business transformation – OneUniversity

OneUniversity go live and the financial year end

The August go live of OneUniversity Finance coincides with our financial year end and we’re aware that this is a busy period for all involved. All activity relating to the management of the year end process will be carried out in the existing finance systems.

Also, there are significant changes to some year-end deadlines this year due to the cutover to OneUniversity, and additional processes in place to ensure all income and expenditure is correctly accounted for. Further guidance is available on the Finance webpage.

When OneUniversity goes live on 1 August only a draft position will be available for 2018/19 as we will continue to work on the year-end in CODA. Transactions posted after the CODA closedown on 26 July will be migrated to OneUniversity at a later date. School Managers and Directors will be notified by Finance when this work is complete.

No PO No Pay

What’s changing?
With the launch of OneUniversity we’re implementing a ‘No PO No Pay’ policy. This means that all invoices from suppliers must quote a valid OneUniversity Purchase Order (PO) number.

Exceptions
There are some exceptions to this policy where a PO is not appropriate for the type of supplier or transaction.

There is a perception that it’s impossible to raise a purchase order for a requirement unless a final price is known and that the final price is only known when the invoice has been received.

This would make budget management in the University extremely difficult given that there will be no commitment on the finance system prior to the invoice being received.

Also, it doesn’t allow the University to establish the terms of the agreement with the supplier for scope of work, terms and conditions, etc.

There are varying solutions to this, however some of them such as retrospective POs (raised after the invoice is received) or
POs raised for £0.01 have similar issues. Therefore, the advice is to:

Raise the PO in advance and use it as a means to engage with the supplier (establish the scope of work and the terms of the agreement/purchase); and
Ensure the amount on the PO is based on a realistic estimate.

Benefits of No PO, No Pay
→ Ensures that purchases are authorised before goods, services and works are supplied.
→ Enables the University to process invoices efficiently, ensuring a positive payment profile with suppliers/contractors.
→ Enables accurate timely reporting, budgeting and forecasting across the University.
→ Reduces risk to the University by formally agreeing the terms, conditions and deliverables before the supplier/contractor begins any work.

How’s it going to work?
Invoices received with a valid OneUniversity PO number will be processed as normal by Accounts Payable. Invoices received without a valid OneUniversity PO number will be returned to the supplier until a valid PO number can be provided and the invoice is resubmitted.

Things to remember
→ Don’t commit University funds without raising a PO first.
→ Use a University approved supplier in compliance with the Procurement Policy.
→ When raising an appropriate requisition, obtain approval and communicate the OneUniversity PO number to the supplier/contractor.

FAQs
If you have any queries about the No PO No Pay policy, please email procurement@dundee.ac.uk. A suite of FAQs will form part of the guidance around the policy and is available in the Knowledge Base located
within the IT portal at help4u.dundee.ac.uk

Key-user and end-user training

The Business Transformation training team has been supporting the Finance and Procurement workstream to deliver key-user and end-user training. We’ve been offering hands-on workshops and drop-in sessions underpinned by a suite of online training materials.

Who are key users?

Key users are subject matter experts working on the Programme at a workstream level, or those closely involved in the shaping and delivery of the OneUniversity solution.

How do we support the workstreams?

Identify staff who need training
Develop the end-user training programme
Develop training manuals and videos
Organise end-user training

We’re all end users

All University staff and students will use OneUniversity so we’re all end users. The Change and Communications team will deliver end-user training and any other activity associated with helping to prepare our people for the transformation OneUniversity will bring.

How we’re going to manage change arising from OneUniversity

Our objectives are to equip people with the knowledge, skills and abilities to do their jobs from day one and support them as they transition to using new, shared processes and databases.

Dedicated training team

We now have a dedicated training officer, Chris Reid, and administrator, Emma McDade, who you’ll meet when you attend a session. You can contact the training team on 388081.

It’s here! Travel and Expenses demo on OneUniversity

At the end of June, the Business Transformation Training team, Chris Reid and Emma McDade, ran drop-in sessions in the Tower and at Life Sciences to showcase the new Travel and Expenses functionality in OneUniversity.

Chris was pleased to see how well the day went. He said: “Our sessions were very positively received, which was great news, and users were happy to see the system in action and how easy it was to submit a claim. It’s great that expenses can be done ‘on the go’ and allows for quicker submissions, which means no more paper jams!

“Moving forward, we’re going to run several more of these sessions which we’re really looking forward to. We’ve also recorded any questions that were asked and they’ll be available along with responses in the Help4U Knowledge Base.” You can login here.

The next drop-in session is at Ninewells on 12 July in Teaching Room 4 from 9:30am to 10:30am with further sessions being planned.

Start: 12 Jul 9:30AM End: 12 Jun 10:30PM

There are also drop-in sessions for one to one or small groups who would like to see demonstrations of the Travel and Expenses function on Thursday 19 July 10.00 -11.00 (Dalhousie 2G13) and Tuesday 24 July 14.00-15.00 (Dalhousie 2F11). No need to book, just turn up.

Start: 19 Jul 10:00AM End: 19 Jul 11:00PM

Start: 24 Jul 14:00AM End: 24 Jul 15:00PM

Fancy putting your dexterity skills to the test?

We’re looking for fast fingers to help us trial the new mobile Travel and Expenses functionality in OneUniversity.

We’re giving away a £30 Amazon voucher in our latest competition. All you have to do is test your digital dexterity skills and complete an expenses claim form on your mobile, against the clock, using the new OneUniversity Finance solution.

