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Policy Areas

Management of Cash in Crisis or Emergency Situations

1

Step

Handling Cash Shipments - Information regarding the movements of cash must be restricted to the minimum number of people, on a need to know basis.​
Communication of information regarding cash movements should be encrypted or coded, where possible.  Where codes are possible they should be changed approximately every six months.
The timing of cash movements should be as unpredictable as possible.  Vary flight schedules and ground routes.  The frequency of such shipments should be weighed carefully against the risk arising from keeping the cash on the premises.
Where conditions permit, at least two security guards must accompany all movements of cash, in excess of US$50,000.  The guards should be equipped with radio or telephone and have pre-arranged distress signals.
Arrangements must be in place to collect cash directly from the airplane or armored car upon arrival.  Cash may not be stored in airport vaults, hotel rooms, unsecured offices or railway terminals etc.
Determine the feasibility of utilizing national law enforcement, armed forces or international or regional peacekeeping forces to enhance security.
To the greatest extent possible avoid using facsimiles, e-mail, the telephone or insecure radio frequencies to convey information about the movement of cash.
Cash transportation should be arranged and effected only after receiving prior written authorization of the Designated Official (DO) at the duty station.​

Responsible Party

Operations Manager – Office,

Contracted Courier

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

​Procedures are designed by the Cash Manager after consultation with the Operations Manager.
The Resident Representative and Operations Manager must ensure that these procedures are followed during cash transfer and storage​

2

Step

Physical Premises
Ensure that all windows and doors that are part of the area or room where cash is stored are sturdy and are securely anchored to the superstructure.  Windows should be protected with steel grills, bolted from the inside.
Where possible, a burglary and anti –hold-up system with a direct link to 24 hour security staff should be installed in offices.
A 24-hour security service should be arranged​

Responsible Party

Operations Manager

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

3

Step

​Control Procedures
Cash must be stored in a secured safe that is under dual control of designated UNDP personnel.  The safe should be located in a locked room to which access is restricted.  Keys to this room must be held by the DO at the duty station.  It is preferable that there be two safes, one in the locked restricted room where the bulk of the cash would be stored, the other, in the secured finance area, to store the daily cash needs.  This should limit the need for frequent access to the major safe.
Cash received on a daily basis by the Finance Section should be counted by two designated staff members under the supervision of the Operations Manager/ARR (Admin)/Administrative Officer or other designated Senior Staff, who signs-off on the amount of the count.
The smaller cash balances should be counted and reconciled daily, as should   the major cash balance.
Surprise counts of total cash should be conducted randomly, with a minimum surprise count once monthly.
The designated "Safe Custodians" will be accountable for cash discrepancies discovered during cash counts.
Surprise cash counts should be done by a designated Senior UNDP Staff Member who does not have direct or supervisory responsibility for accounting for receipt and disbursements of cash.
Any cash theft should be reported immediately to the Treasurer and the Office of Audit and Investigations (OAI).
Decisions relating to the inclusion of local authorities should be made after consultation with the Office of Human Resources, BOM and probably reference to the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) at UNHQ.​

Responsible Party

Treasury,

Resident Representative,

Operations Manager

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

Petty Cash Fund for Management Project (PCF)

1

Step

Authority to Establish the PCF and Level. Delegates his/her authority for establishing PCF to the Head of Office, up to the PCF maximum level for normal business as defined above​

Responsible Party

Treasurer

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

2

Step

Seek Treasurer’s approval in advance by written request with detailed justifications. 

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

Any CO with PCF requirement above $2500​

3

Step

Evaluate such request, in addition to the consideration of the CO’s business needs, the CO’s track record of compliance with internal control framework (‘ICF’) and POPP, particularly in the areas of accounting, reconciliation, and year-end procedures for PCF, and make the decision to authorize the higher level requested

Responsible Party

Treasurer

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

Caution: Failure to accurately and timely record PCF expenses and reconcile GL PCF Account 16105 may lead to delay or denial of the request until the internal control issues are resolved

4

Step

Qualifying Expenses for PCF. Pay expenses qualified to be paid from PCF, which are, as follows: Small purchases for office's management operations (not programmes), and Each such purchase not to exceed USD 250 equivalent.

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

5

Step

PCF Custodian Appointment. Appoint the PCF Custodian with the following criteria: 
  a. Staff holds UNDP Fixed Term Contract (FT).
  b. Staff is competent to fulfill the responsibilities including safeguarding, proper use of, accounting for, and physical counting of the PCF and maintaining PCF Register.
  c. Staff agrees to the terms and conditions of Petty Cash Custodian Appointment Form and signs the document (see Annex 1) including that any losses in the PCF are to be reimbursed to UNDP by the PCF Custodian or a deduction shall be taken from his/her salary

Responsible Party

Head of Office

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

6

Step

Physical Security for PCF
Ensures the physical security for PCF as follows:  
   a. Provide a safe with strong security features.
   b. Place safe in a room with limited access by authorized personnel only.
   c. Keep cash in the safe at all times. ​

Responsible Party

DRR(O) or Operations Manager

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

7

Step

PCF Custodian Responsibilities
Cash the cheque and place the cash for PCF initial funding and subsequent replenishment in the office safe

Responsible Party

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

8

Step

Maintain the PCF Register to record all activities in the PCF 

Responsible Party

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

9

Step

Use pre-sequentially numbered PCF invoice for each disbursement made from the PCF. 

