B
NMBS Network routed · Builders Merchant Buying Society Last reviewed: August 2026
🇬🇧 UK Network

NMBS billing,
working in the background.

Supply Lens automates supplier billing to NMBS. Invoices and credit notes are generated from your ERP, validated against your agreed terms and transmitted through the network, with the right supplier and member references applied on every document.

Invoices out
Raised from your ERP automatically
Every invoice is generated, checked and sent without anyone rekeying it
Network managed
No account needed on your side
NMBS route through a managed network, and we hold that relationship for you
Credit notes too
Adjustments sent the same way
Credits are matched to the invoice they correct and transmitted over the same connection
99.9%
Uptime SLA
Monitored around the clock, helping keep documents within transmission windows
Supply Lens · NMBS Live Flow Live
Invoice INV-51204 raised in ERP Member merchant · 14 lines · account reference resolved RAISED
Product codes mapped · member resolved Member account matched · supplier code confirmed · pricing applied PROCESSING
Invoice validated Agreed terms confirmed · totals and tax checked · ready to send CHECKED
Invoice transmitted to NMBS £7,240.15 · confirmed received SENT
Credit note raised and sent 2× returned line · matched to INV-51204 CREDIT
NMBS-Specific Requirements

Invoices and credits out.
The detail is in the rules.

Billing NMBS looks straightforward on paper. The work is in the banner and store references, the agreed terms behind every line and the format NMBS expect each document to follow. Get any of it wrong and the invoice sits unpaid. Supply Lens is configured for those rules out of the box.

Network managed connection

NMBS receive supplier documents through a managed network rather than a point-to-point link. Supply Lens holds that network relationship, the routing and the partner profile on your behalf, so you need no account, subscription or gateway of your own.

Member merchants resolved

NMBS is a buying society, so an invoice is raised against a member merchant but settled through the society. Each member carries its own account reference, and billing the wrong one will not clear. Supply Lens resolves the member from the source document and applies the correct references before anything is transmitted.

EAN to item code mapping

NMBS identify products by GS1 EAN and their own product reference. Supply Lens maintains a cross-reference table mapping both to your item codes, so every invoice line carries the identifier NMBS expect rather than your internal code.

Invoice tolerance rules

NMBS match invoices on price and quantity before they will pay. Supply Lens validates each invoice against your agreed terms before transmission, flagging any discrepancy for review rather than sending it and having it queried or held weeks later.

Member account references

NMBS covers a large membership of independent merchants, each with its own branches. Supply Lens maps every active member and branch to the right reference on the invoice, so billing lands against the correct account without anyone looking up a code by hand.

Credit notes accepted

Most retailers will not take a credit note over the connection, so suppliers end up raising them by hand. NMBS do accept them. Supply Lens matches each credit against the original invoice and sends it through the same flow, so returns, short deliveries and price corrections settle without a manual process running alongside.

Document Flow

Every invoice.
Every credit.
Automatically.

Supply Lens handles NMBS billing end to end, so documents are produced and transmitted automatically, without manual rekeying.

  • Invoices generated from your ERP as soon as the sale is recorded
  • Every invoice pre-validated against your agreed NMBS terms before transmission
  • Credit notes raised, matched to the original invoice and transmitted through the same connection
  • Banner, store and pricing rules applied per document automatically
  • All NMBS-specific document structures generated correctly without your team seeing the format
NMBS document cycle
Invoice (pre-validated) OUTBOUND
NMBS
Credit Note OUTBOUND
NMBS
What's mapped automatically
NMBS reference Resolved automatically
Member and branch references
Pre-loaded
Product codes and NMBS references
Resolved per order
Agreed terms and promotional pricing
Applied per line
Tax and currency
UK VAT, GBP
Configuration

Configured for NMBS.
Connected to your
system.

Supply Lens holds NMBS's rules and the connection itself so you don't have to. Your team provides credentials, product mappings and the agreed terms. Everything else lives in the Supply Lens layer.

