Reducing redundant purchases, reusing unused supplies, and cutting out unnecessary expenses

ASG Team centralizes office supply purchasing in UVAFinance

Let’s say you’re in charge of making your department’s office supply order (a process you aren’t very familiar with, because you don’t do it often), and you accidentally order a case of file folders instead of one box, and you forget entirely to order the highlighters your colleagues requested. It’s not the worst thing that could happen. Some people will be inconvenienced, and you’ll have to find a place to store the extra boxes of folders until they can be worked through, but it’s not the end of the world, right?

Of course not. But what you didn’t know is that last month, your counterpart in the suite next door ordered seven boxes of highlighters that are gathering dust, and the supplier they use is sold out of the very kind of file folder you have stacks of.

Mariah Kier, Deputy Mayor of Carruthers and ASG
Team Member, with some office supplies ready to
be delivered their new homes.

This summer, the Administrative Services Group within UVAFinance set out to make the procurement of office supplies a smarter, easier, more collaborative process. Their aim was not only reduce waste in supply ordering, but also to provide better, more efficient, and more personal service to all departments within the unit.

They started with a thorough audit of all area supplies: ASG team member Mariah Kier inventoried the storage cabinets and supply closets of all UVAFinance departments and built a database of exactly what was located where.

From there, ASG team member Connie Alexander, with expertise gained from years of work in Procurement & Supplier Diversity Services, took over as the point person for UVAFinance purchasing.

Once per month, she gathers up supply requests from each UVAFinance area. All the orders are sourced through a contract vendor (Supply Room), which results in better pricing for all units. Alexander navigates the purchasing process with ease, making recommendations, answering questions, and generally ensuring that each department gets what it needs at the best price.

Supply delivery is also centralized: the goods Alexander orders come to Kier’s front desk in Carruthers, and are then delivered or picked up without anything being misdirected or misplaced.

Another upside to the new process is that it allows UVAFinance to “shop their stash:” orders are only placed for items that aren’t already a part of the inventory in the central supply database.

Piles of over-ordered supplies have dwindled considerably since the implementation of the new process, and several supply needs have been fulfilled without even having to place an order, which, in some emergency cases, has been one of the biggest benefits.

“I was in a pinch and needed a certain size battery the other day,” said Stacey Rittenhouse, ASG team member.

“Connie was able to look in the database and find some for me right away. Normally I would’ve had to go begging from department to department,” she laughed.

After a small period of adjustment, the ASG team found that the new, streamlined process has been very well received.

“Everyone still gets what they need,” Rittenhouse remarked.

“The difference is that now, it’s easier for everyone within the departments to order, and we also save money. And it’s so much easier to analyze our spending when it’s just one amount for supplies per month,” she said.

______________________

Questions?  Contact Connie Alexander

Outreach and Compliance expands Integrated System Training Resources

Are you looking for information on Finance Training? Do you know what training you need to take to get access to the Integrated System? Check out the Finance Outreach and Compliance website, foc.virginia.edu/training for training information, access to resources, online tutorials, questions and answers, and more!

Under Finance Training, you’ll find a list of the instructor-led and online courses offered for finance and business professionals, and information about Brown Bag training sessions.

We have recently added more information and resources to the Integrated System Training section, including a description of the Finance modules of the Integrated System, links to information on the process for gaining access to the system and to ESHARP, and instructions for subscribing to learning paths for system responsibility and for enrolling in training.

If you are unsure what system responsibility you need, you can read about each one in the Responsibility Descriptions section, which also indicates if training is required or recommended.

Our newly expanded Resources and Help section includes many self-help tools:

• Video Tutorials offering tips and tricks for topics like setting iProcurement preferences, using the buyer assist form, and using online help. 
• Job aids and Q&As – quick answers or printable PDFs with step-by-step instructions for the most commonly asked questions
• Training Guides are available for the Purchasing, Accounts Payable, Grants Management, and General Ledger modules. You can use the Table of Contents to go to exactly the section you need. (It is not advisable to print and use entire guides, as they are frequently updated.)
• System Help and Support – instructions for accessing the HR-Finance User Group Community, online self-help, and contact information for Finance and UBI training, ESHARP, and technical issues

Let us know if you need additional videos, job aids, and training guides. Also let us know if you have suggestions for improvement for the training pages. You may contact the Finance training team at foc-training@virginia.edu.

Stay in the know: Join the Policy Listserv!