Responsible Party

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

10

Step

Ensure each PCF invoice is filled out for accounting/budget purposes and properly approved and has an invoice/receipt as the supporting document.

Responsible Party

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

11

Step

Count PCF balance after each disbursement and replenishment to ensure the amount is equal to the running balance on the PCF Register under supervision of the Operations Manager

Responsible Party

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

12

Step

Make every reasonable effort to prevent theft

Responsible Party

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

​For example, include maintenance of PCF in secured location (i.e., office safe), requiring two keys to enter the safe room and the presence of two persons when safe is opened

13

Step

Request the replenishment when PCF balance reaches 20% of the initial opening balance

Responsible Party

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

14

Step

Initial funding of PCF is done by a Permanent Prepayment Invoice payable to the PCF Custodian as the “Supplier” recorded against 

Debit GL Account: 16105 - Petty Cash Fund PCF 

Operating Unit: CO’s operating unit 

Fund Code:         00001 for GL acct 16105 always 

Department: Respective department 

Supplier :                 PCF Custodian’s  Staff/Supplier ID 



 



 

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

The supporting document for the AP non-PO Invoice is the approval from the Head of Office or Treasurer, as applicable.​

15

Step

Subsequent replenishment is done by Payment payable to the PCF Custodian. The amount of the subsequent replenishment should equal the amount of the total disbursements made during the period prior to the replenishment. 

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

The amount of the subsequent replenishment should equal the amount of the APJV (see Internal Control and PCF Accounting) that records the total disbursements made during the period prior to the replenishment. The APJV and attached invoice/receipts serves as the supporting document for the subsequent replenishment.​

16

Step

Ensure that, after the subsequent replenishment, the PCF balance equals the initial opening balance.​

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

17

Step

Review, certify and approve the following (as the case may be) for subsequent replenishment to the PCF:

Responsible Party

Finance Manager or Operations Manager (other than the PCF Custodian)

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

18

Step

APJV created by PCF Custodian for recording PCF disbursements, relevant supporting documents for charged expenses, and observance of the $250 limit for each disbursement (see PCF Accounting). ​

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

19

Step

Physical count to ensure the PCF balance in the safe equals to the balance on the PCF Register​

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

20

Step

PCF reconciliation to ensure that GL PCF Account 16105 balance is the same as the actual cash in the safe (after the APJV is posted) and on the PCF Register​

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

21

Step

AP non-PO Voucher to pay the PCF Custodian as the replenishment for the PCF​

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

22

Step

Internal Controls for PCF
Maintain separation of duties at all times.​

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

23

Step

Use pre-sequentially numbered PCF Vouchers (either in paper form or in spreadsheet form with password control) to request the PCF disbursements; the proper approval obtained, and full Chart of Accounts (COA) indicated​

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

24

Step

Attach invoice/receipt for small purchases to each PCF Voucher​

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

25

Step

Raise APJV to record the PCF disbursements on a monthly basis or prior to each replenishment request, whichever comes first​

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

Use the “Related Voucher” field in the invoice information page to include the voucher ID of the initial advance related to the disbursement being recorded to facilitate the review and liquidation process.

26

Step

Maintain PCF Register on per transaction basis and issues on the close of business of the last day of the month or prior to each replenishment period with no further alteration​

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

27

Step

Create a new PCF Register for a new month or a new replenishment period​

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

28

Step

Generate a report for GL Account 16105 for each month end or each replenishment period to compare the balance in the PCF safe and review PCF Register.

Responsible Party

DRR(O) or Operations Manager

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

29

Step

Perform a physical cash count at the month end or prior to each replenishment request, whichever comes first, and sign the PCF Count Form (see annex 3).

Responsible Party

Operations Manager

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

The signature on the PCF Count Form certifies that the balance in the safe equals to the balance in the PCF Register and the balance in the GL Account 16105.

30

Step

Investigate and resolve any discrepancies identified in the steps PCF register check; running GL account 16105; physical cash count within 7 days

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

Perform every month without exception as monthly PCF reconciliation ​

31

Step

Notify the Head of Office of the discrepancy and the resolution

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

Perform every month without exception​

32

Step

Deposit the PCF balance in the safe into the CO’s bank account on or before 31 December of each year

Responsible Party

CO

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

If the CO does not deposit the PCF balance in the safe into the bank account at the year-end, the office must notify Treasury and explain the circumstances preventing this action

33

Step

PCF Reconciliation and Year-End Closure
Perform monthly PCF reconciliation without exception, including the year-end closure

Responsible Party

DRR(O)

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

​If the CO follows the Guidelines and Procedures herein, the AAA report for GL 16105 at 31 December should show the balance to be zero in local currency

34

Step

Review the monthly PCF reconciliation results, complete and sign the Year-end PCF Certification and PCF Count Form. 

