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Vendor FAQ- Invoice Processing Platform

Vendor FAQ

Getting Started

1. What vendors are eligible to participate in IPP?

Vendors who are business partners with federal agencies are eligible to participate in IPP. The federal agency must have an IPP Disburser account or be represented in a general IPP agency account. Click here to view the list of participating agencies.

2. Are there fees associated with IPP use or set up?

No. There are no fees for services or support. The U.S. Department of the Treasury provides the IPP service free of charge to agencies and their vendors. 

3. How do vendors benefit from using IPP?
  • IPP makes it easier for vendors to do business with the government.
  • Vendors can replace paper-based processing with digital file exchange for all federal agencies using IPP.  
  • Vendors may download purchase orders and remittance files, and upload digital invoices. 
  • IPP reduces invoice approval time cycles and speeds payment processing. It also supports invoice aging reports and payment due analysis.
4. Is IPP part of the System for Award Management (SAM)?

IPP is not integrated with SAM. All government vendors must continue to maintain their account data in the SAM registry and activate it annually. IPP works directly with agencies and their vendor files, which are updated using the SAM.

5. Are user sessions and data access secure?

Yes. IPP supports secure user sessions and data access. IPP is in compliance with Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) requirements and is fully integrated with the Treasury Department User Provisioning Service (UPS), which manages user authentication and application-level permissions.

IPP supports administrative accounts that manage user roles and permissions. Internet file exchanges are secured with Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) and Transport Layer Security (TLS). Bank account data associated with payment remittance is encrypted in the database.

6. What types of IPP services are available to vendors?

IPP offers two types of services for government vendors which are driven by selections made by government agencies.

For agencies who only participate in the IPP general account, the system offers payment information via IPP PNS, the Payment Notification Service. A vendor may also request IPP PNS by e-mailing the IPP Support group at IPPCustomerSupport@fiscal.treasury.gov. For instructions on enrolling in the Payment Notification Service, click here.

In addition, for agencies who participate in the IPP with their own account, digital purchase orders and invoice transactions notifications regarding payments are available to vendors. New enrollment in this situation is initiated by the participating IPP agency with an IPP Disburser account. Vendors who have an IPP account from previous participation in the PNS option will be eligible for selection by the agency without additional sign-up activity by the vendor. This service provides payment information, user-configured notifications and remittance download options. Notifications regarding payments are provided both from government agencies registered to an IPP general account as well as agencies with active IPP accounts.

7. What steps must vendors take to enroll in IPP?

There are two mechanisms for vendors to enroll in IPP:

  1. Vendors that are required to submit an invoice through IPP do not need to contact IPP to enroll. Enrollment will occur directly through the agency they are doing business with. Once enrolled by an agency, vendors will receive two emails with an IPP login ID and a temporary password.
  2. Vendors may also contact the IPP Support group at IPPCustomerSupport@fiscal.treasury.gov to request enrollment in the Payment Notification Service. Click here for more information on vendor enrollment.

To ensure the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) remains secure, IPP has instituted minimum operating system and browser requirements. This change took effect November 8, 2015. To access IPP, users should verify their systems meet the following minimum requirements:

  • Operating System: Windows 7 and above or Mac OS X 10.9 or higher
  • Web Browser: Internet Explorer 9.0 or higher or Apple Safari V7 or higher
  • Browser Security Protocol: Enable Transport Layer Security (TLS) version 1.0 (enabling TLS 1.1 or TLS 1.2 is recommended where possible)

To avoid potential disruption in service, please ensure your operating systems and web browsers are upgraded accordingly.

If you have any questions regarding these requirements, please contact IPP Customer Support via email at IPPCustomerSupport@fiscal.treasury.gov or by phone at 866-973-3131 (Monday-Friday, 8 AM-6 PM EST).

8. How soon can a vendor use IPP after enrollment?

The initial vendor Administrator user can log into IPP upon completing the provisioning process. Provisioning includes several e-mails from Treasury Department services, and the complete process may take several days.

9. How is the initial administrative user contacted?

The initial administrative user will receive two e-mails from ipp.noreply@mail.eroc.twai.gov. The first e-mail provides the IPP login ID. The second e-mail, which is sent within 24 hours, will contain the password.

10. What do the initial administrative users need to do?

The initial administrative user should set up other user accounts, including other administrators. At least two administrators is highly recommended. Then, administrators assign user permissions and contact the IPP Support group to set up their invoice upload map if.CSV format will be used.

