| Using the search system at The LogisticsWorld website, logisticsworld.com/default.asp will give you access to cost data for a variety of logistics functions, such as shipping and warehousing. Searching “shipping costs”, using the Virtual Library of Logistics database at this site, yielded 33 website links. Many of these are sites of logistics providers. This website is maintained by AT Kearney Co. Costs related to construction can be obtained from the McGraw Hill Internet construction magazine, enr.com, at www.enr.construction.com. Searching this site (using the category - All McGraw Hill Sites) for costs yielded 746 hits. Refining the search to "equipment and costs" gave 204 hits, including information on how much to charge for the use of your equipment, recent sales prices at auctions for equipment, and costs to own and operate equipment, from fuel to maintenance expenses. The site, www.get-a-quote.net, provides quick access to labor and material cost estimates for residential, commercial, and industrial construction projects. Cost (price) data on gasoline, propane, electricity, and other forms of energy can be obtained at the Department of Energy site, www.eia.doe.gov. This is a good site for determining recent energy costs by energy type and geographical area. At the United States Postal Service site, www.usps.com/tools/calculatepostage/welcom.htm, you can get US postal rates. At the Deutsche Post site, www.deutschepost.de/dpag?lang=de_EN&xmLFile=1481, you can get German postal rates. Search engines, such as Google, are offering search sites customized to aid the searcher to find product and service information. Such a site is www.froogle.google.com, maintained by Google. This site allows you to search for products in price ranges and provides images, prices, and other useful information very effectively. Searching in the Manufacturing and Industry category for diesel generators, with no price range, returned 73 hits in about a half of a second. Good search engines are important tools for finding cost information on the Internet, and should be used extensively. 3. Accounting, Processes, Procedures, and Policies. Accounting terms and acronyms, including accounts payable-related terms, are defined at these two sites: www.investorwords.com, maintained by InvestorGuide.com, Inc. CCH, Inc. maintains a site at www.toolkit.cch.com/text/P06_1440.asp, which has a good overview of the basics of accounts payable accounting. Frequently, while at one’s desk, being able to quickly refresh one’s memory in various aspects of fundamental accounting treatments is useful. The Internet is a powerful resource for this type of refreshment. Another CCH, Inc. site, www.toolkit.cch.com/text/P06_4456.asp, provides useful information on accounts payable procedures and polices. Topics include improving cash flow, taking trade discounts, using float, negotiating payment terms, and minimizing expenses. Information and guidance for processing vendor 1099s, withholding from vendor payments, and other information about taxes related to vendor payments can be read at this IRS site, http://www.irs.gov/instructions/i1099gi/index.html At least one site, www.recapinc.com/about_RECAP.htm, maintained by RECAP, Inc., specializes in providing accounts payable information, without charge. This site has articles, links, newsletters, and other resources that can be accessed. The site has a search system. 4. Payments. While purchasing can be considered to be at the beginning of the accounts payable cycle, payments can be considered to be at the end of this cycle. In this section, many Internet sites with information on various subjects related to payments are identified and described. A European-focused glossary of payment system terms can be found at this site, www.bis.org/publ/cpss00b.htm, maintained by the Bank for International Settlements. The full glossary is a pdf file. A useful site for mail payments (paper checks) is this US Postal Service site, www.usps.com/customersguide/welcome.htm, at which you can find proper addressing, postage rates, and delivery information. Three sites that have good overview and detailed information on banking practices are: the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency site, www.occ.treas.gov; a Federal Reserve System site, www.ffiec.gov/nic/default.htm; and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation site, www.fdic.gov/index.html. These three US government agencies have important roles in bank regulation, and information related to payments at these sites might be of use. Whether payment is by paper or electronic check, accounts payable specialists might benefit by efficient access to sites with legal information and the Uniform Commercial Codes (UCC) dealing with subjects such as checking accounts, checks, and banks. This site, www.law.cornell.edu/topics/banking.html, maintained by Cornell University, is a good resource site for UCC and other laws and regulations dealing with checking accounts, checks, and banking. Another Cornell University site, www.law.cornell.edu/topics/state_statutes.html, has links to most state websites dealing with state statutes. Because of the development of electronic payment processes and demonstrated efficiencies and effectiveness associated with the processes, electronic payments likely will increase as a percentage of company payments. As electronic payments are used, companies encounter new procedures and processes. The rest of this section identifies sites with information on electronic payments. At the risk of over simplification, two distinctive types of electronic payments seem to emerge from review of Internet sites. The first is electronic payments using a system well established and in place for a long time, the ACH network. And, the second is electronic payments using the Internet, which I conclude, is a much younger electronic payment method. The next several paragraphs identify and discuss Internet sites with information on the ACH network, and then several sites are identified with information on Internet payments. A good resource site on the ACH network is the National Automated Clearinghouse Association (NACHA) site, http://www.nacha.org/. Several links to other useful sites with ACH information are provided. A resource site, sponsored by NACHA, that explain the use of direct deposit (popular in paying payrolls) and direct payment (popular in paying recurring payments), is http://www.electronicpayments.org/. An employee direct deposit authorization form can be downloaded from the direct deposit site. Other authorization forms related to ACH payments can be downloaded at this Mid America Payment Exchange site, www.mpx.org. At least two Federal Reserve sites explain and provide useful information on the ACH network and the Federal Reserve participation in the ACH network (FedACH). The Federal Reserve maintains a site, www.frbservices.org, which provides information on the transaction services that Federal Reserve Banks provide to financial institutions. From this site, quite a lot of information is available on electronic payments procedures. For example, banki routing numbers and fee schedules can be obtained at this site. The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia has a site, www.phil.frb.org/fs/zfs2/fedservices.html, which describes the Federal (FedACH) participation in the ACH network. click here to go to the final page |
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| Available Internet Information for Supporting the Accounts Payable Function |