Important update about Vendor Invoice Payments

The Business Office recently announced that Accounts Payable has implemented new technology which will allow vendor invoices to be captured electronically and routed into Banner Finance with limited manual intervention. This automation will improve payment timeliness and efficiency, enhance accuracy, reduce costs and help prevent fraud.

Effective immediately, only vendor invoices should be emailed to AcctsPay@usi.edu. This email account will be used exclusively for receiving and processing incoming vendor invoices. As a result, emails from University departments to this account will not be monitored. All email communication other than vendor invoices, including financial manager approvals, direct pay forms and correspondence, should be sent to accounts.payable@usi.edu.

As we strive to improve payment timeliness to our vendors through the implementation of this technology, departments are reminded of the following Accounts Payable guidelines.

• All invoices to be paid by the University must be submitted directly from the vendor to Accounts Payable at AcctsPay@usi.edu. Invoices sent to University employees or departments and forwarded to Accounts Payable are flagged as potentially fraudulent transactions. This circumstance requires Accounts Payable to manually contact the vendor to verify the validity of an invoice before it can be approved for payment. 
• A purchase order must precede an invoice from a vendor. Invoices received without a valid purchase order are considered unauthorized purchases and cannot be paid. Note: Unauthorized purchases that do not follow established policies/procedures may result in the University employee being financially responsible for payment to the vendor. Reference University Handbook Item F.26.

These guidelines are not new, but adherence to them will be essential to the success of the new automated payment process. The procure-to-pay process flow graphic below is for your convenience and reference.