Grant and Contract Accounting Reorganization
by
John Cady
Over the past few years, we have heard with increasing frequency a common message from our customers in the research departments:
“I don’t know who to call at GCA to get the work done. If I call about a new account, I get one person. If I call about closing a budget, I have to call someone else. If I just have a general question, I don’t know who to call.”
We understand that it is hard to give good customer service if the customer cannot find someone to ask.
A primary goal of our upcoming reorganization is to give our customers better service by giving them a single point of contact to answer any question throughout the life a grant – a one-stop team they can count on to answer questions and get the job done.
So here are answers to your questions:
When is the GCA reorganization going to happen?
January 2005– We will be in our new teams and new desks supporting schools and colleges using our new JD Edwards Receivables System.
How will the GCA Reorganization affect other Financial Management process partners?
Payroll
• New budget numbers – The job of assigning new budget numbers will be decentralized. Current members of the New Accounts section will be assigned to one of the six new teams. Each of the teams will set up budgets, or make changes to existing ones based upon receipt of notification forms from Grant & Contract Services.
• Salary Transfer JVs - Status changes on budgets will be done by a member of one of the six new teams. If you know the organization code of the budget, then you will be able to find the team to talk to.
Financial Accounting
• General Ledger inquiries and reports will continue to come from a separate section. No major changes are anticipated.
Financial Services
• Cash receipts and wire payments will stay in a separate section.
• Budget status changes (from 3 to 1) which allow transactions to post to FIN will be performed by one of the six new teams. We will have a clear web-based directory of which school/college is assigned to which team. You will need to know the organization code which is available on FIN screen 4 (the budget number index).
• Expenditure Transfer JVs (RTEs) will continue to be processed by one person. EIO will continue to work primarily with that person.
Internal Audit
• Inquiries about grant and contract budgets will continue to involve first contact with the Director of GCA, Tami Sadusky. With small customer service teams dedicated to specific schools, there may be the opportunity for focused service and compliance education.
Student Fiscal Services
• Cash Application. No change to the current organization is anticipated. Cash applications will be handled just as they are currently in a separate section.
Treasury
• Cash and interest accrual questions. No change to the current organization is anticipated. Cash applications will be handled just as they are currently a separate section.
It's a busy time for GCA as we prepare for both a major reorganization and for the transition to a major new software system. We're excited about the opportunities. And most of all, we hope that all of the changes will be good for our customers – the research faculty, administrators, and support staff.
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