11. How does a vendor engage with IPP agencies?

Once enrolled in IPP, vendor users may contact IPP agencies listed in the IPP agency directory to initiate IPP interaction. Each active agency initiates digital purchase orders, invoice file exchange and payment information. Agencies without disburser accounts might be in IPP for Payment Notification Service (PNS) only and in that case, the vendor only receives payment information.

12. Is there a limit to the number of users in a vendor account?

There is no limit to the number of users an Administrator may set up in an IPP Collector account. The initial administrator user may create new users or additional administrator users. Administrators set up and manage user accounts and permissions. 

 

IPP Payment Notification Service

13. What is IPP Payment Notification Service and how do I enroll?

The IPP Payment Notification Service (PNS) provides vendors paid by federal agencies with an IPP Collector account where they may do the following:

  • View and search payment history.
  • Configure payment notifications.
  • Download remittance information.

The agencies making the payments must have an IPP Disburser account or be represented in the IPP general agency account. For more information about this service, please contact the IPP Support group at IPPCustomerSupport@fiscal.treasury.gov.

14. Once a Collector Account is activated and the initial user is provisioned, does he or she have administration tasks?

Yes. The initial Collector User is assigned the administrator role. He or she will create all other accounts users, create and assign user roles, and maintain company profile information and account system preferences. The initial administrator user may create other administrator users and assign e-mail notifications to users. Users may manage their own e-mail preferences as well.

15. What payment notification options does IPP support for vendors?

IPP supports two notification options for vendors:

  • Payment notification without remittance detail
  • Payment notification with remittance detail

Vendor users may also elect not to receive e-mail notifications associated with payments.

16. Will IPP support online payment search and download?

Yes. IPP Collector users may log in and view payment report pages. They may filter their reports and remittance download by agency payer name, payment date range and payment amount range.

17. How long will IPP post and save payment history?

IPP will post and save payment data for 18 months from the date the payment was posted. Agency payments are posted to IPP for each IPP agency that has “matched” your Collector account. These agencies are listed in the Agency Directory (Home Page) under "My Agencies.”

18. Are vendor users able to configure their personal e-mail notification selections and schedule?

Yes. IPP supports user-configured e-mail notification selections and scheduling. IPP vendor users must complete user enrollment to log into their account in the IPP Collector application. Once there, they may configure e-mail notifications in the Preferences set-up section.

 

Purchase Orders

19. How does IPP support digital purchase orders?

Agencies may send digital purchase order, blanket purchase orders and change order files to IPP where they are posted to the associated vendor for online review and download. Vendors may also “flip” online purchase orders into digital invoices.

Digital purchase orders include schedule and distribution detail. All versions are saved when changes are recorded. Purchase orders are also linked to associated invoices and payments.

IPP will not replace agency ERP procurement systems, which are the authoritative source systems for all IPP purchase order transactions.

20. How does IPP support purchase order (PO) batch download?

Vendor users may create PO batch download files of selected orders formatted in XML (preferred) or CSV format.

21. Does IPP display purchase order (PO) changes?

IPP supports version management of online documents. Change orders are versioned and linked for audit trail display.

22. How does IPP support digital invoice files?

IPP supports online invoice creation. Users may create an invoice online by cloning an existing invoice or by “flipping” a purchase order already in the system.

23. Does IPP support credit memos?

Yes. IPP supports credit memo creation and processing for agencies and their vendors provided the agency allow credit memos.

 

Invoices

24. How does IPP help resolve invoice disputes?

IPP allows agency and vendor users to add comments and attachments to invoices. The same version of an invoice will be displayed to both parties online.

Currently, the vendor and agency will communicate directly to resolve a dispute then submit changed or new versions to IPP.

25. What payment status values does IPP report?

IPP reports payments with the following status values to vendors: settled and settled reduced.

Reduced payment offset details are reported in IPP.

26. Does IPP display debt offset details for reduced payments?

Reduced payments are created by the Treasury Department’s Debt Management Service based on outstanding debt associated to the vendor payee.

Details about the debt are displayed in IPP only if the original payment was requested by the agency using a special IPP format. If offset details are included with a reduced payment, they may only be viewed by users with a specific permission assigned by the Collector Administrator.

