Agency News & Events

U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Management Service Hosts 37 Federal Agencies at Invoice Processing Platform First Annual Agency Forum
November 27, 2012

On Tuesday, November 27, 2012, over 80 representatives from 37 federal agencies attended the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) First Annual Agency Forum in Washington, DC. Mr. John Hill, Assistant Commissioner for Payment Management with Treasury's Financial Management Service (FMS), welcomed attendees and shared his perspective on the importance of electronic invoicing in the federal government. Since its implementation in 2005, the number of agencies and vendors enrolled in IPP has significantly increased helping to reduce government spending. Ms. Wanda Rogers, Deputy Commissioner with Treasury FMS, then gave an overview of IPP and Treasury’s broader efforts to improve financial management government-wide; urging agencies to enroll. According to Ms. Rogers, “IPP is a prime example of a shared service that transforms agency operations with efficiency, transparency, and accountability". Next, Mr. Andrew Ganahl with Treasury's Office of Financial Innovation and Transformation (FIT) discussed how IPP is one of several platforms FIT believes will be used across the federal government over the coming years. The highlight of the morning session was a candid panel discussion where the Department of the Interior, Architect of the Capitol, Bureau of Public Debt, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing shared how IPP helped meet strategic goals. In the afternoon, current IPP agencies attended sessions covering topics such as reporting, invoice approval processing and vendor outreach. In addition, attendees were given a detailed overview of upcoming enhancements.

Forum Presentation	Download

The U.S. Department of the Treasury mandates IPP for all Treasury Bureaus
July 13, 2011

In support of President Obama's "Campaign to Cut Waste" across the federal government, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced that it is mandating that all Treasury Bureaus implement the Internet Payment Platform (IPP), an electronic invoice processing solution, by the end of fiscal year 2012. Additionally, in fiscal year 2013, Treasury will require that its commercial vendors submit their invoices using IPP. This initiative will both improve government efficiency and cut costs for taxpayers. Moreover, vendors who use IPP will collect quicker payments for their services, receive greater assurances that their invoices are received and processed accurately, and have immediate online access to their invoice status for all agencies using IPP. To view the Treasury's press release in its entirety, please visit: http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg1238.aspx

The Intra-Governmental Buy/Sell Pilot has launched

The buy/sell process between government agencies currently poses multiple challenges. A GAO audit from 2010 reported that the federal government was out of balance by nearly $26 billion. The audit also revealed the reconciliation process for intra-governmental buy/sell transactions was both difficult and labor-intensive.

To combat these issues, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) introduced an intra-governmental module. This module, which is involved in a pilot until September 2012, serves to increase visibility into intra-governmental buy/sell transactions. During the pilot, interested agencies are able to carry out transactions with government trading partners using the new standard Inter-Agency Agreement (IAA) and the General Terms & Conditions (GT&C) document.

The pilot aims to ensure trading partners are in agreement prior to the settlement of buy/sell transactions and will lead to a standard business process governing these transactions. This will reduce reconciliation and elimination efforts. 

Once the pilot concludes in September 2012, feedback from participating agencies will inform a schedule of deliverables and enhancements to the application. The process will culminate with the implementation of a new standard process and automated solution government-wide.