State Accounts Payable

Payment Procedures

General Guidelines:

SUNY’s fiscal year begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 each year.
The Procurement Office-Accounts Payable (AP) is the designated payment office for Stony Brook University and the Long Island State Veterans Home (LISVH). All invoices must be submitted to the AP Office, referencing a valid purchase order (PO) number.
All vendors must have a valid “remit to” address in the New York State (NYS) vendor file or be enrolled to receive ACH/electronic payments from the State for the invoice to be processed for payment.
Departments must respond within three business days to Accounts Payable requests for invoice payment approval. A department’s delayed response may result in late payment interest charges assessed to their State account.
Departments must advise the Procurement Office - via email or a Wolfmart comment - of any issues/discrepancies that may impact a vendor’s invoice payment. The vendor must be notified of payment issues or order discrepancies within 15 days of receipt of goods/services or a proper invoice.
For items not received in Central Receiving, departments must maintain receiving documentation for their orders for six years plus the balance of the calendar year after the payment or the delivery of the goods and services related to the purchase, whichever occurs later.
Departments must track and reconcile vendor hours on all required documents, including invoices, timesheets, and certified payrolls, to ensure accurate vendor billing for hours worked on all service orders that include prevailing wage labor.
Vendor invoices that include a freight charge of $500.00 or more require the submission of the 3rd party supporting freight bill before the invoice can be processed for payment. Orders shipped by UPS, FedEx, DHL, Postal Service, or the vendor’s own truck are exempt from this requirement.
As an agency of the State of New York, Stony Brook University must pay the prevailing wage for NYS Department of Labor Article 8 or 9 construction/service work, which requires the vendor’s submission of certified payroll to be included with their invoice before payment can be processed. The prevailing wage is the pay rate set by law for work on public work projects. This applies to all laborers, workers, or mechanics employed under public contracts. The Bureau of Public Work administers Articles 8 and 9 of the New York State Labor Laws:

- - - - Article 8 covers public construction
      - Article 9 covers building service contracts

Invoice Submissions for State Purchase Orders and State Contracts

A. Vendors must email their State Purchase Order invoices directly to accountspayable@stonybrook.edu and/or their State Contract invoices directly to: contractpayable@stonybrook.edu

Vendor invoices must:

Invoices are submitted for payment upon delivery of the goods or completion of the services.
Their invoices include the company/organization's name and remittance address information.
All invoices must be billed to Stony Brook University
A valid purchase order PO or contract number, whichever is applicable, is referenced on all invoices.
A description, quantity, and price of goods delivered or services rendered is included on all invoices.
Their invoice includes the total amount due.
Contract invoices must be billed per the services and rates applicable to and listed on their contract.
Certified payroll is included with invoices for any project and PO requiring prevailing wage labor rates.
They provide a freight bill for all invoices with a freight/shipping charge over $500.00 A freight bill is not required if shipped via FedEx, UPS, US Postal Service, or the company's truck.

*Consistent with New York State Finance Law §§ 109(1) and §§ 179-e(5) vendors should only invoice an agency once the goods or services have been delivered or rendered.

B. Departments should advise vendors not to submit invoices directly to their offices. If a department receives an invoice from a vendor they must review the invoice and:

If accurate, approve the invoice for payment by including the following on the invoice:

- Valid PO or contract number (if not already referenced on the invoice)
- The date item was received or the service was completed

- Write "OK to Pay" on the invoice with the approver's signature

Scan and email it to AP at: accountspayable@stonybrook.edu
Scan and email the contract invoice to: contractpayable@stonybrook.edu

**Please note that the Accounts Payable email boxes, accountspayable@stonybrook.edu and contractpayable@stonybrook.edu are intended for invoice submissions and are not monitored for inquiries or comments.

Department and/or Vendor Inquiries or Comments

- A department or vendor can submit their invoice or payment inquiries via email to procurement_sap@stonybrook.edu.

- If a department has received the merchandise, or services have been rendered for their purchase order, they can approve the order by adding a comment in WolfMart. All comments must be directed to an AP staff member. Please refer to the Accounts Payable contact section on the Procurement website to determine the appropriate AP staff member.

State Payment Requests Using the Non-Encumbered Payment Form

A. The WolfMart Non-Encumbered Payment Form can be used to submit the following “payment-only” requests:

- Federal Express (letter and small parcel services)
- US Department of Homeland Security visa fees
- Journal/article publishing fees
- Organization memberships
- Organization subscriptions
- Accreditation Fees
- Conference/Registration fees
- Direct Car Service payments
- Direct (local) Hotel Payments - For hosting non-employees and authorized business meetings. (Conference events and banquet services require departments to submit a Service Request Form in WolfMart at least two weeks in advance of the event in order for a PO to be issued to the Hilton Garden Inn prior to services being rendered.)

B. The Wolfmart Non-Encumbered Payment Form cannot be used for direct payment of vendor invoices for merchandise received or services rendered. Orders for commodities and services require a PO.

Issuance of Payments

Stony Brook University is an agency of the State of New York; therefore, its payments are issued by the State.

Once a payment voucher has been received, audited, and approved by the Office of State Comptroller (OSC), payees who are enrolled to receive ACH/electronic payment can expect to receive their payment within 3 to 5 business days of OSC’s payment voucher approval. Payees who receive checks can expect to receive their checks within 5 to 7 business days of OSC’s payment voucher approval.

Independent Contractors/Honorarium

The Independent Contractor/ Honorarium Payment form is used when making independent contractor or honoraria payments. The payee’s information should include their social security number and permanent home address where their payment will be mailed. The supporting documentation should include their curriculum vitae, event sheet, and other relevant information.

Independent Contractors

An independent contractor is retained to perform a specific service for which there are no University employees on payroll to perform. All requests to retain an independent contractor (I/C) must be sent to Human Resource Services/Payroll (HRS) at least one month before the IC begins work. Please check the HRS website for the Independent Contractor link, which includes a checklist for required documentation that must be submitted to their office. All State-funded independent contractor (I/C) payments over $2,500.00 require justification for payee selection and a statement noting the vendor's fair and reasonableness of price. All independent contractor payments over $20,000.00 require a formal contract agreement. Multiple payments to an independent contractor require an encumbered purchase order (PO) to secure funds. The PO should be issued before the independent contractor starts work but after Human Resource Services (HRS) has signed off on the independent contractor form.

Honorarium

Honoraria are paid to non-employees who are retained by the University to lecture, speak, or present on a content matter which they are a subject matter expert. Honoraria payment requests must first be sent to HRS to ensure the payee is not currently or has not been a State employee within two years. Upon HRS’s approval, State-funded honoraria will be sent to the Procurement Office for payment processing.

IRS 1099 Forms

All individuals receiving an independent contractor or honoraria payment are added to the New York State (NYS) vendor file. An IRS 1099-NEC tax form will be issued by the NYS Comptroller’s Office for State honorarium or independent contractor payments totaling $600.00 or more per calendar year.

Receipted Travel expenses associated with independent contractor or honoraria payments are not IRS reportable income and not included on the IRS 1099-NEC form.

Questions

If you have any questions regarding these procedures or contracting, please contact Mary La Corte at (631) 632-9849.

If you have questions about the payment of independent contractors/honorariums, please contact the Procurement office at 631-632-6010.

If you have any questions about the required documentation for Independent Contractors/Honorariums, please contact HRS at 631-632-6155 or email hrs_independent_contactors@stonybrook.edu.