BCB: Invoice Approval Efficiencies

To streamline the University’s invoicing process, beginning Tuesday, October 4, 2022, the Accounts Payable department will change the way they process returned invoices from campus. The University’s purchase order terms and conditions state that suppliers should send all invoices to accounts.payable@ohio.edu referencing their purchase order number for processing. Because invoices are sent straight to Accounts Payable, there is a PO owner approval step set up in the invoice workflow in BobcatBUY when certain rules are met to ensure the department contact has a chance to review the invoice prior to payment. If the PO owner sees a discrepancy with the invoice, they can return it to Accounts Payable with a detailed reason for the return.

It is vital that we account for all invoices for the university and that the suppliers provide appropriate credit memos to reflect any overcharges or returned items.  If you happen to receive an invoice for goods you returned, we still need you to forward the invoice to AP and we will work with the supplier to obtain an offsetting credit memo.  When this doesn’t happen, suppliers are frequently sending statements showing unpaid invoices, and we have no record of the transaction or the fact that we’re awaiting a credit memo.

Another advantage to our new process is for most invoices, we will remove the invoice charge from department accounts immediately instead of you needing to wait for the credit memo.  If you indicate that there will be no further items billed against the PO, we will also coordinate with Purchasing to close the PO, so that there aren’t lingering encumbrances on your accounts.

A BobcatBUY – Invoice Approval quick reference guide has been created to outline the process for invoices being routed to the PO owner for approval. It includes details on the rules within BobcatBUY for an invoice to be routed to the department, as well as common reasons that an invoice is returned to Accounts Payable. For each of the reasons listed, there are sample detailed responses from campus as well as the action Accounts Payable will take to ensure the invoices are processed correctly.

Even if you’ve approved /returned invoices in the past, please take the time to review the QRG, as we believe it can streamline your processing.  The more info that you provide in the return reason, the easier we can facilitate the transaction and appropriately handle the invoice and PO.  With inadequate explanations, we’ll need to bother you for more information.  Hopefully this process will ensure our suppliers are paid in a timely manner. 

Questions? Contact financecustomercare@ohio.edu