Invoices: From Requisition to Check

The life cycle of a Service Order and Purchase Order:

1. The department determines an order must be placed to pay for a service or purchase a commodity.
2. The department determines which vendor they wish to use to fill the order. If the vendor is not in the vendor file, the department must inform Procurement & Contract Services by noting the new vendor on the requisition.
3. The department enters a requisition into CFS. For instructions on how to enter a requisition, see the Requisition Process User Guide.
4. The requisition is approved in CMS by an approving official.
5. The requisition is dispatched into a service order or purchase order by Procurement & Contract Services. The order is mailed to vendor. If the vendor is not in the vendor file, an online Vendor Data Record (204 form) needs to be completed by the vendor. Payments will not be issued until the 204 form is processed (3-5 days).
6. The vendor will provide the service or fill the commodity order and issue an invoice to Accounts Payable.
7. The order is complete when the check is issued to the vendor.

If the invoice is associated with a service:

• The invoice submitted for payment must be approved for payment by the department upon completion of service.
• Services are paid in arrears.
• Receiving is not required for services.
• Service Payments for Speakers, Performers and Artists

If the invoice is associated with a purchase order:

• The invoice does not require department approval prior to payment.
• Receiving is required to be posted in CFS. Central Receiving is responsible for recording stock received report information on all items delivered through Receiving. On orders that bypass Receiving, it is the responsibility of the campus department to submit a stock received report to Receiving. The department may submit a packing slip or a copy of the purchase order identifying the items received in lieu of a stock received report.

To determine whether an invoice has been paid, and/or if the check has cleared our bank, please see the Researching a Payment document.

Payment in Advance

A payment in advance is a payment issued to a vendor before the service is performed or the commodity is received.

Examples of PIAs include: services, hotel deposits, catering services, and payments to Guest Lecturers. PIAs for Non-Resident Aliens (NRA) are not allowed. See the Procedures for Payment to NRA Individuals and the Non-Resident Taxation page.

Payments in advance must be requested through the Procurement & Contract Services office. The request for a payment in advance must be noted on the requisition. Please contact Procurement Services for any questions regarding PIAs.

Once Procurement & Contract Services authorizes a PIA, the Accounts Payable office will issue a check and a disbursement voucher to the vendor. The vendor must sign the disbursement voucher and return it Accounts Payable. The disbursement voucher is issued in lieu of an invoice.

All requests for a PIA must be received in Accounts Payable before 2 p.m. the day before the check is needed. Any PIA requests received in Accounts Payable after 2 p.m. will be processed the following business day (a one-day delay) regardless of the date the check is needed.

Vendor Data Record Form (204 Form)

The Vendor Data Record form (std. form 204) is required for non-employee travelers. The Vendor Data Record form must be completed and entered into CFS before payment can be rendered.

The Vendor Data Record form may also be requested by Accounts Payable & Travel or the department for the following reasons:

• To prevent the delay in payment to the vendor. If the Vendor Data Record form is not entered into CMS, the check to the vendor will not print.
• The vendor has changed their name, address or Federal Identification number.
• To verify or update address or tax ID number information from the vendor.

Delays In Payment

A payment may not be issued to a vendor for several reasons:

• The invoice was not received by Accounts Payable. All invoices should be emailed or mailed directly to the Accounts Payable office. Many departments mistakenly have the vendor mail the invoice to them, causing a delay in payment.
• Stock Received is not posted. Whenever any commodity is purchased by the University, receiving must be posted to the Purchase Order. Central Receiving is responsible for recording stock received report information on all items delivered through Receiving. On orders that bypass Receiving, it is the responsibility of the campus department to submit a Stock Received Report to Receiving or add a comment to the PO/Voucher. The department may submit a packing slip or a copy of the purchase order identifying the items received in lieu of a stock received report.
• The service/purchase order needs to be amended. There may be several reasons why an order may need to be amended:
  • The description on the order doesn't match the invoice description.
  • The quantity invoiced is greater than the quantity ordered.
  • The invoice amount is greater than the purchase order amount.
  • Sales tax or freight is not on the order or is being invoiced over the $100.00 leeway allowed by Procurement & Contract Services.
  • The vendor is invoicing for an item or service that is not listed on the order.
  • The vendor is invoicing for greater than the amount quoted to Procurement & Contract Services.
• Items or services are purchased from vendors without a purchase order. Payment will be delayed whenever services are rendered or commodities are purchased without an order. The department is required to submit a requisition lebelled after the fact in the Reference ID field. After-the-Fact requisitions require additional documentation, including a justification memo with a plan for future resolution for expending University funds without the knowledge of Procurement & Contract Services.

When to Void a Check

If a vendor calls about a payment and the check has been issued but never received, the check may be canceled and reissued. Before a check can be reissued please verify the following:

• The check was issued more than 30 days prior to the vendor calling.
• The check is not in Bursar's (Lassen Hall – Cashier’s Office) waiting to be picked up by the vendor/employee.
• The check has not been cashed.
• Request the vendor complete a Check Replacement Application found on ABA Forms page under Accounts Payable. The form routes automatically to accountingservices@csus.edu for processing before reaching Accounts Payable.
• The stop payment process is initiated by Accounting Services upon receiving the replacement application from the vendor. The entire process may take a minimum of one to two weeks to complete. Any delay in receiving the completed application back from the vendor delays issuance of the replacement check.
• Once the replacement application has been received and the stop payment has been confirmed, a new check will be issued and mailed to the vendor.