Accounts Payable Best Practices

Chapter 1: Invoices.

Invoice Handling: Approvals.

Forwarding Invoices.

Verifying Invoice Data.

Invoice-Coding Standards.

Short-Paying Invoices.

Paying Small-Dollar Invoices.

Handling Unidentified Invoices.

Handling Invoices without Invoice Numbers.

Case Study: How One Pro Took Accounts Payable Out of the Picture when Resolving Customer Discrepancies.

Chapter 2: Checks.

Check Printing.

Check Signing.

Check Stock Storage.

Distribution of Checks.

Check Fraud.

Rush or Emergency Checks.

Case Study: Information Sheet: Segregation of Duties.

Chapter 3: Operational.

Duplicate Payment Avoidance.

Paying When the Original Invoice Is Missing.

Limiting Calls to Accounts Payable.

Petty Cash.

Supplier Statements.

Case Study: Expert Demonstrates How to Put the Web to Work for Accounts Payable.

Chapter 4: Master Vendor File.

Master Vendor File Setup.

Using Naming Conventions.

Making Changes to the Master Vendor File.

Master Vendor File Cleanup.

Case Study: Experienced Accounts Payable Pro Shares Master Vendor File Control Secrets.

Chapter 5: P-Cards.

Design of the P-Card Program.

Establishing Procedures.

Setting Controls.

Increasing Usage.

1099s and P-Cards.

Terms.

Rebates.

Case Study: P-Cards Improve Accounts Payable Process at PETsMART, Rock-Tenn, and Rouse.

Chapter 6: Travel and Entertainment.

Formal Policy.

Cash Advances.

T&E Report Form.

Verifying Data.

Handling Receipts.

Reservations.

Reimbursing Employees.

Unused Tickets.

Case Study: Making the Most of Direct Deposit.

Case Study: TransUnion’s Successful Low-Tech, Low-Budget T&E Solution.

Case Study: Follow IBM’s Lead: 21 Steps to an Award-Winning T&E Process.

Case Study: How Zurich America Developed Its Own Electronic T&E Report.

Chapter 7: Regulatory Issues.

1099s.

Sales and Use Tax.

Unclaimed Property.

Case Study: How to Avoid Sales and Use Tax Audit Disasters.

Case Study: A Typical Company’s Unclaimed Property Experience.

Chapter 8: Cash Management.

Taking Early Payment Discounts.

Payment Status Information for Vendors.

Bank Accounts and Fraud.

Other Cash Management–Related Initiatives.

Case Study: General Electric’s Approach to Electronic Invoicing and Payment Processing.

Chapter 9: Technology.

Imaging and Workflow.

The Internet.

E-Invoicing.

Case Study: PPL Electric Offers Lessons on Setting Up an Accounts Payable Imaging Solution.

Case Study: An Accounts Payable Web Site.

Case Study: How the Accounts Payable Manager at Merck Overhauled Department Procedures and Technology.

Chapter 10: Communications/Customer Relations.

Payment Status Information for Vendors.

Communicating Relevant Information to Vendors.

Communicating with Internal Customers.

Improving the Procure-to-Pay Cycle.

Case Study: Interactive Voice Response Frees Accounts Payable from Annoying “Where’s My Money” Calls.

Case Study: How Automated Accounts Payable and Purchasing Systems Mesh at BNSF.

Index.