State Payables

• I received a vendor's invoice in the mail for an order that was requested by our department. What should I do with it?

  Approve the invoice for payment by:

  1. Writing "OK to Pay" on the invoice
  2. Indicate the date the merchandise was received/date service was completed.
  3. Sign the invoice (Rubber stamp signatures are not acceptable)

  Send the payment-approved invoice to the Procurement Office via campus mail (Z=6000). Also, contact the vendor and advise them that all invoices must be mailed directly to the Procurement Office billing address noted on the purchase order they received from the Procurement Office.

• A vendor called to advise me that they have changed their name and/or changed their address. What do I tell them to do?
  Have the vendor visit the   New York State Vendor Management System  where they can update their information in the State vendor file.
• A vendor wants to know how they should apply a payment that they received from the State of New York. Where should I direct them?
  Have the vendor visit the   NYS Vendor Self-Service Portal  where they can view payment remittance information and also view past and pending payments from the State. If the vendor has any further questions please have them contact the Procurement Office-State Payables, Mary Martines at (631) 632-6012
• A vendor called my department to advise us that they have never been paid for an outstanding invoice. What should I do to get the invoice paid?

  Contact the Procurement Office and provide both the purchase order number and invoice number so that we can research our files to see if a payment has or has not been issued.

  • Service Contracts, Denise Uram at (631) 632-9110
  • Long Island State Veterans Home, Maria Dietrich at (631) 632-2121
  • State Payables (West Campus/HSC) Mary Martines (631) 632-6012
• What is the anticipated time period for a vendor to receive their payment?
  A vendor, who is signed up to receive ACH/electronic payments from the State, can expect to receive payment within 3 to 5 business days after the invoice is entered into the payment system and approved by the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC). Paper checks can be expected to be received within 5 to 7 business days after the payment is entered into the system and approved by OSC.
• When does the State's fiscal year start/end?
  The   New York State  fiscal year begins on April 1 and ends on March 31 of each year. The   SUNY fiscal year begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 of each year.
• What happens to funds that remain on a purchase order, within the current fiscal year, once they are no longer needed?
  When a purchase order is completed (i.e. all items have been received or blanket purchase order is no longer utilized) and has been disencumbered, all remaining funds on that purchase order will fall back into the department's respective state account for that current fiscal year.
• How do I arrange for the return of unwanted/damaged merchandise?
  Immediately  add a Wolfmart comment - with Mary Martines, Al DiVenuto, and Donna Koos as email recipients - alerting the Procurement Office to the fact that there is an issue with your order. You should also make arrangements with the vendor to obtain a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number and coordinate the merchandise return with Central Receiving.
• What office do I contact regarding an incorrect charge on my monthly accounting report?

  Check the payment coding on your accounting report.

  • For voucher payments and Citibank Visa Card transactions, contact the Procurement Office.
    • Voucher Payments: Contact State Payables, Mary Martines at (631) 632-6012.
      • CitiBank Visa Card Transactions: Contact Gerardina Paduano, Procurement Card Administrator, at (631) 632-6017
  • For journal transfers contact the Accounting Office at (631) 632-6040
• How do I increase the available funding on one of my current blanket purchase orders?

  Send a Wolfmart comment to the purchasing Buyer, requesting an increase in purchase order funding.

• Why is interest charged on State payments?
  New York State Prompt Payment Legislation requires that State agencies issue payments to vendors within 30 days of receipt of either a valid vendor invoice or receipt of goods/services, whichever date is later. More detailed information on the Legislation is available from the Procurement Office.
• I received a comment in Wolfmart requesting my payment approval of a vendor's invoice. What do I do?

  Carefully review your order and the invoice to ensure all items were properly received and billed. If the order was correctly received, add a comment -   making sure an Accounts Payable representative is included as a recipient of the email comment  - note the date the merchandise was received or the date the service was completed. If there is a problem with the order or the invoice, please make note of the issue in a Wolfmart comment, again,   making sure an Accounts Payable representative is included as a recipient of the email comment . Once the issue is resolved please add another comment advising the Accounts Payable representative of the issue resolution and the date the issue was resolved. For any payment issues please contact State Payables, Mary Martines at (631) 632-6012.

  **IMPORTANT** Please make sure that you add your comment to the   voucher  associated with the invoice that you're approving for payment.

• I just found an old invoice that was never paid on my lapsed (prior year) purchase order. How do I submit it for payment?

  If the invoice is for an item that was originally ordered on the lapsed year purchase order you can submit the invoice for payment along with your payment authorization. We will issue the payment referencing the lapsed-year purchase order, but the funds will be expended from the current fiscal year. 

  If the invoice is for an item that was never ordered on a purchase order, you will need to submit the invoice along with a paper State Purchase Requisition. On the requisition you should note, "Invoice Attached, Payment Purposes Only." For assistance, please contact State Payables, Mary Martines at (631) 632-6012.

• A vendor claims they never received a payment check. How do I obtain/provide them with a copy of the state check?
  Either the department or the vendor can call the Procurement Office to follow up on the status of a payment. If it is determined that a check has been issued, but has not been received by the payee, the Procurement Office will place a stop payment on the check and will request that a replacement check be issued to the vendor. Please note that the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) will not stop payment on a check until at least 30 days after the check has been issued. If a vendor's address has changed, the vendor must update their address in the State vendor file prior to a replacement check being issued to the vendor. Contact State Payables, Mary Martines at (631) 632-6012.
• I received a refund check from a vendor due to an overpayment/duplicate payment. What do I do with the refund check?
  Send the check, along with a copy of the original purchase order, to the Procurement Office (Z=6000). If a copy of the purchase order is not available, please reference the original purchase order number on the top of the check. If the purchase order number is not available please provide the state account from which the original payment was issued. Please keep in mind that the funds must be returned back to the original state account from which they were expended. The refunded funds will be deposited back to your appropriate state account within approximately 30 days.