Travel and procurement shared services to start in January
November 11, 2020
— by Nickole Conley, executive officer
Shared services have been discussed for several years, and we are now at the point
of implementation for an initial launch. It’s clear from the conversations being had
and the feedback received that UAF is eager to see something, and soon. With three
potential shared services — travel, procurement and proposal development — we are
moving travel and procurement forward with a projected start date of January 2021.
Procurement shared services and processing will be overseen by Kellie Fritize, Facilities
Services executive officer. This is an expansion of the existing and robust procurement
Facilities Services already does via the warehousing operation, which supports all
UAF campuses. This service will be provided as an opt-in model and can be used whenever
you need it — it's up to you and your unit’s needs as part of a network of support
for critical functions.
The procurement process does have a cost, which is based on the type of commodity
or service you are requesting and the dollar value. Pro card and Banner entry services
will be available. Facilities Services is already set up to provide this service within
its own units, and with the expansion to the rest of the university, a website is
being developed to guide users through the process of submitting a request. Upon completion
of the website, a Cornerstone announcement will go out along with emails through the
applicable listservs notifying all users of the new web presence and process details.
We will also be transitioning to a Travel Customer Service Office to support all of
your travel needs from start to finish. This office will be required for all Troth
Yeddha’ campus units. An exception will exist for grant-funded positions, the College
of Rural and Community Development, and the Community Technical College. If you support
a staff member 100% from a grant or restricted contract(s) to process travel requests,
they will remain in their current unit but work closely with the TCSO to ensure they
have the training, support and tools they need to service customers on those grants
and contracts.
With the TCSO planned to open in January, a recruitment will be posted for a travel
manager late this week or early next week. This position will lead the office and
work under the direction of Associate Vice Chancellor Amanda Wall. Vice Chancellor
Julie Queen and I will also help with transition planning efforts and will continue
engaging stakeholders for input and validation of staffing information. We’ll also
discuss with stakeholders which positions may be impacted and how to transition effectively
and successfully into a new model.
The major benefit of shared services is building a network when many resources spread
across UAF are very thin, especially in some critical processing areas like procurement
and travel. This allows for efficiencies in the current process and will be informed
by those who do the work as we build on our network of experts, adding strength and
backup in areas that provide services.