We all have a lot to keep up with in our daily work:  approaching deadlines, shifting priorities, big projects, and "other duties as assigned."  How can we possibly keep up with policy changes? 

Policies are important because they communicate our shared values, set clear expectations for behavior or performance, and demonstrate institutional commitment to meeting external requirements and standards.

The Policy Listserv makes it a lot easier for busy staff to get news of changes, and the Policy Directory, a centrally-managed repository for policies that impact two or more VP areas, is also a great, searchable resource to bookmark. 

The Policy Directory offers search functionality by policy number, title, or keyword or you can browse policies based on contact office, oversight executive, or category. 

You can join the Policy Listserve by emailing Lynn Mitchell, University Policy Manager, to be notified when changes and additions are made to the Policy Directory.     

A lot of work has been going on behind the scenes in UVAFinance to update our existing policies and migrate them into the Policy Directory. 

Current efforts are focused on updating policies related to account reconciliation, monitoring cash balances, effort reporting, consistent allocation of costs, and lease vs. purchase.  If you have suggestions for policies that need to be deleted, modified, or created please contact Kelly Hochstetler.

UVAFinance isn’t the only area updating policies; new Information Security policies have been approved and will roll out later this fall.  

UBI SIS Demo Sessions Offer Guidance to New SIS Users

During the last two fiscal years, the Managerial Reporting Project (MRP) Team has introduced the UBI reporting environment to the University and continues to deliver new modules of the UBI reporting tool - primarily to the Finance-related community of users. Well ahead of the planned December 31 sunset for Discoverer reports, MRP is releasing new SIS reporting modules regularly with each update to UBI.

Throughout the month of August, MRP held a series of introductory presentations about UBI and student reporting. The sessions were created to demonstrate the basic functionality of UBI and show the new UBI SIS Class Scheduling module.

Leading the UBI SIS Demos was Mark Anderson, Business Intelligence Lead for Managerial Reporting, assisted by Gregory Ball, Project Analyst for MRP. The MRP Team set out with the purpose of making sure that potential users would have a chance to hear more about the project, see a brief demo, and ask questions or raise any concerns that they might have.

“I was very pleased with the turnout and participation,” Anderson said. “Users seem to be open to the coming changes and the planned [UBI] adoption process.”

The demo sessions focused on informing (or reminding) new UBI users of the rationale behind the UBI MRP project, such as improved reporting and analytics capabilities, as well as the impending sunset and loss of support for Discoverer.

Highlights of the sessions were describing the process for collecting user requirements and migrating current reports from Discoverer to UBI, showing a demo of the UBI Class Scheduling module, and discussing the resources – such as training and support – available to users to assist them during the transition. The timeline for testing and production rollout, in addition to the adoption program, were also communicated.

Another aspect of the sessions was communicating the timeline for migration to SIS users, while addressing the need for users to adopt UBI. Anderson noted the team behind UBI is prepared for the pending sunset of SIS reporting in Discoverer.

“The timeline is going to be much shorter than we had for Finance, but our team is better prepared,” Anderson added, “and we have the lessons we learned from the Finance adoption. So, in some ways, I think the shorter timeline will be beneficial to our stakeholders.”

As for takeaways from the demo sessions, Anderson hopes as users become more familiar with the new reporting tool they will collaborate with the MRP Team during the transition to fine-tune and improve University reporting and analytics capabilities. “Our team has a process in place to capture user requirements and we are involving and partnering with the SIS community throughout the process.

“We know that we won’t get everything exactly right on the first pass but our process is structured to collect feedback and respond rapidly to unmet needs.”

Anderson recommends the best way for users to prepare for the change is to take advantage of training opportunities and to use the new UBI reports as they become available. “[Users] can send us feedback and get comfortable well before Discoverer goes offline this winter.”



This story was originally featured in the UBI Community.

Open Enrollment Begins October 9!

Take a moment to put a reminder on your calendar for October 9, the beginning of Open Enrollment  (or, sign up for reminder text messages).  

Between now and October 9, spend some time reviewing how you've used your benefits this year and assessing what your 2018 needs will be.  

Access your spending and use information by visiting the following websites:

• Medical Claims: Aetna website
• Pharmacy: 
• Basic Health Participants: Aetna website 
• Value and Choice Health Participants: OptumRx website
• Dental: United Concordia member website
• Vision: Davis Vision member website
• Flexible Spending Accounts/Health Savings Accounts: Chard Snyder website

After reviewing your 2017 benefits use, consider if this year has been typical as far as your usage and needs. What services do you (and anyone covered by your benefits) anticipate continuing into 2018? Think about the following:

• Any medical or dental procedures planned? 
• Time for new glasses or contact lenses? 
• Any changes to dependent care? 
• Time to replace or update medical or assistive devices? 
• Any life events you expect, such as household or dependent changes?

