Payment Application Modernization (PAM)

Common Questions

How will PAM affect the way our agencies payments are processed?
There will be changes in the way payments are processed as all 100 percent of the validations will be conducted upfront. Once a payment from an agency is certified, it will be processed immediately.

What is PAM’s processing time versus legacy processing?
In legacy, payment processing takes 2-3 hours to validate, batch, and process a payment file. In PAM, if validations are passed, the payment file and the matching certification process automatically, within seconds.

Do I have to use the PAM File Format?
Agencies will not be required to use the PAM File Format until October 2014, but the flat file version is now available. An XML file format is now not yet available. PAM is expecting to only receive data elements that are necessary to make the actual payments and report to accounting systems downstream.

What is XML?
XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a widely used language for defining data exchange. XML is a recommended standard for designing flexible formats and for creating structured computer documents.

When will my agency's payments be converted to the PAM System?
The current and future production releases include:

Release 1 – March 2008
   SSI ACH Payments
Release 2 – February 2009
   SSI Check Payments
Release 2.08 – November 2009
   SSI Daily Payments
Release 2.1 – February 2010
   Streaming of SPS Type B Summary Certifications
Release 3 – November 2010
   *Daily Vendor, Misc., Salary, Travel for Type A and Type B payments
Release 3.1 – May 2011
   International ACH Transactions (IAT) input
Release 4 – November 2011
   International ACH Transaction (IAT) output
   Same Day (Wire) Payment Requests
   Courtesy Disbursements (using PAM Standard Format)
Release 5 – May 2012
   CTX payments
   Holds processing

*RFC Transition November 2010 – April 2011

How will the customer agency receive the Pre-edit/Notification report?
The Notification replaces the previous “pre-edit” report. Customer agencies can choose to receive the Notification by e-mail, Connect Direct, or both.

How is the E-mail group for the Notification defined?
PAM will send notification to one agency e-mail address. We recommend that the customer agency defines and maintains an e-mail group within their system to receive the notice. This will allow the customer agency the flexibility and control to add or delete individuals, as needed.

Will the Notification format change?
Yes. The Connect Direct file format will be standardized for all payment types. All of the legacy pre-edit information will be included in the standardized Notification format but in a slightly different format.

If a customer agency does not receive or accidentally deletes the Notification e-mail how would the agency retrieve it?
Contact your serving RFC. Each RFC will have access to the e-mail information within the PAM application and can re-send it.

Will there need to be any changes made for the CTX format?
No, PAM will except all legacy formats. CTX formats will be supported in PAM release 5. If a customer agency wants to be a GWA reporter for TAS-BETC, they will need to convert to the PAM Standard Format which will accommodate the CTX format in the 5.0 release.

How will PAM know if a schedule is eligible for the Treasury Offset Program (TOP)?
PAM will be configured for the payment types that are TOP eligible versus a schedule that has been issued a TOP waiver from BPD. Refer to the Treasury Offset Program rules for individual payments.

Do I need to complete any testing prior to going into production with PAM?
Testing is optional and depends on the agencies preference to receive the notification via e-mail, connect direct or both methods. Testing can be arranged with the PAM application prior to going into production by contacting your servicing RFC to schedule testing with PAM.

Who will be my Regional Financial Center contact after my agencies payments are processed by PAM?
You will continue to contact your servicing RFC once your payments are processed by PAM. A PAM helpdesk will be available to assist the RFCs. This helpdesk will be the technical contact for resolving PAM specific problems.

Will a new control number be sent if a file is sent twice?
Yes.

When is the standard Notification available?
It is available now for when agencies transition over to PAM; however agencies need to contact their servicing RFC to schedule testing with PAM.

Will the check stubs look any different?
No, the stub will look exactly the same.

Will my files be accepted prior to the converting over to the PAM standard file format – mandated by October 2014?
Yes, for now, your daily, ACH and vendor payments will be processed exactly as they are today – just coming through PAM instead of Legacy. PAM will not have the functionality to process CTX, wires and IAT payments until later dates as indicated on the timeline.

Will the same information sent today be the same in the standard input format?
Agencies will need to rearrange data for the standard input format. The same information will be sent, just in a different way. Information no longer used has been removed and new elements have been added for new and emerging systems (i.e., GWA).

Does the FPO and APO payments qualify for IAT?
No they do not; they are considered domestic US addresses because they are military and temporary.

Do US territories qualify for IAT? No they do not; they are considered domestic US addresses because they are military and temporary.

What is the difference between Type A and B payments?
Type A payments are check, or ACH, and wire transfer payments made through the Secure Payment System (SPS). They contain both the detail payment information and the summary certification information. Some agencies use a 440 upload or manually type in the information to SPS. Type B is a bulk file that includes only detail payment information that is certified via a SPS summary certification.

Will Connect:Direct continue be available for sending bulk payment requests?
Yes.

As a CO (certifying officer), once I certify a payment, can we call it back if there is a mistake?
No. Once it is certified, it is out the door.

Can PAM process a payment file mixed with TOP and non-TOP eligible payments?
Agencies can send multiple payment type schedules in a single file, but they cannot be mixed in a schedule. An individual payment can be marked with a flag to not offset.

Will multiple types of payments be allowed in the Standard File Input Format?
Yes, but they need to be in separate schedules.

Will the current process of pulling checks from the mailroom still apply after PAM? For example, if a check is printed and there is a problem with the check, if they have not been shipped out yet will a phone call to pull the check still be ok?
For checks, this process will temporarily remain. The instant certify and out the door is more applicable to ACH and Wires. However PAM encourages CO’s to ensure all payments are correct before certifying payments.

How long will FMS support the current legacy format?
There is an FMS mandate for all agencies to become GWA reporters, which requires use of the PAM standard payment request, by October 2014.

If an agency has separate areas such as finance and accounting with separate ALC’s, can each area be transitioned to PAM separately?
Yes, they can be transitioned to PAM separately providing they have separate FPAIDs for type A payments or unique type B dataset names. However, to be a GWA reporter, the entire ALC must be compliant.

When can we expect the PAM changes to become effective (e.g. all programming changes must be tested and in place)?
PAM 3.0 was implemented in November 2010. Refer to the transition schedule for specific agency dates.

Will these changes impact the method (e.g. Connect:Direct) we currently use to transmit our daily payment files?
No.