Disbursement Process
Disbursement Process
Since FMS will handle document approvals online, does a department still need to submit a Request for Stop Payment or Check Cancellation Form to the Controller's Office in order to request a cancellation/re-issuance of a check?
The offline notification to the Check Rec Section via Request for Check Stop Payment / Check Cancellation Form will continue. This is a time sensitive request to advise the bank to Stop Payment or Cancel a check. Departments will cancel the disbursement document in FMS online to record the requested cancellation and workflowed to the Check Reconciliation Section for approval.
When disbursements are consolidated, will the details of each payment be available to all departments (i.e. by department, by fund, etc.)?
Security allows users to access information for their respective departments both in FMS online and in infoAdvantage for reports. Certain departments, such as the Controller’s Office and CAO, will have citywide access.
Encumbrance Processing
Encumbrance Processing
If FMS provides a system generated ID for documents, how do you control encumbrance documents from contract documents?
Depending on document rules, FMS allows automatic numbering or smart numbering. Encumbrance documents follow the City's Document Numbering Policy. Contract documents (BGB9CON) are auto numbered and are referenced by Reporting Code, and controlled through budgetary structures.
The Encumbrance(GAE) is the same as a Purchase Order (PO) in FMIS. Are we going to continue processing POs in SMS? Will encumbrances be shown as PO/PV and not SMS documents?
Procurement processing of commodity items (PO, REQ, Receiving, Payments) will continue to be a processed in SMS. Transactions in SMS will continue to be interfaced to FMS to be budget checked and posted. SMS encumbrances will still be interfaced in FMS and recorded as JV (SM) documents. Encumbrance documents such GAE are only processed in FMS for non-commodity transactions.
In FMS, are PO’s processed in real time or overnight (batch process)?
Once an Encumbrance document is accepted in FMS (Submitted and in Final status), the document is posted in real time to the related tables and journals, so the user can see the updates online. Activities in overnight batch processing in FMS typically include the disbursement batch process, interfaces or posting from journal to ledger.
How can I modify an encumbrance document?
An encumbrance document can be modified by the Edit function, converting the encumbrance document into a Modification Version 2 of the original document. The encumbrance amount can be increased but decreased only by the balance of open amounts. Modified encumbrance documents are subject to required workflow approval.
In an encumbering document, can a department encumber funds using a vendor's "ordering address" and use a different address for payments?
Yes. In the vendor table, FMS can accommodate different addresses of a vendor who has a contract with the City. Payments can be made to different addresses of the same contracting vendor as indicated on the invoices or supporting documents used for payment processing.
Payment Processing
Payment Processing
How do I process a payment?
The AP 304 Training Manual on Payment Requests has detailed procedures on this process.
An RF document requires entering revenue sources. Can RF documents accept balance sheet accounts?
Yes. RF documents are configured to allow either a revenue source code or a balance sheet account code.
Certain accounting elements are common to the encumbering and payment documents. Is there a way to avoid retyping the same COA elements on the GAX?
Using the copy forward function of an encumbrance document (GAE, etc.) to a payment document (GAX, etc.) automatically populates the required elements in the GAX with the same elements originally entered in the GAE (such as Appropriation, Vendor Name, Vendor Code, etc.). In addition, all related tables will automatically be updated.
How can I quickly search for the status an invoice?
The Vendor Transaction History (VTH) table can be used to search for activities of a particular vendor, including drill down to a particular payment document and invoice. VTH has links to various disbursement tables and the Invoice Registry. Invoice number is one of the searchable fields in the VTH table.
How will we process PVs for existing FMIS open encumbrances in FMS?
Open FMIS encumbrances will be converted to FMS. You will then be able to process your invoice payments against these encumbrances using FMS payment documents (GAX, DEX, etc.).
Since invoices can be attached to the GAX or RF, do we still have to print the GAX documents like printing the PV in FMIS? How long can departments maintain payment files (GAX, invoices, etc.) in the system?
Keeping a printed copy of the FMS payment document is the department's option. The Controller's Office requires departments to keep hardcopies of supporting documents that are scanned and electronically submitted for at least 5 years for audit purposes. All processed FMS payment documents, such as GAX and TEX documents, and attachments will be maintained in FMS subject to the City’s archiving policies.
Will Cost Accounting information (e.g., work order, job location, task, sub-task, etc.) be entered in payment documents?
Work Order and Tasks are required fields in a payment document. If a payment document references an encumbrance, then the Work Order, Task, Sub-task, and Location will come from the referenced document. If these fields have not been entered on the encumbrance document, then the user will directly enter these fields on the GAX. The fields are all in the Detailed Accounting section of the GAX document.
Will FMS reject payment requests for expired contracts?
The reporting code validates against the Reporting Code table in terms of amount (ceiling) and expiry dates. FMS rejects encumbrances for expired contracts, but will post overridable message for payments.
Vendor Maintenance
Vendor Maintenance
Is there one table to find a vendor in FMS? In FMIS, we go back and forth between VNAME and VEND.
In FMS, vendors and customers are maintained in the same table, Vendor/Customer (VCUST), in order to consolidate financial details and to allow for Citywide Vendor/Customer reporting. You can search by legal name, DBA, vendor number, or BTRC number on VCUST.
Is there a vendor/customer type field?
Yes, there is a Vendor/Customer Type field. Users will specify whether it is a Vendor or Customer. It is also possible to have a vendor as customer in some cases.
For each one-time vendor, do we create a vendor code for each one?
What determines the “vendor active” status? Is this field automatically updated by the system?
The Office of Finance assigns different BTRC accounts for vendors that have various physical locations. FMIS does not accept different
BTRC accounts for different addresses. Is FMS able to do that?
How does FMS validate the vendor's tax ID?
When entering information in the VCUST table, do we know which fields are required and which are not?
In the DISBQ table, can you browse by vendor name in addition to browsing by vendor code?
Is there a specific field to distinguish a vendor record from a Customer record?
If we don’t have a vendor in the vendor table and but we have a "miscellaneous" vendor, can we select this vendor for A/P documents?
How does FMS handle a vendor with multiple discount terms when processing a GAX?
Are the following fields on the vendor table: contract number, start date, and expire date?
From the Vendor Invoice Registry, if a department enters an invoice number and the vendor code matching the "ordering address", does GAX select the right address?
Does the department have to submit the Vendor Customer Creation (VCC) or Modification (VCM) Document to the Controller's Office for approval to create/modify its own vendors?
Will the Reporting Code (Contract or Authority Table) have FMS and SMS vendors?
Will all vendors need to be re-entered into FMS? If not, how will duplicate vendor entries be handled?
Does FMS validate the vendor address using Google Maps or Find Address Table?
Does the system have the capability to validate if the address is a valid mailing address?
Will FMS generate an error message if the BTRC is inactive?
Will BTRC codes in FMS be validated against Office of Finance BTRC data?
Will the BTRC validation feature check if the vendor has the same exact name and if the vendor number exists?
On BTRC, will Controller's policies and procedures continue to allow vendors to use a generic BTRC?
How do I add a new vendor?
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