Supplier/Vendor Information

Mass General Brigham values the services of our suppliers and vendors. We are committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards in business practices. To create ethical and effective working relationships, we have established policies that govern our relationships with suppliers and other business partners / contractors.

Policies

Policy on interactions with industry

Mass General Brigham's policy on interactions with industry was developed and recommended by a physician and scientist-led commission on Interactions with Industry, designed to govern Mass General Brigham's interactions with the pharmaceutical industry, medical device makers, and other suppliers.

Note: Mass General Brigham has a ban on gifts from vendors/suppliers.

Please read our policy for interactions with industry and other outside entities to learn about these important standards governing the relationships between our suppliers and our employees, physicians, and volunteer leadership.

Ethical standards

Suppliers are encouraged to review our ethical standards to familiarize themselves with the how Mass General Brigham and its employees conduct business.

Supplier diversity program

Created in 2004, the Supplier Diversity Program was established to extend our mission of community outreach and involve an increasingly more diverse group of suppliers to participate in procurement.

By diversifying our supply base, we connect with an emerging market and give back to the communities in which we operate.

With more than 3,000 certified/categorized historically under-served businesses, Mass General Brigham is a leader in supplier diversity initiatives and has received multiple supplier diversity awards, including the:

For more information on this program, please contact the Supplier Diversity program at supplierdiversity@partners.org.

Requirements and guidelines

Background check

Mass General Brigham (formerly Partners HealthCare) (Customer) requires vendors/suppliers (Business) to perform certain background checks for Business employees assigned to work at a Mass General Brigham site for more than three weeks or who will have any access to Protected Health Information. In addition, temporary staff serving for any length of time must meet these requirements. The Business is expected to maintain documentation of adherence to these requirements and be able to demonstrate compliance, if requested. If a Business employee is unable to satisfactorily meet these requirements, Business must contact Customer in advance of the employee engaging in work for Mass General Brigham to determine next steps. Any/all communications containing personal information must be sent via Secure/Encrypted email.

Questions about these standards should be directed to Police & Security at: policecori@partners.org.

Download the Background Check document for the details of this requirement.

Updated June 2022

Infection prevention standards

Mass General Brigham requires that all vendor representatives, contractors, consultants, and temporary staff who will be working on-site at any Mass General Brigham facility be vaccinated for COVID-19 and the flu (if working during flu season, September 15-April 30).

In addition, vendor representatives, contractors, consultants, and temporary staff working on-site at a Mass General Brigham hospital or other health care facility for more than three weeks must also meet the Additional Infection Prevention Requirements. Download the Infection Prevention Standards document

Updated December 2023

On-site badge and credentialing

Mass General Brigham Incorporated has contracted with Green Security for vendor credentialing. Vendor representatives requiring access to patient care areas at most Mass General Brigham facilities must be registered and obtain a badge from Green Security in order to enter patient care/clinical areas.

December 2020

Insurance obligations

Insurance Obligations for Businesses Providing Goods & Services

This document describes the insurance obligations for businesses providing goods or services to Mass General Brigham and its Affiliates.

Updated January 2024

Travel expense requirements

As a non-profit, Mass General Brigham takes its fiduciary responsibilities very seriously and this focus on reasonable cost containment applies to our vendor community. The following requirements apply to travel expenses being charged to Mass General Brigham and its affiliates:

  1. Any time spent by any employee of Business (“Business Employee”) or agents of Business commuting to and from their homes shall not count as time spent in providing any Services to Customer. Any additional time spent by a Business Employee or such agents traveling at the specific request of Customer shall count as time spent in providing Services to Customer. Such time must be pre-approved in writing by Customer in advance and shall be subject to any maximum payment caps agreed upon by the parties for any particular defined project.
  2. Travel (airline, railroad, etc.) should always be in coach class, irrespective of trip length.
  3. Car rentals must be a standard/full vehicle class or lower unless a different class of car is documented as less expensive. Gas, tolls, insurance and parking fees for rental vehicles will also be reimbursed but not parking tickets, moving violations, etc. If a personal vehicle is being used, mileage will be reimbursed at the federal POV mileage rate (currently $.545/mile but updated annually) and tolls and parking fees will be reimbursed.
  4. Total meals and incidental expenses cannot exceed the federal General Services Administration (GSA) rate set for the region where the work will be performed (available at: https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates). On travel days the reimbursement will be 75% of the federal per diem for the region.
  5. Reasonable accommodations for a standard single room at a mid-range hotel will be reimbursed. Long term accommodations should be pursued whenever financially advantageous.
  6. Movie rentals, gym fees, dry cleaning, etc. are not reimbursable nor are phone call expenses not directly related to the project.
  7. For unusual situations or expenses, please contact your Mass General Brigham business contact for guidance. They may reference the Mass General Brigham Employee Travel Policy to provide additional detailed guidance.
  8. Original receipts must be provided for reimbursement for hotel, car, and plane travel. Meals and incidentals will be paid at the federal per diem unless Customer requests otherwise.

