Frequently Asked Questions

Agilent Technologies’ Migration to ARIBA Procurement May 1, 2016

Q:  What change is Agilent making?
A:  Agilent will be migrating from our current Oracle platform for indirect procurement to an Ariba platform.

Q:  When is Agilent making this change?
A:  Starting on May 1, 2016.

Q:  Are there any other critical dates before May 1 we need to be aware of?
A:  Yes.  The key dates are: 

  • March 15 – Agilent’s suppliers will be sent additional critical information about actions they must take leading up to the migration.
  • April 14 – date by which all:
    • Goods being delivered for existing Agilent Oracle purchase orders (POs) must be received and invoices received for final payment run on April 19.
    • Services being rendered for existing Agilent Oracle POs must be completed and invoices received for final payment run on April 19.
  • April 19 – final payment run of invoices due for remittance against existing Agilent Oracle and Agilent SAP POs.
  • April 20 – May 13:  Payment blackout period for ALL POs; no payments will be processed during this time.
  • Starting the week of May 1:
    • Suppliers will receive replacement Agilent ARIBA POs for existing Agilent Oracle POs that have open goods or services balances.
    • Suppliers will start receiving new Agilent ARIBA POs for new Agilent purchases.

Q:  What will happen with my open Oracle POs?
A:  If you have an open Agilent Oracle PO (i.e., you have an order with further indirect materials or services needing to be fulfilled) you will receive a replacement ARIBA PO from Agilent.  The replacement Agilent PO will reference the old Agilent Oracle PO number so that you can cross-reference and validate the balance information.

Q:  What will happen with my invoices and my payments related to Agilent Oracle POs?

  • For invoices:
    A: You will need to ensure that Agilent receives invoices for goods and/or services already provided against your existing Oracle PO no later than April 14.
  • For payments:
    A: The final payment relating to your existing Agilent Oracle POs will be issued on April 19.  Payments against new ARIBA POs and SAP direct material POs will begin on May 13.

Q:  What will happen if materials shipped against my existing Agilent Oracle PO are still in transit (i.e., have not been received yet by Agilent) on April 14?
A:  Goods received after April 14 will be processed starting on May 13 against the replacement Agilent Ariba PO.  All future transactions will be processed in Ariba. 

Q:  What will happen if services requested by my existing Agilent Oracle PO are still in process on April 14?
A:   Services may continue against the replacement Agilent Ariba PO during the payment blackout, but no invoices will be paid against these replacement POs until after May 13.  There will be no further payments against Oracle POs.  All future transactions will be processed in Ariba.

Q:  Is there going to be a blackout period during which we cannot ship, provide services or send invoices to Agilent?
A:  There will be an Agilent payment blackout from April 20 until May 13.   Suppliers can continue to ship and provide services during this time. However no payments will be processed until after May 13.

Q.  When will we receive more details about this change?
A:  We will send you additional information in March and April.  You may also continue to refer back to this FAQ link, which will be updated as we receive more questions from our supplier community.

Q:  Is Agilent making any other changes to its Procurement and Accounts Payable processes?
A:  Agilent is joining other best-in-class organizations in moving toward e-invoicing.  To ensure a smooth transition, this process is being rolled out gradually to groups of our suppliers over approximately six months, starting in May.  Affected groups of suppliers are receiving separate communications on this topic.  If you are in the first group for this transition, you will receive a separate set of communications about joining a Supplier Network. 

Q:  Do I need to make any changes related to Agilent’s migration to ARIBA?
A:  You will need to work closely with your Agilent Procurement and Accounts Payable contacts – and within your own organization -- to ensure that:

  • Goods and/or services against existing POs are provided and invoiced within the above-listed deadlines.
  • You have received the appropriate replacement PO(s) the week of May 1, as applicable, and resolved any discrepancies.
  • You no longer ship or invoice against the old Oracle PO(s) after April 14.

Q:  I have a question not covered in this FAQ.  Who can I talk to within Agilent?

Working with Agilent