We build sustainable relationships with our suppliers to help fulfill our operational needs, stimulate economic growth in the communities we serve, and satisfy the expectations of our stakeholders. Charles River maintains a database to identify new suppliers who have an interest in working with us. If you would like to express your interest in becoming a Charles River supplier, please email with the subject line “Expressing interest in working with Charles River” to [email protected].
If you are an existing supplier and would like to update your information in our files, please email with the subject line “Update our supplier information with Charles River” to [email protected].
On this page, you can find localized procurement terms and conditions and the supplier code of conduct, as well as further information you may need to conduct business successfully with us and/or our affiliates.
- AP/Billing Instructions
- Responsibility
- Sustainability
- Diversity
- Terms & Conditions
- Quality & Performance
Where should I send invoices to be paid by Charles River?
Charles River suppliers should always have a purchase order (or an agreement to accept a credit card) in place before beginning work. Invoices may be sent to Charles River per the instructions on the purchase order you received. If you have not received a purchase order or your invoice does not match the purchase order line items, it may significantly delay the amount of time it takes for us to approve the invoice and post it for payment. Please email [email protected] for assistance addressing any invoices that are not easily aligned to a purchase order.
What are Charles River's standard payment terms?
Charles River has standard payment terms of net 60 days.
What are Charles River's payment terms for work performed without a purchase order?
If you have executed work without a purchase order, we will pay to our standard payment terms once we have approved the invoice. To avoid delays in payments, always ensure that you are working with a valid purchase order from Charles River.
What options are there that can reduce the timing for payment terms?
To increase flexibility for our suppliers, Charles River is happy to offer faster payment terms in return for discounted rates from key suppliers. Ask a Charles River representative about our Invoice Discount Terms options when registering as a supplier or before your next expected order.
Additionally, we have developed other innovative programs that our suppliers may sign up for to receive more rapid payment through one of our third-party partners. A full listing of the alternatives to our default net 60-day payment terms is included:
| Option | Description | Contact/Support | Countries | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visa ePayables | ||||
| USBank | An ePayables solution that provides electronic payment on Net 30-day terms. | For details and program enrollment, contact USBank at [email protected] | USA/CA | Now |
| Benefits include: • Early/immediate payment • Reduced admin burden • Daily payment runs (on-time payment) | ||||
| Option | Description | Contact/Support | Countries | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Early Payment Option | ||||
| Taulia Dynamic Discounting Taulia is now an SAP company | Supplier receives a sliding scale payment discount based on contract terms (e.g. net 30, 45, 60, 90) | For details reach out to your Charles River Procurement contact or visit Taulia supplier education website at https://customers.taulia.com/criver | US/CA Canada | Now |
| Benefits include: Real-time visibility of GR/IR completion and payment approvals Early payment (supplier chooses early payment date) Best in class supplier interface | Reduced admin burden: • Multiple weekly payment runs (on-time payment) • Supplier can select individual invoices for early payment • Or, accept cash flow option and auto receive early payment on all approved invoices • Flexible individual payment timing (end of month, quarter, year) | |||
Please note: If you select one of the third-party programs for shorter terms, you must independently register with our partners for these programs. US Bank and Orbian will contact us once your registration is complete, and the new payment method will go into effect. Until your registration is complete, your payment terms with Charles River will default to net 60 days.
What is the preferred method of payment?
The most effective and efficient method to ensure timely payment is via electronic funds transfer (EFT). To facilitate an EFT, suppliers must provide the following information at the time of new vendor set up or request a change to amend the current vendor master file information. Below is an example of the required information for EFT enrollment:
- • Remittance address
- • Electronic remittance/email address
- • Transfer protocol (e.g., ACH, IBAN, Swift Code)
- • Currency
- • Country
- • Bank name
- • Account holder’s name
- • Account type
- • Bank address
- • Routing transit number/
IBAN dependent on location of bank - • Account number
If you are an existing Charles River supplier and would like to sign up for EFT payments, please send an email to [email protected] with the subject line “Requesting Electronic Fund Transfer Payments.”
Charles River is committed to conducting business ethically, responsibly, and with integrity. We expect the same from our suppliers, each of whom is required to comply with applicable laws and regulations, as well as the standards set forth in our Supplier Code of Conduct. This documents very closely mirrors the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative’s (PSCI) Principles for Responsible Supply Chain Management, known as the Principles, which articulate the broader pharmaceutical industry expectations from the supply chain.
Any potential ethical or legal violations involving our business can be reported by calling our Charles River Helpline at 1-866-294-3699 or visiting helpline.criver.com. No one will be subject to retaliation for making a good faith report of a complaint or concern.
