Finance

Fiscal Year 2011 Closing Guidance: Message from the Controller

I ask that each of you continue your efforts to control expenses. 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, 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.

Tim O’Reilly
Vice President, Controller

I. Instructions for Fiscal Year 2011 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 instructions 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 Modifications, and Requisitions

Capital and expense requisitions and requests for con­tract modifications will not be accepted by Supply Man­agement after September 2.

Capital purchase card transactions will be accepted by Supply Management through September 12. Note: If the transaction is not processed by the vendor within the VISA monthly cut-off (i.e., September 18), the transaction will be applied to FY 2012.

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 September 2, 2011	Supply Management will issue the required contract or modification for Accounting Services, San Mateo, to process against FY 2011 funds.
On or after September 3, 2011	Supply Management will issue the required contract or modification for Accounting Services, San Mateo, to process against FY 2012 funds.

Hardcopy paper commitment documents must be for­warded to Accounting Services, San Mateo, no later than Friday, September 16.

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, 2011
Facilities capital commitments and expense payments	St. Louis	September 30, 2011

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 Monday, October 3.

Note:  

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, September 2 to pro­cess invoices.

3. Supply Management will process all requisitions for the issuance of contracts against FY 2011 funds ac­cording to the following priorities:

Priority 1 — Capital commitment requisitions.

Priority 2 — Expense commitment requisitions.

IV. Accruals

Year-end Closing:

1. Goods received and services rendered through September 30, 2011, will no longer be accrued at a finance number level. Only invoices certified and re­ceived by San Mateo by Monday, October 3, will be charged to FY 2011.

Headquarters budget coordinators, engineering coordi­nators, IT coordinators, and the Office of Inspector General will be required to meet with Corporate Financial Reporting to discuss accrual amounts for both capital and expense items. Accruals must meet the minimums of $20,000 cumulative per finance number, and additionally each invoice must be at least $5,000.

V. Submission Schedules (Appendix)

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

 

