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Latest update includes:

Payroll User Group Meeting Wednesday March 6
The next Payroll User Group Meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 6, from 9:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. in the 21st Floor Conference Room, One Ashburton Place, Boston.

The agenda items include the following: Calendar Year Wrap-Up, Payroll Reminders, Payroll Close/Open Timeline, Self Service Time and Attendance Update, SmartPlan, and Metro Credit Union. Additional agenda items may be added. The meeting will also be available through webcast for those who cannot attend in person.

Please register for these sessions via the Comptroller's Training and Meeting Schedule.

Fringe Benefit, Payroll Tax, Indirect Cost Charges for Accounting Period 8
The fringe benefit, payroll tax and indirect cost chargebacks for Accounting Period 8 (February), FY2013 will be run on Saturday, March 9. All eligible expenditures processed during Accounting Period 8 will be subject to these assessments.

Departments should ensure that the budget structure tables for appropriated (payroll tax only), federal grants and other non-budgetary accounts are properly established so these charges post without rejecting under object codes D09 (fringe benefits and payroll taxes) and E16 (indirect costs).

PRF28DesignatedOSC Debt Collection Statewide Contract - Expired Contract and Contractors
The current Statewide Contract PRF28DesignatedOSC for debt collection services  expired on January 31, 2013 and, as of that date, the following debt collection firms are no longer authorized to accept any “NEW” accounts from the Commonwealth. 

  • NCO Financial Systems, Inc.
  • Performant Recovery, Inc. (Diversified Collection Services Inc.)
  • Windham Professionals, Inc.           
  • Pioneer Credit Recovery, Inc.
  • Glenn Associates, Inc.

As part of the closeout process for the PRF28 Statewide Contract, these contractors are required to complete the collection on all active debts no later than April 1, 2013.  As of April 1, 2013, all debts will be deemed by the Commonwealth to be automatically uncollectible and must be returned to the Eligible Entity (Department).

Any Commonwealth Department collecting Commonwealth debts are required to use the new PRF55DesignatedOSC, irrespective of whether the nature or origin of the debt is state or federal funds or for colleges and universities, local funds. The 815 CMR 9.00 regulation is in the process of being promulgated and states as follows: “Absent separate statutory authority, no State Department Billing Entity may Intercept payments owed Debtors, or enter into a contract for Debt Collection Services except as provided in 815 CMR 9.00.”

There are very few exceptions to this exemption and CTR will determine application on a case by case basis.  State Department Billing Entities may not continue contracts or enter into new contracts for debt collection services with any vendor other than the six Contractors approved under the PRF55Designated Statewide Contract.  Any contract with a terminated Debt Collection Contract that was entered into as of January 31st must be terminated, as Expired Contractors are no longer authorized to accept any debt from Commonwealth Eligible Entities. 

New Statewide Contract Debt Collection Services as of February 1, 2013 – PRF55DesignatedOSC 
All State Departments and other Eligible Entities are required to refer all debts as of February 1, 2013 to one of the six firms authorized to accept debts under the new Statewide Contract for Debt Collection Services PRF55DesignatedOSC.

  • Allen Daniel Associates, Inc.                        
  • Collecto, Inc. (EOS Collection Company of America)
  • Delta Management Associates, Inc.            
  • Financial Asset Management Systems
  • Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP  
  • Premiere Credit of North America, LLC

The process to submit debt referrals and fees payments has changed!  To obtain in-depth contract information please go to the Comm-PASS website, (www.comm-pass.com)

  • Click on the “Contracts” tab
  • Click on “Search for a Contract” link
  • Under the Search by Specific Criteria section, enter “PRF55” in the Document Number field then click on the “Search” button
  • Click on the results link which appears at the top of the page indicating that “There is 1 contract found that match your search criteria”
  • Click on the View icon (eyeglasses) next to the document listed
  • Click on  the "Forms &Terms" tab to access the Contract Users Guide or the “Vendor” tab for vendor specific information

Eligible Entities are required to follow the posted Contract User Guide for referring any debt after February 1, 2013.  For fastest response, transition and close out questions send an email  to the Office of the Comptroller mailbox for the Debt Collection Contract:  debtcollectioncontract@massmail.state.ma.us.