We’ll send you a link to a video showing how to complete the expense claim. Contact business-transformation@dundee.ac.uk to receive your video link and arrange a time to visit the BT office at Heathfield to put your skills to the test!

Terms & Conditions:
Competition open to UoD staff only.
Entries close at midnight on Monday 30 July.
No alternative prize will be offered.
The winner will be announced on Tuesday 31 July.

Change Champion Chats: Letty Gibson

Our change champions are an integral part of our change programme. In this blog we speak to Letty Gibson, Research School Services Manager, School of Life Sciences, about her role as a change champion.

Please tell us about your role.

I have been employed by the University of Dundee in Life Sciences since 1997 and my role has changed several times during this time as the School has expanded. I am now the Research Technical Lead in Life Sciences within the senior management team. I’m also a member of various management committees across the university. Part of my role includes responsibility for the delivery of the Laboratory Management Support Service which includes a team of lab managers and junior lab technicians. Our work includes dealing with procurement, budget management, health and safety and compliance with legal requirements and adherence to UoD policy in all aspects. We focus on these areas so researchers can focus on their research activities.

What made you want to be a change champion?

It’s very important to me, in fact, I’ve been involved in initial design workshops, user acceptance testing and training since before I became a change champion. From day one I’ve contributed to shaping and influencing the way Business Transformation will work. Procurement in Life Sciences is highly complex due to volume, range of funding bodies and types of spend. I’ve been fully involved to make sure the system can meet the procurement needs of Life Sciences regarding what we buy and where we buy it. But I carry out this work as part of a team, with lab managers and other key Life Science staff, who join me in workshops so we can get the best of their knowledge and expertise.

From the beginning it was critical to me that our School should have a strong voice in the development stages of the Business Management System in order to influence. I’ve been involved in the introduction of new business systems in the School of Life Sciences before, namely in the development and launch of PECOS. Seeing the challenges that change brought, that’s where I learnt where potential obstacles can arise, what critical issues need to be addressed and what can be put in place to make change as seamless as possible.

The key to success is preparation, planning and strong communication. That’s my role as liaison between the BT programme team and the staff within Life Sciences who will be affected by the change. Understanding and pre-empting what we will and won’t have is critical. I highlight our needs and identify if system solutions are in place and what will be available at go live. The smooth running of our labs during the cutover period is paramount and we do all we can not to compromise service delivery to staff.

What benefits do you see OneUniversity bringing?

I’m very excited about the undertaking to improve business management processes. Currently we spend time looking for information and aren’t always able to access the data required, often duplicating our efforts and not being 100% sure that the information we have is current and accurate. I have been at many sessions where the data provided in the new system is described as a ‘single source of truth’. I’m really looking forward to this and it’ll be fantastic when managers can go and access the data they want instantly.

I know that the grant holders are very excited when given an insight into the type of budget reporting that will be available and accessible using any device, anywhere. When the research model goes live it will have a huge impact on Life Sciences when researchers can trace a single pathway from idea to award. In HR too, to run my team of 25 people, it will be so useful to have a single source of information that’s easy, quick and efficient to access. Having simple access to complex data is going to help me do my job.

Fun fact about Letty

I love driving but have never mastered reverse parking!

Selfies mean prizes!

Banner selfies are pouring in as the competition passes the halfway mark. Our HR team was out and about on campus and clicked this cheerful pic to send all the way back to BT.

Have you spotted one of our four banners? They’ve been spied as far apart as the Life Sciences Street café, the entrance to DJCAD, 2nd floor of the Tower and the Dental School.

The BT Banners are on the move again. Where will they be this week? Here’s a clue to one of the four different locations. It’s a place you go to get better.

Don’t forget to read the banner to answer the question ‘What are we investing in?’ and send your response along with your banner selfie and where you snapped it to: business-transformation@dundee.ac.uk

In a building near you for one week and one week only! Here is a reminder of the prizes you can win:

1. £30 Amazon voucher
2. One month’s free pass to Institute of Sports & Exercise (ISE)
3. A surprise hamper of goodies
4. Three separate prizes of tea and sandwiches or cake in the Tower café

Last snaps in by go live date 5 March please!

Accessing catalogues in OneUniversity: what you need to know

On Tuesday 27 February at 5.00 pm the PECOS purchasing system will close down. Over the past few months we’ve been testing how we can store, access and maintain catalogues in OneUniversity and we’ve found that the best option from 5 March is the PECOS Gateway.

What is the PECOS Gateway?

The PECOS Gateway enables public bodies like us at the University of Dundee to ‘punch out’ from their Finance and Procurement system and seamlessly ‘punch in’ to the Gateway. Here we can shop from a range of available hosted catalogues and punch-out sites.

How does it work?

We are going to access our catalogues and punch-out sites on the PECOS Gateway, which is not the PECOS you know as it contains no order functionality. Instead, you’ll be pleased to know, requisitioning will all happen in our new OneUniversity system!

We select content from the PECOS Gateway and the requisition comes back to OneUniversity. Here, we add the financial coding and submit the requisition for approval. Once orders have been approved, OneUniversity transmits them directly to the supplier.

What are the benefits of using the PECOS Gateway?

a straightforward tool for Procurement to manage and maintain catalogues
reduces administrative burden of catalogue maintenance
best and familiar means for searching for required catalogue content
existing PECOS catalogues and punch-out sites available from go-live
national and local suppliers familiar with of PECOS catalogue formats
many suppliers on APUC frameworks produce catalogues in PECOS
access to punch-outs set up by other organisations using PECOS
minimises University risk as the Scottish Government hosts our catalogues

So get ready to walk through the Gateway and go live!