Form #	Item	Submit by	Submit to	Received by Date
N/A	Back pay awards	All offices	Eagan	August 2
PS 7381	Requisition for Supplies, Services, or Equipment	All offices	Supply Management (HQ)	September 2
PS 1233	Project Financial Change/Completion Report (to add site prep cost to an existing assets or CIP)	St. Louis	San Mateo	September 9
PS 17	Stamp Requisition/Stamp Return	Field offices	SSC/SDO	September 12
PS 1839	Payment Record for Carrier Drive Out Agreements	Field offices	Scanning & Imaging Ctr.	September 12
PS 1164-A	Claim for Reimbursement for Postal Supervisors (for Employee Business Expenses only)	Field offices	Scanning & Imaging Ctr.	September 12
N/A	E-mail from HQ Asset Mgmt. Budget & cost analyst to add inventory items to fixed assets or CIP	Topeka, KS	San Mateo	September 12
PS 969	Material Recycling and Disposal (retirement)	Field Offices	San Mateo	September 16
PS 2880	Physical Inventory — Certification/Adjustments (retirement or addition)	Field Offices	San Mateo	September 16
N/A	Hardcopy paper commitment documents	Supply Management (HQ)	San Mateo	September 16
PS 8232	Payment for Personal Services Contracts	Field offices	Scanning & Imaging Ctr.	September 19
N/A	All Recognition and Incentive Awards*	All offices	eAwards	September 22
N/A	Government Printing Office	Supply Management (HQ)	San Mateo	September 23
PS 8162	Capital Property Record	Field Offices	San Mateo	September 23
Spreadsheet Capitalization	Addition, adjustment, add-on, etc.	Program Managers through HQ Payable	San Mateo	September 23
PS 4541	Order-Invoice for Vehicle Repair (commercial work order)	Field offices	Support VMF	September 23
PS 4503	Vehicle Delivery Control Sheet	VMF	San Mateo	September 23
PS 4587	Request to Repair, Replace, or Dispose of Postal-Owned Vehicle	VMF	San Mateo	September 23
SF 97	The U.S. Government Certificate of Release of a Motor Vehicle	Field offices	San Mateo	September 23
PS 1902	Justification for Billing Accounts Receivable (nonpayroll)	Field Offices	San Mateo	September 23
N/A	eTravel (approving official)	All offices	St. Louis	September 26
N/A	eTravel (receipts)	All offices	Back Office	September 26
PS 8049	Vehicle Hire Pay Adjustment	Field offices	St. Louis	September 26
N/A	Vehicle Hire Payment Certification reports	Field offices	Support VMF	September 26
N/A	Tort claims	All offices	Scanning & Imaging Ctr.	September 26
PS 8230	Authorization for Payment	All offices	Scanning & Imaging Ctr.	September 27
PS 3533	Application for Refund of Fees, Products and Withdrawal of Customer Accounts	Field offices	Scanning & Imaging Ctr.	September 27
N/A	Government Travel Account (GTA)	St. Louis	St. Louis	September 29
N/A	Telecommunications (CMIS)	Raleigh Network Operations	San Mateo	September 29
PS 3637-G	Batch Header for Official Mail (attach supporting documents)	Field offices	Scanning & Imaging Ctr.	September 30
N/A	CTEL	Profitline	San Mateo	September 30
N/A	Arbitration — related payments	All offices	San Mateo	September 30
PS 2146	Employee’s Claim for Personal Property	All offices	San Mateo	September 30
N/A	Commitments (CAMS) through APEX-CAMS electronic interface	Supply Management (HQ)	San Mateo	September 30
N/A	Direct vendor delivery (DVD) and eBuy**	Topeka MDC	San Mateo	September 30
N/A	eBuy utilities	All offices	eBuy Post/Certify Module	September 30
N/A	Material Distribution Mgmt. Sys. (MDIMS) invoices	Topeka, KS	San Mateo	September 30
N/A	National Customer Mgmt. Sys. (NCMS) invoices	Stamp Fulfillment Services	San Mateo	September 30
N/A	Program Cost Tracking Sys. (PCTS) invoices	PCTS Systems Administrator	San Mateo	September 30
N/A	UTIL — Energy Initiatives	Energy United/NISC	San Mateo	September 30
N/A	Inter-Agency Payment and Collection (IPAC) certified invoices	Field Offices	San Mateo	September 30
N/A	National Transportation Services (NTSP)	Supply Management (HQ)	San Mateo	September 30
PS 1129	Cashier Reimbursement Voucher and/or Accountability Report (Imprest fund)	All offices (Imprest)	San Mateo	September 30
N/A	Gasoline credit card (fleet card)	U.S. Bank	San Mateo	October 1
N/A	Project facility system	Facilities	St. Louis	October 1
N/A	Money order vouchers	Field offices	St. Louis	October 1
NA	Solution for Enterprise Asset Management (SEAM)	Topeka KS	San Mateo	October 1
N/A	BPA cover sheets	All offices	San Mateo	October 3
N/A	National Service Agreement (NSA) certified invoices	Mgr. of Pricing Strategy	San Mateo	October 3
N/A	Capital and expense receiving report	All offices	San Mateo	October 3
N/A	Certified invoices — supplies and services, bulk fuel and oil purchases, motor vehicle parts, nonmetered heating fuel	All offices	San Mateo	October 3
N/A	U.S. Bank VISA accrual	U.S. Bank	San Mateo	October 3
N/A	Relocation Management Firm (RMF) accruals	Accounting, (HQ)	Relocation	October 4
N/A	Commercial Bank Reconciliations	U.S. Bank, JP Morgan Chase, and Citibank	Eagan	October 6

* Per PMG memo dated July 1, awards for nonbargaining employees are suspended.

** Do not place orders for DVD or eBuy purchases from October 1 through October 3, 2011, except for critical needs.

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

— Accounting Policy, Controller, 8-25-11

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