Guidelines for the submission of invoices For CGI Vendors (North America Only) Contents 1. Introduction... 1 2. Scope... 1 3. Invoice Scanning and Submission Guidelines... 1 4 Frequently asked questions (FAQ)... 4 1. INTRODUCTION Starting April 2016, the CGI Accounts Payable (AP) will be using an imaging module, based on Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology. The OCR module will electronically receive and route invoices, enabling faster processing and on time payments. This document provides guidelines for submitting invoices to the OCR module. 2. SCOPE The guidelines apply to any CGI vendors from North America submitting invoices to AP. 3. INVOICE SCANNING AND SUBMISSION GUIDELINES The guidelines must be followed to produce an invoice that can be easily read by the OCR module. Guidelines General Background Invoice background should be totally white. Borders Handwritten annotations Legibility Stamps Invoice borders are not allowed. Handwritten annotations are not allowed. Invoices should be easily read (date, amount, number, vendor, etc.). Send first generation invoices; not copy of a copy. Stamps are not allowed. However, if a stamp is required by your internal procedures, add it at the back of the first invoice page. Watermark Watermarks are not allowed. 1
Guidelines Invoice Image Attachments Type Colour Resolution Black text on white background. No colour is allowed on the invoice (except for the Company Logo). 300 dpi is recommended. Organize invoices as follows for successful OCR recognition: A single invoice in an attachment. This applies for an email including a single pdf invoice attachment or multiple single pdf invoice attachments. A PDF file = A single invoice A PDF file = A single invoice with multiple pages (backup) A PDF file = A single invoice with its follow up emails How many attachments per email? Maximum of 25 attachments in a single email. Attach only invoice files to your email. If you have backup files to include with your invoice, it must be added in the same invoice attachment. Files File format PDF is the preferred file format for the OCR module. The following file formats are not recommended. Microsoft Word: If you do plan to submit your invoices in Word format, use standard fonts to avoid losing any content in the OCR conversion. Microsoft Excel: If you do plan to submit your invoices in an Excel format, please confirm that your format is acceptable by the CGI invoice processing team beforehand. TIF Images: The only type of TIF image supported for conversion is CCIT Group IV. If you are not sure how to create a CCIT Group IV TIF image, do not use TIF format. File name File size Mail server restrictions A maximum of 32 characters is allowed. The email file has a maximum size of 20 MB. If your mail server has restrictions on email attachments, these restrictions should be considered when submitting documents via email. (Some mail administrators will set a limit on size of the email; restrict the types of attachments, etc.) 2
Guidelines Generic email Example Regular invoices invoices.crp@ The following invoice can be easily converted by the OCR module. It is black and white; it has no border, no watermark, no stamp, and no handwritten text. 3
4 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) No. Question Answer General 1. What is the OCR module? The OCR module is the CGI new electronic invoice workflow and approval tool. It is a state-of-the-art invoice imaging and processing system that electronically receives and routes invoices, enabling faster processing and on time payments. 2. How does it benefit me? The new system enables the CGI Accounts Payable team to electronically receive and approve invoices. 3. Who do I contact at CGI if I have questions? Accounts Payable can be reached at ap.ss@ or at 1 866 344 3221. Sending your invoices 4. How do I send my invoice to CGI AP? All invoices that are not already in PDF format must be scanned. The invoice must include a valid CGI purchase order number (PO). For further information on the invoice format, refer to the above Guidelines section of this document. 5. Where do I send my invoices? Regular invoices: invoices.crp@ 6. Can I email the invoice to my contact for processing? No. If you send the invoice to your contact, it will be returned to you for resubmission, leading to a significant delay. You may cc: the contact, as long as the email is addressed to invoices.crp@ 7. Do I need to send a paper copy of my invoice to CGI as well? 8. Can I send a paper copy of my invoice to CGI? No, only the PDF invoice is required. When Inspyrus is deployed, will still accept paper invoices for a period of time yet to be defined. However, it will take longer to process those invoices as we will process them manually. 9. My invoice is in an Excel file. Can I email it to you? 10. My invoice is password protected for security purposes. Can I email the invoice along with the password to you for processing? While Microsoft Excel documents are supported, it is not a preferred method of submission. The document conversion process will produce an illegible document image. If you do plan to submit your invoices in an Excel format, please confirm that your format is acceptable by the CGI invoice processing team beforehand. No. Password protected documents cannot be processed by our system and will be returned for resubmission. 4
No. Question Answer 11. How many invoices can I send in one email? 12. What if I resend the same invoice on a different e-mail? You can send a maximum of 25 attachments in a single email. One attachment = 1 PDF file A PDF file = A single invoice A PDF file = A single invoice with multiple pages (backup) A PDF file = A single invoice with its follow up emails Sending duplicate invoices will significantly delay the payment process. Please do not send duplicate invoices. Purchase order numbers 13. Do I need to have a contact name on my invoice if I have a valid CGI Purchase Order (PO)? 14. I do not have a PO number, can my invoice be processed? No. All CGI orders are placed using a CGI PO, only the PO number needs to appear on your invoice. No. Without a valid PO number, the system will be unable to properly route your invoice for review and approval. You must contact the CGI person who ordered the goods or services. Invoice Scanning Requirements 15. What is the recommended resolution for my invoice scan? 16. I took a picture of the paper invoice on my phone and emailed it to invoices.crp@. Is that okay? 17. Can I use a camera to capture my invoices? 300 dpi. Any document captured at a higher resolution will be converted to 300 dpi after being received. No. The system cannot read photographs of invoices. No. Invoices that were captured via a camera cannot be processed by the OCR module and will be returned to you for resubmission. 18. What document formats does the new system support? PDF is the recommended file format for the OCR module. The Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and CCIT Group IV TIF file formats are not recommended. However, they could be exceptionally used. For further information, refer to the above Guidelines section of this document. 5