From:	C.D. Crepps
To:	Department Contacts
Cc:	Finance Office
Subject:	year-end payment process details
Sent:	TUE,JUN11@10:00AM

GREETINGS,

Many of you know Mary Kennedy. She is out of the office for several days following a medical procedure yesterday. She called us this morning, sounding a little tired, but saying she felt fine. She was laughing on the phone with us. Please, if you will, lift up a prayer for her.

This reminder message is specifically for staff that may assist in the department’s purchasing processes. Please forward to other appropriate staff that may need to receive this message.

I will be periodically broadcasting information to all of you via email, yet please do not hesitate to contact me by phone or email if you should have any questions or concerns for me about what is communicated.

Remember that a "new order blackout period" is in effect from midnight on June 9 to midnight on July 8. Please take this time to contact vendors who have not submitted invoices recently and remind them that invoices for any work completed through June 30 must be received within a month after June 30. For more details, reference email sent on MON,APR22 @ 10:19AM with subject "year-end purchasing-part 1".

Below are some reminders regarding the process from Purchase Requisitions to Purchase Orders to Payments.

PURCHASE REQUISITIONS:
1. When committing the County to a purchase, create a new purchase requisition before or immediately after placing the order.
      a. When placing an order, entering a contract, or making any other obligation, create a new purchase requisition.
      b. Payment will not be made until receipt of proper supporting files.

2. When creating a purchase requisition on the MCSJ system and NOT providing proof of cost of items being purchased, indicate in “comments” or “notes” whether cost amounts are ‘verbal’ or ‘estimated’.
      a. When possible, attach supporting files. For a purchase requisition with costs of $500 or more, supporting files are required before the purchase requisition may become a purchase order.
      b. Regardless of amount, before payment can be made, it will be necessary to provide proof of cost of items being purchased.

3. The purchase requisition will normally transition from OPEN status to 1ST APPROVER status within the department. Then, the County Finance Director (C.D.C.) and the County Manager (Matthew W.) will transition the requisition to 2ND APPROVER status and to 3RD APPROVER status.
      a. The purchase requisition may be changed to either HELD status, NEEDS REVISION status, DENIED status, or CANCELED status. When making one of these status changes, we should explain why in "comments" or "notes".
      b. The purchase requisition may be changed to RESUBMITTED status to make any needed changes to re-send the purchase requisition back through the approval process.
      c. Only certain field entries may be changed once the requisition moves past the OPEN or RESUBMITTED status.
      d. Though Finance periodically searches for purchase requisitions that may need further processing, you are free to search, also, using the "Requisition Inquiry" tool within the MCSJ system or other methods.

4. Once receiving all approvals, the purchase requisition will transition to a purchase order.
      a. The Purchasing Specialist (Mary K.) will transition the requisition to 4TH APPROVER status, then to status of "P.O. GENERATED". (Belinda S. performs this function in Mary’s absence.)
      b. If the system has your email address, a copy of the purchase order will be sent to your email address. Note that any needed changes are made to the purchase order after this copy has been emailed. Refer to system for latest copy.

5. When adding supporting files to the purchase requisition, the MCSJ system is designed such that these added files automatically transfer to the purchase order. Please feel free to verify that this action takes place.
      a. For registration forms, membership forms, invoices and other paperwork to accompany payment, please be sure that Finance has all documents that need to be returned to payee/vendor via payment.

PURCHASE ORDERS:
1. A purchase order will normally transition from OPEN status, to RECEIVED status, to APPROVED status, then to PAID status.
      a. The RECEIVED status is given after verified receipt of proper supporting files.
      b. The APPROVED status is given as a last status change before issuing payment.
      c. This is the work of the Purchasing Specialist, except the Payments Specialist (Misty C.) normally handles the last status change to PAID status when issuing payments.

2. A purchase order may be changed to either VOID status or HELD status.
      a. Please work with the Purchasing Specialist to make any status changes.
      b. Though Finance periodically searches for purchase orders that may need further processing, you are free to search, also, using the "P.O. Inquiry" tool within the MCSJ system or other methods.

3. If the order changes in any way, notify Finance immediately of the changes – be it price/cost change, change order, quantity change, cancellation, etc. -- with a supporting file.
      a. When adding supporting files to the purchase requisition, the MCSJ system is designed such that these added files automatically transfer to the purchase order. Please feel free to verify that this action takes place.

4. Though Finance tracks purchase requisitions and purchase orders as best as we can, we encourage you to track these items also to ensure timely payments are made.

PAYMENTS:
1. Finance has moved to one primary check-write each week. We ask that you submit all invoices and other requests for payment by Tuesdays at 5p to be sure payment to the vendor will be made the same week.
      a. Vendors may now select to be paid by either check or electronic deposit. Contact Belinda S. or C.D.C. for the necessary form.
      b. Within the next year or two, Finance hopes to begin allowing vendors to select to receive payment from Finance by credit card. These credit card payments would be processed by Finance instead of the department. (The process is under review and will likely undergo future testing before being implemented.)

2. To avoid delays in payment, we ask that you forward all supporting files (bills, invoices, statements, online order details, and other payable documentation) within 5 days of your receipt.
      a. Set aside time on at least one or two days each week to consider approving and attaching these supporting files to the purchase requisition.
      b. When adding supporting files to the purchase requisition, the MCSJ system is designed such that these added files automatically transfer to the purchase order. Please feel free to verify that this action takes place.
      c. Exception: Please retain receipts from credit card payments until you receive the monthly statement. At that time, please forward supporting documentation within a week or two to avoid payment delays.

3. Except for checks to employees and trustees, all other checks written from the County’s two main checking accounts will be mailed directly from Finance.
      a. Finance is no longer returning vendor payments to departments or allowing vendors to pick up payments.
     b. Checks from special accounts, like DSS Trust, are usually returned to the department, though Finance prefers to also send these payments directly to vendor when possible.

4. To request a check or for any other assistance outside of these normal processes, please work with Mary K. (Purchasing Specialist) and Misty C. (Payments Specialist).

CONTACT ME
I am available for one on one discussion and will gladly assist you in any way necessary. We appreciate your time and cooperation with selecting the most appropriate expenditure code for each purchase.

Best regards!
--CD, 910-576-4221, ext. 1303