The Bottom Line
e-SHOP Spending Nears One-Million!
As of late May, within eight-months of its release, e-SHOP’s total spending neared one-million dollars! You may recall that, in October 2006, the Office for Purchasing Services (OPS) released e-SHOP to five business service centers (BSCs). In March 2007, OPS (soon to have a name change. See story below in box) added three more BSCs to the list of users. Later this year, all of Cornell will be able to buy goods and services using this easy, one-stop, electronic shopping environment.
e-SHOP is a convenient, self-service tool that integrates with the Automated Procurement and Payment System (APPS) and helps campus users to find the best negotiated prices with Cornell's preferred suppliers. Using online catalog shopping with shopping-cart technology, users can comparison-shop, get real-time price updates, and pay conveniently with a procurement card, purchase order, or route the order through their BSC.
Current users of e-SHOP are enthusiastic about the system’s user-friendliness and OPS's responsive customer support. These users were recently surveyed about their use of e-SHOP, and among their favorite system features were the ability to use one requisition for purchases from multiple suppliers, and fast, simple order processing. Also, users said they were eager to see more suppliers on e-SHOP.
Director of Procurement Services Tom Hogan says more vendors are coming. “Our supplier community continues to grow, with 105 suppliers currently active on e-SHOP. We recently added the Campus Store’s Technology Connection, VASCO, our preferred supplier for janitorial supplies, and I.D. Booth, Inc., a local supplier for electrical and other hardware supplies.”
As part of OPS’s support of local and diverse suppliers, over 40 federally certified “small business enterprises” and 10 local businesses have been added to e-SHOP’s growing vendor list. Also, as of June 11, 2007, e-SHOP has over 250 users and processed more than 2,000 orders.
To learn more, and see an online demo of e-SHOP, visit OPS’s Web site at www.purchasing.cornell.edu/eSHOP.cfm.
Purchasing is going places!
Purchasing will change their name to the Office for Supply Management Services and move to a new location this coming August. More to come!
Student Bills Go Paperless!
Beginning July 2007, the Office of the Bursar will provide students and parents with a faster, timelier billing service by switching all Cornell students to Net.Pay for electronic billing ("e-billing"). Going paperless also will support the university’s commitment to sustainability and the protection of our environment.
Net.Pay, a free, online billing and payment service, produces e-bills within as little as 24 hours of being generated by the Bursar's office. Since 2002, when this paperless alternative was introduced, enrollment in Net.Pay has risen to 35 percent of Cornell’s student population. University Bursar Peter Olcott says of students’ reaction to the Net.Pay system, “We have received very positive feedback regarding the optional enrollment, and we look forward to extending this outstanding service to all students and their families. Several of Cornell’s peer schools, such as Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania, also have implemented required e-billing successfully.”
Net.Pay also allows users to send payments electronically, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from almost anywhere in the world, which is faster and more secure than sending payment by postal mail. This feature is especially good for international students. Electronic payments made through Net.Pay are posted to the student’s account within two days of submission online. Individuals who choose to mail a check instead of making an electronic payment can print a copy of the e-bill, and return the stub portion of the bill with their payment to the Bursar’s lockbox address.
For more information about the e-billing and payment process and to access the Net.Pay tutorial, visit the Bursar’s Web site at www.bursar.cornell.edu.
DFA, AA&D Present Gift Workshop
In February, more than two hundred business administrators attended the joint presentation by the Division of Financial Affairs (DFA) and Alumni Affairs and Development (AA&D) that focued on a very important topic — processing and accounting for gifts to the university.
"A gift is a transfer of funds" said Senior Director of Sponsored Program Services Jeff Silber, " where the donor receives little or nothing of monetary value in return." Director of Information Services for AA&D David Pinker added that AA&D must record all gift transactions, and that all source documents must be sent to AA&D.
Assistant Controller Kim Yeoh explained the gift restriction classifications, which are permanently restricted (PR), temporarily restricted (TR) and unrestricted (UR). She underscored, "If there are both UR and TR funds available for the same purpose, units must spend the TR gift first." Kim also instructed units on how to use accounting query tools to review the UR and TR gift accounts.
The presentation materials and related query tools and policies can be found at the following Web sites:If you have questions about processing restricted gifts, please contact Restricted Gifts at dfa-ribacctg@cornell.edu. For questions about unrestricted gifts, contact Unrestricted Funds at uco-unrfds@cornell.edu. For questions about sponsored funds, contact Sponsored Program Services - Financial at uco-sfa@cornell.edu.
Purchasing’s “Pendaflex Mailing” Goes Electronic!
