Business Policies and Procedures Manual
Chapter 80: Services

BPPM 80.16

For more information contact:
   Accounts Payable
   509-335-2060

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Overview

Departments at WSU Pullman use one or more of the following procedures to pay for shipping by a third-party shipper, e.g., Federal Express (FedEx) or United Parcel Service (UPS).

Hazardous Materials

Note: Shipments of hazardous materials or dangerous goods are to be shipped in accordance with SPPM 5.40.

Through Central Receiving and Delivery

Departments route shipments through Central Receiving and Delivery using the electronic Request for Shipment of Merchandise form to process the shipment. Enter the appropriate departmental account coding on the Request for Shipment form. Refer to instructions in BPPM 80.15.

Accounts Payable pays the supplier based upon the worktags (e.g., cost center, program, project, gift, grant) on the invoice. The department reconciles the departmental budget using processed Request for Shipment forms. Note: Supplier invoices may or may not be able to include all of the worktags, depending on the number of characters their invoicing systems allow for entering such reference data.

This procedure allows the department the most latitude in selecting shipping method. It may be used to request shipment by any carrier including FedEx and UPS.

Central Receiving and Delivery assists departments with troubleshooting lost or damaged shipments when shipments are processed through them.

The Request for Shipment of Merchandise form is used for this process and is not required for the FedEx-only shipment procedures described below.

UPS Shipping Accounts

In order to ship with UPS, departments use the Request to Shipment of Merchandise form and the services of Central Receiving and Delivery; telephone 509-335-5575 (see BPPM 80.15).

FedEx Shipping Accounts

The department may interact directly with Federal Express (FedEx) and pay for shipping by using one of the following two procedures. Note: Departments setting up new FedEx accounts are advised to specifically request WSU contract pricing.

Pay Invoice Using FedEx Billing Online Option

The department may create a FedEx account that requires weekly payment by procurement card. The department creates the shipping account by directly telephoning FedEx at 800-645-9424.

When FedEx picks up the shipment, the department ensures that the appropriate account coding is entered on the waybill, shipping label, or manifest.

The department selects the FedEx Billing Online option in order to view and print invoices.

The department downloads invoices from the FedEx website. The department pays by procurement card online or by telephone. It is the department’s responsibility to ensure that accounts are paid by FedEx deadlines. The department retains copies of the invoices from the FedEx website to reconcile the procurement card statement. See BPPM 70.08 for procurement card procedures.

Automatic Charges to P-Card

The department may create a FedEx shipper account and attach the procurement card number to all account shipments.

The department telephones FedEx Revenue Services at 800-622-1147 and requests “credit card updates.” After this process is established through FedEx, the departmental procurement card is automatically charged for each shipment on the account.

The department selects the FedEx Billing Online option in order to view and print invoices. Retain copies of the FedEx waybills, invoices, and statements downloaded from the FedEx website. Use these documents to reconcile the procurement card transactions. See BPPM 70.08 for procurement card procedures.

Inbound Shipments

When a WSU department provides a supplier with a WSU shipper account, the department is to provide worktags for a departmental account supported by a procurement card as described under Through Central Receiving and Delivery.

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Revisions:  Jan. 2021 (Rev. 560); Jan. 2015 – new policy (Rev. 445).