ACCOUNTS PAYABLE
Business Case Review
Check and Single Pay Card Export
OVERVIEW: Emory would like to pursue a proposal from JPMC (JP Morgan Chase) to use Single Payment Cards due to the rebates available
and to provide payees with an additional, faster payment method that is beneficial to both Emory and the supplier. While this method may not
be acceptable to all suppliers, it does provide another viable payment option, especially for smaller vendors or one-off payments. Emory would
also like to evaluate the benefits of outsourcing check printing to realize benefits of additional relationships and payment methods the source
provider may have with vendors.
RECOMMENDATION: Create new payment methods and related enhancements to allow outsource printing of checks and allow for single
payment cards. In addition, a printer should also be purchased and setup internally for low-volume, emergency type payments, as
recommended via lessons learned from other institutions who have outsourced as well. For vendors who insist on checks, consider charging
a discount % to be automatically taken at time of payment to pay for check printing services, thereby encouraging use of preferred payment
methods (ACH, Single Pay Cards).
Owners
Overall Process & Policy Change Owners
Melanie Widmer
Module Owners
Carol King
Project Work Owners
Carol King
2
Check and Single Pay Card Export
Impacts
People
Module Support
Central Administration
The number of printed checks will decrease as vendors shift to other preferred electronic payment
methods in lieu of paying the check fees; resources could then be allocated to other AP activities of a
more proactive nature, such as vendor validation, invoice validation, etc.
Campus Users
Process
Module Support
Central Administration
The effort of printing checks and printer maintenance would be the selected vendors responsibility
Potential rebates for adoption of Single Pay Card payment
Campus Users
System
Additional turnaround time maybe required for checks which need special handling (such as hold for
pickup or attachments required) as they would have to be sent from printing vendor back to Emory
(even overnight delivery, unless courier services are provided by the check printing vendor) would
require an extra day to receive the checks due to processing and shipping schedules
Module Support
Central Administration
Emory would still need an emergency check printing solution, and an appropriate, secure location to
house the printer and check stock (low volume, inexpensive solution)
Campus Users
Training
Module Support
Central Administration
Train AP staff on new payment methods and impact to vendor setup and vouchers, new check process
and entire process so they can answer vendor questions
Campus Users
3
Payment Request
OVERVIEW: Emory needs the ability to easily enter requests for payments that are not PO related items, such as Honorariums, Speaker Fees,
etc. Emory currently has a custom solution to handle Payment Requests, which involves changes to the delivered voucher pages and the use
of a 3rd party product called SmartWorkflow, both of which make it difficult to apply patches/fixes to the software. In addition, the current
solution causes many calls into AP for assistance, due to errors with workflow, errors with budget checking, general user errors due to the
design, requests for payment status, etc. This takes a considerable amount of time within AP to support this custom solution. Payment
Request functionality was one of the most discussed items during the listening tour. There were many requests for enhancement and for an
easier, more user friendly solution.
Payment Request functionality is now delivered in 9.2 via a new process, specifically designed for Payment Requests. It was designed
specifically for Payment Requests in a widespread, end user community similar to Emory’s environment. It uses a stepped approach to guide
the user through entry, and comes delivered with pages to monitor the status of the request as it goes through processing. However, it will still
require some minor enhancements to meet Emory specific requirements related to Foreign Nationals, ability to enter a Payment Message,
ability to set special check handling (such as hold for pick-up), and to display payment information without requiring multiple, complex steps to
find the information (none of these are currently part of the delivered functionality).
RECOMMENDATION: Implement the new 9.2 Payment Request functionality, with the goal of leaving it as delivered as possible. Minor
enhancements, which should be made, include: 1) Handling of Foreign Nationals 2) Ability to add a payment message 3) Ability to set
payment handling (such as hold for pick-up) 4) Speed Chart functionality (depending on final design) 5) Display of Voucher ID and Payment
Status; enhance security to allow for managers to see requests within their area.