1

NMBS supplier onboarding

Your NMBS supplier code, GLN and trading partner profile registered with NMBS's gateway. Supply Lens manages the connection identifiers and certificates, so there is no setup needed your side.

2

EAN and product cross-reference

NMBS EANs and product references mapped to your item codes. Pack-size variants, promotional lines and multi-pack SKUs are handled automatically once their cross-reference is established.

3

Member and branch mapping

Each NMBS member and branch reference mapped to the matching customer account in your ERP, so every invoice bills against the right account without manual lookup.

4

Tolerance, pricing and credits

Your agreed NMBS terms registered for invoice validation. Pricing rules applied per supplier agreement, and credit notes matched to the invoice they correct, so discrepancies surface your side first.

EAN → item code cross-reference
NMBS reference Your item code
50142880031001 AMB-BEAN-400G
50142880031002 AMB-SOUP-400G
50142880031003 CHL-CHED-200G
prd:6620418-A SUPP-BW-6620418
Invoice generation
From ERP
ON
Member resolution
Per document
ON
Invoice validation
Agreed terms check
ON
Invoice out
Network routed
ON
Credit notes
Matched to invoice
ON
Exception queue
Email + dashboard
CONFIG
NMBS Edge Cases

The situations that
catch suppliers out.

Supply Lens handles the scenarios that typically cause invoices to be queried, held or left unpaid in the NMBS flow.

"We bill dozens of member merchants and half our invoices come back queried on the account reference."

The member is resolved before anything is sent. Supply Lens reads the source document, works out which member and branch the sale belongs to and applies the references NMBS expect, so the invoice arrives against the right account first time rather than coming back for correction.

"An invoice sat unpaid for six weeks because a price was a few pence off the agreed terms."

Invoice values are validated against your agreed NMBS terms before submission. Discrepancies are flagged before the invoice is sent, giving your team a chance to correct or query rather than discovering the problem when the payment does not arrive.

"We short-delivered two lines and the credit note is being raised by hand outside the system."

NMBS accept credit notes over the connection, so there is no need for a manual process alongside. Supply Lens matches the credit to the invoice it corrects, applies the same validation the invoice went through and transmits it through the same flow. Returns, short deliveries and price corrections all settle the same way.

"We added a new line and the invoice went out with our internal code instead of the NMBS reference."

Unmapped products go to an exception queue before transmission rather than being sent with the wrong identifier. Your team is notified with the full context, the mapping is added and the invoice is re-triggered. Nothing reaches NMBS in a state they will query.

Getting Set Up

What you need to
go live with NMBS.

NMBS onboarding involves their supplier team, the connection setup and your internal product and pricing data. Supply Lens manages the configuration, the gateway and the format conversion. You provide the inputs.

  • NMBS supplier code and any associated GLNs
  • Product EAN list with your internal item codes
  • NMBS product reference cross-reference where used
  • Member and branch account list
  • Agreed NMBS terms for invoice validation
  • Credit note approval process and who raises them
  • ERP or IMS credentials (Unleashed, Enterpryze or other)
  • Sample NMBS invoice layouts where available
  • Tolerance rules confirmation per supplier agreement
Typical delivery timeline
Day 1

Supplier data & credentials

NMBS supplier code, GLNs, ERP credentials and agreed terms received

Day 2–3

Mappings built

Product cross-reference, member mapping and pricing configuration completed in staging

Day 4–5

End-to-end test

Test invoice and credit note generated and validated against NMBS's specification

Live ✓

Go live

Production enabled, first live NMBS invoice transmitted end-to-end

ERP & IMS Connections

Connect NMBS to your back-office system.

Supply Lens generates NMBS invoices straight from Unleashed, Enterpryze or other connected ERPs with the right item codes, document series and member references.

Ready to automate
your NMBS billing?

Most suppliers are live within five days. No long contracts, nothing to set up on your side. We handle the NMBS-specific configuration, you confirm the mappings.