DEAR MR. FLOETE:

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-05844A000100080014-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 29, 2002
• Sequence Number: 14
• Publication Date: August 2, 1957
• Content Type: LETTER

Approved For Release 2002/02/12 : CIA-RDP78-05844A000100080014-8
1W ' 1W
COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES C
O
Washington 25 P
B-121220 August 2, 1957
Honorable Franklin G. Floete
Administrator, General Services Administration
Your letter of April 9, 1957, requests that the discretionary
authority granted by our decision of December 30, 1954, B-121220, to
the Library of Congress to pay, under certain conditions, unsupported
prepaid freight charges shown as a separate item on contractorst in-
voices when the amount claimed therefor is less than $25, be extended
to all Government agencies.
In our referred-to decision of December 30, 1954, we said:
"The requirement in question Shat charges for prepaid
freight included in dealers' invoices be supported by a
freight receipt7 appears essential to establish that the
freight was prepaid and the correctness of the amount claimed
as reimbursement. The furnishing of the paid freight bill
would not appear to impose an undue burden on the dealers
affected thereby.
"However, in instances where small shipments of books
are made to the Library and the freight charged in the
invoice is small and the prepaid receipt is not furnished
with the invoice, it is recognized that the amount involved
may not justify the administrative expense of writing for
the freight bill or of withholding the amount billed for
freight until the prepaid receipt is furnished and then pro-
cessing a supplemental voucher. Accordingly, where, in the
light of the Library's experience, the freight charge appears
to be reasonable and a bill for reimbursement of prepaid
freight is not furnished with the invoice, this Office will
not insist as part of its audit requirements upon such bill
being attached to the voucher, where the amount claimed as
freight charges is less than $25. Where a supplier who
remularltr deals with +.h a% Library consistently fails to sun-
port his invoices with bills evidencing payment of freight
charges, it is suggested that--even though the charges are
less than 625--his attention be called to the requirements
that the prepaid freight bill be furnished in support of the
invoice."
GAO Wash., D.C.
Approved For Release 2002/02/12 : CIA-RDP78-05844A000100080014-8
 Approved,r Release 2002/02/12 : CIA-RDP78-04A000100080014-8
A receipted freight bill obviously is the best evidence to support
a claim for prepaid freight included in a contractor's invoice. How-
ever, it is apparent that the factors which impelled our granting of
this discretionary authority to the Library of.Congress apply with equal
force to other Government agencies. Accordingly, that discretionary
authority, as set forth in the quoted portion of our decision of
December 3Q, 1954, is hereby extended to Government agencies generally.
Sincerely yours,
Comptroller General
of the United States
NOISIAIO 1VOSI3
is w ' I h A?N
03AI333H