Temporary Payment Procedures

UPDATED 5/01/2020

Below, you will find the temporary procedures that Accounts Payable has implemented in order to facilitate operations in the current remote work environment.

Contact Information

• The best way to contact AP right now is by using one of the following email addresses, as the messages are sent to the staff members to whom they are applicable. 
  • General AP questions - payments@kent.edu
  • Pcard questions - pcard@kent.edu
  • Vendor setup - vendmgmt@kent.edu
  • If you need to contact a specific staff member, our contact info can be found in the AP Staff Directory.

Pcard Payments

• We encourage you to use the pcard as much as possible. For this reason, the single transaction limit for all departmental pcards has been temporarily increased to $4999.99 (unless your limit already exceeded that dollar amount, in which case it remains unchanged.)
• If you did not take your pcard with you when you left campus and you anticipate needing it in order to pay invoices, you can return to campus to get it as long as you have a key to your building.
• Purchases of goods totaling $2500+ continue to require POs. However, pcards can be used to pay PO invoices. If you do this, you must provide the PO number when entering the business purpose during the reconciliation process.
• Other than being allowed to use the pcard for PO invoices, all other restrictions on pcard use still apply. See page 12 of the University Pcard Manual for more information on unacceptable pcard purchases.

Payment Request Forms and PO Invoices Processed Through Accounts Payable

• Hard copies of payment request forms and PO invoices can be put in the drop box that is located on the back side of the Schwartz Center.
• AP is now also accepting emailed payment request forms and PO invoices at payments@kent.edu. We request that you observe the following guidelines:
  • Send one payment request/PO invoice per email.
  • All payment request forms must be fully completed, signed, and documented (e.g., invoice, etc.)
  • We will accept both digital signature certificates and email approvals for payment requests. 
    • Digital signature certificates
      • These can be created in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC by searching for "Digitally Sign" in the tools section. The app will guide you through the creation of a digital certificate.
      • The "Fill & Sign" tool is not an acceptable substitute for a digital signature certificate as it is not secure and does not provide a sufficient audit trail. Any payment requests using Fill & Sign must also be submitted according to the email approval instructions below.
    • Email approvals should be submitted in the following manner in order to provide a sufficient audit trail:
      • The requester should attach the completed payment request form, save it as a pdf and attach it and the invoice (please combine the form and invoice into one file when possible) to an email and put the name of the vendor and invoice number in the subject line. The email should convey the following information: "Dear [Approver], I have attached and am submitting a payment request for invoice #123 for ABC Company. Consider this to be my signature as the requester." (The last sentence can be left off if the requester signed the physical copy prior to scanning.)
      • The approver should review the payment request and then forward it to Accounts Payable, with a message that states "I approve the attached payment request for invoice #123 for ABC Company."
  • Emailed payment requests and approvals must come from kent.edu email accounts.
  • Departments are responsible for routing their payment requests for appropriate approvals. Payment requests forms/emails that are missing approvals or documentation will be returned to their senders and then they can be resubmitted once they have been corrected. The special circumstances that we are in do not lessen or erase the need to obtain appropriate approvals.
    • If you have questions about how to complete your payment request form, including signature requirements, review the Payment Request Form Instructions.
  • PO invoices must be submitted with “OK to pay” along with the submitter’s full first and last name on them or in the email. Again, the text of the email should mention the invoice number so that we know that the approval is for that specific invoice and the email must come from a kent.edu email address.
• If you drop off a paper payment request, do not also email it and if you email it, do not also drop off a paper copy. We only want it once in order to ensure that duplicate payments are not issued.

PaymentWorks

• Departments should be continuing to invite their vendors to complete the PaymentWorks onboarding process.
• Vendors who onboard through PaymentWorks and indicate that they accept credit cards or direct deposit will receive their payments sooner.
• To watch a PaymentWorks tutorial, click on the video link that is located under the How to Use PaymentWorks link on AP’s PaymentWorks website.
• As a reminder, as of April 15, payment requests submitted for vendors who have not completed the PaymentWorks onboarding process will be returned to their submitters.

Current Schedule

• Accounts Payable is keying invoices every day and issuing vendor and reimbursement payments every Thursday.

• Payments to vendors who have not completed the PaymentWorks onboarding process will be delayed.

• AP staff drops off/picks up payment requests on Mondays and Thursdays. All emailed payment requests are printed and included in the batches that are picked up as well. (Staff members generally key with 3 Banner windows open--one to key in, one to check PO information, one to check vendor information. Keying from paper rather than a fourth open window is faster and reduces keying errors.)