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LCRA Invoice Processing Procedures

LCRA Invoice Processing Procedures

Scope: This document outlines LCRA's procedures for processing invoices in Alma and the storage of invoices in the department Box space.

Department: Licensing & Continuing Resource Acquisitions

Contact: @Bethany Blankemeyer

Date last reviewed: 6/3/2026

Table of Contents

 

LCRA Invoices Tracker Spreadsheet

  1. Receive invoice, either through the dul-eresources@duke.edu inbox, the dul-serials@duke.edu inbox, or a paper copy with a shipment of serials. Save or scan to PDF and save a copy of the invoice to the current FY Invoices folder in the LCRA Box space. If you receive a paper invoice, please add to the Tracker upon receipt even before you are ready to process the physical material included in the shipment.

    1. For invoices received through dul-eresources@duke.edu, the Electronic Resources Acquisitions & Licensing Librarian checks pricing and adds to the spreadsheet.

    2. For invoices received through dul-serials@duke.edu, the Serials Management Associate assigned to monitor that inbox will check pricing and add to the spreadsheet.

    3. For invoices received with shipments, the LCRA staff member who opened the shipment will scan a copy of the paper invoice to PDF and save in the current FY Invoices folder in the LCRA Box space. Encourage vendors to send invoices by email whenever possible.

  2. Open the Invoices Tracker Spreadsheet and add the following information:

    1. Invoice number

    2. Vendor

    3. Resource

    4. PO line

    5. Invoice date

    6. Invoice amount

    7. Subscription term

    8. Notes about resource (vol. Information if no subscription term)

    9. Approved? Y/N

      1. Mark Y in this column if the invoice is ready to be paid. Mark N if the invoice needs to be held for some reason.

    10. Processed?

      1. Mark Y once the invoice has been processed in Alma. Leave this blank until you’ve processed the invoice in Alma.

    11. Processed By

      1. Include the initials of the LCRA staff member responsible for processing the invoice. 

    12. LCRA Notes

      1. Add any notes you deem appropriate. Examples include: reminders to close the order record after payment if it is a one-time payment, if a JV is required, or if we are paying by method other than check or automatic ACH.

  3. Change the color of the row to green to indicate that the invoice is ready for payment. If you are waiting on final confirmation to pay the invoice, change the color of the row to yellow and leave a note in the LCRA Notes column.

EDI-loaded Invoices in Alma 

All invoices from EBSCO (including credit memos), Harrassowitz (excluding credit memos - these must be entered manually; see Processing Credit Memos below for best practices), and CIBTC will be loaded into Alma via EDI. We need to check the EDI-loaded invoice against the PDF copy of the invoice before submitting these for payment in Alma.

  1. With the invoice in hand, navigate to Acquisitions -> Review (Invoice) in the black navigation bar on the left-hand side of Alma.

  2. You will be taken to a screen that lists In Review Invoices. This screen includes two tabs: “Assigned to Me” and “Unassigned”. It defaults to your “Assigned to Me” list. Navigate to the "Unassigned" tab to search for the relevant invoice number.

  3. Once you’ve identified the correct invoice, click on the grey three dots button to open a drop-down menu with more options. Select Edit from the list of options.

  4. Verify that the information on the Invoice Summary tab matches the PDF copy of the invoice before moving to the Invoice Lines tab:

    1. Invoice number

    2. Invoice date

    3. Vendor

    4. Total amount

    5. Additional Charges:

      1. Harrassowitz invoices loaded via EDI will be handled differently:

        1. For monographic series/sets invoices, check “Use pro rata” box, verify “Additional charges total amount” and “Overhead amount” matches with the “postage and handling” amount on the invoice.

        2. For subscription invoices, make sure the pro rata checkbox is unchecked. This is because Harrassowitz includes separate invoice lines for additional service charges.

    6. Save and move on to verifying information on the Invoice Lines tab.

  5. Verify that each Invoice Line has the correct title, POL, fund code, and amount listed on the PDF copy of the invoice.