Responsible Party

DRR(O)

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

These two documents must be uploaded to designated SharePoint on or before 31 January as part of the routine year end close procedures.
Caution: Pay attention to the currency in GL. Reconciliation is to be done for the currency in which the PCF is held. Typically, this means local currency. The CO should not reconcile the USD balance.
Caution: The DRR(O) is accountable for the accuracy and consistency of the balances in AAA report, in PCF Register, and in the safe.

35

Step

PCF Monitoring
Ensure routine monitoring of GL Account 16105 for data quality and completeness. 

Responsible Party

Head of Office

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

36

Step

Ensure compliance with the Guidelines and Procedures: 
The PCF level not to exceed the authorized level by the Head of Office or Treasurer at any time.
 The per disbursement limit not to exceed USD 250 equivalent.
 The expenses are recorded on a monthly basis or at each replenishment period.
 No GLJE is used.
 All transactions recorded are in the currency for which the initial PCF balance is established.
 At 31 December, balance in AAA report for GL 16105 in local currency is zero. 

Responsible Party

CO

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

Caution: Strictly following the procedures are critically important to ensure UNDP cash assets are accounted for timely and accurately

UNFCU Share Account Management

1

Step

Opening an account with UNFCU:

Contact UNFCU directly through the link provided.

Responsible Party

Staff member

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

2

Step

Once Account is approved, Submit the form “Authorization for Payroll Deductions – UNFCU deposits" to GSSC Local Payroll Team in KL (gssc.localpayroll@undp.org).  

*This gives UNDP a written consent to deduct funds from their salary.  

All deductions can be set in local currency or USD based on staff member's choice.
 

Responsible Party

Staff member

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

Note: Personnel Services Agreement (I-PSA/N-PSA) holders are not permitted to use UNFCU unless exceptionally approved by BMS.

3

Step

Enter the UNFCU 11 or 13 digit account number in Quantum HCM

 

Responsible Party

GSSC Local Payroll Team in KL

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

UNFCU account number must be accurate and in correct format either 11 or 13 digits



 

4

Step

Setup payroll deduction using a one-time or recurring entry page as appropriate and request for payroll calculation to pick up deduction.
 

Responsible Party

GSSC Local Payroll Team in KL

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

5

Step

Accounting for Deposits by GSSC:

Once ALL local payrolls have been finalized each month, run the UNFCU Quantum report listing UNFCU deductions for all offices, prepare voucher payment to UNFCU vendor and provide this information to the UNFCU directly, together with a list of staff and their UNFCU bank account numbers.
 
Global Payroll interface automatically transfers these deductions to the GL account in the General Ledger.

The deductions are verified by agreeing to payroll records.
 
Raise a regular AP voucher with payment made by electronic funds transfer using TRF payment method to UNFCU Supplier ID 0000000123 in US Dollars. Notify UNFCU through the established channel and contacts.

Responsible Party

Payroll Finance Unit, GSSC-KL

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

This process is centralized for all country offices and outposted HQ units.  No UNFCU voucher permitted to be processed by individual country offices. 

6

Step

Withdrawal of funds:

No withdrawal services will be provided through UNDP offices.  Staff member will utilize the withdrawal methods provided by UNFCU. 

Responsible Party

Staff member/UNFCU

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

7

Step

Loan services from UNFCU


Loan services, if any offered by UNFCU to locally recruited staff members will be subject to UNFCU rules and regulations. 

 

Responsible Party

Staff member/UNFCU

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

8

Step

When Contract Type changes to International Staff Category
 
When a staff’s contract type is changed to international staff category, UNFCU payroll deduction should be discontinued.  Staff may choose to continue using the same account to receive payroll in line with established procedures.
 

Responsible Party

GSSC KL for clustered offices

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

9

Step

When Staff Separate
 
UNDP will not provide any UNFCU related services for retirees.  Staff member must consult with UNFCU prior to retirement if he/she wishes to continue using UNFCU services.

 

Responsible Party

Staff member

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

Management of Zero-Balance Account System

1

Step

Prepare and send letter to bank to open Zero Balance Account (ZBA). Request appropriate payment and reporting mechanisms for the account and ensure that all mechanisms are functioning after account is opened

Responsible Party

Treasurer,Cash Manager and treasury System Analyst

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

Ensure timely reporting through Online Banking Platforms, Positive Pay (for Bank America) daily bank statement import to Quantum, Fed Wire and ACH payment ability

2

Step

Country Office uses the Zero Balance account to fund local currency needs by self –replenishment and make supplier/staff payments. Replenishments and supplier/staff payments are done by checks or Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). Country offices should use HQ bank accounts not ZBA to receive contributions and reimbursements from other UN Agencies and staff.

