Update 11/5/2020: Subject: NIH Will No Longer Accept Hard Copy Invoices Effective December 1, 2020 To All NIH Contractors/Vendors, On April 1, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/Office of Financial Management (OFM) implemented an electronic invoice submission solution, which allows contractors/vendors to submit their invoices electronically via email. The electronic invoice submission solution also allows OFM accounts payable representatives to process invoices for payment securely and in a timely manner. The new electronic invoice submission solution has streamlined the invoicing process resulting in faster processing times by OFM staff and faster payments to our contractors/vendors. Currently, OFM is receiving approximately 80% of invoices via the new electronic invoice submission solution. Effective December 1, 2020, OFM will no longer accept hard copy contractor/vendor invoices sent to the OFM billing office via any shipping services (i.e., USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc.) or those delivered by any in-person drop off. OFM is requiring that all contractors/vendors submit their invoices for payment processing using the electronic invoice submission solution via email at
[email protected]. Attached are step-by-step instructions, which must be followed, to ensure your invoices are submitted using the correct format to facilitate accurate and timely payments (see file "GuidanceInvoiceSubmissionEmail NIHOFMrev103020-508" attached to this notice). OFM will not accept any invoices postmarked and/or delivered in-person on/after December 1, 2020. The new electronic invoice submission solution is preparing NIH/OFM for the implementation of Treasury’s Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) (eInvoicing), scheduled to be rolled-out throughout the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in December 2021. OFM’s Customer Service Office is here to help. Please do not hesitate to contact them at
[email protected] or call them at 301-496-6088 if you have any questions or concerns regarding the electronic invoice submission process. The Customer Service Office is open Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and is closed daily between 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Update 4/22/20 : Attached are the electronic invoicing instructions which have been reformatted to consolidate the existing written instructions contained in this notice and the attached sample invoice screen shots. This new document dated April 23, 2020 identifies four (4) steps for submitting an electronic invoice with associated screen shots, reminders, additional information on how to contact OFM with questions concerning your invoice, and sending a courtesy invoice to the Contracting Officer. The reformatted instructions are contained in the attached file “Invoice Submission Via Email to NIH OFM with Example 04232020_Final.pdf”. As a reminder, please do not hand-carry any invoices to NIH. Please follow the electronic invoicing instructions until further notice. Failure to follow these instructions may result in invoice processing delays. Updated Electronic Invoicing Instructions: To All National Institutes of Health (NIH) Contractors/Vendors: This notification is effective on Wednesday April 1, 2020. The current national emergency and the need to protect Federal and Contractor staff has resulted in a change to NIH’s invoice submission process. Effective Wednesday, April 1, 2020, all NIH contractors/vendors invoices should be sent electronically via email to the NIH Office of Financial Management (OFM) and the NIH Contracting Officer (CO) using the below electronic submission instructions. On March 30, 2020, Governor Hogan issued a stay-at-home order for the state of Maryland where residents should not leave their homes unless it is for an essential purpose. Stay-at-home orders were also issued by the state of Virginia and the District of Columbia. Therefore, any mailed contractor/vendor invoices will be processed by NIH; however, significant delays are expected due to staff teleworking and complying with the stay-at-home orders. It is important that NIH contractors/vendors follow the below procedures in order to ensure smooth processing of invoices and timely payment. Contractor/Vendor Electronic Invoice Submission to the Office of Financial Management (OFM) : The Contractor/Vendor shall: Send the invoice to the NIH centralized invoice email box:
[email protected] Follow the below format in the email subject line, which is a must ( Note: The keywords and separating bars in bold must be present to identify the information. ) Vendor: name of the contractor/vendor |PO: Contract Number/Task Order Number |Invoice: 9999999 Ensure that the body of the email and attached invoice must both include the contractor/vendor’s correspondence email address in the below format ( bolded information must be present to identify information ): Correspondence email address:
[email protected] Note: See a screenshot example in the attachment Follow the system size limits that apply to the email and each invoice: individual email attachments cannot exceed 5 megabytes each; and the email plus all attachments cannot exceed a total of 30 megabytes. Clearly identify a valid and complete contract number on each invoice Clearly identify a valid and complete order number on each invoice Clearly identify an accurate DUNS number on each invoice Not include confidential information such as Social Security Numbers (do not include TIN if it is a Social Security Number) Send one (1) invoice per email The date/time that a valid invoice is submitted electronically to the email box (
[email protected]) will be the same date/time logged as that the invoice is received by NIH. Please do not hand-deliver invoices to any NIH office. Please follow the above electronic submission instructions until further notice. In addition, please note that your contract or order will not be modified to reflect the above changes to the invoicing instructions. Failure to follow the above electronic submission instructions may result in invoice processing delays. For Questions? Inquiries regarding the status of invoices such as receipt of invoices, due date, or payment of invoices should be directed to the OFM Commercial Accounts Branch, Customer Service Office at 301-496-6088. The office is open Monday-Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm (eastern prevailing time). The Customer Service Office is closed daily between 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm (eastern prevailing time). Contractor Courtesy Copy Electronic Invoice Submission to the Contracting Officer (CO): The Contractor shall send the OFM-submitted invoice to the NIH Contracting Officer.