BSC Solution Source Newsletter - February 2014

In this issue:

• Procurement Services:
  • Introducing the BSC Travel Advisory Group
  • Travel Training Session Now Online
• Payroll:
  • Annual W-2 Forms Issued
  • Institutions, Employees Realizing Benefits from Direct Deposit
  • Payroll Reminders, Deadlines, & Dates
• BSC Notes:
  • Employees Encouraged to Provide BSC Website Feedback
  • ePAR Training Dates

Procurement Services

Introducing the BSC Travel Advisory Group

The UNT System Business Service Center (BSC), in cooperation with staff at UNT System campuses, has established a Travel Advisory Group (TAG). The group was formed to exchange ideas and develop solutions to help all UNT System institutions meet their event and travel needs.

The TAG will assist the BSC in formulating travel programs and policy to help campuses maintain compliance, mitigate risk, and save money. Simply stated, the group was formed to maintain an open dialogue between campuses and the BSC about travel and event needs of member institutions and how to meet those needs.

Current TAG members include:

The group will serve as the catalyst to review existing travel policies, processes, and procedures for UNT System, and address needed change to incorporate industry best practices – where appropriate – for government travel. The group will provide an opportunity for TAG members to offer their recommendations for improvement to the travel program. Those serving should be familiar with the current program, whether a frequent or infrequent user. Currently the TAG is scheduled to meet quarterly to discuss travel related topics.

The TAG is not designed to be a decision making group. Instead, recommendations made to the BSC are reviewed and discussed for presentation to the BSC Operations Committee for approval, as appropriate. UNT System employees wanting to participate in the TAG are encouraged to contact the BSC at 940-369-5500, toll free to 855-868-4357, or via email to bsc@untsystem.edu.

Travel Refresher Training Session Now Online

The UNT System Business Service Center offered travel refresher training in the months of December and January, and a recording of the training is now available online at http://bsc.untsystem.edu/travel-information.

Travel team representatives introduced the new Travel Budget Authorization (TBA) form and discussed its use. The form is a standard form used by all member institutions and requires supervisory, DeptID/ProjID holder, and Research Services/Grants approvals on the form prior to travel. As of January 1, 2014, the TBA form is required to be submitted with all travel voucher reimbursement documents.

Training also included:

• Travel Overview and Roles
• Forms - New Travel Request Form
• Reimbursable expenses
• Corporate Travel Planners (CTP)
• Other issues

As noted above, CTP and the use of the Concur online travel booking tool was discussed in more detail.

Access the recorded travel refresher training session online, as well as the full UNT System Travel Guide, online at http://bsc.untsystem.edu/travel-information#travel-guide.

BSC Hosts Regional Purchasing Group Meeting

The BSC hosted a meeting of the North Texas Chapter of the Texas Universities HUB Coordinators Alliance (TUHCA) January 29. Pictured is Shelly Dietderich, Human Resources Consultant with UNT System HR, who delivered a presentation to the group regarding Workplace Negativity.

Learn more about TUHCA online at http://www.tuhca.org/north_northeast_pages/members.html.

Payroll

Annual W-2 Forms Issued

Annual Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statements have been issued to all employees at UNT System institutions.

Employees can view an online copy, or to print a copy of the Form W-2, 24-hours per day by consenting to receive the electronic form in EIS. Learn how to sign up to receive the W-2 electronically by accessing https://bsc.untsystem.edu/payroll-resources.

The BSC has provided descriptions for the information provided in each box of the Form W-2 online at https://bsc.untsystem.edu/2013-w-2-form-descriptions-0. Employees with other questions regarding the W-2 may contact the BSC at 940-369-5500, toll free to 855-868-4357, or via email to bsc@untsystem.edu.

Institutions, Employees Realizing Benefits from Direct Deposit

According to BSC Payroll, processing of employee paychecks and vendor payments via direct deposit has increased to 93 percent, up from approximately 77 percent three years ago.

Did you know that printing paper checks costs institutions in the UNT System more than $3,000 per pay period? Other benefits of receiving the monthly paycheck via direct deposit include:

• Time needed to mail payment is eliminated.
• No risk associated with sending checks through the U. S. Postal Service.
• Eliminates the inconvenience of having to schedule time to deposit a physical check at the bank.

Direct deposit to the employee’s bank account is the preferred method for disbursement of payroll checks. For employees who have not yet signed up for direct deposit, the process is simple in Employee Self Service. For the complete list of instructions, access http://bsc.untsystem.edu/payroll-resources. Also, establishing an additional direct deposit authorization is a simple process in EIS. For complete instructions, access the Payroll Resources link.

Payroll Reminders, Deadlines for February

Employees who are paid semi-monthly at all UNT System institutions will be paid on Tuesday, February 18, 2014.

February 15, 2014, is on a Saturday and under normal circumstances, the first working day after a weekend is a pay day. President’s Day, which is a Federal Reserve (banking) holiday, is Monday, February 17, 2014. Therefore, the state-mandated pay date is Tuesday, February 18, 2014.

Also, payroll deadlines for February, March and April are posted online at http://bsc.untsystem.edu/payroll_deadlines.

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BSC Notes

ePAR Training Dates

The BSC will be conducting training on the electronic Payroll Action Process (ePAR) during the below dates and times:

• Monday, February 17:
  • UNT System Business Service Center
    9-11 a.m., Room 4202A

• Monday, February 24:
  • UNT Health Science Center
    9:30-10:30 a.m., EAD291

• Thursday, February 27:
  • UNT Dallas
    10 a.m.-12 p.m., Bldg 1, Rm 274

All ePAR training courses require registration through EIS. For questions regarding the training sessions, contact the BSC at 940-369-5500, toll free to 855-868-4357, or via email to bsc@untsystem.edu.

Answers to the most frequently asked questions regarding ePAR can be found online at http://bsc.untsystem.edu/epar.

Employees Encouraged to Provide BSC Website Feedback

In an effort to improve search functionality for the BSC website at http://bsc.untsystem.edu, the BSC is requesting help from regular users. Please take a few minutes to answer the questions below and send your answers to cyrus.haskell@untsystem.edu.

• What online forms or pages do you often use on the site?
• What terms or keywords do you use when searching and expect to find these pages or forms?
• Which forms or pages have you had difficulty locating on the BSC website site in the past?

After collecting new terms that users associate with pages, we will add keywords to these pages to help similar users find what they are looking for in the future.

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