Owners
Overall Process & Policy Change Owners
Melanie Widmer
Module Owners
Carol King
Project Work Owners
Carol King
4
Payment Request
Impacts
People
Module Support
Central Administration
Reduced call volume and support due to customizations issues/support (budget check, hung transactions, etc.)
Reduced time spent due to lack of self service (delete requests).
Eliminates issues with Foreign National flag when updating invoices.
Campus Users
Less frustration due to stepped approach of delivered functionality.
Ability to do self service: cancellations, payment status, etc.
Process
System
Module Support
Uses delivered workflow components specific to Payment Requests
Central Administration
Easier visibility into payment requests (separated from normal invoice issues).
Campus Users
Allow Self Service and tracking through the lifecycle of the request: New, Pending, Approved, Vouchered
Module Support
Delivered functionality, new in 9.2, meets the majority of Emory business needs
Removes some Security concerns related to hard coded roles
Central Administration
Campus Users
Training
Limits user visibility to only their payment requests
Module Support
Central Administration
Campus Users
Will need to train users on new pages/process; it’s fairly intuitive, but needs good training to ensure users
understand the business process as well as the pages.
5
Supplier Audit
OVERVIEW: Currently, Emory has no automated field level audits in place for changes made to the supplier (vendor) master. While the
system does record who added the supplier, and also records who last changed (or approved) the supplier, and suppliers do go through an
approval process, there is no tracking of specific changes. From a controls and audit standpoint, we should be able to identify: 1) what
changes have been made to the supplier 2) when the changes were made to the supplier 3) who made the change to the supplier.
In prior versions, a technical resource could turn on vendor auditing, but it required creating audit records manually. There were no delivered
inquiries or reports to report the captured information and the format of the data made it hard to interpret. In PeopleSoft 9.2, the Financial Audit
Trail has been extended to include the Supplier, and a configurable, reportable solution is now available.
RECOMMENDATION: Implement newly delivered Supplier Audit Trail functionality as part of 9.2 upgrade to reduce risk exposure
(operational), provide audit trails, aid in research on vendor issues, and provide valuable information for Procure to Pay management.
Owners
Overall Process & Policy Change Owners
Melanie Widmer
Module Owners
Carol King
Project Work Owners
Carol King
6
Supplier Audit
Impacts
People
Module Support
Central Administration
Records additions and changes by user, which can be used for valid metrics in setting performance
goals
Campus Users
Process
Module Support
Likely only tracks changes made online (batch changes on HealthCare suppliers are likely not tracked
as they are automated feeds and changes would be expected to be tracked in source system)
Central Administration
Provides historical data for researching changes to supplier addresses, payment methods, banking
information, etc. to aid AP/Procurement staff is analyzing issues/questions.
Provides data to use in metrics for measuring employee performance.
Provides details during the approval process on what changed and why it is being changed (where
configured).
Campus Users
System
Module Support
May have some minor system impact on performance within the Supplier component (no real issues
expected; should be negligible)
Central Administration
Provides audit trail for internal and external audit needs
Campus Users
Training
Module Support
Central Administration
Appropriate AP and Procurement users will need to be trained on the use of the Supplier Audit Inquiry
and Reporting in order to be able to research questions
Campus Users
7
Vendor Name Audit
OVERVIEW: In today’s current system, changes to Supplier (Vendor) names have no specific tracking mechanism, as for date of the change or
who made the change. Additionally, there is no way to track historical changes. Any changes to Supplier Names (Name, Alternate Name can
have ramifications for 1099 reporting, as well as OFAC validation). Changes should be tracked, which can be accomplished via Supplier Audit,
but a historical record of the changes should also be tracked in an easily identifiable method.
There’s no other way to enter a future name change without the use of this new feature; instead, AP must manually note the change and
remember to return to the system on the effective date to make the change manually. The new Supplier Name history functionality supplies this
capability, and is helpful for internal and external audit, as well as for use in researching 1099 and other Supplier related issues.