  6. Once you’ve completed review of the Invoice Lines, double-check the following:

    1. On the Summary tab: Check that the total amount and any additional charges are correct.

    2. Note: It is very important that we double-check the invoice summary and invoice lines information before moving forward. Once we submit the invoice, it moves out of In Review status and we will no longer be able to make changes to it. If a mistake has been made, Financial Services staff will notify us and move it back into In Review status so that we can edit and resubmit.

  7. When you are ready to submit the invoice, Select the blue “Save and Continue” button.

    1. Sometimes you will receive a Confirmation Message, example screenshot below. Click the blue “Confirm” button to continue.

  8. You have successfully submitted the invoice and will be taken to a screen that says “Waiting for Approval Invoices.” Financial Services staff moves invoices from In Approval status to Approved.

Manually Created Invoices in Alma 

Invoices not loaded into Alma via EDI will need to be created manually. Currently, we load all EBSCO (including credit memos), Harrassowitz (excluding credit memos - these must be entered manually; see Processing Credit Memos below for best practices), and CIBTC invoices via EDI. All other invoices received by the department will be created manually by the following process:

  1. With the invoice in hand, navigate to Acquisitions -> Create Invoice in the black navigation bar on the left-hand side of Alma.

  2. Create the invoice:

    1. Invoice Creation: Manually

    2. Handle Receiving: Leave this unchecked if you don’t want to be taken to the Receiving tab after processing the invoice.

    3. Click the blue button with the text “Next” in order to continue.

  3. Fill in Invoice Details:

    1. Invoice Details:

    2. Invoice number

      1. If the invoice number has a – or other special characters, remove them and use just numbers and letters. For example, invoice number 0830106-IN becomes 0830106IN.

      2. For some GOBI (PYANKEE BOOKS) invoices: If we’ve already processed an invoice with the same number from this vendor, add an A to the end of the invoice number (ex. 01234, change to 01234A).

    3. Invoice date

    4. Vendor

      1. You can type in either the vendor name or the vendor code, if known. Once you start typing, possible options will appear in a menu below the box. Select the appropriate one. DUL vendors always begin with P.

    5. Total Amount

      1. Add the total amount on the invoice (including shipping and/or any additional charges). To apply the amount to the invoice, take your cursor and click anywhere outside of the box where you entered the amount.

    6. Payment method:

      1. Accounting Department: default, will almost always be this option

      2. Bank Transfers: international wire payments

      3. Credit Card: pcard payments

    7. Owner: Duke University is the default option

    8. Additional Charges:

      1. Pro rata checkbox: Check this checkbox if your invoice includes shipping charges. More options will appear and you will be able to enter the shipping amount. Additionally, this should also be checked if service charges are at the invoice header level. This will tell Alma to distribute the amount across all of the invoice lines.

      2. Uncheck the pro rata checkbox if your invoice does not include shipping and/or other charges. You will also need to uncheck this checkbox if the invoice includes service charges as additional invoice lines.

    9. VAT: No need to input anything in this section.

    10. Payment Information:

      1. For check or ACH payments: leave blank

      2. For wire payments:

        1. Payment amount

        2. Payment date

        3. Check Prepaid box

      3. For pcard payments:

        1. Payment amount

        2. Payment date

        3. Check Prepaid Box

        4. Check Internal Box

  4. When you are ready to move on to adding Invoice Lines, click on the blue button with text” Save and Create Invoice Lines.

  5. Select the blue text “Add Invoice Line” to create an invoice line. A screen will appear with additional fields to populate:

    1. Type: Regular is the default and this will be the majority of invoice lines.

    2. PO line: PO or order number referenced on the invoice

      1. When you type in the order number, an option will appear below showing the order number and the title associated with that order. Use your cursor to select that option to apply it to the invoice line.

