Late due to Major Accident on the Expressway

Late for work this morning. Arriving at office about 9 instead of my usual 8.30. This is due to the multi pileup at the expressway. A total of 3 Cars and 3 Vans were involve... this cause the jam which started way back at around NUS... can you imagine... the accident happens near the exit to Jurong Town Hall Road but cause the jam all the way to NUS... a waste of my time and money...

Anyway, after getting into office, I start to work on the file to complete it before lunch time today (which I manage to do, that is why I am blogging now after lunch). But was interrupted by my Supervisor again.

Yesterday, Accounts Payable came over to tell me that in order to pay an invoice, we have to raise a Purchase Requisition, get the approvals, then they will pay. We even went over to my Supervisor's station to tell him the procedure. He then asked if I can raise the PR, I told him that the Secretary can raise it because after our Manager had signed off the invoice, he can pass it to the Secretary and she can raise it before handing it to me. Settled everything then but Secretary was on leave so I placed the invoice on her desk, intending to speak to her this morning.

When to the Secretary's desk to tell her about what she must do.... Later, she and Supervisor came over to my desk and HE ask me why is it that we must raise the PR for that invoice... I looked at him..."Remember what Sharon told you yesterday? No PR, no payment." I asked him. Then he started to say that we had a hugh amount to spend for our project. Yes, I agree. We can have a forecast of 10M to spend on our project, we can have approval to spend this 10M but with Sabanes Oxley and Internal Control so very strict on procedures nowadays, we have to raise PRs for every invoice that we need to pay, if not, what are controls for??

HE asked, can we get Office Service to raise a blanket PR so that we don't need to raise one for every invoice we receive. I told him that we can't do that, what happen if you just keep charging to the number that was set up, there is no control over how much we are spending. What happens if we were to overspend?? Talk to them to see if it can be done. So in the end, I went to talk to Accounting and Office Services. Accounting don't agree to this. They had documented that for every invoice, we need to have a PR raise for it. "Auditors will be looking for it when they come for audit." The manager told me. She then direct me to Office Service to see if they can do it in the way my Supervisor requested. No can do, Office Services says that it is not possible unless it is a fixed amount every month that we are paying... eg. if we were to pay the supplier $250K every month. If the amount were to fluctuate, then how is Accounts Payable be able to match the PR raised to the Invoice that is being send for payment. They can refuse to pay due to the different amount.

So back to my Supervisor I went to explain to him the situation. He is still not convinced. Insisting that it is merely system limitations that we can't do it his way, he dragged me to speak to the Acounting manager. But the Accounting manager stick to her guns on this issue. (They are gossip buddies) Insisting that it is against SOX procedures to do it his way.....hahahahahaa..... No such luck, He then told me to go speak to Office Services again. Ask me to ask them if we can raise a PR with one amount, eg. PR1 to pay $250K, then when the next invoice comes in, we amend PR1's amount to reflect the new amount to be paid. Which means that we use one PR to do multiple payments. I really STARED at him at his suggestion. You have worked in Accounting for a number of years, then went over to Corporate Auditing. HOW can you suggest to do something like this? What happen to all your controls and procedures???

Anyway, Office Service told me "NO", they can't do that, what happen if Auditors were to check on them?? They will be in big trouble. I agree with them.

Came back to my Supervisor and told him, that no, can't be done.... Feel so good..... Not that I am being mean or anything but what are controls and procedures for if you are going to do things your way??