Instructions for Completing the Claim Letter
*Please read these instructions before completing the template.
The template document which follows, on page 2, has been created for your
convenience in generating a letter to the purchasing agent regarding payment of claims.
Definition of a Claim- A demand or cause of action presented for money or damages.
''Claim" does not mean a routine, uncontested, or regular payment, including a bill,
purchase, or payroll. (County Policy 1305 – Processing of Contested Payments
(Claims) Against the County.)
The template has been designed to provide a basic letter to which specific information
may be added by the agencies. Please do not submit just a basic letter. Two issues, at
a minimum, need to be addressed: Why the purchase was made without proper
approvals and what action has been taken by the Division, Department or Elected
Official to ensure purchases of this nature will not reoccur.
The areas requiring information from the agencies are signified by text within quotations
and brackets, “[ ]”, which prompts the agency to provide specific information. The
agency will proceed through the template, clicking, as prompted, on the text within “[ ]”
and inserting the requested information. Text outside “[ ]” should not generally require
any formatting but can be expanded upon if necessary. After completing the template
you may save the document to a file of your choosing on your computer. The final step
in this process will be to print a hard copy of the completed letter on letterhead and send
along with your original invoices and the string of accounts for Accounts Payable to use
when making payment to your Department Director/Elected Official for signature. The
Department Director/Elected Official, after reviewing and signing the letter, will forward
the documents to the Salt Lake County Purchasing Agent in Contracts & Procurement.
Should the claim letter not support the request, the letter may be returned by the
Purchasing Agent for further information to justify the claim.
The Contracts & Procurement Division will handle the submittal of the request for
approval by the Salt Lake County Mayor after it has been reviewed and approved by the
Purchasing Agent. If your request is denied, you will be notified in writing with an
explanation as to why. Should the documents provided in the claim submission not
support the purchase, the person or persons ordering or approving the goods or
services could be held responsible to the vendor or the County for payment and could
be subject to disciplinary measures.
Revised Feb. 2014
"[Click to Insert Date]"
SUBJECT: Claim
"[Click to Insert the Description of the goods or services received]"
"[Click to Insert Direct Pay number]" "[Click and Insert Vendor Name]"
On "[Click to Insert Date]" goods/services were received from
"[Click to Insert Vendor Name]" in the amount of
"[Click to Insert Dollar Amount]" .
DisplayText cannot span more than one line!
We have made the following changes to ensure proper approval procedures
are followed in the future: "[Detail changes that have been made]" .
This Agency has reviewed this request for payment and is agreeable that it is
a valid request.
For questions, contact "[Click and Insert the Agency's Contact]" at
"[Click and Insert Contact's Phone #]" .
The above referenced purchase requisition has been submitted to the
Division of Contracts & Procurement. As there was not a properly approved
“[Click to Insert type of purchasing document]” in place prior to delivery of
goods or services, the request for payment becomes a claim against Salt
Lake County.
A copy of the invoices are attached herewith for review. Contracts &
Procurement concurs with this request, as the County has benefited from the
procurement and recommends that the Mayor approve the payment of this
claim and direct the Mayor’s Financial Administration to make payment if
determined appropriate.
Sincerely,
____________________________________________
Division Director/ Department Director/ Elected Official
"[Click and Insert Agency/Division Name]"
_________________________
Purchasing Agent or Designee
___________________________________________
Mayor or Designee
Date