Updated December 2020

Invoicing procedures

Business acknowledges that if invoices are not submitted in accordance with this section, Customer cannot guarantee the timely payment of fees.

Orders and invoices

Business shall submit invoice(s) for payments due hereunder upon receipt of Customer’s written approval of Services and/or Deliverables. To ensure timely, and correct payment, Vendor acknowledges and agrees to adhere to the following standard operating procedures for Order Receipt, Invoicing and resolution of non-payment. Failure to follow the below procedures may result in the delay of payment.

Order receipt

Orders from Mass General Brigham (formerly Partners HealthCare) must be accompanied by a PO in standard Mass General Brigham format: 10 digits, numeric only. Orders not accompanied by a PO will be denied.

Vendors must acknowledge, and confirm order details within 24 hours of order receipt. Orders may be confirmed via fax to (617) 565-0634, or via email to POConfirmations@partners.org.

Invoicing

Standard payment terms for Customer are Net45 days from the invoice date.

All invoices must be submitted to Customer upon acknowledgement of receipt of Deliverables, or written confirmation of satisfaction with Services.

Invoices exceeding 1 year after provision of Deliverables or Services will not be accepted without demonstration of earlier collection attempts.

All invoices must contain, at minimum: the invoice number, invoice date, PO number and remit address.

Only 1 PO can be listed per invoice.

No more than 1 invoice may be listed per page. Multiple invoices cannot be combined onto single pages.

Invoices shall not include interest or late payment charges.

Agreements, excel spreadsheets, statements, or anything other than an Invoice Copy in PDF or TIF image will not be accepted.

Please submit only 1 copy of each invoice.

Invoicing Methods

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) - Mass General Brigham's preferred method of invoicing is via EDI. If your organization is capable of this method of invoice delivery, please contact PHSMMISVENDORUPDATE@partners.org.

Mail - Mail invoices containing Purchase Order number on each page to:

Mass General Brigham
Attn: Accounts Payable
399 Revolution Drive Suite 327
Somerville, MA 02145

Email - Invoices that are transmitted via email to: PHSPOINVOICE@PARTNERS.ORG must follow the below technical requirements.

NOTE: When submitting an invoice with a “hand written” PO number, please be sure to use Black ink only. Other colored ink does not scan well, and the PO number is often illegible.

Payment

Mass General Brigham method of payment is credit card through Bank of America E-Payables program. Details of the program can be found at www.bankofamerica.com/epayablesvendors.

Payment inquiries can be directed to Operations Support department at (617) 726-2142.

Resolution of non / short payment

Submissions to Operations Support not accompanied by the correct ticket number for the invoices submitted will not be accepted.

Vendors must contact our Operations Support department at (617) 726-2142 immediately once an invoice becomes past due or was determined to have been paid short.

If business becomes aware of any issue related to payment, business shall contact Supply Chain Operations Support at (617) 726-2142. While the parties are engaged in good faith business discussions intended to achieve a resolution to such issues, orders will not be held.

All submissions to Operations Support require a ticket number, which can be obtained by calling (617) 726-2142. A new ticket number is issued for each case/call. Once a ticket is obtained, invoices requiring resolution may be submitted via email to the provided address.

Submissions to Operations Support not accompanied by the correct ticket number for the invoices submitted will not be accepted.

Travel or other out-of-pocket expenses

Any time spent by any employee of Business (“Business Employee”) or agents of Business commuting to and from their homes shall not count as time spent in providing Services to Customer. Any additional time spent by a Business Employee or such agents traveling at the specific request of Customer shall count as time spent in providing Services to Customer. Such time must be pre-approved in writing by Customer and shall be subject to any maximum payment caps agreed upon by the parties. Travel and other out of pocket costs must comply with Mass General Brigham Travel Expense Requirements for Vendors, including documentation of actual expenses where required and a cap of travel and other costs not to exceed nine percent (9%) of total fees paid.


Expenses

Customer shall reimburse Business for reasonable expenses directly related to the Services, provided that Customer has authorized such expenses in writing in advance.

Updated February 2021