By providing purchasing information to units electronically, the Office of Purchasing Services (OPS) will be saving Cornell the cost of printing of over 60,000 sheets of paper annually. Previously, OPS sent periodic “pendaflex mailings” to units, which contained purchasing-related paperwork, such as copies of purchase orders or pending payment reports. All of this information is available from the Automated Procurement and Payment System (APPS), Cornell's online system for processing requisitions, purchase orders, and vendor invoices.
To help units with the transition to retrieving needed information from APPS, OPS is offering the following brief tutorials:
If you have questions or difficulties accessing these tutorials, contact the APPS Helpline at 254-5300.
Reconciling Year-End Travel Advance Accounts
Disbursement Review and Tax offers the following hints to help make year-end advance account reconciliation easier:
For more information on travel advances, please see University Policy 3.21, Advances at www.policy.cornell.edu/vol3_21.cfm.
Fiscal Year End is Approaching Fast!
It's time to start preparing for fiscal year-end closing! Visit the Accounting Web site to see the 2007 year-end deadlines at www.accounting.cornell.edu/Year_End_Deadlines.cfm.
Capital Equipment Year-End Deadlines
The Capital Assets department reminds units to meet the following deadlines for accurate processing and recording of all capital assets for fiscal year 2006-2007:
Friday, June 15, 2007: Process all pending capital asset records through the Automated Procurement and Payment System (APPS).
Monday, June 18, 2007: Begin reviewing and submitting daily all processed capital assets in your APPS queue.
Thursday, July 5, 2007: Submit all processed capital asset inventory. If this deadline cannot be met, units must provide the reason for the delay.
For more information, visit the Capital Assets Web site at http://www.accounting.cornell.edu/Capital_Assets_Inventory.cfm.
Also, see “Time to Submit Your Capital Asset Inventory," next.
Time to Submit Your Capital Asset Inventory
Has your unit submitted its capital asset inventory to the Capital Assets department yet? For units on the fiscal year 2007 inventory schedule, completed inventories were due to the Capital Assets department by April 16, 2007. Please note that, in some units, the Business Service Centers (BSCs) complete these physical inventories. To confirm whether this applies to your area, contact your department administrator or BSC.
Accounting standards and federal regulations require physical inventories to verify the existence, location, condition, and current utilization of equipment. To qualify to purchase equipment with sponsored funds, Cornell must maintain this approved control system for government property. In addition, accurate, timely inventories help the university report the value of its assets on financial statements appropriately.
Please direct any questions about the physical inventory process to the Capital Assets department at uco-capasset@cornell.edu.
Also, see “Capital Equipment Year-End Deadlines,” above.
18 Finance Training Graduates
In December 2006, the Accounting Certificatate Program graduated 18 staff members, including Michele Blauvelt, Sheree Borba, Linda Charles, Paulette Chrzaszcz, Ronald Chrzaszcz, Kevin Coates, Terri Denman, Stacey Depew, Kriss Eckenrode, Fernando Flaminio, Roswell Franklin, Sherri Gaglianese, Jolene Gordner, Susan Gorton, Brian Kay, Jacquelyn Nelson, Samantha Preston, and LouAnn Smith.
Look for the new 2007-2008 finance training opportunities in August on the Finance Training Web site at training.finance.cornell.edu.
Final Promulgation of One University Policy and a Revised "Policy on Policies"
Last August, the University Policy Office issued on an interim basis a revision of University Policy 6.9, Sexual Harrassment, now titled "Prohibited Discrimination, Protected Status (Including Sexual) Harassment and Bias Activity." The new version clarifies the language the previous version of the policy, explicitly addresses all forms of prohibited discrimination and protected status harassment, and incorporates the university’s existing Bias Response Program.
In May 2007, that policy was finalized, having been fully reviewed by the Executive Policy Review Group (EPRG), the executive committee that reviews and approves new and revised policies. To view the official policy, visit www.policy.cornell.edu/vol6_4.cfm.
In April, the EPRG approved the revised "Policy on Policies," University Policy 4.1, Formulation and Issuance of University Policies, which governs the process for drafting, reviewing, and approving all official university policies. The revision is more clear about the responsibilities of those who seek to develop Cornell policy and imposes a time limit for finalizing interim policies. To view the official policy, visit www.policy.cornell.edu/vol4_1.cfm.
You can view all university policies at the University Policy Office Web site at www.policy.cornell.edu.
The Bottom Line
Editor, Jamie Churchill
Director, Marguerite Spencer
Assistant, Taina Nilson
Questions, comments, listserv changes:
dfa-comm@cornell.edu
The Bottom Line is a publication of the:
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