Below are some of the resources that Charles River provides to our suppliers to help you and your employees maintain the highest legal and ethical standards. You can also visit the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative of which Charles River is a member, to ascertain additional tools. Also please click on the Sustainability and Diversity sections (see above) of the supplier page in order to ascertain our expectations of suppliers in those key areas.
Code de Conduite du Fournisseur
Politique antitrust et de concurrence loyale
Conflict Minerals Law Statement
Global Policy on Safety and Sustainability
Statement Regarding the Prohibition of Human Trafficking
Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Policy for Suppliers
As a good corporate citizen, Charles River is committed to reducing our environmental footprint. In 2019, we announced our goal to reduce our company’s scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50% by 2030, and in November 2020, we set an additional goal to reduce our scope 3 (value chain) GHG emissions by 15%, also by 2030. We’ve also set a goal to achieve 100% renewable electricity globally by 2030 and are a member of RE100. Our commitments to reduce our GHG emissions are Science Based Targets in accordance with current climate-change science, including the Paris Climate Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, as well as worldwide efforts to limit global warming levels.
As a supplier to Charles River, we are asking you to join us on this sustainability journey and commit to setting your own Science Based Targets to reduce GHG emissions at your facilities and throughout your supply chain. In order to assist our suppliers on their sustainability journey Charles River is now a sponsor of Energize. Energize is a group of industry-leading companies in the pharmaceutical sector who have committed to engaging their suppliers to support the adoption of renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions within their supply chains. As a proud sponsor of Energize we strongly encourage our supplier’s participation, as the program provides an opportunity for your company to take actionable steps towards decarbonization.
In June 2021, we joined the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative for Responsible Supply Chain Management (PSCI). PSCI is a group of pharmaceutical and healthcare companies who share a vision of better social, health, safety and environmental outcomes in the communities where we buy. PSCI member companies believe that collectively PSCI members can share knowledge and expertise, across our industry, to drive complex, global change more effectively than any one organization alone. We joined the PSCI to further promote responsible supply chain management and better business conditions across our supply chain.
The Charles River Supplier Code of Conduct very closely mirrors the PSCI Principles for Responsible Supply Chain Management, known as the Principles, which articulate the broader pharmaceutical industry expectations from the supply chain. PSCI members, like Charles River, work with their suppliers to expand the market focus on five key pillars of social responsibility. The Principles address five areas of responsible business practice: ethics, human rights and labor, health and safety, environment, and management systems. In each area, the Principles set out the relevant practices that any business operating within the pharmaceutical supply chain is expected to uphold.
The PSCI has also developed an Implementation Guidance Document, which further clarifies the Principles in each of the five areas, providing a framework for improvement and examples for how to meet expectations.
In May 2021, we began interacting with many of you to better understand our value chain GHGs via the Ecodesk Survey. The annual Ecodesk GHG survey is in line with the PSCI and is used by many other PSCI member companies within the pharmaceutical supply chain to engage with their suppliers.
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]. We hope you join us on our sustainability journey.
Supplier Diversity
Charles River is committed to the development and support of a diverse supplier base. Through our supplier diversity program, we enlarge our pool of innovative ideas and sources for high quality goods and services while providing economic development opportunities for diverse business enterprises, which include but are not limited to disabled, LGBTQ+, small, minority-owned, woman-owned, small disadvantaged, HUB Zone, veteran-owned, service disabled veteran-owned businesses, and Alaska native corporations (view the definitions).
As described in our Supplier Diversity Policy Letter, we encourage the development and inclusion of all capable material and service suppliers. Our procurement organization, internal stakeholders, and others involved in the supplier selection process integrate small business into their business strategies and operations. We make good faith efforts to include diverse suppliers in sourcing events and throughout the supplier selection process where applicable. We continually strive to optimize our spend with diverse suppliers.
If you would like to express your interest in becoming a Charles River supplier, please email with the subject line “Expressing interest in working with Charles River” to [email protected].
Conditions Générales Standard D'un Bon De Commande
Archived Purchase Order Standard Terms & Conditions
The Global Vendor Quality Manual establishes Charles River’s quality expectations for our vendors. We believe the requirements described in this manual are essential for the effective management of the services and products we provide to our clients.
Supplier Relationship Management
Charles River is implementing a Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) Program, which provides a structured environment to maximize value and collaboration with our strategic suppliers. We are putting into place the tools and processes to foster continuous improvement for the mutual benefit of Charles River and our suppliers. We want to build on our most strategic partnerships in order to ensure we are a valued customer of choice. Strategic suppliers will have regularly scheduled touch points and scorecards to track mutual progress and success efforts.
The Charles River SRM Program will incorporate the following goals:
• Define the supplier’s role in helping us achieve our strategic objectives
• Adhere to fair and clearly-defined performance metrics
• Create an open forum for operational improvement and innovation discussions
• Build the foundation to further improve our business relationships