SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT FOR BACS PROCESSING SERVICES 

This agreement sets out the basis upon which the bureau provides services to the client and supports the contract between the bureau and the client. 

Service provided by the bureau 

• The bureau will transmit direct credit payments to Bacs for processing on behalf of the client 
• The bureau will transmit payment files to Bacs daily 
• The bureau will act as a transmission-only bureau, through automated, scheduled extraction and transfer of approved payment data 
• The client will prepare payments for Bacs processing in the Xledger software application by following standard Xledger processes in accordance with training and documentation provided by Xledger 
• We may appoint carefully selected third-party service providers (TPSP) to perform certain aspects of the services we offer, including but not limited to, data processing, creation and submission of Bacs files, technical support etc. These third parties are bound by contractual obligations to protect your information and to use it only for the purposes for which it was disclosed. We remain responsible for the overall delivery and quality of the services provided to you. For clarity, the TPSPs which form part of our end-to-end payment process are as follows:  
• AccessPay, City Tower, Piccadilly Plaza, Manchester, M14BT, UK: Bacs-approved software supplier for submission of Bacs files and associated technical support 

Contingency Service 

• Should bureau operations be disrupted for any reason, the bureau will provide the client with as full a service as possible. The bureau will advise the client if it is likely that there is an adverse effect to the service provided to the client.  
• Should the client experience problems with the bureau services, they should contact Xledger Support in the first instance, through a registered Xledger superuser in the Zendesk Support Portal or by email to support@xledger.co.uk.  
• If escalation is required, communications should be redirected in the following order: 
• Support Manager  
• Operations Director 
• Your named customer success executive 
• In the event of an urgent question and no acknowledged receipt from Support or any of the above named escalation points, clients can call the general office number to be redirected to an appropriate representative: 0117 313 9465 
• The client should have their own contingency and Disaster Recovery (DR) processes in place relating to the Bacs service and must contact the Bureau should they enter a DR situation where normal service could be disrupted.  

Data Delivery 

• The client is responsible for preparing and maintaining all payment data through the Xledger application. This includes but is not limited to payee name, payment amount, payment due date, bank account number, sort code, payment method, and lead time. 
• The client is responsible for ensuring appropriate controls exist to prevent unauthorized preparation or approval of payment data. 
• The client is responsible for ensuring that payments are fully approved and contain sufficient information to satisfy payment validation within the Xledger application, prior to attempted transmission by the bureau. 
• The bureau will not prepare or in any way alter payment data. 
• Data may only be delivered to the bureau through use of the Xledger application, in accordance with Xledger guidance and documentation. The bureau will not accept data in any other format for submission.  
• Payment data must be complete and approved in the Xledger application by 11am on the day of submission to ensure collection in the daily payment job 
• The bureau will transmit approved and valid payment data to Bacs for processing daily after 12pm. 
• In the event of error in automated transmission of data to Bacs, the bureau may manually transmit the data, as necessary only to meet the bureau’s service responsibilities to the client 
• The client will verify that payments posted automatically to Xledger match the total payment amount through the bank account, no more than one day after the the Debit/Credit day  
• The client will inform the bureau of any identified Bacs-payment errors immediately through the Support Portal. 

Bacs File Limits 

• It is the client’s responsibility to ensure that the total value of payments does not exceed the limit negotiated with the client’s Bacs sponsor. Files limits are the responsibility of the client and should be managed through their sponsoring bank, including temporary limit increases and pre-authorisation of files which may be over the agreed limit. 

Cancellation of Payments 

• The client will arrange the cancellation of individual payments by contacting their Bacs sponsor by Bacs Processing Day. 
• If it is necessary to withdraw the whole Bacs file, the client will contact the bureau before 3pm on Input Day. 

Bacs Input and Messaging Reports 

Bacs Input reports provide details of the payments that the bureau has submitted to the Bacs service on behalf of the client. The Messaging Reports provide details of the payments that have been amended, adjusted or returned electronically from the Bacs service, or the end bank, to the client and have implications if not acted upon within documented timescales. 

• The client must collect their reports following email notification from the Bacs service. 
• It is the client’s responsibility to ensure that their Primary Security Contacts (PSC) and Additional Contacts (AC) on the Payments Services Website are kept up to date and active to ensure collection and investigation of these reports is undertaken. PSCs and ACs must be employees of the Service User. 
• If the client is unable to collect their Bacs reports for any reason, they must contact their Bacs sponsor as soon as possible once the email notification has been received (before 11am on Processing Day) 
• The client will check the Bacs Input and Messaging Reports to: 
• Ensure that both the number and value of payments agree with the data maintained in the Xledger  application (for the Input Report); 
• Ascertain details of any rejected or adjusted records (on all reports). 
• Ensure that the information within the report is verified, and correct prior to updating the client’s own database and informing the bureau of any changes or amendments 
• The client is responsible for dealing with any rejected or adjusted records identified in the Bacs Reports. 

Termination of Service 

Should the client no longer require the bureau’s service, it is the client’s responsibility to contact their sponsoring bank to unlink the Service User Number (SUN) from the bureau number.  

The bureau is unable to do this on the client’s behalf.   

Until the SUN is unlinked, the bureau will still have access to client information.   

DEFINITIONS:  

Bacs The system operated by Pay.UK  

Bacs Sponsor The bank or building society sponsoring the client to use the Bacs service (also referred to as a Sponsoring Participant) 

Bacs Processing Cycle The three consecutive English working days in the Bacs Processing Cycle are: 

• Day 1 – Input Day (the last day when the file may be received by the Bacs service) 
• Day 2 – Processing Day 
• Day 3 – Debit/Credit Day (the day when items reach destination account) 

Bacs Messaging Reports  

Further information and definitions are available in the Bacstel-IP Service User guide 

ARUCS (Automated Return of Unapplied Credits Service) 

AWACS (Advice of Wrong Account for Automated Credits Service)  

ARUDD (Automated Return of Unapplied Direct Debits)  

AUDDIS (Automated Direct Debit Instruction Service)  

ADDACS (Automated Direct Debit Amendment and Cancellation Service)  

DDICA (Direct Debit Indemnity Claim Advice)