M E M O R A N D U M
To: Chief Fiscal Officers and MMARS Liaisons
From: Martin J. Benison, Comptroller
Date: March 7, 2012
Re: Prompt Payment Discount Statistics Summary
for FY2012 as of Second Quarter Comptroller Memo FY#2012-19
Executive Summary
The purpose of this memo is to continue to encourage the excellent growth being achieved across the majority of the Commonwealth. The departments’ utilization of the Commonwealth’s Prompt Payment Discount (PPD) program during the first six months of FY2012 continues to increase by more than 20% annually. There continue to be opportunities to expand your usage in FY2012.
Annual Prompt Payment Discount (PPD) Opportunities
FY08 | FY09 | FY10 | FY11 | FY12 (through 12/31/11) | |
| Discounts Taken | $3,373,000 | $4,099,000 | $4,655,000 | $5,526,000 | $3,177,761 |
| Discounts Not Taken | $1,824,000 | $1,645,000 | $1,519,000 | $1,972,000 | $989,914 |
It now appears that prompt payment discount savings will exceed $6 million annually! The success of this program continues into future fiscal years! So far this fiscal year through December 31, 2011, $3.2 million of PPD were taken by over 110 departments. Prompt payment discounts increase your department’s line item spending power.
The Commonwealth’s Prompt Payment Discount Program (PPD) has always resulted in savings both to our vendors and to department budgets. During the first six months of FY2012, the Commonwealth continued to favorably increase its opportunities for discount savings. Vendors who are not offering discounts should be approached and asked to enroll in the PPD Program now. With a tight budget and tight credit market, PPD is a sensible way for departments to save money and provide timely cash flow to their vendors.
Even with this success, during the first six months of FY2012, there were almost $1.0 million of prompt payment discounts that were available, recorded on encumbrances, but were not taken; a lost opportunity. Departments can increase PPD dollars as well by reviewing the Discounts Not Taken Report, and instructing Accounts Payable staff to process payments consistent with discount terms. Realizing the “Discounts Not Taken” would mean further savings to your appropriations. CTR continues to assist department CFOs by identifying additional contracts that could potentially offer prompt payment discounts. In addition to the listing of Active MAs that offer Prompt Payment Discounts that is available on the Contracts page of the CTR Web Portal, and in order to provide departments a quick and easy way to take advantage of more discounts, CTR posts a list of vendors that offer discounts on department contracts on our Payments page. This list, refreshed daily, is derived from department encumbrances in final status which offer prompt payment discounts in FY2012.
Successful discount implementation needs the full support and participation of each department’s payment, contracting, and vendor management staff. Departments should verify that the discount terms entered on encumbrances are accurate in both the vendor and commodity sections. Departments processing invoices in a timely manner should assure that the discounts offered are taken automatically.
To analyze and report FY2012 activity, the following attachments offer department specific and summary data.
Attachment A 
is a report sorted by department for the second quarter of FY2012. This report shows discounts taken, partial discounts taken and discounts missed due to payments scheduled after the discount terms expired. Capturing future discounts is within each department’s control.
Attachment B
is a statewide summary discount report for FY2012 as of December 31, 2011.
To assist departments now for FY2012 business, we have prepared the query of encumbrance activity to include all departments’ FY2012 encumbrances in those object codes that generate discount savings.
Attachment C
is a report that summarizes by department the FY2012 encumbrances on MMARS that are eligible for discounts based on the object code used as of December 31, 2011. The charts below summarize all departments.
FY2012 Encumbrances With and Without Discount (as of 012/31/11) | |||||
Dept | Total Dollars Encumbered Eligible for Discount | Dollars Encumbered with Discount | Dollars Encumbered without Discount | % of total dollars with Discount | % of total dollars without Discount |
All | $2,002,379,228.43 | $370,299,301.68 | $1,632,079,926.75 | 18.5% | 81.5% |
Dept | Count Total Encumbrances Eligible for Discount | Count Encumbered with Discount | Count Encumbered with no Discount | % of encumbrances with Discount | % of encumbrances without Discount |
All | 43,055 | 20,394 | 22,661 | 47.4% | 52.6% |
As illustrated in the charts above, the first six months of FY2012 activity reflects a high volume, in dollars and count, of active encumbrances/contracts that do not offer discounts.
Attachment D file size 4MB
lists encumbrance transactions with “with discount” offered on one tab and those encumbrances in selected object codes offering “no discount” on the second tab. It is sorted by department, transaction, and object code; it includes the discount percentage, commodity line number, accounting line number, and line amount for FY2012 as of December 31, 2011. Records can be filtered by department. Those encumbrances in the tab “no discount” should be reviewed with the vendor for the addition of prompt payment discount terms. It is crucial that department CFOs and contract managers review these contracts and take the initiative to capture lost opportunities by encouraging the vendors to offer a mutually agreeable discount rate.
The Prompt Payment Discount Policy states that “Even if a Department has not included the Prompt Payment Discount Form as part of the RFR process, or for contracts when a procurement is not required, the Department is strongly encouraged to have a Contractor complete a Prompt Payment Discount Form during the contract execution, renewal or amendment process to ensure that Prompt Payment Discounts are available to departments to the maximum extent possible.”
Through queries, CTR has identified eligible contracts with many vendors who offer discounts on other department contracts. This information is forwarded to department fiscal staff to assist them in requesting discounts directly from vendors. It is crucial that CFOs and Contract Managers review the discounts missed report and instruct relevant staff to ensure that payments are processed on a timely basis so that your department can receive the maximum discount offered under the contract.
To assist with department analysis, CTR has provided starter queries that departments can run in the Commonwealth Information Warehouse to identify payments made with discount terms offered. These Discount Starter Query instructions are available here.
Please review your discount statistics and, if you have any questions, contact Michael Weld Eyob at (617) 973-2310.
Enc:
Attachment A
- FY2012 Quarter 2 Department Discount Summary – Taken, Partial Taken
Attachment B
- FY2012 Commonwealth Discount Summary Report as of December 31, 2011
Attachment C
- FY2012 Discount Analysis Report as of December 31, 2011
Attachment D file size 4MB
- FY2012 Encumbrance Listing as of December 31, 2011
cc:
General Counsels
Payroll Directors
Internal Distribution