Responsible Party

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

All payments from the ZBA must be created and approved in Quantum before they are sent out to supplier/staff. All receipts to ZBA must be booked in Quantum within one business day. Tardy booking of ZBA transactions will delay and complicate ZBA bank reconciliation

3

Step

ZBA’s will have intraday net debit or credit balances. Where there is a net debit balance, the balance at the end of the day is brought to zero by a transfer from the ZBA Master Account to the ZBA.  Where a ZBA has a net credit balance at the end of the day, this credit balance is transferred to the Master Account to bring the ZBA balance to zero. These end-of-day transfers are automatically done by the bank holding the Master ZBA and accounted for by Quantum after the bank statements are uploaded into Quantum. Uploads are normally done one business day after the transaction date recorded by the bank.

Responsible Party

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

Timely bank reconciliations will identify errors and anomalies

4

Step

The Master ZBA is funded daily by Treasury to ensure that sufficient funds are available to offset daily total net disbursements by country offices. Country offices must inform Treasury of any payment for USD 500,000(or Euro equivalent) or more from their ZBA in order to prevent an overdraft in the Master ZBA.

Responsible Party

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

Close daily monitoring of the disbursement trend from Master ZBA is necessary. Senior Treasury Associates must also be aware of periods of increased expenditures - for example, the final quarter of the year

Processing Payments and Running the Pay Cycle

1

Step
PPR – selection of invoices for payments:
Set criteria by selecting date range, currency, payment method and bank account – Pay Group
Responsible Party

Finance staff

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

2

Step
Review invoices selected by PPR prior to disbursement:
Check all details of supporting documents of approved AP invoices; Where this is not practical due to large volumes, the batch should be reviewed for reasonableness;
Check unusual AP invoices, such as those with large amounts, unfamiliar Supplier names, unfamiliar/unusual disbursement to staff, etc.
Print the list of invoices selected (known as the Pay List) and  use to control issuance of cheques in those cases where cheques are collected from the office (see below);
Mark rejected payments on the pay list;
Sign, date and file a copy of the Pay List to evidence internal control review of cheques;
Instruct finance staff to void or cancel rejected payments as appropriate.
Senior Finance Officer
Key internal control – the 3rd and final approval on expenses


Responsible Party

Senior Finance Officer

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes
Key internal control – the 3rd and final approval on expenses

3

Step
Void or cancel payments as instructed by Senior Finance Officer in cases where invoices are not approved
Responsible Party

Finance staff

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

4

Step
Present cheques for signature together with supporting documentation: Agreed amounts and payee to approved AP invoices
Responsible Party

Cheque Signatories(Dual signatories )

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes
Cheques must be signed by at least two signatories

5

Step
​Manual Payments
Select "record" option on the payment tab of a given AP invoice to effect payment;
Add cheque number or payment reference, as appropriate;
Manually raise a cheque, where appropriate, taking care that the amount, date, payee and cheque number match the Quantum entry.
Responsible Party

Finance staff

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes
Manual Payment is best used to record those items that are on bank statements but not in the cash book, such as interest and bank charges, where an entry to the cash book is required but issuing a cheque is not
QUANTUM queries and reports can be used to monitor the payment exceptions

6

Step
​Review of Manual Payments – review the following prior to signature and dispatch:
Agree all amounts, currencies, payees and dates to approved AP invoices;
Repeat step 3 above for signature of Manual Payment
Responsible Party

Senior Finance Officer

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

7

Step
​Timeliness of recording entries in Quantum
Ensure that an entry is made in Quantum before issuance of a cheque to a Supplier. 
In emergency situations only, record manual payment in Quantum after issuance of the cheque.  Even then, every effort must be made to complete the Quantum record within 48 hours of issuance of the cheque.
Communicate, in writing to the Treasurer, any instance where payment cannot be recorded in Quantum within 48 hours after issuance of a cheque to a Supplier
Responsible Party

Senior Finance Officer

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes
As the recording in Quantum and the manual raising of a cheque are two separate tasks, careful attention is required to ensure that an entry is made in Quantum before issuance of a cheque to a Supplier

8

Step
​Issuance, signature and safeguarding of checks:
Keep cheques that are not immediately mailed or delivered to payees in a secure location within the Finance Unit, and placed in the safe during non-working hours Following issuance and signing. During working hours, the cheques must also be kept in a secure manner in the custody of the responsible officer;
Compare cheques with the Pay List before releasing them to payees when held for pick up;
Maintain a register for issuing cheques. The proof of identity of the payee must be provided and recorded on the cheque register along with the signature of the recipient; 
In the event that a cheque is not collected within 5 days of issuance, it must be cancelled and reissued when required.
Responsible Party

Senior Finance Officer

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

9

Step
​Management of cheques:
Request the bank to provide serially numbered cheques. If no such serial numbering system exists, the field office must number the cheques serially, in ink, starting with No. 1, upon receipt of the cheques. The numbering sequence must be continued without interruption for cheque books received subsequently.
Advise the Treasurer if, for any reason, the local bank is unable to provide cheques bearing the official name of the account.
Responsible Party

