NASA Procedures and Guidelines
This Document is Obsolete and Is No Longer Used. Check the NODIS Library to access the current version: http://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov
NPR 9630.1 Eff. Date: July 10, 2017 Cancellation Date:	Accounts Payable and Disbursements
| TOC | Preface | Chapter1 | Chapter2 | Chapter3 | Chapter4 | Chapter5 | Chapter6 | Chapter7 | Chapter8 | Chapter9 | Chapter10 | Chapter11 | Chapter12 | Chapter13 | AppendixA | AppendixB | AppendixC | ALL |

Appendix A. Definitions

Accelerated Payment. A payment made prior to the due date.

Acceptance. An acknowledgment by an authorized Government official that goods received and services rendered conform to the contract requirements. Acceptance also applies to partial deliveries.

Accountable Officer. A U.S. Government official or employee who, on behalf of the United States, receives and maintains public funds, certifies vouchers, or maintains or draws checks upon accounts of the United States, including those in depositary banks designated by the Secretary of the Treasury. Accountable Officers are individuals who either certify payments (COs) or have physical custody of Government funds. Accountable Officers include COs, Disbursing Officers, and Government officials that handle public moneys, authorize disbursements, and process collections.

Accounts Payable. Accounts payable are amounts owed for goods and services received (i.e., actual or constructive delivery). These accounts represent amounts owed to Federal or non-Federal entities for goods and property ordered and received and for services rendered by organizations and people other than employees.

Approving Official. An individual who reviews cardholder statement(s), is responsible for authorizing cardholder purchases (for official use only), and ensures that statement is reconciled and submitted to the designated billing office in a timely manner. This term also refers to an official who provides Government acceptance of specific goods or services needed for invoice payment.

Banking Information. Information necessary to facilitate an EFT payment, including the vendor's bank account number and the vendor financial institution's routing number.

Cardholder. The individual Government employee to whom a Government purchase card is issued. The card bears the employee's name and can be used only by that employee for official purchases, in compliance with the agency's policies and procedures and GSA's Government Commercial Credit Card Services contract.

Cardholder Statement. A statement, listing all transactions during the billing period sent to each cardholder.

Certifying Officer (CO). An employee of NASA to whom Treasury has granted the authority to approve vouchers on NASA's behalf for payment.

Cost. Cost is the monetary value of resources used, resources sacrificed, or liabilities incurred to achieve an objective, such as to acquire or produce a good or to perform an activity or acquire a service.

Day. A calendar day including weekend and holiday, unless otherwise indicated.

Delegation of Authority. Authority established with Treasury to request Treasury to appoint officials for disbursing functions. A written delegation issued by responsible Agency personnel that establishes authorized cardholder(s), specifying spending and usage limitations unique to that cardholder.

Delivery Ticket. A vendor document supplied at the time of delivery that indicates the items delivered. A delivery ticket may serve as a proper invoice if based on contractual agreement.

Designating Official. A NASA employee to whom Treasury has granted authority to designate NASA employees as COs or SPS DEOs who create payment certifications in the Treasury SPS.

Discount. An invoice payment reduction offered by the vendor for early payment.

Discount Date. The date by which a specified invoice payment reduction, or a discount, can be taken.

Due Date. The date on which Federal payments should be made.

Duplicate Check Losses. When a payee reports non-receipt of an original check, the Government issues another, and both are negotiated.

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). Any transfer of funds, other than a transaction originated by cash, check, or similar paper instrument, that is initiated through an electronic terminal, telephone, computer, or magnetic tape, for the purpose of ordering, instructing, or authorizing a financial institution to debit or credit an account. The term includes, but is not limited to, ACH and Fedwire transfers, credit or debit card, or the IPAC system.

Emergency Payment. A payment made under an emergency defined as a hurricane, tornado, storm, flood, high water, wind-driven water, tidal wave, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mud slide, snowstorm, drought, fire, explosion, or other catastrophe which requires Federal emergency assistance to supplement state and local efforts to save lives and property and ensure public health and safety and the release or threatened release of hazardous substances.

Fast Payment. A payment procedure under the FAR at Part 13.4 which allows payment under limited conditions to a vendor prior to the Government's verification that supplies have been received and accepted.

Foreign Currency. Money of a country other than the United States.

Foreign Exchange. The system by which one currency is exchanged for another. This enables international transactions to take place.

Government Purchase Card. Internationally accepted credit card available to all Federal agencies under a single GSA contract for the purpose of making small purchases of up to $25,000, with a minimum of paperwork. These credit card services are available under a contract awarded by GSA for Government-wide use.

Improper Payment. The term improper payment means any payment that should not have been made or that was made in an incorrect amount (including overpayments and underpayments) under statutory, contractual, administrative, or other legally applicable requirements. Improper payment includes any payment to an ineligible recipient, any payment for an ineligible service, any duplicate payment, payments for services not received, and any payment that does not account for credit for applicable discounts. When an agency's review is unable to discern whether a payment was proper as a result of insufficient or lack of documentation, this payment will also be considered an error.

Interim Payment. Any payment that is not a commercial advance payment or a delivery payment. A commercial interim payment is given to the contractor after some work has been done, whereas a commercial advance payment is given to the contractor when no work has been done.

Invoice. The bill that is received by the purchaser of goods or services from an outside supplier. The vendor invoice lists the quantities of items, brief descriptions, prices, total amount due, credit terms, and where to remit payment.

Payment Date. The date on which a check for payment is dated or the date of an EFT payment (settlement date). Payments by EFT mechanism will be made so as to be received by the contractor's financial institution by the established due date.

Physical Loss. A shortage of public funds in an account resulting from such things as (1) theft (burglary, robbery, embezzlement, etc.), (2) loss in shipment, and (3) destruction by fire, accident, or natural disaster. An unexplained shortage (a shortage with no apparent reason or explanation) is also treated as a physical loss.

Rebate. A monetary incentive offered to the Government by Government-wide commercial purchase card issuers to pay purchase card invoices early.

Receiving Report. Written or electronic evidence of receipt of goods or services by a Government official.

Recurring Payments. Payments for services of a recurring nature, such as rents, building maintenance, transportation services, parking, leases, and maintenance for equipment, pagers and cellular phones, etc., which are performed under Agency vendor agreements providing for payments of definite amounts at fixed periodic intervals.

Secure Payment System (SPS). BFS provides the SPS as a mechanism by which Government agencies can create payment schedules in a secure fashion and with a strictly enforced separation of duties using Web-based technology.

Settlement Date. For payments, the date the receiving financial institution's Federal Reserve account is credited and Treasury's account is debited. For collections, the date the Federal Reserve account of the remitter's financial institution is debited and the Treasury's account is credited.

Small Purchase. An acquisition of supplies, non-personal services or construction in the amount of $25,000 or less.

Tokens. Cryptographic keys or passwords for proving identity or disbursing cash.

Taxpayer Identifying Number (TIN). The nine-digit Employer Identifying Number or Social Security Number as defined in Section 6109 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. § 6109).

U.S. Standard General Ledger (USSGL). The USSGL is a set of procedural rules and uniform chart of accounts used by agencies to record budgetary and proprietary accounting transactions.

Voucher. An internal document used in a company's accounts payable department in order to collect and organize the necessary documentation and approvals before paying a vendor invoice. The voucher acts as a cover page to which supporting payment documentation will be attached.

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