Questions about open enrollment? Contact the HR Service Team at AskHR@virginia.edu or 434.982.0123.

“It’s about customer service":UVAFinance unit pitches in to help Student Financial Services during the back to school rush

The start of every fall term is hectic in Student Financial Services (SFS), as new Hoos and their families arrive on Grounds with a multitude of questions about financial aid packages. Every year, just before and just after the start of classes, SFS receives thousands of questions from students and parents, in person, via email, and via phone.

For SFS, those two weeks are “all hands on deck.” Nobody takes a day off, nobody goes out to lunch, and everyone lends a hand on the phones. The pace is fast and the days are long as everyone strives to address student concerns accurately and quickly. SFS staffers admit it can be a challenging, even draining, time of the year.

This year, SFS got unexpected and very welcome help from UVAFinance’s new Administrative Services Group (ASG).

Made up of administrative professionals from all UVAFinance departments, ASG provides comprehensive and coordinated administrative services to all of UVAFinance. And they don’t wait for requests to come to them – they actively look for ways to help.

ASG member Mary Fields, who works in SFS, shared with her group that a “peak time” was coming for SFS, and her fellow team members were quick to offer their assistance.

“They volunteered out of thin air,” said Steve Kimata, Assistant Vice President, Student Financial Aid.

Kimata says that ASG leader Disha Venkatesan’s offer of the group’s help was most welcome, and they quickly found places for the ASG volunteers.

“We provide lunch for all of our staffers during our three busiest days,” Kimata said. “The ASG members coordinated the delivery, set up, and cleanup of lunch for our staff members. It was a simple task, but it made such a difference because we simply didn’t have a spare pair of hands to take care of it.”

Mariah Kier, who runs the front desk in Carruthers Hall, is a member of the ASG team. In her post at Carruthers Hall’s main entrance, Kier began to see an increase in student/parent traffic, some of whom were frustrated by the fact that they had to walk around the side of the building (not through it) to get to SFS. While she was already redirecting those visitors to the SFS entrance on the other side of the building, Kier felt there might be more she could do to help.

“One of Mariah’s suggestions, based on what she had been seeing, was to create new signage around Carruthers Hall to help students and parents find their way without the wrong turns,” Kimata explained.

Kier developed and posted the new signage, which had street-view pictures and a series of progressive steps to take posted along the way, and both she and SFS could tell an immediate difference in the ease with which students found the right office.

Not only that but also, Kimata armed Kier with some frequently asked questions and answers on some very basic topics that allowed her to be even more helpful and reassuring to Carruthers Hall visitors.

ASG volunteers also helped out in the SFS lobby.

Venkatesan was one of the volunteers who assisted students both in the lobby and outside the door to SFS.

“There in the lobby, we would have students come with confusion in their eyes, asking us questions, and we could direct them to where they needed to go,” she said, adding that she and fellow volunteers also helped students and parents who were standing in line to get into the SFS entrance. ASG volunteers guided students and parents who arrived after closing time know when to come back, answered simple questions and offered reassurance.

On one rainy afternoon, Venkatesan even ran back and forth under the SFS awning to alert students and parents waiting in the foyer of the arrival of their Uber ride.

A little unconventional? Yes. But as Venkatesan says, it’s all about customer service.

“We worked as a team and it wasn’t a burden to any one of us. This is a high-stress time for students and parents,” she said. “We were happy to be able to help them and soothe them a bit.”

ASG’s team effort had the same soothing effect their SFS colleagues.

“ASG’s help meant all of the SFS staff could stay in their workflow, and focus on answering student and parent questions about financial aid,” said Chris Doran, SFS Communications Manager.

Kimata agrees, adding, “It was great seeing new faces from all across UVAFinance units come down to help out.”

“They might think it wasn’t a big deal, but it made a big difference,” he said.

Fixed Asset Inventory Management: Why it matters

Larry Norem and Mike Williams are great people to consult if you’re looking for an obscure location On-Grounds. They can not only tell you where the building is, but also, where to park, which door will require specialized access, and what room number you should look for.

