Section_J.15_ATTACHMENT_N__GSS_MRV_Fee_Refund_and_Payment_Received_in_Error_Guidance.pdf

J.15 ATTACHMENT N - GSS MRV FEE REFUND AND PAYMENT RECEIVED IN

ERROR REFUND GUIDELINES

N.1 GSS MRV FEE REFUND GUIDELINES

N.1.1 SAME DAY REFUND (BEFORE VENDOR SWEEP)

GSS vendors or sub-vendors MAY grant refunds only to payers in the following cases:

Vendor still possesses the funds (typically within 24 hours of settlement); AND

At least one of the following criteria are met:

i. Technical Issue: Situations where a duplicate MRV fee payment is processed due to a technical issue with the vendor’s system or bank error.

ii. Vendor Error: Because the vendor is collecting fees on behalf of the U.S.

government, MRV fees could be refunded on basis of vendor error if:

a. Vendor accidentally overcharges a payer;

b. Vendor advises the payer to pay an incorrect fee.

iii. Local Laws: Local banking/consumr laws allow for the payer to receive a same-day refund for over the counter payments.

N.1.2 NON-SAME DAY REFUND (AFTER VENDOR SWEEP)

GSS vendors MAY ONLY refer refund requests to the post for additional administrative processing in the following cases:

Vendor does not possess the funds; AND

At least one of the following criteria are met:

i. Technical Issue: Situations where a duplicate MRV fee payment is processed due to a technical issue with the vendor’s system or bank error.

ii. Vendor Error: Because the vendor is collecting fees on behalf of the U.S.

government, MRV fees could be refunded on basis of vendor error if:

a. Vendor accidentally overcharges a payer;

b. Vendor advises the payer to pay an incorrect fee.

iii. Local Laws: Local banking/consumer laws allow for the payer to receive a refund.

N.1.3 GSS vendors are not permitted to issue refunds after the funds have been swept to the

U.S. government. When both criteria in Section II are met, the vendor should inform the payer that their case will be sent to the U.S. embassy for additional administrative processing. The vendor should not guarantee or lead the payer to believe that a refund will be approved. The determination of whether or not the payer receives a refund will only be made by a consular officer at the U.S. embassy of the country where the payer’s transaction was processed. Within one (1) business day of being made aware of an issue, the vendors will refer the refund request to post with a copy of the request and any related information in the vendor’s records to the

OffsiteFees@state.gov and GSS_Program_Team@state.gov inboxes.

N.1.4 Oversweeps:

N.1.5 Per guidance from the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services (CGFS), vendors or sub-vendors will not adjust sweeps to correct or compensate for oversweeps or fee payment errors. Upon notification of an incorrect sweep amount, the GSS vendor will contact post and the OffsiteFees@state.gov and GSS_Program_Team@state.gov inboxes within one (1) business day of being made aware of an issue, and post and CA will make a decision within three

(3) business days on how to proceed. Upon approval from post, OffsiteFees@state.gov, and

GSS_Program_Team@state.gov, the GSS vendor will work with post to follow CGFS’s standard procedures for a timely processing of the non-same day refund.

N.1.5 Monthly Reporting Requirements:

Monthly task order-specific report must be sent to post’s consular manager and GSS post/Manager Coordinator, the Office of the Comptroller (OffsiteFees@state.gov), and the GSS program office (GSS_Program_Team@state.gov). The monthly report must be a formatted

Excel file and sent as an attachment by the 15 th of every month. The final report format will be subject to GSS Program approval. A monthly report will include separate segments as follows:

i. Same Day Refund/Vendor Issued Refund: To include country, the name of the banking institution, the payer’s full name, the date of the refund, the value of the refund in both local and USD equivalent, and the detailed reason for the refund. If refund request is due to a technical or vendor error, the vendor must identify the Service Level

Agreement (SLA) by name in which this error would be reflected in the monthly SLA report. If there were no vendor-issued refunds for the task order, the report should reflect that.

ii. Non-Same Day Vendor Requested Refunds: To include country, the name of the banking institution, the payer’s full name, the date of the original refund request email to post, the value of the refund in both local and USD equivalent, and the detailed reason for the refund. If refund request is due to a technical or vendor error, the vendor must identify the Service Level Agreement (SLA) by name in which this error would be reflected in the monthly SLA report. If there were no vendor-requested refunds for the task order, the report should reflect that.

iii. Oversweeps/Undersweeps: While section III specifically states vendors will not adjust sweeps to correct or compensate for fee payment errors, the vendor must report all fee mismatch, fee collection errors, and fee deposit errors and include country, the name of the banking institution, the date of initial transfer, payment type, amount swept in error

(in both local and USD equivalent), correct calculated receipt amount (in both local and

USD equivalent), detailed reason for error, and settling date.

N.2 PAYMENT RECEIVED IN ERROR BY GSS – REFUND GUIDELINES

N.2.1 SAME DAY REFUND (BEFORE VENDOR SWEEP)

mailto:OffsiteFees@state.gov mailto:GSS_Program_Team@state.gov mailto:OffsiteFees@state.gov mailto:GSS_Program_Team@state.gov mailto:OffsiteFees@state.gov mailto:GSS_Program_Team@state.gov mailto:GSS_Program_Team@state.gov

GSS vendors or sub-vendors MAY grant refunds only to payers in the following circumstances:

Vendor still possesses the funds (typically within 24 hours of settlement); AND

i. Erroneous Payment: Money, not defined or associated with an MRV fee payment, was paid into the vendor’s account.

N.2.2 NON-SAME DAY REFUND (AFTER VENDOR SWEEP)

GSS vendors MAY ONLY refer refund requests to the post for additional administrative processing in the following circumstances:

Vendor does not possess the funds; AND

i. Erroneous Payment: Money, not defined or associated with an MRV fee payment, was paid into the vendor’s account.

GSS vendors are not permitted to issue refunds after the funds have been swept to the U.S.

government. When both criteria in Section II are met, the vendor should inform the payer that their case will be sent to the U.S. embassy for additional administrative processing. The vendor should not guarantee or lead the payer to believe that a refund will be approved. The determination of whether or not the payer receives a refund will only be made by a consular officer at the U.S. embassy of the country where the payer’s transaction was processed. Within one (1) business day of being made aware of an issue, the vendors will refer the refund request to ost with a copy of the request and any related information in the vendor’s records to the

OffsiteFees@state.gov and GSS_Program_Team@state.gov inboxes.

N.2.3 MONTHLY REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

For payments made in error to the GSS vendor, a monthly task order-specific report must be sent to post’s consular manager and GSS post/Mission Coordinator, the Office of the Comptroller

(OffsiteFees@state.gov), and the GSS program office (GSS_Program_Team@state.gov). The monthly report must be a formatted Excel file and sent as an attachment by the 15 th of every month. The final report format will be subject to GSS Program approval. A monthly report will include the following segments:

i. Same Day Refund/Vendor Issued Refund: To include country, the name of the banking institution, the payer’s full name, the date of the refund, the value of the refund in both local and USD equivalent, and the detailed reason for the refund. If there were no vendor issued refund for the task order the report should reflect that.

ii. Non-Same Day Vendor Requested Refund: To include country, the name of the banking institution, the payer’s full name, the date of the original refund request email to post, the value of the refund in both local and USD equivalent, and the detailed reason for the refund. If there were no vendor requested refund for the task order the report should reflect that.