Partner (field employee) or Hess Contract Manager to ensure accuracy, then resubmit the invoice.
Rejection Response: The total amount of the ORIGINAL INVOICE must be greater than 0.
Corrective Action: Resubmit the invoice using CREDIT INVOICE from the Invoice Type drop down menu.
Rejection Response: The total amount of the CREDIT INVOICE must be less than 0
Corrective Action: Resubmit the invoice using ORIGINAL INVOICE from the Invoice Type drop down menu.
Rejection Response: Charges should be all Material or all Service
Corrective Action: At this time, Hess does not allow mixed Material/Service invoices. Confirm the data with your Hess Business Partner (field employee) or Hess Contract Manager, make corrections, then resubmit the invoice.
Rejection Response: Invoice header should have contract reference
Corrective Action: Every Pricebook invoice must reference a contract number. Confirm the contract number with your Hess Business Partner (field employee) or Hess Contract Manager to ensure accuracy, then resubmit the invoice. Note: if you are a Non-Pricebook supplier and receive this dipute message, please contact the eCommerce team at eCommerceproject@hess.com for correction.
Rejection Response: Invalid PO line. Please consult your Business Partner for an updated PO/PO Line
Corrective Action: Confirm the active Purchase Order line with your Hess Business Partner (field employee) or Hess Contract Manager to ensure accuracy, then resubmit the invoice. PO lines will have a total of five digits – add preceding zeros when necessary. For example “00010” for PO line 10 or “00100” for PO line 100.
Rejection Response: Cost Center not allowed on Blanket POs (47xxxxxxxx). Contact your Hess representative for Network Activity or Work Order
Corrective Action: Only a Network Activity or Work Order may be referenced when invoicing against a Blanket Purchase Order. Please confirm the charge code data with your Hess Business Partner (field employee) or Hess Contract Manager to ensure accuracy, then resubmit the invoice.
Rejection Response: All Items must be on-contract.
Corrective Action: If your account is designed for invoicing 100% from pricebook, you must submit all invoice line items against the pricebook, not your catalog. Please review your invoice, specifically any line items with a yellow alert. If the item(s) on your invoice are not in your pricebook, please reach out to your Hess Contract Manager to determine if a pricebook update is needed.
Rejection Response: Vendor Number xxxxxx is not the same as the SAP vendor number
Corrective Action: Please consult with your Hess Business Partner for invoice data verification. Alternatively, email the eCommerce team at eCommerceproject@hess.com for vendor data verification.
Rejection Response: Invoice number must be 16 characters or less
Corrective Action: An invoice number can contain up to 16 alpha-numeric characters. Do not include spaces or special characters; however, a dash is acceptable. To correct, verify the invoice number and update as needed.
Rejection Response: Invoice may only contain alphanumeric characters. No special characters are permitted
Corrective Action: Do not include spaces or special characters; however, a dash is acceptable. To correct, verify the invoice number and update as needed.
Rejection Response: Unit of Measure must be 3 characters or less
Corrective Action: Please consult with your Hess Contract Manager for a current list of Hess accepted Units of Measure.
Rejection Response: Invoice has quantity of more than 3 decimal places.
Corrective Action: Hess accepts a quantity of up to 3 decimal places. Please correct and resubmit according to this limitation.
Supplier Registration Questions
Question: How do I become a supplier to Hess?
ANSWER: Click on the link under the section “Qualifying as a supplier to Hess” to submit your company profile for consideration. Also please review the supplier expectations and requirements section of the Hess supplier website.
Question: How do I receive a login and password?
ANSWER: In order to fill out the Supplier Profile Questionnaire (SPQ) you need an Ariba Commerce Cloud account. Unless you are using some of the advanced features (such as host catalogs/ Receive PO’s or submit invoices) registration to the Ariba Commerce Cloud account is free of charge.
Please use the link below to register on the Ariba commerce cloud.
http://hessP1.supplier.ariba.com/ad/register/SSOActions?type=full
Upon registration you will be provided a username and password which will allow you to access the Hess Supplier Profile Questionnaire (SPQ).
Question: How do I reset my password?
ANSWER: The above link to access the Ariba Commerce Cloud has links to send you refresher emails on username and password.
Question: What is SPQ?
ANSWER: SPQ stands for Supplier Profile Questionnaire (SPQ). This is a key mechanism used by Hess to manage its supplier information. This system is utilized to qualify suppliers to work with Hess.
Question: Why is Hess using a Supplier Profile Questionnaire?
ANSWER: The SPQ enables Hess to standardize and streamline the way Hess engages with suppliers in different locations, qualifies suppliers and shares that information within Hess Global locations.
Question: What will it involve for me?
ANSWER: Registering in the Ariba Network and populating the supplier profile questionnaire will require you to provide information about your company including information on the products and services your company currently supplies or wishes to supply to Hess.
Question: Which suppliers are required to register?
ANSWER: All suppliers that are taking part in a Hess tender or RFP, have been selected for a contract, in the process of extending a contract with Hess, or requested to register by Hess Contracting & Procurement person are required to register.
Question: I don’t have a contract in place with Hess. Do I need to register?
ANSWER: Registration is required for suppliers who are taking part in a Hess RFP or tender or have been invited to contract. If your company has not been shortlisted for an upcoming tender or negotiation registration is optional.
Question: How do I update my company's information such as banking information or physical address?
ANSWER: Log into your Ariba Commercial Cloud account and make any changes via the Ariba Network portal. This will update your information that is visible to all of your customers. Hess specific requirements can be modified in the customer requested tab on the Hess SPQ.
Question: How will this benefit my company?
ANSWER: Registering on the Ariba Commerce Cloud provides you a consolidated view of all your customer relationships. With this one profile, you can quickly navigate between all your Ariba seller solutions to view business opportunities (Leads) and participate in sourcing events (Proposals). All suppliers participating in Hess sourcing events must now register on the Ariba Commerce Cloud.
Supplier Diversity and Sustainability
Question: How are diverse suppliers “certified”? Does a supplier have to pay to be certified?
ANSWER: Diverse supplier certification occurs through a third-party certification agency – usually an organization that promotes the development of minority-owned businesses. Hess currently has membership to the three councils - Houston Minority Supplier Development Council (HMSDC), Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance – National (WBENC), and National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC). Most councils will require the supplier to pay for their certification.