RECOMMENDATION: In PeopleSoft 9.2, a new process is delivered to track the history of supplier name changes. Fields tracked include
Supplier Short Name, Supplier Name 1, and Supplier Name 2 fields. Emory needs this information to for both audit and issue research
purposes. Vendor names may change over time, either due to errors which require correction or just due to the vendor changing the name of
their company. Emory should turn this new feature on, via configuration, as part of the 9.2 upgrade, and train those with Supplier update
privileges, as well as those who may need to research name changes, on how to properly use the new functionality.
Owners
Overall Process & Policy Change Owners
Melanie Widmer
Module Owners
Carol King
Project Work Owners
Carol King
8
Vendor Name Audit
Impacts
People
Module Support
Central Administration
Provides audit trail specifically for Supplier Name changes
Campus Users
Process
Module Support
Central Administration
Allows for entering future dates name changes when a supplier notifies us in advance of a name change
Provides audit information on name changes
Campus Users
System
Module Support
Need to evaluate future dated trans for potential impacts on SciQuest Supplier Export to ensure updates
are processed to SciQuest
May require additional customizations or manual procedures to ensure changes get to SciQuest; will be
included in rebuild of Supplier Export
Central Administration
Audit trail
Campus Users
Training
Module Support
Central Administration
Train PO/AP staff on how to properly maintain supplier name and how to research supplier name history
Campus Users
9
Supplier Hierarchy
OVERVIEW: AP Management desires the ability to easily identify Supplier (vendor) information via an overview, or snapshot, of the overall
supplier information without going through several system components to get different types of information. This can be accomplished by using
the new Supplier Hierarchy functionality, which provides quick access, with limited navigation to various summary items on the supplier, with
the ability to drill down to get more information (in most cases). Helpful items include:
• Supplier data item information (last update/modified summary, remit address info, various status fields, etc.)
• Supplier data field information (current balance, overdue payments, scheduled payments, discount taken, aging balance, recurring voucher
released amount)
• Supplier Relationships (parent/child hierarchy if defined) in a graphical format This will be helpful when trying to research supplier questions
or when internal questions arise related to a supplier’s current status/balance.
RECOMMENDATION: Implement Supplier Hierarchy, which is introduced in PeopleSoft 9.2 and leverages the existing parent/child
relationship functionality of the supplier while adding a graphical representation of the supplier relationship within the group as well as a rollup
of the supplier exposure. This requires only minor configuration and provides the ability to link multiple vendors to the same corporate parent
when needed. Primary benefit is additional functionality which provides a single point to obtain many different pieces of Supplier data in a
single place, rather than navigating through multiple menus.
Owners
Overall Process & Policy Change Owners
Melanie Widmer
Module Owners
Carol King
Project Work Owners
Carol King
10
Supplier Hierarchy
Impacts
People
Module Support
Central Administration
Provides a quick overview of a suppliers current status, standing, balance, etc.
Better ability to research/monitor issues/questions related to suppliers
Campus Users
Process
Better ability to research/monitor issues/questions related to suppliers
Module Support
Central Administration
Allows for navigation/drill down to specific areas of interest or concern
Campus Users
System
Module Support
Central Administration
Allows AP management to easily review current status of valuable suppliers or suppliers of concern
Campus Users
Training
Module Support
Central Administration
Train AP staff on how to use the Supplier Hierarchy and train AP supplier update staff to list
parent/child relationships when/if appropriate
Campus Users
Some users may have a need for this functionality and would need training (TBD due to security
concerns)
11
Vendor Validations (Financial Sanctions/SAM)
OVERVIEW: For U.S.-based companies and their foreign subsidiaries, a federal regulation from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) requires that suppliers be
validated against a Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list prior to payment. The process in PeopleSoft to facilitate this check is called Financial Sanctions
Validation. This check should be done early in the process, such as when setting up a new supplier, as well as other places in the Procure to Pay Cycle to continually
check against the list as it may change frequently. Emory would like to implement the PeopleSoft delivered Financial Sanctions Validation functionality to perform this
check when setting up new suppliers, as well as when vouchering invoices. Use of this functionality will flag a vendor that is on the sanctions list, and will hold up
transactions for review until they can be fully vetted.