Senior Finance Officer

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes
The stock of cheque books must be controlled by a register.
All cheques must be accounted for. 
Only one cheque book must be used at any one time for each bank account; spare cheque books must be kept in the custody of the Representative or his/her delegate. 
Cheques should not have erasures or corrections. If a mistake is made in any field on a cheque, it should be voided and a new cheque prepared. 
Cheques must be made out to a payee who is the provider of goods and/or services as evidenced by supporting documentation and should be the same as the Supplier record in Quantum. 
Cheques should never be made out to third parties or to non-defined payees (e.g., bearer, cash). 
Country offices are required to send cheques together with the deposit slip to the Treasurer for deposit to the ZBA account if the cheque is greater than USD 50,000 in value and is not drawn on a local bank. The cheque items should be listed in the summary of enclosures accompanying the pouch. The deposit slip must indicate the Quantum chart of account to credit and the purpose of the dollar payment (e.g., refund of unused airline tickets). 
Each country office must have a secured safe where unused cheque books and, if necessary, official monies can be stored. Under no circumstances should personal property or monies be held with UNDP monies in the UNDP safe. Country offices which are authorized to operate cash accounts in the office should prepare a certified daily count of monies on hand




10

Step
​Management of lost or damaged cheques
If a cheque is lost or damaged, a letter to the bank should be prepared to stop payment.  The letter should contain the following information: date the cheque was issued;  payee; and amount.
Send requests for stop payments on zero-balance accounts to the bank with a copy to the Treasurer.
Send a letter of indemnity (Form F.18) to the payee of the lost cheque.
Return the signed original to the country office.
Cancel the invoice against which the lost cheque was originally issued will be cancelled upon receipt of the bank's confirmation that they have stopped payment on the cheque and received the signed letter of indemnity from the payee.
Void the payment invoice in Quantum to reverse the payment entry.
Include the invoice in the next PPR or use manual payment to create a replacement cheque / EFT
Responsible Party

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

In the event that a damaged cheque is returned, the same procedures for a lost cheque as described above shall be used; however, no stop payment order or a letter of indemnity is to be issued. The damaged cheque must be retained for account reconciliation

11

Step
​Management of voided checks and checks returned without encashment
If a cheque is returned un-cashed by the payee, or needs to be voided due to error in preparation, it should be voided and the payment placed on hold with reissue. A new cheque can then be issued. The voided cheques must be retained. 
Any cheques outstanding for clearance for 2 months or more must be followed up with the payee. If, upon investigation, it transpires that the cheque has been lost, the procedure outlined above for lost cheques must be followed. If the cheque is located, but cannot be honored by the bank because of the old date or some other imperfection, it must be returned by the payee, voided and replaced with a new cheque. The voided cheque must be retained. 
If there are any cheques outstanding for 6 months or so in spite of all steps taken to follow up of outstanding cheques, payment for such cheques must be voided and the procedure outlined above followed. 
In line with the above, all cheques on UNDP bank accounts must indicate "Not valid after X days", where X equals the local period of validity
Responsible Party

Finance staff

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

12

Step

Review exception reports listed on the Finance Dashboard relating to AP and PO invoices: Take action to ensure exceptions cleared on a timely basis

Responsible Party

Senior Finance Officer

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes
Key internal control

Hospitality Expense

1

Step

Budgeting for Hospitality Expenses

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

The reimbursement method is the same for special events and vouchered hospitality, with the maximum reimbursable amount, per person, also being the same.
Each organizational unit (bureau/division/office/country office/regional center) may budget for its hospitality expenses within the unit's overall management budget authorized spending limit. When necessary, the unit may budget separately for (additional) hospitality expenses within its extra-budgetary (XB) resources. When preparing the budgets, the organizational units should keep in mind the overall objectives of official UNDP hospitality.
The hospitality budget is prepared in two segments:
Hospitality – Special Events (including Fund codes, etc.);
Hospitality – Vouchered Expenses (including Fund codes etc.).
In country offices, the UNDP hospitality budget covers hospitality events undertaken/hosted by UNDP and hospitality events undertaken/hosted by the UN Resident Coordinator (RC). For the sake of transparency and in support of the separate [SB2] RC accountability framework, it is recommended that country offices budget separately for UNDP hospitality events and RC hospitality events in keeping with established rules for use of the RC funds.
All hospitality expenses on behalf of an organizational unit must be charged to the approved hospitality budget, with the single exception detailed in the programme funds clause

2

Step

Authorization

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

​Because of the special character of hospitality expenses, official UNDP hospitality events can only be authorized by the Head of the organizational unit (bureau/division/office/country office/regional centre). ​
Each head of unit is responsible and accountable for ensuring that a hospitality expense is in accordance with the present hospitality guidelines. S/he must ensure that only appropriate hospitality expenses, reasonable and necessary, are charged to the Hospitality Budget​

3

Step

Ensure that a hospitality expense is in accordance with the present hospitality guidelines. Hospitality Budget

Responsible Party

Head of Organizational Unit

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

4

Step

Ensure that only appropriate hospitality expenses, reasonable and necessary, are charged to the Hospitality Budget