27. Does IPP report payments returned by banks?

No. IPP will not report payments returned by a bank at this time.

28. Does IPP support remittance data download?

Yes. IPP supports remittance download for vendor users. Vendors may select the remittance records to download and export the results in a .CSV file.

29. What data is included in a remittance data download file?

The IPP remittance download file includes the following data:

  • ACH Trace Number
  • Vendor Name
  • Payment TIN
  • Payee Name
  • Agency Disburser Name
  • Agency Payer Name
  • Payment Status
  • Payment Amount
  • Payment Issue Date
  • Invoice Number
  • PO Number
  • Total Invoice Amount
  • Discount Amount
  • Bank Name
  • Bank Address 1
  • Bank Address 2
  • Bank City
  • Bank State
  • Bank Country
  • Bank ZIP Code
  • Remittance Addenda

 

Payments

30. Does IPP manage both CCD+ and CTX payment information?

Yes. IPP accommodates both CCD+ and CTX remittance information on payment report pages, as well as remittance data download functions.

31. Are there any dollar value limits to IPP transactions?

There are no dollar limits for transactions displayed in IPP. Invoices are subject to validations set by agencies, and these validation rules may include limits for dollar amounts in invoice records.

32. Does IPP support e-mail notification?

Yes. IPP supports user-configured e-mail notification for both agency and vendor users. Users may select event-driven notifications and schedule the frequency.

33. Does IPP e-mail notification text include a link to the application?

Yes. IPP notifications generated by the vendor include a link to the log-in page.

 

General

34. What are the IPP hours of operation?

IPP services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The IPP Customer Support Team is available to assist users Monday through Friday (excluding federal holidays) from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern and can be reached at (866) 973-3131.

35. What help services are available and are they fee-based?

The IPP Customer Support Team is available to answer vendor questions, provide assistance with log-in, and troubleshoot any issues encountered. In addition, the IPP application has help links for all major functions.

Customer support is provided free of charge to agencies and their vendors. In addition to the toll-free number (866-973-3131), vendors can contact the IPP Customer Support Team at IPPCustomerSupport@fiscal.treasury.gov.

36. Does IPP generate Financial Status Reports (FSRs)?

No. The FSR is a specific reporting format not handled by IPP at this time.

37. How frequently is the IPP application updated?

The IPP Rapid Application Development (RAD) schedule supports two or three new releases per year.

38. Is IPP Section 508 compliant?

We strive to have the IPP site in compliance with the accessibility requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. It is an ongoing effort as new functions are tested and added.

Please call (866) 973-3131 or e-mail us at IPPCustomerSupport@fiscal.treasury.gov to report any compliance issues you may find on the site.

39. Are vendors mandated to use IPP?

There is currently no government-wide mandate to use IPP. However, individual departments and agencies may decide IPP is mandatory for their vendors.

40. Does IPP provide invoice and payment information for Department of Defense (DoD) contracts?

No, not directly. Currently, Department of Defense (DoD) agencies use Wide Area Workflow (WAWF) for invoicing. However, some DoD components that use shared acquisition services to purchase on their behalf, such as the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Interior Business Center (IBC) Acquisition Services Directorate (AQD), approve invoices through IPP because the DOI AQD uses IPP for invoicing.

41. Is IPP part of the Wide Area Workflow (WAWF) run by the DoD?

IPP and WAWF are different systems provided by different government agencies. IPP is an electronic invoicing application provided by the Treasury Department while WAWF is offered by the DoD for affiliated agencies.

42. Is there a plan to combine IPP with WAWF?

No. There is currently no plan to integrate the two systems.

43. Does IPP accept enrollments of vendors with multiple Taxpayer Identification Numbers (TINs)?

Yes. IPP will enroll a vendor with all the TIN values recorded on the sponsoring government agency's vendor master file. IPP will add additional TIN values as reported by other agencies.

44. May I change the company name of my IPP Collector account?

Yes. To change the name of your Collector account, go to the Admin Tab and select “Company Information.” Then simply click on the Company Name link and change the information.

45. How long does an IPP user account remain active?

IPP vendor users must log in at least once in a 13-month period, although the initial password needs to be changed within 30 days. IPP agency users must log in at least once in a 120-day period, but similar to vendor users, the initial password needs to be changed within 30 days.

Customer Support

(866) 973-3131
IPPCustomerSupport@
fiscal.treasury.gov


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