State of Iowa launches portal for paying vendors

The state of Iowa has opened a new Web portal for paying its vendors.

Officials with the state Department of Administrative Services said Wednesday the portal (http://i3public.iowa.gov/payments/index.faces), administered by its state accounting enterprise, will allow vendors to securely log in and locate details that can benefit their record-keeping processes.

Under the new option, vendors can now securely access details regarding their payment or payments from the state that may include the originating department, invoice number and what the payment is for. The portal includes the current month's information as well as details of checks or deposits for the two previous months.

“This is an important first step in accountability,” said Gov. Terry Branstad. “This administration believes strongly in improving the state's ability to communicate with its business partners and is determined to continue to take steps in this more positive direction.”

The department's accounting enterprise issues payments after receiving confirmation from the designating state department, officials said. In the past, payment recipients have often had to make multiple inquiries by phone or email in order to get additional payment information.