Responsible Party

Head of Organizational Unit

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

5

Step

Include, in a request for approval for an official UNDP hospitality event:
Indicate the nature and specific purpose of the event and identify the persons invited, indicative listing UNDP personnel and Guests separately;
Estimate the total amount to be reimbursed;
Include a status of the balance amount available under the relevant budget;
​Be presented well in advance.
(It should be noted that the approval of the hospitality event must be submitted with the actual claim for reimbursement) ​

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

A request for approval of an official UNDP hospitality event must be made in advance and must​:

6

Step

​Submission of claims
Support claim with:
The name and title of the Host;
A description of the nature and specific purpose of the event;
A statement of expenses and related invoices or paid invoices;
List of guests actually attended the event – name, title and organization;
List of UN staff members attended the event – name, title and organization;
The pre-approval of the hospitality event by the head of bureau/division/office/country office/regional center. (It should be noted that the approval of the hospitality event must be Claims should be submitted within two weeks after the expense has been incurred or, for hosts on travel status, within two weeks of their return to their duty station. In either case, the claims must be submitted in the calendar year in which the hospitality event took place. Unless archived in accordance with the record retention policy , all original documentation related to payments towards hospitality expenses must be available in the custody of the Operations Manager and must be presented when required during audits. 
attached to the actual claim for reimbursement.) ​

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

When a UNDP staff member has hosted an official UNDP hospitality event and has incurred reimbursable costs in that connection, s/he must submit a claim for reimbursement using form F10 (Voucher for Reimbursement of Expenses). The claim must be supported by:
Claims should be submitted within two weeks after the expense has been incurred or, for hosts on travel status, within two weeks of their return to their duty station. In either case, the claims must be submitted in the calendar year in which the hospitality event took place. Unless archived in accordance with the record retention policy, all original documentation related to payments towards hospitality expenses must be available in the custody of the Operations Manager and must be presented when required during audits.​

Regular Maintenance Accounts Payable

1

Step

​Invoices requiring attention (either "pending approval" or "rejected” or “invoices on hold” or “instalments on hold”)
Regularly review the payables infolet/dashboard and undertake regular maintenance and monitoring.

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

The invoices includes both unpaid and paid.  The paid invoicess are generally those where a manual payment was made outside Quantum and subsequently linked to an invoice. 

Complementary information can be found in the link section on Quantum Financial Closure Instructions.
 



 

2

Step

Review the invoices and take the following action as required:
For unpaid invoices
Consider whether a manual payment was made outside Quantum and, if so, link the manual payment to the invoice, approve and fund-check so that the invoice is considered complete;
If the invoice is no longer needed, cancelit after Validation has been attempted. (There is no need to set the accounting date when deleting invoices since accounting has not yet been generated. The expense will be reversed in Budget Control according to the budget year the invoice was originally recorded in.)
For unpaid and paid invoices
if the invoice is for goods or services receipted on or before the closing date, ensure that the invoice is approved and fund-checked with an accounting date on or before the closing date

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

OFM will take the following course of action for invoices that are still not approved after the monthly closure of the General Ledger
Paid invoices. Management of each CO remains accountable for ensuring that payments made against these invoices were made in strict compliance with UNDP rules and regulations;
Unpaid invoices. OFM will move the invoices that are not under approved status to next accounting period by the end of the monthly closure of the General Ledger. The list of such invoices will be extracted before they are deleted or cancelled, for future references and for audit trail. If payments still need to be made for any of these invoices, a new invoice must be created by the respective CO or HQ Unit.

3

Step

Invoices with match exceptions

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

​Matching can be "two-way" or "three-way". Matching links POs with receipts and invoices, to help ensure that suppliers are not overpaid.  
The invoices includes both unpaid and paid.  The paid invoices are those where a manual payment was made outside Quantum and subsequently linked to the invoice. 
In addition to actions described, refer to Overview of Matching Process, a guide for Quantum users, for help on the appropriate actions required to clear matching exceptions

4

Step

Review the invoices with "pending approval" status and take the following actions:
For approver

Go to the requiring my approval tab under the invoices requiring attention dashboard, click on the item, review with the document attached and approve or reject if wrong Chart Fields or information have been input.
For non-approver
Go to the pending approval from others tab under the invoices requiring attention dashboard, check who is the approver and notify the approver to review and approve before the AP closure date.

If you are unable to clear the exception, contact UNAll for further assistance.  For IT support, please use the "Create Incident" service in the UNall service management portal
 

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

5

Step

Review the invoices with “Rejected” status. 

Go to the rejected tab under the invoices requiring attention dashboard, check the reason of the rejection, amend/make correction accordingly and send for approval again.

If you are unable to clear the exception, contact UNAll for further assistance. For IT support, please use the “Create Incident” service in the UNall service management portal



 

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

6

Step

Review the invoices with “Invoices on hold” status. 

Go to the invoices on hold tab under the invoices requiring attention dashboard and take one of the following actions:

For cases where funds could not be reserved for invoice line, check the budget set up in the budget control. Under such circumstance, the following actions must be taken.

Confirm with the Project Manager if the Chart Field combination provided is correct;

If it is correct and there is not sufficient funding for that particular Chart Field combination, the Project Manager should be informed and the Project Manager should conduct the appropriate project budget revision to ensure funding availability.

