All suppliers billing the government will be required to submit their invoices electronically from November 1.

The integrated e-Invoice system enables suppliers to submit their invoices electronically to all 461 government agencies including ministries, schools and statutory boards via a one-stop Vendors@Gov online portal (www.vendors.gov.sg).

Benefits of using the e-Invoice system include cost saving by going paperless, convenience of access to records, ease of tracking invoice statuses and promptness of payment.

Suppliers new to the system will need their company's registration number, IRAS' E-Services Authorisation System (EASY) Access Code and employees' personal SingPass(s) to begin. Employees will also need to be authorised via IRAS' EASY (www.iras.gov.sg) before they can perform transactions on behalf of their companies.

Small proprietorships without quick access to the internet at the point of sales, such as canteen operators, can visit the nearest CitizenConnect centre which offer access to government e-services to the public at no charge.

Vendors located overseas will be excluded from e-invoicing at this stage.

The e-Invoice system was introduced by the Accountant-General's Department (AGD) of the Ministry of Finance since early 2006.

An announcement was made earlier this year on April 30 on transiting all paper invoices to electronic ones with effect from November 1.

During this period, more than 2,000 suppliers, constituting almost 80% of Government's regular suppliers have started to submit invoices electronically.