Spotlighting Recent Successes: Collaboration with GFS = Less Verifications Needed from PI
On January 1, 2023 Grants Finance Specialists (GFS) began using a new email template when reaching out to Principle Investigators (PI) for approval to pay an invoice on a Purchase Order (PO) or a Supplier Contract (SCN) with a GR worktag.
This change to a formalized and standard process was initiated by Procurement Services in partnership with Finance Service Delivery and reduces the number of times a PI has to verify receipt of an item or service.
The formalized and standard process will allow the verification and documentation of the receipt of goods and services to initiate payment of the invoice AND the documentation and completion of the OMB Uniform Guidance Requirement for Certification of Goods and Services to occur simultaneously via one email response from a PI.
One Short Email, Many Purposes
The formalized and standard process GFS began using with all invoices for POs or SCNs with a GR worktag will allow Iowa State University to:
Verify the receipt of goods and services so that payment can be issued.
Certify the receipt of goods and services so that the OMB Uniform Guidance Requirement for Certification of Goods and Services can be met.
Provide PI and GFS with next steps if there is a concern with the items or services that have been invoiced.
Assure concerns with the items or services are resolved before the payment is processed.
Reduce the number of times a PI has to verify receipt of an item or service
What will a PI need to do?
When an invoice is received, a GFS will send an email to the PI titled: Verification Needed for Payment of INV-#######. The email will contain a request to confirm that all items and/or services on the invoice attached to the message have been received.
After reviewing the invoice, the PI should click reply on the email and then verify if all items and services have been received/completed by checking or marking Yes or No in response to question one.
Marking Yes and clicking send on the email will provide the verification needed to allow the GFS to initiate the payment of the invoice to the supplier. The GFS will save the email as a pdf and upload it with the invoice to document this verification and to complete the OMB Uniform Guidance Requirement for Certification of Goods and Services.
Marking No will indicate that there is an issue and the GFS will look for a response to the second question, which asks if there are any concerns. If no concerns are provided the GFS will follow up with the requester to understand the concerns and then work with Procurement Services to take additional action to correct the concern before the invoice is paid.