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Supplier E-Commerce
Purchase Orders and Invoices, Supplier Portal
Norfolk Southern suppliers are expected to receive purchase orders and send invoices electronically. Several solutions for purchase orders and invoices that are available to NS suppliers are described herein. NS also has the capability to pay suppliers electronically via an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction.
Norfolk Southern Supplier Portal
On Line Rail Industry Supply System (ORISS)
EDI is the communication of business documents (purchase orders, invoices, etc.) from one computer to another in a standard format. Upon receipt an EDI transmission, the receiver can print the information or download the data to be processed by internal computerized business applications. Suppliers using "traditional" EDI typically have in-house developers, or outsource the requirements to software companies who will integrate the EDI with their internal systems. In addition to EDI software, Value Added Networks (VAN) are utilized by both parties to send data to each other. Traditional EDI is more commonly used by larger companies, or suppliers who receive a high volume of purchase orders from NS and other customers.
Some of the benefits of EDI include:
- Reduced cycle time
- Increased productivity
- Improved accuracy
- Reduced costs
- Minimized paper use and storage
- Improved business relationships
Trading Partner Agreement
Norfolk Southern EDI suppliers must sign a Trading Partner Agreement (TPA) to receive purchase orders via EDI. The TPA is simply a vehicle for replacing paper communications with electronic communications. All existing terms & conditions and any agreements between the parties that may already exist are unaffected. The Norfolk Southern Terms & Conditions and Freight Routing Instructions that are included with every paper purchase sent through the U.S. mail are included as attachments to the TPA.
EDI Standards
NS conforms to the Implementation Guidelines for Electronic Data Interchange developed by the RailMarketplace Committee on Information Standards. The guidelines published by this Committee are a subset of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) X12 Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) standard. The rail industry guidelines meet the specific needs of EDI between the railroads and their suppliers
Norfolk Southern sends/receives purchase orders under version 004010RIFMAT of these standards.
Norfolk Southern Supplier Portal
Norfolk Southern provides a private portal to our suppliers for trading of inbound and outbound documents, and inquiries. By registering for the supplier portal, approved NS suppliers can access and/or send the following documents from within one seamless location:
- Purchase Orders
- Invoices
- Bid Requests
- Invoice and purchase order inquiries
Suppliers must contact the buyer to register to log into the portal. Here they can get purchase orders, submit invoices, and monitor the status of invoice payments. This is the least expensive solution for suppliers to receive purchase orders and send invoices to NS.
Use of this portal implies supplier's acceptance of Norfolk Southern's Purchase Order Terms and Conditions, and Freight Routing Instructions.
Supplier Portal Information
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ORISS - Another Web-based EDI Alternative
ORISS ("Online Rail Industry Supply System") is a third party EDI fee-based solution developed by Transentric for the small-to medium-sized railroad suppliers who are unable to use traditional integrated EDI due to cost or other issues. Companies without EDI capabilities can use ORISS to conform with railroad EDI requirements and speed up the purchasing/invoicing/payment process. All that is needed to use ORISS is a computer and an internet connection. Suppliers use Transentric's ORISS Services to log on to a secure website to view and print purchase orders and create invoices.
Transentric provides three levels of service for suppliers:
- ORISS with Purchase Orders and Invoicing (requires a monthly service fee, which is the same no matter how many of the participating railroads you are registered to receive purchase orders from).
- ORISS with Material Invoicing Only (no monthly fee for this service).
- ORISS with Fuel Invoicing Only (no monthly fee for this service).
NS sends purchase orders to ORISS through the normal EDI process. Transentric converts the EDI data to a web form viewable by suppliers subscribed to ORISS. The purchase order is stored on the website so that the supplier can click on a purchase order and turn it into an invoice which is sent back to NS electronically and processed automatically.
For more information on ORISS and how to sign up for this service, please go to: http://www.transentric.com/products/oriss/index.shtml
The development of ORISS was jointly subsidized by the major North American Railroads, and is owned by Transentric, a subsidiary of Union Pacific Corp.
To register for one of the ORISS services, click here.
Automated Clearing House (ACH) Payments
Norfolk Southern is actively seeking to convert all suppliers to ACH to eliminate the costs and delays associated with paper checks.
- Payment will be deposited directly into your bank account
- Payment remittance detail can be sent via fax or email on the day before payment is deposited.
Click here to download the Request for Electronic Payment form.
The completed form should be faxed to 540-855-6441. For answers to ACH questions, please contact the ACH coordinator (phone: 540-524-5872; email ACCTAPEDI@nscorp.com).
EDI Contacts
If you are interested in doing Electronic Data Interchange with Norfolk Southern, please get in touch with our Purchasing or Accounting Department contacts who will assist you through the setup process in the EDI options described above.
Electronic Data Interchange
For Purchase Orders |
For Invoices/ACH (Accounts Payable) |