      2. It is sometimes necessary to create an invoice line for a closed POL. This can be done by selecting “Add Invoice Line” as normal, clicking the “Select PO Line” button to the right of the PO line field, and then selecting to search “All” (as opposed to “Active” orders) within the drop-down filter below the search field. Note: As we often rely on a POL’s active status to denote a current order, it’s important to ensure the correct order number is entered in these instances - refer to the Invoices Tracker Spreadsheet or review a title’s order history in Alma to confirm!

    3. Once you enter the PO line, more information will appear on the invoice line:

      • The PO line price under the title is the amount currently encumbered on the order.

      • Uncheck subscription date overlap box

      • Subscription dates range: Enter if a subscription

      • Additional information: Enter volume number, issue number, or other helpful information.

  6. Price: Enter the price for the line item. Note: Once you’ve entered the correct amount here, use your cursor to click outside of the box, applying the price to the invoice line. Do not use the enter key, or it will take you out of the line and you will have to get back in.

  7. Price note: We do not currently utilize this field.

  8. Release remaining encumbrance checkbox: We do not currently use this feature.

  9. There are 5 reporting code fields. We do not currently utilize these fields.

  10. At the bottom, you will see that the fund code was automatically added when you added the PO line information. Check to make sure that the fund code and amount are correct.

  11. You have two options to add the invoice line:

    1. Select “Add” at the bottom to create this invoice line and start working on another invoice line. You will do this if you have a multi-line invoice.

    2. Select the blue button with text “Add and Close” if you either have a one-line invoice or you have added all of the necessary lines.

  12. Once you’ve added all the invoice lines, double-check the following:

    1. On the Invoice Lines tab: Check that the Price reflects the price on the invoice for each invoice line. Check that the correct PO line is reflected for each invoice line.

    2. On the Summary tab: Check that the total amount and any additional charges are correct.

    3. Note: It is very important that we double-check the invoice summary and invoice lines information before moving forward. Once we submit the invoice, it moves out of In Review status and we will no longer be able to make changes to it. If a mistake has been made, Financial Services staff will notify us and move it back into In Review status so that we can edit and resubmit.

  13. When you are ready to submit the invoice, Select the blue “Save and Continue” button.

    1. Note: Sometimes you will receive a Confirmation Message, example screenshot below. Click the blue “Confirm” button to continue.

  14. You have successfully submitted the invoice and will be taken to a screen that says “Waiting for Approval Invoices.” Financial Services staff moves invoices from In Approval status to Approved.

Processing Credit Memos

The workflow for processing credit memos is largely the same as with regular invoices, with a few exceptions:

  • Credit memo naming convention: add CM to the end of the invoice number to denote that it is a credit memo (ex. 01234CM).

  • Note on the Invoice Tracker Spreadsheet that it is a credit memo and that the encumbrance will need to be released after submitting invoice for Approval in Alma.

    • Encumbrances will need to be manually released if the POL will remain open (e.g. overbilling, rate adjustments, duplicate issues)

    • If the subscription is being cancelled and the POL will be closed, the encumbrance does not need to be released manually. Remaining encumbrances will be released upon POL closure.

  • When possible, process the invoice and related credit memo together so that Duke AP will send the payment/credit off to the vendor together.

  • Even though Ex Libris documentation suggests to select “Discount” as the invoice line type for credit memos, we have found that the best method is:

    • Regular invoice line type

    • Negative value (ex. -$100)

International Wire Payment Procedures

Some international vendors only allow for payment via wire. An International Wire Request Form is required for all wire payments. One form can be filled out for up to 6 invoices from the same vendor so that the payment of those invoices can be processed in one wire transfer. It is often easier to use previous wire request forms as templates, however, please do double-check all fields before submitting to FS.

  1. Receive invoice from the vendor. Save it to the Invoices folder in Box and add it to the Invoice Tracker as usual.

    1. Note: Stand-alone credit memos from international vendors can NOT be submitted as part of a wire transfer! Contact the vendor and request that they apply the credit directly to a current or upcoming invoice on which we would still owe a balance. 