MMARS Saturday Hours
MMARS and LCM will be available Saturday, March 2, from 9:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. The Help Desk will not be staffed and any Saturday Help Desk calls will be returned on Monday, March 4.

Webinar – How to Use Statewide Contracts and Navigating Comm-PASS
A free webinar, “How to Use Statewide Contracts and Navigating Comm-PASS” will be offered by the Operational Services Division (OSD) on Wednesday, March 6, from 1:00 to 2:00 P.M.

This webinar is designed to educate public purchasers about the significant benefits that can be realized by purchasing from Statewide Contracts. Attendees will learn how to navigate the Commonwealth’s eProcurement system, how to maximize cost saving opportunities, what a Contract User Guide is and more. To register for this webinar, please email Jackie.Abbott@state.ma.us by Friday, March 1, at 5:00 P.M.  Login instructions and educational materials will be provided upon registration.

Weekly Fraud Awareness and Prevention Fact – Consequences of Fraud- Damage to Public Image / Reputation
Damage to public image and reputation due to fraud is just one of the many negative consequences. News of fraud has always traveled quickly through traditional news media (newspapers, TV, radio). News is now spread even faster by just about anyone to a virtually unlimited audience through websites, blogs, social media sites and messages.

Please visit the Fraud Prevention section of our Internal Controls Page for a link to the Toolkit for Departments to Combat Fraud, Waste and Abuse and the Brochure. 

If you have any questions regarding this or previous Fraud Awareness and Prevention Facts, please contact the Comptroller Help Desk at 617-973-2468 or via email Comptroller.Info@State.MA.US. To report Fraud, Waste, or Abuse, contact one of the Commonwealth’s Whistleblower Hotlines.

Upcoming Training Sessions and Meetings

  • Intro to State Finance MMARS Navigation – Tuesday, March 5, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston, 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Payroll User Group Meeting – Wednesday, March 6, 9:30 A.M. – 12:30 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston, 21st Floor Conference Room
  • Webcast Payroll User Group Meeting – Wednesday, March 6, 9:30 A.M. – 12:30 P.M., Online Training
  • Encumbrance Management – Thursday, March 7, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston, 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Fraud Awareness and Prevention – Tuesday, March 12, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston, 9th Floor Executive Conference Room
  • HR/CMS Fundamentals – Wednesday, March 13, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston, 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Intro to MMARS Warehouse – Thursday, March 14, 9:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston, 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Payment Management – Tuesday, March 19, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston, 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Intermediate MMARS Warehouse – Wednesday, March 20, 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston, 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Establishing a Federal Grant in MMARS – Thursday, March 21, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston, 9th Floor Training Lab
  • Security Officers Briefing – Friday, March 22, 9:30 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. One Ashburton Place Boston, 21st Floor Conference Room
  • Webcast Security Officers Briefing – Friday, March 22, 9:30 A.M. – 12:00 P.M., Online Training


Register for these sessions via the Comptroller's Training and Meeting Schedule which lists classes scheduled for the next three months and Payroll User Groups through December 2013.

MMARS Hint of the Week – Copy Forward Vendor Address
When copying forward from an encumbrance, the payment document does not pull forward the Vendor's Procurement Address Code; instead, it defaults to the VCUST Payment default address. In many cases, the address is the same but it can be different. Departments should review the address information prior to submitting documents to Final.

For Contracts using the new Standard Contract Form, the correct Address Code must be listed in the contract to ensure that the payment is made to the correct address or correct bank account. Therefore, payments must be verified against the Contract Form. Departments will lose Prompt Pay Discounts (PPD) and may incur late penalties if payments are sent to the wrong address. With large corporations with multiple address codes, verifying the correct address code is critical. This verification is also a crucial part of preventing fraud and the waste of resources to make corrections.