New University-Wide Contract – Photography Services

A new university-wide contract for photography services was recently awarded to five suppliers by the Strategic Procurement team. The Strategic Procurement team has pre-negotiated terms and hourly rates with the awarded photographers as part of a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP). The scope of these contracts include headshots, corporate, editorial, event, features, portrait, food, and sports action photography.

University employees are not mandated to use the five suppliers; however, use of these suppliers does provide continuity in pricing, service delivery, and image usage. The portfolios of the awarded suppliers and specific contract info can be found at go.osu.edu/photoservices.

For additional contract details, please contact Procurement directly. See the full article for the vendor list and additional purchasing guidance.

 

CFAES Business Office Closure

On Monday, May 21 and Tuesday, May 22  the CFAES Business Office (both Columbus and Wooster locations) will be closed as staff participate in a two-day retreat.

Voice mail, email, and university systems (eRequest, eTravel) will not be closely monitored during these days. Time-sensitive requests should be submitted/received in the Business Office the week prior (May 14-18).

Regular hours will resume on Wednesday, May 23.

 

University Travel Pilot Initiative

As part of the university’s commitment to operational excellence and resource stewardship as found in Ohio State’s Strategic Plan, Time & Change, the OSU travel office is implementing a “Travel Mandate Pilot” to fine-tune and validate quality controls before rolling out a university-wide requirement. CFAES has participated in previous pilot programs with the university travel office and has identified units within our college to take part in this initiative beginning October 16, 2017.

Travelers from the following CFAES units will be participating:  Office of the Dean, Academic Administration, Finance, Advancement, School of Environment and Natural Resources, Animal Sciences, Extension Administration and Campus and Farms Administration. These CFAES units are participating in this pilot along with units from the College of Law, College of Engineering, Office of Academic Affairs and Business & Finance.

The CFAES units that are part of the pilot program have been notified and will receive training on how to participate in the pilot program. Participants also will be able to offer feedback on their experience, which will help shape the general university-wide implementation anticipated in January 2018.

This pilot is not simply about travel – it is part of our commitment to a basic idea: By acting as one university, we can utilize Ohio State’s size and scope to get the best prices and service available. CFAES will benefit, as will the university at large.

Minimum Stipend Increase for Graduate Students

The minimum stipend for students on appointment as graduate associates has been increased beginning fall semester 2016. In addition, the Graduate School will be developing guiding principles for graduate student compensation and benefits. This work will help determine how stipends are set and how minimum stipend levels are more routinely adjusted. Graduate students will be among the participants in this effort.

What you need to do:

  • Read the Graduate School’s announcement on this change;
  • Look for further communication from the Graduate School to be shared once the process has been finalized.

Update on University Transition to Workday

I am writing to provide you an update of the latest progress on the transition of OSU’s financial system from PeopleSoft/eRequest/eTravel to Workday.  The Workday implementation is entering the 2nd phase of 5 phases, the Architect phase.  This is the phase of the project where Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) have been nominated by colleges and units and selected by the OSU project leadership team to participate in the project teams. I considered it a priority to have CFAES staff participate, to help develop in-house expertise, and better position CFAES for a successful transition before, during, and after the switch to Workday.  I nominated eight people from CFAES to apply to become a SME in various areas and four were selected.

Throughout the Architect Phase, business process leads, with the help of SMEs, will work to define business processes and design the processes in Workday.  The SMEs have a significant role in the implementation.

Jessi Favret (CFAES central units) was selected for Business Assets.  Business assets consist of any asset, either capitalized or required to be tracked and maintained over a period of time greater than 1 year.  Business processes include: asset identification, registration, tracking/audits, ownership assignment/transfers, accounting, asset retirement, disposal, and related reporting.

Carol Allen (CFAES business service center) was selected for Expenses, which is very travel oriented.  Expenses will cover travel (including travel requests, travel booking, group travel, conference travel, project travel, etc.), p-cards, reimbursements (including expense reports,  reimbursement payments for both employees and non-employees/guests, receipt capture, credit card transactions) , and related reporting.

Eric Maul (Food Science and Technology) was selected for Financial Accounting.  Financial Accounting will cover general ledger activities including financial statements, accruals and allocations, consolidation and reconciliation, budgets, and related reporting.

Angie LeMaster (CFAES finance – grants) was selected for Grants.  Grants will cover the lifecycle of an award at the University, from award creation through award closeout. Business Processes will include: sponsor maintenance, budget creation, award set up, award management, award closeout, sponsor billing and related reporting.

Congratulations for being selected and for committing to meet the expectations below.  We know that you will represent CFAES very well.

The overall CFAES lead for Workday implementation is Brain McClain.  As the college advocate for the project, he will be meeting every week with project leadership and representatives of other colleges to receive updates and provide input. Also, he will be helping coordinate anything that needs completed and then eventually working to implement.

From the OSU Workday implementation leadership, we understand there will be additional opportunities for participation before the Workday software is live.  They have communicated to me the following:

  • We are planning on college specific touchbases throughout the fall and winter. Since CFAES is large and diverse, I would assume that we will need more than a few meetings to understand your needs.
  • We are continuing to work through resource needs for planning and budgeting and reporting, depending on your specific college needs that could be significant time especially between April and July 2017.
  • Additional outreach will be needed for testing. There will be various requests through the period of April 2017-June 2018.
  • With the target go live of June 2018, we plan to release training and other materials in late April/early May 2018.

We will continue to communicate as we learn more about the project and the progress of the project.