  2. Manually process the invoice in Alma. Wire invoices are mostly the same as other invoices in Alma, with the following exceptions: 

    1. In the Payment Method drop-down on the Invoice Summary tab, select “Bank Transfer” 

    2. Add $31 in the Additional Charges --> Overhead amount field 

    3. Add note “Overhead=wire fee” 

    4. Under Payment Information:

      1. Enter Payment Amount

      2. Enter Payment Date

      3. Check the Prepaid box

  3. After submitting the invoice in Alma, mark up the PDF copy of the invoice with the following information: 

    1. Alma vendor code / SAP code (if applicable) 

    2. Include your initials with the date in the top right 

    3. Include the POL number 

    4. Circle the invoice number 

    5. Add the Alma fund code and cost center code near the payment amount 

      1. To find the cost center code, search for the fund code in Funds -> Code -> 

      2. Enter fund code 

      3. Identify the correct fund code and click on the name to view more information 

      4. The cost center code will be in the External ID field, typically beginning with the number 6 

    6. Circle the payment amount 

  4. Fill out the wire request form: 

    1. Beneficiary Contact Person is required only for vendors located in Brazil and South Korea. In this case, you need to add it to the international wire form because it is not on the form. 

    2. Purpose Code is required only for vendors in India, Egypt, South Africa, and China. 

    3. If amending a previous wire request form for the same vendor, you will only need to update the following: 

      1. Amount of Payment: This is the total amount across all the invoices you are processing at one time from this vendor MINUS the $31 overhead fee.

      2. Business Purpose of the Wire payment 

      3. Information to be included as payment reference (ex. invoice #): enter the invoice #

    4. In the WIRE FEE PAYMENT INFORMATION section:

      1. Ensure that the correct information is included in the correct field (G/L Account and Cost Object) 

      2. G/L Account is the first 6 digits of the External ID 

      3. Cost Object is the last few digits after the G/L Account.

      4. For example, for this External ID 666100C1540220, “666100” is the G/L Account, and “1540220” is the Cost Object.

      5. Company Code will always be 0010, unless the payment is for DKU, then it would be 0091. 

    5. Make sure the wire request form is saved in the appropriate FY wire requests folder in Box. 

  5. After processing the invoice in Alma and marking up a PDF copy, you will upload the invoice to the International Wires Box folder for Financial Services to further process. 

  6. Make the following changes to the Invoice Tracker Spreadsheet: 

    1. Mark Y in the “Processed?” column to indicate the invoice has been processed. 

    2. Remove the green highlight from the row. 

    3. Save a copy of the invoice in the current FY Invoices folder to the Sent to Financial Services subfolder. 

Procurement Card (pcard) Payment Procedures

Some vendors only allow for payment via credit card. The Head, LCRA and the Electronic Resources Acquisitions & Licensing Librarian are pcard holders for the department.

  1. Receive notice of renewal or invoice to be paid via pcard from vendor. If an invoice was received, save to folder and add to tracker as usual. If not, you will need to create an “invoice” from the receipt generated upon payment. An invoice template can be found in the LCRA Box space.

  2. Navigate to the online payment platform or call to make renewal payment. Make sure you have any relevant information ready to supply, such as account number or other information needed to verify our account.

  3. Complete the payment

  4. Receive confirmation of payment from the vendor.

  5. If we did not previously receive an invoice, download the payment confirmation and save as a PDF. If we previously received an invoice, combine the invoice and the payment confirmation into one document and save as a PDF.

