Finance

Fiscal Year 2015 Closing Guidance: Message From the Controller

Thanks to all of you for your efforts to control expenses during FY 2015. It is important that we carry this effort through to the end of the fiscal year by controlling discretionary activity. This does not mean curtailing business, but it does mean making prudent choices by deferring or eliminating noncritical activity, and purchasing goods or services throughout the year, rather than at the end of the fiscal year, simply because there are available budget funds. Please encourage your contractors to bill us in a timely manner for goods received and services rendered, or inform us of any billing delays so we can recognize the expense before the end of the fiscal year.

The following instructions will assist you, when appropriate, in helping the Postal Service™ close its financial books in a timely and efficient manner.

Maura A. McNerney
Vice President, Controller

I. Instructions for Fiscal Year 2015 Closing

All organizations are requested to limit their expenditures to essential spending. Accordingly, all vice presidents should review discretionary spending to ensure the Postal Service attains its financial target for this fiscal year (FY).

The instruction and reporting dates in this Postal Bulletin supplement procedures followed during the normal monthly or quarterly reporting schedule.

II. Fiscal Year

The Postal Service prepares its annual reports on a government FY basis, which comprises 365 days (366 in leap years), always ending on September 30.

III. End of Year Processing Activities and Timelines, Contract Actions, and Requisitions

Expense requisitions and requests for contract modifications for FY15 should be submitted to Supply Management before August 31. Requisitions for capital purchases will be accepted by Supply Management through September 11.

Also, organizations should limit capital commitments, particularly for Postal Service support equipment, to essential needs. The schedule for Supply Management processing is as follows:

 

For requisitions received…

Funds are processed as follows…

On or before August 31, 2015

Supply Management will issue the required contract or modification for Accounting Services, San Mateo to process against FY 2015 funds.

On or after September 1, 2015

Supply Management will issue the required contract or modification for Accounting Services, San Mateo to process against FY 2016 funds.

Requisitions for Contract Actions

FY 2015, Expense and Capital requisitions and requests for contract action should be submitted to Supply Management before August 31 and September 11, 2015, respectively.

Requisitions for IT Hardware, Services, Software, and Telecom (Exception):

For FY 2015, Expense and Capital requisition requests for contract actions should be submittd to Supply Management before August 1, 2015. Any requests received after this date will not be guaranteed for award and delivery by September 30, 2015.

For FY 2015, Expense and Capital requisition requests for contract actions that require a start date before October 1, 2015, should be submitted to Supply Management before August 1, 2015. Any requests received after this date will not be guaranteed for award by September 30, 2015.

Hardcopy paper commitment documents (only applies to Non-CAMS documents) must be forwarded to Accounting Services, San Mateo, no later than Friday, September 18. Electronic files must be transmitted to Accounting Services as follows:

 

Send electronic files for...

To...

No later than...

Contract Authoring and Management System (CAMS)

San Mateo

September 30, 2015

Facilities capital commitments and expense payments

St. Louis

September 30, 2015

Appropriate receiving reports or certified invoices for goods and services received by September 30 must be received by Accounting Services, San Mateo, no later than Thursday, October 1.

1. Expedite processing of receiving reports and certified invoices, as these documents are used to charge expense to the proper FY.

2. Additionally, review contracts to ensure sufficient funds are available by Friday, August 28 to process invoices.

3. Supply Management will process all requisitions for the issuance of contracts against FY 2015 funds according to the following priorities:

Priority 1 — Capital commitment requisitions.

Priority 2 — Expense commitment requisitions.

IV. Accruals

Year-end closing, FY 2015:

1. There will be no “special” end-of-year accruals for HQ expenses. Monthly accruals for HQ expenses will be processed as normal and as communicated to the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) budget coordinators. Note: Any unusual/non-monthly expense should be communicated to the ELT as a possible adjustment to the normal ELT accrual.

2. All HQ accruals will be accrued at the ELT finance level.

3. All invoices for San Mateo goods and services received in the month of September must be mailed to San Mateo no later than September 25 for processing by September 30, 2015. All invoices not received by San Mateo by October 1, 2015, will be processed in October 2015, and paid in FY 2016.

V. Submission Schedules (Appendix)

The table below describes the schedule for submitting forms by the required submission date.

 

Form #

Item

Submit by

Submit to

Received by Date

PS 1839

Payment Record for Carrier Drive Out Agreements

Field offices

Scanning & Imaging Ctr.

11-Sep

PS 1164-A

Claim for Reimbursement for Postal Supervisors
(for Employee Business Expenses only)

Field offices

Scanning & Imaging Ctr.

