Policies & Procedures

Every Which Way but the Right Way: Getting Invoices to AP

A frequent recommendation for improving the AP process is to state, as a matter of policy, that all invoices must be sent directly to AP. Once AP has captured the invoices, they can then be sent on… Read More

Internal Controls System Access—Managed or Taken for Granted?

By Pam Miller - Segregation of duties is an important consideration in determining what tasks should be done by whom in the AP department. Most organizations—especially those subject to SOX… Read More

AP Processes and Procedures: Creating an AP Procedures Manual

When AnnMarie Bartolini started her job at FuelCell Energy, Inc. (Torrington, CT), she noticed a problem the first day of her training program. The written manual for the AP system did not match the… Read More

Setting Up an Internal AP Audit Process

The AP department at NYU Langone Medical Center, NYU School of Medicine (New York, NY) wanted to make sure their controls were in place and working properly. Why Internal Audits Are Necessary “If… Read More

16 Practices to Ensure Adequate Controls of Your Payments

One of the places that corporations are most vulnerable when it comes to stringent internal controls is the payment process. What follows is a list of steps that you can use to ensure that you have… Read More

Data Protection a Top Priority as Mobile Devices Proliferate

Are you developing new strategies to protect your data in the mobile environment? "Creative attackers are looking for chinks in your data armor," says Randall Gamby, information security officer for

Accounts Payable Case Studies

Case Study #1: Separate Utility Bills? Bundle Them into One Statement! Challenge: An AP manager at a large manufacturing company was receiving separate invoices for each branch's utility and

When Controls Monitoring Becomes a 24/7 Job

When guarding a building, would you rather have a night watchman patrolling each room one at a time or place cameras and motion detectors in sensitive areas? While both guard the building, the night

You Can't Legislate Ethical Behavior – An HR View of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act

David A. Brookmire, president Corporate Performance Strategies The implementation of Sarbanes-Oxley Act to date has been the primary responsibility of the finance function to implement and monitor.

Set Ground Rules When Undertaking a Post Audit

By Pam Miller, APMD Despite their best efforts to avoid or catch errors, AP departments still miss enough to keep an army of post auditors working steadily. Some AP managers opt to purchase and