ADMIN 050 - Accounts Payable

Policy

CWI is committed to satisfying its financial obligations to vendors and others that have provided goods and services to CWI. All employees must comply with applicable policies and standards for receiving goods and service on behalf of CWI, as well as adhere to providing the necessary documentation and approvals for any requested reimbursements for payment.

Guidelines

For audit purposes, purchases made prior to the latest revision of this policy are subject to that version of this policy in effect at the time the purchase process was initiated. Purchases made after the latest revision date of this policy are subject to this policy as amended.

Payments Schedule And Methods

1. The Accounts Payable office will process vendor, employee and student reimbursement payments once a week. These payments are initiated by Payment Requests, Employee Out-of-Town Travel, Non-Employee Travel, and Local Mileage forms.
2. All payment requests (vendor, employee and student reimbursement requests) are due to the Business Office by 5PM on Friday, a week before the check is needed. Payments will be distributed the following Friday.
3. CWI is tax exempt and therefore does not pay or reimburse sales tax.
   • Any incomplete paperwork or items received after the Friday deadline may delay the payment.
   • Vendor payments are not issued during the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas
   • Employee reimbursements will be issued each Friday unless a notice is posted to the contrary in "CWI News".
4. Typically, payments are mailed on Friday afternoons. However, in some circumstances and upon request a check may be held in the Accounts Payable office. Identification is required before payments will be released.
5. Vendor reimbursement may also be made through Echeck (ACH). Please contact Accounts Payable at accountspayable@cwi.edu for additional details.
6. Employee reimbursements are made by Echeck (direct deposit/ACH).
   • The account is set-up at hire or changed through payroll.
   • The deposit is made on Friday each week.

Payments Requests

1. Payment requests are originated by the department receiving the goods or services. All payments to vendors and employees must have original invoices attached.
2. Employees will not be reimbursed if they pay a “Service Provider”. These services are always paid by Accounts Payable.
3. A payment request for a capital item or any amount over $2,000 should always have a PO attached. Some purchases under $2,000 may be required to be submitted through the current E-Procurement system (ESM).
4. Payment requests for any of the Student Organizations (50) accounts must comply with CWI policy.
5. Invoices in the amount of $2,000 or more that are received without a previously-approved PO may be approved, if all of the following conditions are satisfied:
   • An explanation is attached to the “Payment Request” explaining the reason a PO was not completed before the charges were incurred.
   • The Vice President of Finance (VPF) or Comptroller has approved the payment request.
   • If the invoice is over $9,999.00, the additional signature of the President or Executive Vice President (EVP) is required.
6. For further instructions, please contact Accounts Payable.

Employee Reimbursement For Travel

1. Reimbursement for employee travel is to be submitted within 30 days of travel.
2. Items to be included in the reimbursement request include but are not limited to: a copy of the prior approval, conference or meeting agenda, airline schedule, and original receipts for reimbursable items.
3. The employee requesting reimbursement is required to sign the form and check the box acknowledging the expenses were in accordance with CWI travel policy and not purchased with a P-card.
4. After the employee signs the form (original signature is required), it shall be given to the Dean/Department Head/Budget Officer for approval and then sent to Accounts Payable for review and processing. Original signatures are required for reimbursement.
5. For further instructions, please refer to the Out of Town Travel digital form.

Gift Cards

1. Gift cards are considered cash and must be held in a locked safe for storage.
2. Gift cards in any department at CWI that have not been delivered to the recipient within thirty (30) days from the purchase date should be held in the Business Office.
3. All recipients of a “Gift Card" are required to be documented with a legal name and date. The information must be submitted to the Business Office within ten (10) business days.

Gifts/Prizes Or Awards

1. All gifts, prizes or awards must be pre-approved before purchase.
2. Please read the CWI Gifts, Awards, and Incentives policy before purchase. Be aware that depending on the prize or award, the recipient of a prize or award may be taxed on the value. Gift cards are considered cash and are always taxable.
3. For further instructions please refer to the Gift, Prize, or Award Approval digital form.

Meals And Refreshments

1. Prior approval is required before refreshments or meals may be purchased for meetings or CWI events.
2. For further instructions, please refer to the Events Food and Entertainment Preapproval digital form.

Travel

1. The CWI travel policy is intended to establish guidelines to promote cost-effective and efficient methods for travel and related expenses while performing official CWI business and attending training/conferences.
2. CWI employees, students, and non-employees requesting reimbursement of travel expenses are required to have prior approval before the expenses are incurred.
3. For further instructions, please refer to the Prior Approval for Travel digital form, Prior Approval for Travel/Nonemployee digital form, Prior Approval for Travel -Student digital form, or Non-Employee Travel Reimbursement digital form.

Local Travel

1. The Local Mileage Reimbursement form is used to reimburse employees for local vehicular travel in a personal vehicle for CWI official business purposes.
2. Mileage forms should be submitted monthly, within two weeks of the last day of the previous month.
3. Please refer to the “Frequent Trip” matrix or attach a map of your travel miles.

Echeck

1. A vendor may request to be paid by Echeck (ACH) . To do so, the vendor should contact Accounts Payable and request the necessary documentation.
2. Once the information is received and entered (takes two weeks), the vendor may receive payments via Echeck (ACH) using the correct vendor terms.
3. EPayments are deposited on Friday, each week.

New Vendor

1. If a new vendor/contractor is to be set-up in Colleague, a W-9 is required from the vendor/contractor. This form is to be completed, signed, and dated and returned to Accounts Payable. After obtaining IRS verification, the new vendor will be eligible to receive Purchase Orders and payments.
2. If any of the information is not correctly completed, the form will be returned to the vendor/contractor. For further instructions, please refer to the Blank W-9 form.

Check Replacement

After 30 days of issue, a “Lost” check may be replaced, by completing a Check Replacement Request. This form is completed by Accounts Payable or the department requesting the replacement check.

1. The vendor, employee, or student receiving the “replacement” check must sign the Check Replacement Request form. (An email from the vendor/contractor will also be accepted).
2. The Accounting Manager will verify the status of the check with the bank and place a “hold” on the check. After receiving the approved form, Accounts Payable will void the check in Colleague and reissue the check on the next full check run.
3. The vendor, employee, or student will be responsible for all fees incurred by CWI.

Fuel Card Pin # Request

1. A CWI employee is required to request a “Fuel Card Pin” when there is a need to fuel a CWI-owned vehicle. Please refer to the Fuel Card Pin Request digital form.
2. Employees should review the Vehicle/Fuel Card Procedure before making a request for a Fuel Card Pin or fueling a CWI vehicle.
3. At least one week is required for the request to be processed.

Missing Receipt Form

1. If a CWI employee or student otherwise eligible for reimbursement cannot locate a necessary receipt and attempts to obtain a duplicate receipt from a merchant have failed, a Missing Receipt form should be completed by the purchaser and signed by the department head/budget officer.
2. If paid by a credit card or check, a copy of the statement showing payment must be attached.

Professional Development Preapproval Form

1. This form is used to request approval for professional development before paying for either tuition & fees or certificate programs.
2. This form is not used for conferences, seminars, workshops or subscriptions.
3. Employees should be aware that reimbursement for professional development may have tax implications.
4. A Professional Development form must be completed by the requestor, approved by the Budget Officer, approved by the Dean/Department Head, and sent to the Business Office for final approval. If approved, the request is returned to the requestor.