The Federal government also requires validation of vendors receiving Federal Funds, such as those on grants or research which are funded by the US
Government. The US Federal Government General Services Administration (GSA) developed software called System for Award Management (SAM) which maintains a
list of federally registered vendors/contractors and their status with the federal government. This has to be checked on an on-going basis to verify that funds are only
going to federally approved vendors (or, in reality, not going to vendor which the government has flagged). This was formerly known as Central Contractor Registration
(CCR) and Federal Registry (FedReg) which have been combined into SAM. This validation needs to be automated, and is provided in PeopleSoft 9.2.
RECOMMENDATION: Implement the delivered PeopleSoft Financial Sanctions at the Installation Level, which will allow for sanction validations to be done on
various transactions within PeopleSoft. Emory should use Visual Compliance as the validation source using web messaging to provide the most comprehensive,
real-time check available. This is delivered functionality, but will require configuration and testing. There may be some minor customization to the web methods
layouts for the interface with Visual Compliance, but all the hooks to support the web method are delivered. Alternatively, Visual Compliance could provide a file for
loading into PeopleSoft, but the web method is recommended as it provides checks against the latest updates and is also a more cost effective method to
use. Additionally, automated SAM validation should also be implemented for checking certifications of vendors which may be paid using federal funds
Owners
Overall Process & Policy Change Owners
Loette King & Melanie Widmer
Module Owners
Carol King
Project Work Owners
Carol King
12
Vendor Validations (Financial Sanctions/SAM)
Impacts
People
Module Support
Central Administration
Time savings when setting up new suppliers due to automating validation for Financial Sanctions and
SAMS
Campus Users
Process
Module Support
Central Administration
Automatically validates vendors on a scheduled basis or prior to any payment, ensuring the latest
information is used to validate prior to making payment
Speeds up supplier setup by reducing time intensive manual steps
System
Campus Users
SAMS validation for suppliers paid using government funds (grants, etc.)
Module Support
Reduces number of attachments in system, thereby reducing system load
Support interface with Visual Compliance and SAMs (monitor)
Central Administration
Should increase system response time due to elimination of some of the attachments (during set up
only)
Campus Users
Training
Module Support
Central Administration
Train AP on how to handle validation exceptions (those flagged for review)
Campus Users
13
AP Dashboard
OVERVIEW: In today’s environment, AP Management currently has no automated analytics to assist them with monitoring day to operations
easily. With the release of PeopleSoft 9.2, an AP Operational Dashboard contains features which provide this capability which AP
Management believes will help to fill this need and allow for more pro-active, versus late reactive, responses to operational issues, such as
discounts lost, overdue payments, missed pay cycles, etc.
RECOMMENDATION: Configure AP Operational Dashboard for use to provide AP Management with an operational overview, allowing them
to proactively manage before issues arise.
Owners
Overall Process & Policy Change Owners
Melanie Widmer
Module Owners
Carol King
Project Work Owners
Carol King
14
AP Dashboard
Impacts
People
Module Support
Central Administration
Better able to monitor daily status and take earlier action on processing issues before they become
major issues
Campus Users
Process
Module Support
Central Administration
Provides AP Management with easy, visible access to operational metrics, allowing them to easily
monitor operations and remediate issues in a timely manner (such as Discounts Lost, Past Due Aging)
Campus Users
System
Module Support
Does require some scheduled (evening) jobs to process data for operational reporting (should be
minor)
Central Administration
Campus Users
Training
Module Support
Central Administration
Train AP Management on use of pagelets within Dashboard
Campus Users
15
Procurement Card
OVERVIEW: Currently, Emory is using J.P. Morgan as their procurement card supplier and is using J.P. Morgan’s PaymentNet as their
procurement card reconciliation system. PaymentNet is a system provided by J.P. Morgan. This system is external to Emory and requires a
separate login and password. It has a completely different interface than other systems in use at Emory.