11-Sep

PS 17

Stamp Requisition/Stamp Return

Field offices

SSC/SDO

11-Sep

PS 1233

Project Financial Change/Completion Report (To add site prep cost to an existing assets or CIP)

St. Louis

San Mateo

11-Sep

N/A

Email from Accounting Assistant to add inventory items to fixed assets or CIP

Topeka

San Mateo

11-Sep

Form 969

Material Recycling and Disposal (Retirement)

Field offices

San Mateo

11-Sep

Form 2880

Physical Inventory — Certification/Adjustments (Retirement or Addition)

Field offices

San Mateo

11-Sep

N/A

All Recognition and Incentive Awards

All offices

eAwards

16-Sep

N/A

Hardcopy paper commitment documents

Supply Management (HQ)

San Mateo

18-Sep

N/A

Government Printing Office

Supply Management (HQ)

San Mateo

18-Sep

Form 8162

Capital Property Record

Field offices

San Mateo

18-Sep

Spreadsheet Capitalization

Addition, adjustment, add-on etc.

Program Managers through HQ Payable

San Mateo

18-Sep

Form 4503

Vehicle Delivery Control Sheet

VMF

San Mateo

23-Sep

Form 4587

Request to Repair, Replace, or Dispose of Postal Service–Owned Vehicle

VMF

San Mateo

18-Sep

SF 97

The U.S. Government Certificate of Release of a Motor Vehicle

Field offices

San Mateo

18-Sep

PS 1902

Justification for Billing Accounts Receivable (Non-Payroll)

Field offices

San Mateo

18-Sep

PS 4541

Order-Invoice for Vehicle Repair (commercial work order)

Field offices

Support VMF

18-Sep

N/A

Tort claims

All offices

Scanning & Imaging Ctr.

23-Sep

N/A

eTravel (Approving Official)

All offices

St. Louis

25-Sep

N/A

Vehicle hire payment certification reports

Field offices

Support VMF

25-Sep

PS 2551

Non-good and Non-service Payment Authorization

All offices

Scanning & Imaging Ctr.

25-Sep

PS 3533

Application for Refund of Fees, Products and Withdrawal of Customer Accounts

Field offices

Scanning & Imaging Ctr.

25-Sep

N/A

CTEL

Tangoe

San Mateo

25-Sep

N/A

Arbitration — Related Payments

All offices

San Mateo

25-Sep

N/A

Inter-Agency Payment and Collection (IPAC) Certified Invoices

Field offices

San Mateo

25-Sep

N/A

National Transportation Services (NTSP)

Supply Management (HQ)

San Mateo

30-Sep

PS 1129

Cashier Reimbursement Voucher and/or Accountability Report (Imprest fund)

All offices (Imprest)

San Mateo

30-Sep

N/A

Government travel account (GTA)

St. Louis

St. Louis

25-Sep

N/A

Gasoline Credit Card (fleet card)

U.S. Bank

San Mateo

25-Sep

N/A

Project facility system

Facilities

St. Louis

25-Sep

N/A

eBuy utilities

All offices

eBuy Post/Certify Module

30-Sep

Form 2146

Employee’s Claim for Personal Property

All offices

San Mateo

30-Sep

N/A

Commitments (CAMS) through APEX-CAMS electronic interface

Supply Management (HQ)

San Mateo

30-Sep

N/A

Direct Vendor Delivery (DVD) and eBuy*

Topeka MDC

San Mateo

30-Sep

N/A

Telecommunications Expense Management (TEMA)

Raleigh Network Operations

San Mateo

30-Sep

N/A

Material Distribution Management System invoices (MDIMS)

Topeka

San Mateo

30-Sep

N/A

National Customer Management System invoices (NCMS)

Stamp Fulfillment Services

San Mateo

30-Sep

N/A

Program Cost Tracking System invoices (PCTS)

PCTS Systems Administrator

San Mateo

30-Sep

N/A

UTIL — Energy Initiatives

Energy United/NISC

San Mateo

30-Sep

N/A

Solution for Enterprise Asset Management (SEAM)

Topeka

San Mateo

30-Sep

N/A

BPA cover sheets

All offices

San Mateo

1-Oct

N/A

Capital and expense receiving report

All offices

San Mateo

1-Oct

N/A

Certified Invoices — supplies and services, bulk fuel and oil purchases, motor vehicle parts, nonmetered heating fuel

All offices

San Mateo

1-Oct

N/A

National Service Agreement (NSA)–certified invoices

Mgr of Pricing Strategy

San Mateo

1-Oct

N/A

U.S. Bank Visa accrual

U.S. Bank

San Mateo

1-Oct

N/A

Relocation Management Firm (RMF) accruals

Accounting, (HQ)

Relocation

2-Oct

N/A

Commercial Bank Reconciliations

U.S. Bank, JP Morgan Chase, and Citibank

Eagan

10-Oct

*Do not place orders for DVD or eBuy purchases from September 28 through October 1, 2015, except for critical needs.

Address questions concerning these instructions to the appropriate Accounting Services location or Finance office indicated in the table above.