For cases where total of invoice distributions/lines does not equal invoice amount, re-check the amount input and make correction. 

For the project cost attributes which failed business rule and transaction control validations, check the validation rule that stops the process and make correction on the attribute.

For billed quantity exceeds ordered or received quantity; amount billed exceeds amount ordered; Invoice price exceeds purchase order price for PO or receipt matched invoice line and exceeds consumption advice price for consumption advice matched invoice line, adjust the purchase order, the invoice or the receipt accordingly.
 

For Potential Duplicate Invoice for the supplier, invoice date and Invoice amount combination is identified, verify that this is not a duplicate.
 



 

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

7

Step

Review the invoices with "System Hold" or "Instalments on hold" status.

For instalment on hold, Go to the instalments on hold tab under the invoices requiring attention dashboard, check the reason of the payment hold and release payment once the issue stated in the reason resolved.

For system hold, first identify the reason of hold on the invoice status, then go to the invoice actions and select Manage Holds. Release hold once the issue stated on the reason resolved.
 

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

Accounts Payable

1

Step

Deliver Works

Responsible Party

Supplier

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

Completion of Milestones/Works 
 

2

Step

Submit documentation for works completed

Responsible Party

Supplier

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

Submit appropriate supporting documentation, such as a CP, Report, and Timesheet etc. for works completed, to supervisor (Project Manager / Requester).

3

Step

Prepare the AP Invoice

Responsible Party

Directly by the supplier through the Supplier Portal (preferred for transparency and efficiency of payment process) or indirectly via UNDP Finance Staff and managers

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

Submissions through the supplier portal are stored electronically. Finance staff are the custodians for the hard copies of the supporting documents.

Finance staff / managers: 

  • Review the accuracy of the payment amount. 
  • Ensure that the payment modality is correct. 
  • Ensure that the Distribution and PPM chart field is correct. 
  • Confirm that payment has not already been paid. Verify supplier banking details. 
  • Ensure credit notes received will be offset against the amount paid. 
  • Ensure payments are entered into the system with the correct due date (term), so that payment can be scheduled in accordance with the agreed payment terms. 

In addition, for PO invoice, finance staff must:

  • Ensure that the terms and conditions of payment are consistent with the PO or contract document;
  • Verify, if the Project Manager (or his/her designate) has recorded satisfactory receipt of goods/services in Quantum (or confirm outside Quantum that services were delivered in case of travel payments) and attach to the invoice in Quantum, 
  • Bring any exceptions such as exceeding tolerance breaches, use of wrong account codes, currencies and accounting dates etc. to the attention of the approving manager who approved the PO.

In addition, for non-PO Invoices, finance staff must:

  • Verify that the request for non-PO payment is approved by the Project Manager (including where applicable, verifying of satisfactory receipt of goods/services); 
  • Verify if the payment does not require a PO (i.e. NIM/ DIM advances, advances to implementing UN Agencies, national utility payments, staff salary advances, etc.); 
  • Verify that the payment is in compliance with UNDP procedures; 
  • Obtain explanations for any exceptions from the Project Manager such as lack of a documented receipt, lack of adequate budget, lack of an expense authorization etc., and bring these to the attention of the Approving Manager, prior to his/her approval of the non-PO payment 
  • The invoice should be managed and stored in accordance with Records Management.

Important dates for GMS computation in PPM and posting to GL - Non-PO Invoice:

  • The date of the transaction shall be the invoice date (on the invoice header). 
    • If the supplier submits the invoice through the supplier portal, the invoice date defaults to the date that the supplier uploads the invoice, not to the date printed on the invoice. This is to ensure that payment due date is calculated appropriately.  
    • If the supplier sends the invoice to UNDP by post or by email, and a UNDP Finance User enters the invoice, the invoice date is defaulted by Quantum to today's date but should be manually changed to reflect the date printed on the supplier's invoice since Quantum derives accounting date, and all other dates, from the invoice date. 
  • Users should not adjust any date in Quantum other than the invoice date on the header when entering a transaction. 
  • The “accounting date” in Quantum is the basis for recording the transaction in UNDP’s ledgers and for recognising the expenditure for financial and donor reporting purposes. If the financial period of the invoice date is open, “accounting date” is the same as the invoice date; if the financial period is closed, “accounting date” is the first day of the earliest open financial period in Quantum. 
  • Expenditure should be recognised in the period it occurred or as close as possible if the earlier periods are closed. 
  • The “conversion date” is the date used to translate non-USD transactions to USD and is defaulted to the accounting date in the invoice header. 
  • The “budget date” is defaulted to the “accounting date” and should not be overwritten. 
  • The “expenditure item date” is defaulted to the accounting date Important note: when the transaction currency is in non-USD, the GMS amount is calculated on transaction currency (i.e. a local currency e.g., AFN) using the UNORE based on the "Expenditure Item Date".