One of the significant pain-points of the system is the fact that J.P. Morgan will remove older, unreconciled items from the system, making it
extremely difficult and resource intensive for Emory to gain access to such transactions. Emory has contacted J.P. Morgan about this issue,
and the response is that this is done for “performance reasons” and won’t be changed. Emory wants these transactions to be available until
such time they are reconciled. Additionally, many questions arise due to the unique way to access the system (external system) as well as due
to the ID and passwords being outside of Emory’s PeopleSoft system. Users frequently forget those details, which results in a lot of
administrative effort to assist them with setting up account, password resets, and general instruction.
RECOMMENDATION: Implementing the Procurement Card functionality within PeopleSoft will eliminate the need to have a separate ID and
sign-on, as PeopleSoft users can use single sign-on. Additionally, many users are already trained in using PeopleSoft, so navigation and
general look and feel of the application will already be familiar to users. The Procurement Card functionality within PeopleSoft will retain all of
the transactions, regardless of how old or if they have/have not been reconciled. Existing accounting rules are enforced and daily manual
interfaces are eliminated. Should help remove barriers to reconciliation, resulting in higher compliance while reducing errors.
Owners
Overall Process & Policy Change Owners
Loette King
Module Owners
Carol King, Finesha Colton-Lee
Project Work Owners
Carol King
16
Procurement Card
Impacts
People
Module Support
Technical: Support will be moved from J.P. Morgan Mapper/Tech support to PeopleSoft; should be a “wash” with no
added costs anticipated, and could actually require less time
Functional: Support will be moved from JPM PaymentNet support to PeopleSoft; some work will still need to be done
with J.P. Morgan, such as for disputes or requesting new cards. Will require less time or will allow for more proactive
work due to fewer user questions and automated notifications for non-reconciled transactions which are late.
Process
Central Administration
Reduction in assistance for lost passwords/IDs; reduced time to research old transactions removed from PaymentNet;
improved accounting edits at time of entry; automated entries to GL
Campus Users
Able to use their Emory Single-Sign-on Accounts
Another system to go to
Module Support
No password resets due to Single Sign-on
Monitor automated feed/import of card transactions
Central Administration
Chartfield edits performed using existing Compass Rules and chartfield changes available immediately (no interface
needed)
Automated notifications
System
Training
Campus Users
Reconciliation performed within Compass using rules maintained within Compass
Module Support
Security within Compass
Central Administration
Could send data to warehouse; easy access in Compass
Campus Users
Single Sign-on
Module Support
Central Administration
Campus Users
Will need to retrain existing users. 17
Vendor Attachments
OVERVIEW: Currently Emory uses a customization to the Vendor component, using a bolt-on custom page called Attachments, to add
attachments to a vendor. These attachments are maintained on a custom table. As part of the upgrade, Emory would like to move to using
new delivered functionality. While this is primarily a training task, it will require a custom migration script, to be executed at time of upgrade, to
move the attachments from the custom table to the delivered tables so that existing attachments can continue to be accessed and maintained
using the delivered functionality.
RECOMMENDATION: PeopleSoft version 9.1 introduced attachments for Suppliers (Vendors) at the Supplier and Supplier Location
levels. Emory will use this functionality to replace their existing Vendor Attachment custom page. Once an attachment is added, it becomes
part of the supplier. It is recommended that users give the attachment an appropriate description so that users can identify what the
attachment contains without having to open it first.
Owners
Overall Process & Policy Change Owners
Melanie Widmer
Module Owners
Carol King
Project Work Owners
Carol King
18
Vendor Attachments
Impacts
People
Module Support
Central Administration
Ability to identify time/date for attachments, results in efficiencies during the vendor approval process for
changed vendors
Ability to add description of attachment makes it easier to identify documents for research as well as
approvals.
Campus Users
Process
Module Support
Central Administration
Time/Date available on attachment
Descriptions available on attachments
Campus Users
System
Module Support
No time required for applying system updates as there is no customization to maintain
One time cost to convert transactions from custom tables to delivered tables (primary cost of this case)
Central Administration
Better audit capabilities for attachments (time/date)
Campus Users
Training
Module Support
Central Administration
Train AP staff on how to properly maintain supplier attachments
Campus Users
19