  6. Process the invoice in Alma. Pcard invoices are mostly the same in Alma, with the following exceptions:
    a. In the Payment Method drop-down on the Invoice Summary tab, select “Credit card”
    b. Check the boxes for “Prepaid” and “Internal” on the Invoice Summary tab.
    c. Include the payment date, payment amount, and any reference number you may have received upon payment.
    d. Select Paid for Payment status
    e. Process the rest of the invoice as usual

  7. After submitting the invoice in Alma, mark-up the PDF copy with the following information:
    a. Alma vendor code / SAP code (if applicable)
    b. Mark INTERNAL in red at the top of the invoice
    c. Include your initials/BB with the date in the top right
    d. Include the POL number
    e. Circle the invoice number
    i. If no invoice number exists, create your own, typically the date processed + initials (ex. 20260220BB)
    f. Add the Alma fund code and cost center code near the payment amount
    g. Circle the payment amount

  8. Upload the marked-up invoice to the Pcard invoices folder in the CS Acquisitions - FS Collaboration Box space.

  9. Move the invoice to the Processed and Sent to Financial Services subfolder in the Invoices folder on Box.

  10. Receive email notice that the charge needs to be approved in Concur.

Processing Invoices on the tracker spreadsheet & submitting to Financial Services 

  1. Follow the documentation for processing invoices in Alma.

  2. Once you’ve processed the invoice in Alma and you are ready to send to Financial Services, mark up the invoice with the following information:

    1. Circle the invoice number

    2. Circle the payment amount

    3. Order number/PO number if the PO number if not already on the invoice.

    4. Add your initials and date to the top right corner

    5. Add the Alma vendor code and SAP code:

      1. The DUL Alma vendor code will always begin with a P

      2. The SAP code is located in the Additional code field on the vendor record

  3. After processing the invoice in Alma and marking up a PDF copy, you will upload the invoice to the appropriate Box folder for Financial Services to further process:

    1. Acquisitions – Unpaid: for invoices with the Alma Payment Method: Accounting Department. This is the majority of our invoices.

    2. International Wires: for invoices paid by international wire

    3. PCard invoices: for invoices paid by pcard

    4. JV requests: for internal JVs

  4. Make the following changes to the Invoices Tracker Spreadsheet:

    1. Mark Y in the “Processed?” column to indicate the invoice has been processed.

    2. Remove the green highlight from the row.

  5. Save a copy of the invoice in the current FY Invoices folder to the Processed and Sent to Financial Services subfolder in Box.

Financial Services & PaymentWorks

In 2025, Duke opted to implement the use of a platform called PaymentWorks to capture and store as well as update vendor information (such as addresses, contact information, and banking details). ALL vendors must complete registration within PaymentWorks, which is done through FS (LCRA does not have access to PaymentWorks). Some FAQs:

  • How do I initiate a PaymentWorks invite for a vendor?

    • This is done via an e-mailed invite sent by FS. Contact lib-financialservices@duke.edu (be sure to cc dul-cs-acquisitions@duke.edu!) and relay the vendor name and the e-mail address to be used for registration. Let the vendor know to expect the invite and that they may have to check their spam or junk folder. FS will report back once registration is complete and invoices can be processed.

      • Note: While FS initiates the PaymentWorks process, they are unable to see within vendor profiles or resend invites once sent. If a vendor is having trouble completing or updating their profile, they may need to review Payee Knowledge Base | Help Center or contact PaymentWorks customer service within their PaymentWorks account.

  • What kinds of payments are initiated through PaymentWorks?

    • While ALL vendors must register and include their banking information, not all payments are issued through PaymentWorks. Within their PaymentWorks account, a vendor can select whether they wish to be paid by either check or via ACH. For vendors paid by international wire, they will need to select the “check” option to complete their registration/profile but will receive payment via our normal wire transfer processing procedures.

  • How can a vendor or LCRA staff locate remittance/payment information?

    • For payment by check:

      • While remittance details should be included with the check issued by Duke AP, some LCRA staff (currently Yan and Amanda) have access to SAP and can locate check information (including check number, payment amount, date of issuance, and the date of encashment (if applicable)) once payment has been processed.

    • For payment via ACH:

      • With a completed PaymentWorks account, vendors should receive automated e-mail receipts detailing payment information (including the date, amount, and included invoice numbers) to the e-mail address on file within their account. These may find their way to a spam or junk folder. Additionally, vendors should also be able to see payment history and information by logging into their PaymentWorks account.

