NO: 98-17-OMB
ORIGINATING AGENCY:
Office of Management and Budget
EFF DATE:
6/18/98
EXP DATE:
Indefinite
SUBJECT:
Use of the State of New Jersey Payment Voucher by State
Agencies
ATTENTION:
Directors of Administration and Chief Fiscal Officers
FOR INFORMATION
CONTACT: Betty Jane Eddowes
PHONE: (609) 292-5040
I. State Vouchers
The State of New
Jersey functions as a business concern as well as
government entity. Part of the business functions center on the timely
and efficient payment process to vendors for goods and/or services
received. Depending on the type of payment, a payment may be processed
and approved at the agency or require an approval by the Office of
Management and Budget. Agency approvals can be further decentralized or
centralized at the discretion of each agency.
II. Requirements
Historically, vendors
have been required to submit a State of New Jersey
Payment Voucher (Vendor Invoice) as a claim for payment. State vouchers
provided a standardized form for recording all pertinent financial
information and required signatures. Vendors often submitted their
company invoice or billing statement along with the State of New Jersey
Payment Voucher.
Effective with this
circular letter, the Office of Management and Budget
will no longer require a State of New Jersey Payment Voucher for claims
that require approval by the Office of Management and Budget. Claims for
payment that are processed and approved at the agency level can, at the
discretion of the agency, be made without the submission of a State of
New Jersey Payment Voucher by the vendor.
Where agencies elect
to waive the requirement of the Payment Voucher,
they are reminded that adequate documentation must support payment
transactions. The vendor's claim for payment must include the vendor's
name, address, invoice date, description of goods or services, payment
terms (if other than net 30 days) and total amount. To facilitate
processing, vendors should also be instructed to provide purchase order
number where applicable, federal identification number and payee
reference information, if available. If this information is not provided
by the vendor, the State agency must record it on the supporting
documentation.
For those vendors
who do not possess formal invoice forms which contain
the required information, the State of New Jersey Payment Voucher can
be
used.
Agencies must continue
to include both certification to the receipt of
goods or services and the authorization of the fiscal officer. The
agency must have sufficient supporting documentation, such as the
vendor's invoice and agency receiving report, to substantiate purchase
and delivery. The pertinent financial information, proper
authorizations, and transaction document identification number must be
clearly identifiable on the documents for audit purposes. Documents
submitted to the Office of Management and Budget that do not meet these
requirements will be rejected and returned to the agency.
Discontinuance of
the use of the State of New Jersey Payment Voucher does
not relieve the agency of responsibility for ensuring that adequate
procedures and internal controls are in place so that only properly
authorized payments are made.
Elizabeth L. Pugh,
Director
Office of Management and Budget