Pay and Receive Orders

Step-by-Step


Pay with a P-card

The P-Card is the preferred payment method for the purchase of goods and services costing $5,000 or less.

  1. P-Card charges are billed monthly. The closing date is the 15th of the month, and the cardholder is responsible for allocating these transactions within the Mason Finance Gateway by the end of the month.
  2. The cardholder will reconcile the charges using the same reconciliation procedures as defined for direct expenditures. These instructions may be found here.
  3. The cardholder may split P-Card charges between various funds and orgs during the allocation process.
  4. All receipts, including copies of eVA orders, should be retained in the unit with the monthly reconciliation.
  5. P-Card records are subject to audit and should be maintained for three years. Records should be retained for ten years if sponsored research funds are charged.
  6. P-Card purchases are NOT received in eVA. No eVA approval is required for P-Card purchases of $5,000 or less.

For additional information visit the Use P-card page.

Direct Orders

If a buyer does not have a P-Card or a vendor does not accept the P-Card, the vendor will invoice the university.

Review eVA Basic Manual for a step-by-step process on how to receive orders in eVA.

Department Receiving a Vendor Invoice

  1. If the vendor invoice is received by the department or unit, the unit should immediately e-mail Accounts Payable, or send to MSN 3C1, noting the EP# noted on the invoice.
  2. Invoices for dues and other items may be electronically attached to an eVA order, but the invoice must also be e-mailed to Accounts Payable, or sent to MSN 3C1.

Electronic Receiving in eVA

Most receiving occurs electronically in eVA

  1. Log-in to eVA to electronically receive goods and services that cost $5,000 or less and were not paid for with a P-Card.
  2. Complete the electronic receiving within 24 hours of receipt of the goods or services. Details are available in the eVA Quick Reference Guide.
  3. When processing non-P-Card payments for items such as subscriptions, professional membership dues, and service contracts, the buyer should “receive” these items in eVA as soon as the order is approved and immediately send the vendor invoice with the EP# noted to Accounts Payable, MSN 3C1.
  4. Receiving these types of orders in eVA, even before the first subscription issue has arrived, for example, will ensure that the payment process begins and the vendor will be paid promptly.

Decentralized Receiving

  1. When Accounts Payable receives an invoice and notes that items/services have not been received in eVA, the Accounts Payable staff will send an email to the eVA order initiator indicating that the invoice is attached and will be processed for payment in five business days subject to prompt pay regulations or contract provisions.
  2. Accounts Payable will notify an alternate approver when an out-of-office email indicating the order initiator is out of the office beyond the five-day period is received.
  3. The order initiator or receiver must immediately (in fewer than five business days) respond by selecting “reply all” to the Accounts Payable email if the invoice should NOT be paid.
  4. If the goods/services have been received and the invoice is correct, no response from the order initiator is required.
  5. The requirement for the receiver to retain documentation in the department (electronically or otherwise) that the goods or services have been received remains unchanged and is essential to satisfy audit requirements.
  6. Record retention requirements are three years for all University orgs and ten years for sponsored funds.

Invoices

  1. Any vendor invoice received in a unit should be sent to Accounts Payable, MSN 3C1.
  2. Note the eVA EP# on the invoice.
  3. Invoices for dues and other items may be electronically attached to an eVA order, but the invoice must also be sent to Accounts Payable, MSN 3C1.
  4. Accounts Payable requests email certification of receipt or approval of payment from eVA users

When an invoice is received in Accounts Payable for an EP purchase orders that are more than $5,000, Accounts Payable staff will email a request that the eVA order initiator to confirm that the goods or services have been received or provided.

This email certification of receipt is required since the eVA electronic receiving process for purchases over $5,000 is not available to the order initiator.

How to Close an Encumbrance

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