 

4

Step

Validate the invoice and initiate approval (optional for PO and Non-PO invoice, otherwise Quantum batch process will validate invoice and initiate approval every 4 hours beginning 6 am, NY time and again every other 4 hours)
 

Responsible Party

Finance staff

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

The CO should review validation errors and fix them. Errors could arise from insufficient budget, budget period is not open, insufficient receipt or lack of receipt, wrong receipt line selected for matching, etc.
 

5

Step

Correct errors related to inconsistent distribution combination and PPM chartfields and ensure all errors are corrected, validated and resubmitted for approval.
 

Responsible Party

Finance Officer

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

6

Step

Approve AP PO Invoice 

PO Invoice is approved automatically once it is validated. If the amount excedes USD20,000 or equivalents, the PO Invoice requires 2nd approval by GSSC .
 

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

Ensure that the details match the PO;

Check the following agree to the PO Invoice:

Goods received note (GRN) attached, Invoice information such as amount, currency, date supplier must be correct and consistent with the supplier invoice.
 

7

Step

Approve  non-PO Invoice

CO needs to approve all Non-PO Invoices. If the amount exceeds USD5,000 or equivalent, the non-PO Invoice requires 2nd approval by GSSC.
 

Responsible Party

CO approvers and GSSC approvers

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

Confirm that supporting documents are attached, correct dates including Expenditure Item dates are correctly stated, correct Paygroup and payment method are selected. 
 

8

Step

Follow up with relevant staff in the procurement office or with the project manager to ensure future due diligence when the error is on the supplier information.
 

Responsible Party

Finance staff

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

9

Step

Follow up with suppliers on failures on their part, and return the goods and invoices, as required

Responsible Party
Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

10

Step

File the signed and the approved AP invoice together with all supporting documentation

Responsible Party

Finance staff

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

The following documents are mandatory and the hard copies must be attached as supporting documentation to the AP invoice:
For PO voucher:
Signed and authorized PO;
Signed and authorized Receipt of Goods;
Supplier invoice.

For Non-PO voucher:
For small value payments and for utilities provided by a Government – a receipt document is not required, but goods and services must be received before raising an AP invoice; However supporting documents such as requests for payment signed by the Project Manager and suppliers invoices must be attached.
Agency services – Agency Service Request form duly signed and authorized by the appropriate agency official for Non-Quantum Agency payments;
prepayments to Responsible Party –,  FACE forms duly signed and authorized by the appropriate Responsible Party's official; Letter of Agreement (LOA) or Responsible Party Agreement(RPA),

Low Value grant – LVG agreement, Request for payment or invoice from the grantee for subsequent payments after the first. 

Preparation and Review of Automatic Bank Account Reconciliation

1

Step

Previous day electronic bank statements for bank accounts that are part of the UNDP Global Interface are reported and uploaded daily using the following navigation in Quantum: 

Cash Management>Bank Statements and reconciliation. Each bank statement is loaded with a statement ID, statement end date and numbers of statement lines.



 

Responsible Party

GSSC B2B

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

Establish controls to ensure that uploaded statements match with those reported.

Bank statements may be reviewed in Quantum by using the following navigation.

Reports and Analytics>Browse Catalog>Financial>Cash Management>Bank Statements>



 

2

Step

Opening and closing bank balances are also automatically loaded into Quantum. The balances can be viewed at the following navigation in Quantum: Cash Management>Bank Statements and reconciliation>Task Bar>Bank Statements>Manage Bank Statements

Responsible Party

GSSC B2B

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

Opening and closing bank balances may be manually loaded using the following navigation.

Cash Management>Bank Statements and reconciliation>Task Bar>Bank Statements>Create Bank Statements 



 


 

3

Step

Automatic Reconciliation is run as a batch process centrally and reconciles transactions from the most recent bank statements loaded to Quantum with transactions from Accounts Payable (AP), Accounts Receivable (AR) and Treasury (TR) sub modules. 

Responsible Party

GSSC B2B

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

4

Step

The Automatic Reconciliation Exceptions
For each one to one automatic reconciliation rule, exceptions are looked for in the following order:
1)    Ambiguous - This exception occurs when either there is more than one application transactions that could match to the line or the transaction could match to more than one statement line.
2)    Date - This exception occurs when a system transaction meets all the matching criteria except the date of the transaction is out of the tolerance range. 
3)    Amount - This exception occurs when a system transaction meets all of the matching criteria except the amount of the transaction is outside the tolerance range.



 

Responsible Party

GSSC B2B

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

Transactions with exceptions are required to be investigated and reconciled by GSSC B2B

Issuing Letters of Credit

1

Step

Request the Treasurer to arrange a Letter of Credit (L/C)

Responsible Party

Resident Representative

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

L/C are exceptions to UNDP’S general rule and are considered only in exceptional circumstances. Request to establish L/C must be accompanied by compelling business reasons

2

Step

Review the request for L/C and approve or deny request.

Responsible Party

Treasurer

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

3

Step

Select or approve the bank through which the L/C will be arranged

Responsible Party

Treasurer

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes

4

Step

Arrange funding of L/C and ensure that terms of the L/C are followed

Responsible Party

Chief Investment Officer

Template/Guideline
Explanatory Notes
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