Business Transactions in H&S Academic Departments and Programs

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Business Transactions in H&S Academic Departments and Programs

Note: Financial Services provides user guides for each of these procedures: 

EZPay
Purchases of goods or services $500 and less (excluding faculty/student travel expenses) can be handled directly by the department assistant through Parnassus. Copies of documentation for EZPays should be forwarded to Cheryl Neville in the H&S Dean’s office for account verification purposes.

iProcurement
Procurement of goods or services over $500 (excluding faculty/student travel expenses) is handled by the H&S Dean’s office. Department assistants should send requests for items to be processed directly to Cheryl Neville in the H&S Dean’s office, using the H&S Procurement Request form, and attaching:

• the original invoice or other documentation (such as memo describing services, or documentation of quotes for purchase of equipment)
• a completed New Supplier Request Form (if applicable)
• a completed W-9 form for payment for professional services

The H&S Procurement Request form requires the following information:

• Name and department/program of requester
• Description of the program or reason for the purchase if it is not explicit on the invoice/documentation (for example: visiting lecturer honorarium, bill for advertising for visiting lecturer, supplies/supplies for Prof. X research grant)
• Name of vendor or payee.
• Account number for purchase, or name of funding source (e.g., Provost’s office, NSF grant).

Exceptions: Lab Coordinators, the Program Assistant in Education, and the Operations Manager for Theatre process iProcurement requests in Parnassus directly. These staff members should send copies of documentation to the Dean’s office as soon as the Requisition number has been assigned, for approval and auditing purposes. Be sure to include, either on the invoice or in the iProcurement request in Parnassus, information about the account to be charged for the purchase.

Closing out Pro Card Transactions & Processing Pro Card Statements:
Department assistants close out their own pro-card transactions in Parnassus, and also pro-card transactions for any faculty in their departments who have pro-cards. Original receipts are required for this transaction. Once closed out, department assistants forward pro-card statements with the original receipts attached to Cheryl Neville in the H&S Dean’s office for review. These documents are then retained in the Dean’s office for auditing purposes.

Closing out Corporate Card Transactions & Processing Corporate Card Statements:
All corporate card transactions are closed out in Parnassus by the H&S Dean’s Office. Department assistants should forward to Cheryl Neville all corporate card statements, signed by the Traveler and the Chair, with the original receipts attached. This documentation is retained in the Dean’s office for auditing purposes.

Travel Expense Reports:
Travel expense reports by faculty or students associated with an academic department are collected and reviewed for completeness by the department administrative assistant, regardless of the reason for the trip. An exception is travel for programs through the Education Department; these expense reports are collected and reviewed by the Education Department Program Assistant.

Department assistants will verify the following:
1. All fields are properly filled in on the Travel Expense Report Form.

2. The source of funding is clearly indicated on the Travel Expense Report Form (e.g., H&S faculty professional development, Provost’s office grant, Educational Grant Initiative, department travel, faculty recruitment; name of funding source should be entered on the form rather than an account number).

3. Receipts for all expenses recorded on the expense report are present.

4. The receipts included are prepared properly, as follows {These are changes from 08-09}:

• receipts should be taped (not stapled) to an 8½ x 11 sheet of paper, and organized by payment type (i.e., group together receipts “Paid by Traveler” and “Paid by IC” separately);
• receipts include not only credit card receipts but vendor receipts that itemize the purchases;
• faculty members will provide original receipts for all expenses

The department assistant will photocopy corporate card receipts, attach copies to the expense report, and retain the original receipts until the travel card statement comes in.

5. The Travel Expense Report Form has been signed by Traveler and Department Chairperson.

Once the department assistant has verified that all items above are complete, the Travel Expense Report Form with all required documentation should be forwarded to Cheryl Neville in the H&S Dean’s office for approval and processing. Please review and send Travel Expense Report Forms to the Dean’s office within 3-5 days after you receive them from faculty members. If you anticipate being unable to turn the form around in a timely manner, please contact Cheryl immediately. Note that it takes another 3-5 days for processing in the Dean’s office, before Travel Services will process a reimbursement. The Dean’s office provides detailed instructions for completing Travel Authorization Forms and Travel Expense Report Forms. Additional information on College travel policies and procedures can be found at the travel services website.

Note: As with any complex business systems, there are always exceptions to the rule, and special situations that don’t fit neatly into established procedures. Please contact Cheryl Neville in the Dean’s Office (607-274-3102) with any questions and/or for recommendations about how to handle unusual transactions.