Eric Bode
Finance Director

Changes to Expense Accounts

Starting July 1st , units in FAES are required to use the new Standard Expense Account Numbers when submitting or approving eRequest, eTravel or expense related journal entries. The goal of the new list is to simplify the accounting and reporting process and to create consistency among FAES units.

These account numbers should be used whenever possible and it is the responsibility of the unit’s budget approver to review them when approving. In most instances the Business Operations Center will not change account numbers on transactions, but may use discretion if a category change (ex. supplies vs. services) is appropriate.

Use of the full account number list should be rare and should have a reason stated on the request prior to submission.
Units that need to use cost of sales, receivable or liability account numbers for their operations may continue to do so.

FAQ

Why do I need to change what I am using?

In order to create more consistency and stability in reports for the college, it is useful to use a limited set of account numbers. When one unit decides not to use the list it will create difficulty at the college level when consolidating or comparing units.

Isn’t the University doing this?

The University will be considering a Chartfield overhaul when the new Enterprise Resource Planning system is implemented. By simplifying the process now we can alleviate some burden in transitioning to a new chart of accounts.

Did you consider OSP requirements when creating this list?

Yes, some account numbers were specifically chosen because of OSP expectations.

What if I don’t find something on the list that applies to what I am doing?

Think critically before using a account number not from the list. For instance – you may be doing Photographic Services, but is there any reason you need an account number for this? Would Purchased Services provide enough information for your needs?

What if I am using an account number to track a transaction?

Let’s say you are using 61219 to track Safety Supplies. Does “Safety” have to be in your account number or could you use 61217 Lab Supplies instead and designate safety equipment using other Chartfield? Could you use a program number, a user defined or even a fund number that relates to safety instead?

Do I need to go back and change my existing transactions, purchase orders, etc.?

No – the transactions that have already been or are in process can remain in the existing account numbers.

When is this effective?

7/1/2016

Account Number Explanations

Resources: Standard Expense Account Numbers

Questions: Cindy Buxton

PCard Procedure Changes July 1, 2016

For All PCard Users:

–        Sponsorships guidelines have been added to the supporting documentation requirements. This requires approval from FAES before making the purchase. Sponsorship Guidelines

–        PCard Statements: PCard statements must now be reviewed and signed by the PCard manager AND an additional person in the unit. This creates stronger internal controls.

–        PCard Statements: PCard statements no longer need to be mailed to the Columbus BOC. (Cards that were reallocated in Columbus previously had to send statements to Columbus).Statements can remain in a file with the PCard manager.

–        PCard Statements: The Business Operations Center may periodically request the PCard manager to mail one month’s statement and log to verify that proper procedures are being followed.

–        Records Retention: Reminder – PCard statements and logs should be retained for 4 full years. Local copies of support documentation (receipts, attendee lists, packing slips) that have been scanned and attached to an eRequest should be retained for 60 days prior to destroying.

For Extension Only:

–        User agreement forms and unit director agreement forms have been eliminated. The only form required for PCard designating PCard authority is completed by the PCard manager at the time of application. Unit directors may still choose to limit who may use the PCard. This simply eliminates the formal process for documentation.

–        The Overnight Checkout Form is now optional. It may be used at the discretion of the PCard manager but is not required,

–        A Non Capital Equipment Log is no longer required to be uploaded to the eRequest for PCard transactions. The log should still be updated as purchases are made; it is just no longer required to be attached.

 

Questions: cfaesbusiness@osu.edu

Travel Procedure Changes Effective July 1, 2016

In order to create consistency for customers in the Wooster and Columbus Business Operation Center locations we are changing some requirements for travel submissions for quicker reimbursements and better controls.

  • eRequest number for PCard and pre-payments required on the Travel Reimbursement Form
  • Agenda for registration required to be attached to Travel Reimbursement Form (unless already attached to Travel Request).
  • Itinerary for airfare required to be attached to Travel Reimbursement Form (unless already attached to Travel Request).
  • Blanket T numbers will be limited to only transportation expenses (no overnight costs).

Questions: cfaesbusiness@osu.edu

CFAES Policy & Guidance – Revenue and Deposits

Attached find the new CFAES policy guidance and deposit form, to be used for all revenue.  The primary purpose is to guide decision-making on which type of fund to use: Office of Sponsored Project, development, earnings, contract, designated, etc.  In particular, please make sure that funds appropriately belonging in a development fund or OSP fund are properly deposited.

Financial staff making deposits should complete this form for all deposits.  In cases where a unit has repeated, small deposits of a similar nature, the depositor may request an exemption to using the deposit form each time, by completing the exemption form and sending to Terry Snoddy.

Please recall that the new policy and practice are in response to an OSU internal audit, and should help our reporting and budgeting through improved consistency across the college.  Thanks to everyone who provided feedback over the last few months as we shared drafts of the revenue documents.  If you have any questions, please contact Terry (snoddy.10@osu.edu) or me.

CFAES Deposit Guideline vJan-2016

CFAES Deposit Form vJan 2016

deposit exemption form vJan 2016

Eric

Eric Bode
Finance Director
College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences
140C Agricultural Administration Building, 2120 Fyffe Road, Columbus, OH 43210-1066
614-247-7125 Direct / 614-365-1756 Cell
bode.42@osu.edu  http://cfaes.osu.edu/

Mileage Rate Change and New Travel Form

Mileage Rate Change and New Travel Forms posted for Calendar Year 2016 The U.S. General Services Administration revised mileage reimbursement rates for personally owned vehicles for travel occurring in calendar year 2016. The University has adopted these rates. The travel forms on the CFAES Forms page have been updated with this new rate. Other changes to simplify and improve the forms have also been made.