U.S. General Services Administration Innovation in Payments

U.S. General Services Administration Innovation in Payments A Strategic Approach Andrew Lee

Point of Contact Andrew Lee [email protected]

The Purpose

Identifying Challenges or Opportunities Consider your agency’s needs, current payment processes, opportunities for improvement, and potential refunds generated with GSA SmartPay solutions: What are the payment challenges your agency faces or potential opportunities? Are you paying vendors with the best solution possible? Can a GSA SmartPay payment solution solve a problem or make our lives easier? Can we use a GSA SmartPay payment solution for qualifying contract payments? Can we conduct an accounts payable file review to identify opportunities?

GSA SmartPay 3 Innovative Solutions Innovative payment solutions currently available under the GSA SmartPay 3 master contracts: Ghost Card Declining Balance Cards Single Use Accounts Mobile Payments Travel Tax Advantage Cards ePayables Virtual Cards Contract Payments The GSA SmartPay Strategic Payment Solutions brochure is available at: https://smartpay.gsa.gov/general-resources-aopcs

A Strategic Approach to Payments The key concepts to innovation are strategy and process: Solutions themselves can be are important but the approach, strategy and process will play critical role You don’t always need an innovative solution, just the will and desire to do things differently

Panelists United States Department of Agriculture Office of the Chief Financial Officer Lynn Moaney Deputy Chief Financial Officer Christopher Corder Mission Area Senior Program Manager Director, Program Management Office

USDA Payment Plus Initiative Description of Opportunity Technology has progressed, enabling a fully automated solution. Payment solution poses no additional burden to Contracting Officers. Gives vendors increased security and flexibility with electronic payments. Potential rebates that could be possible if we were able to move our top 20 vendors to payments to charge card solution.

USDA Payment Plus Initiative Background Commissioned by USDA Office of Contracting and Procurement and Office of the Chief Financial Officer Determine the viability of implementing US Bank’s Payment Plus automated payment solution as an additional contract payment option for USDA vendors

USDA Payment Plus Initiative Overview Provide vendors an automated charge card solution as an additional accounts payable option. Fast, secure payment receipt A proactive approach to protect vendors’ banking information Transactions are eligible for refunds Provide an automated solution that does not change or increase the workload of Contracting Officer Serve as model to other Federal Government Agencies

Additional Questions Did you explore other options for resolution and why did you choose the specific GSA SmartPay solution or approach? What was the process or journey to get management or leadership to buy in? What was the experience implementing the solution or approach? What are some of the challenges for implementation? What are the current plans for training users and approvers?

Additional Questions What were some of the road blocks you experienced and what would you have done differently? What were some of the best decisions that were made that facilitated implementation? Lessons learned? How will you track the benefits of solution implementation? What will the impact be?

Themes and Topics for Consideration Assessment of challenge and solution identification Management buy-in Accounts payable file review What is available under your current task order? Pilot projects