      • If the vendor is unable to locate the automated receipts or cannot access their PaymentWorks account (or simply have additional questions), they will need to contact Duke AP. This can be done by directing the vendor to the online ticketing system for external users found here: https://secure.compliance360.com/ext/L2dpgQHklQLqwjOqG79wMYnSvZTTzHRi. A ticket submitted via this link with the payment date and clearing document number (if available) should receive a reply from Duke AP within two business days. Note that if LCRA staff need to contact Duke AP, there is an internal link at https://secure.compliance360.com/ext/L2dpgQHklQLqwjOqG79wMW09XWjw0xud that can be accessed with your Duke login.

    • For payment via international wire transfer:

Processing Invoices Paid by Deposit Account

There are occasions when we prepay funds to a vendor as a deposit for use in a subsequent fiscal year. This process requires special handling. Before taking any action, email FS with the details so they are aware that these are internal prepaid invoices. Additionally, we will need to process internal credits in Alma to add the money back to the corresponding funds for the invoices paid via deposit.

  1. Create the invoice in Alma

    1. Select “Special Payments” as the Payment Method

    2. Under Payment Information tab

      1. Check the “Internal copy” and “Prepaid” boxes

      2. Mark the invoice Payment Status as Paid

      3. Enter the payment date as the date you create the invoice

      4. Enter the Payment amount

  2. On the PDF invoice, mark it up with Internal/Prepaid

  3. Save the invoices to the Box folder: CS Acquisitions Invoices\Acquisitions - Unpaid\Ebsco PREPAID ONLY

  4. Email Financial Services with the invoices processed for them to approve

  5. Create a credit memo in Alma for the invoice paid with the EBSCO deposit. Add “CM” to the original invoice number.

    1. Select “Special Payments” as the Payment Method

    2. Under Payment Information tab

      1. Check the “Internal copy” and “Prepaid” boxes

      2. Mark the invoice Payment Status as Paid

      3. Enter the payment date as the date you create the invoice

      4. Enter the Payment amount in negative values to reflect it’s a credit

  6. No need to mark up the PDF invoices

  7. Email Financial Services with the credit memos for them to approve

  8. Once the credit memos have been entered in Alma and submitted for Approval, the impacted POLs will be re-encumbered. Since these are not real encumbrances, the encumbrances will need to be released so the fund balances are accurate.

  9. Note on the Invoice Tracker Spreadsheet that something is a credit memo and that the encumbrance will need to be released. Let the Head, LCRA know to run a job in Alma to release the encumbrance(s).

Note: Processing the EBSCO deposit credit memo in Alma is different from processing other regular credit memos, for example, the EBSCO refunds due to overbilling, duplicate issue or cancellation. For regular credit memos:

  1. Payment method: Accounting Department

  2. Prepaid: No

  3. Internal copy: No

Processing Journal Vouchers (JV)

There are times when we need to process an internal JV to record transactions between DUL and other professional school libraries or other Duke entities, to correct accounting entries, or allocating expenses.

  1. LCRA provides the fund code information to the library responsible for processing the JV to DUL.

  2. Nakeisha / Financial Services (FS) verifies that DUL has received the credit and notifies LCRA once the credit is confirmed.

  3. After receiving confirmation from Nakeisha / FS, LCRA creates an internal credit invoice.

  4. The internal credit invoice should be completed as follows:

    1. Payment Method: select “Special Payment.”

    2. Payment Information

      1. Set “Internal Copy” to Yes.

      2. Leave all other fields unchanged.

  5. LCRA processes the PDF invoice following the standard credit memo process and saves a copy in Box at: CS Acquisitions Invoices / JV Requests. This allows Nakeisha / FS to track the invoices they have approved in Alma.

  6. Nakeisha / FS reviews and approves the credit invoice in Alma.