These are things they know because they’ve been to all of those locations, multiple times, because it’s their job to keep track of roughly 20,000 pieces of Capital Equipment (known as “fixed assets”) that are spread out over 400+ buildings (with well over 20,000 rooms) and across 300+ organizations at UVA.

Fixed Asset Accounting is a specialized area within Financial Operations that is responsible for review of capital building projects, capitalization of all fixed assets, and maintaining an accurate inventory of the University’s fixed assets. Fixed Assets, also often referred to as hard or tangible assets (and also intangible assets such as software), are long-term assets property that are used in the day-to-day operations to provide for the educational, athletic and research needs of its students as well as the requirements of its numerous sponsors for specialized research.

Gary Young, Director of Fixed Assets Accounting, said it’s a significant challenge to ensure all of the University’s $4.0B fixed assets are properly capitalized and accounted for in its yearly inventory process.

“Getting everything into the inventory system and maintaining that inventory accurately is demanding and very important,” he said. “Various agencies that sponsor the purchase of equipment in the form of research grants and awards expect our system and internal procedures will protect their investment in equipment at UVA.”

Additionally, Young points out, our negotiated F&A rate is integrally linked with the federally-sponsored research equipment located throughout UVA, which makes the accuracy of that inventory another, perhaps an even more critical aspect of accounting for and safeguarding UVA assets on top of the standard accounting and financial reporting requirements.

And that’s where Norem and Williams come in, quite literally – they arrive in offices and labs across Grounds, with asset tags and barcode scanners.

Barcode tags like this one are used to keep track 

of equipment across Grounds.

When someone buys a piece of equipment, Norem makes sure it’s appropriately tagged and entered into the inventory system that Williams manages. Over the course of a year, Williams will complete an inventory of every fixed asset on Grounds. Although he and Larry play similar roles in the process, there’s a key difference, explains Mike: “Larry knows names, I know numbers. He knows all the researchers, and I know all the room numbers.”

There’s a good reason Norem knows “who’s who:” he’s had to do a lot of detective work over the past seven years he’s done this job. From a regular report showing big purchases by purchase order, he matches those purchases up with invoices. Using the PO description, what the item is and what department purchased it, he then goes in search of the item, to find out who it belongs to.

“We can track down pretty much everything,” he laughs. “When I walk in a lab, people say ‘Oh, what are you looking for today?’ or they will even say ‘I know what you’re looking for and it's right here.’”

Norem says that while he and Williams both have a significant amount of intense record-keeping and generating that they do, his time in the labs makes for a nice balance to the work he does at his desk.

Larry Norem, left, tagging a piece of equipment in

 the lab of Dr. Stuart Berr, right.

Mike Williams scanning equipment in a lab.

“I get to talk to the researchers and ask them what they’re working on when I ask them about the new item they’ve purchased. They love to talk about what they’re doing and some of the stuff is just incredible and fascinating,” he said.

Norem added that he also enjoys meeting new principal investigators at UVA: “I can always tell who I’m going to read about in the Daily Progress or UVA Today by how often I see them,” he said.

“I meet researchers and grad students who are working hard, even over Christmas break. Those are the people I know I’ll see in the news later.”

Norem might only appear in a lab every so often when new equipment is purchased, but Williams’ appearances are much more regular, due to the annual inventory cycle.

“It takes me six-plus months to physically go through all the buildings and scan the asset tags Larry has placed, for the records that we keep,” he said, adding that he’s gotten much faster and more efficient doing this job since he started it 13 years ago.

Those records are used when auditors from various agencies such as the Office of Naval Research come by for spot inventory checks. Most sponsors require yearly reports about equipment that has been purchased on a grant.


Williams says while its Norem’s job to make sure money used for fixed assets has been tagged properly, and it’s his job to make sure the asset purchased doesn’t go missing, and it’s not always an easy job.

“It’s not like anyone sells the stuff on Craigslist,” he laughs. “It’s mostly a case of things getting moved and nobody keeping track of it.”

“It’s important for departments to know where their ‘stuff’ is,” he explained, because it’s more than just trying to find everything every year – it’s a matter of UVA monitoring its resources appropriately.

Williams’ duties often take him to some sensitive areas.

“I don’t touch anything when I’m out in the research areas,” he says. “There are some areas where the experiment might be dangerous to me, or I might be dangerous to it.”

He says he and Norem rely heavily on the guidance of the researchers and the signs on the doors as they do their jobs.

“And I never rest my notepad on a counter,” adds Norem with a smile. “Just in case.”

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