Finance Office is offering a set of training seminars this Spring. They include:
1. Finance Office Essentials - Seminar
The Finance Office provides a range of financial services including:
- paying staff and suppliers;
- processing orders;
- providing travel advances and reimbursing expenses;
- collecting income and issuing petty cash floats;
- arranging appropriate insurance cover for staff and students.
There is a variety of documentation that requires to be completed in order to access these services.
This seminar will enable participants to gain a better understanding of:
- The services provided by Finance Office and its partner departments such as expense claims, invoicing and collecting debt, purchasing cards and PECOS ordering system, joining the University Pensions Scheme.
- The documentation required and the deadlines supporting these various activities
- Who to contact in the event of a query
- How to find helpful information on the Finance Office website
- On-going Finance Office projects
The seminar will be of interest to departmental administrators who are involved financial activities such as: processing orders, authorising invoices; requesting invoices to third parties; arranging overseas travel insurance, etc.
2. Budget Statements and the Finance Information Server - Seminar
The primary sources of financial information about individual budgets are the monthly, hardcopy budget statements and the online Financial Information Server (FIS). Understanding the format and content of the monthly budget statement and how to access this information on FIS is crucial for anyone charged with managing or administering budgets.
This seminar will enable participants to gain a better understanding of:
- The format and content of monthly budget statements
- Common entries in monthly budget statements
- Who to contact in the event of a query in respect of particular entries
- How to access and use the Finance Information Server (FIS). [Detailed training is provided in a separate course].
- How to access scanned documents (orders, invoices, etc.) that underlie entries on monthly budget statements.
Both the Finance Information Server and the monthly Budget Statement will be redesigned during 2009-10 and 2010-11 as part of a programme of enhancements to the Finance System. There will be an opportunity at the end of this seminar to contribute to the consultation that is taking place to inform that redesign.
The seminar will be of interest to all budget holders and will be particularly useful to departmental administrators who have responsibility for checking monthly budget statements.
3. Research Contracts - Seminar
Following the introduction of Full Economic Costing (fEC), the area of post-award research contract management is becoming increasingly complex. As well as a having a general understanding of the financial aspects of their contacts, academics and researchers should also understand the implications of fEC on their contracts and, in particular, how the income received under fEC is allocated. The latest European Framework Contracts (FP7) also introduces additional requirements that academics and research staff should be aware of.
This seminar will enable participants to gain a better understanding of:
- How fEC contracts are costed
- How budgets are allocated
- General and specific audit requirements
- European matters
- VAT on research
- Invoicing and reporting issues
- Scholarships
- Other Services Rendered
The seminar will be of interest to academics and research staff and to departmental administrators.
4. Finance Information Server - Training Course
The Finance Information Server (FIS), along with the monthly Budget Statement, is one of the primary sources of financial information about individual budgets. Understanding how to access this information on FIS is crucial for anyone charged with managing or administering budgets.
This is a hands-on training course which will provide detailed guidance on the Finance Information Server. No prior technical knowledge is required, but attendees should have an understanding of the basics of the Finance Systems i.e. orders, invoices, budgets, etc.
The course will cover:
- Accessing the FIS
- Accessing a Summary Budget Statement and investigating the transactions posted against the budget
- Enquiring on individual documents (i.e. purchase orders, purchase invoices, expenses, sales invoices, budget transfers, etc.)
- Accessing scanned copies of the original documents
The course will be of interest to all budget holders and will be particularly useful to departmental administrators who have responsibility for processing transactions and checking monthly budget statements.
Booking Details
Dates and booking details can be found at the Leadership and Development Unit (LODU) course booking site: http://ls-labserver2.ces.strath.ac.uk/bookings2/lodu.asp?highlight=ofes
The rate of VAT is reverting to 17.5% from 1 January 2010. Additionally several other changes to VAT are being implemented. Detailed information can be found here.
For several months Finance Office has been running a pilot project which allows staff electronic access to documents which are presently held in paper form in the Finance Office. With effect from 1 September 2009, this facility will be made available University-wide.
Staff who currently have access to budgetary information via the Finance Information Server (FIS) will be able to view scanned images of sources documentation such as Purchase Orders and Purchase Invoices. This enhancement will allow staff electronic access to a level of detail not previously available.
For more information click here
The Finance Office is currently reviewing additional source documentation which it intends to make available electronically in the near future. Further information on this facility is available directly from Finance Office by email at payables@strath.ac.uk or ext. 2488.
September 2009
The University has approved funding for a programme of enhancements to its financial systems.
The planned programme of work comprises a number of discrete but linked projects, some of which will deliver visible benefit to staff across the University, others of which are designed to improve the efficiency of operations within Finance Office itself.
During the funded period Finance Office, together with IT Services, hopes to address the following areas:
- The provision of an online shop facility to allow customers to purchase University goods and services on the web.
- Enhancements to Budget Reporting and to the Finance Information Server. A consultation exercise will take place during 2009-10 to analyse the requirements of departments.
- Enhancements to processes within Finance Office, including the Debt Control and Student Fee processing.
- Provision of enhanced information to all levels of management within the institution.
- The provision of a replacement Fixed Asset Register.
More information about these projects is available on the Financial Systems web page.
July 2009