Streamlined banking newsletter [Dec. 2006 (Issue 5)]

Streamlined Banking Newsletter

December 2006 Issue 5
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1 Important Dates to
Remember
1 Spotlight: Streamlined
Banking Pilot Agencies
5 Transition Session 3
Q&A's
8 Highlighted SB Team
Members of the Month
9 Upcoming Events 10 Take a peek at
Transition 3 Participants
12 We Need Your Help! 12 Glossary of Terms 13 Contact Us
See Transition Session 3 Questions and Answers
on page 5

SLBFeedback@sao.ga.gov sao.georgia.gov 404.656.2133
Important Dates to Remember
Date Change *
Transition Session #4 - January 11, 2007 * Transition Session #5 February 8, 2007* Transition Session #6 March 8, 2007*
Dates are subject to change
Spotlight: Streamlined Banking Pilot Agencies
In the next few issues of the newsletter, we will be highlighting the Streamlined Banking Pilot agencies.
Our pilot agencies include:
Department of Administrative Services Department of Banking & Finance Department of Audits & Accounts Office of Treasury & Fiscal Services State Board of Pardons & Paroles State Accounting Office.
In this issue we are highlighting the Department of Administrative Services and the Department of Audits and Accounts. We are very grateful for their participation in this very important project. We couldn't do what we do without you! Thanks to all of our pilot agencies!

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Streamlined Banking Newsletter

Spotlight: Streamlined Banking Pilot Agencies (continued)
Department of Administrative Services

Department of Administrative Services (DOAS) product and service offerings include Risk Management Services, Purchasing Services, Fleet Management, Document Services and Surplus Property.
DOAS obtains its products and services through partnerships with a diverse group of private sector businesses, while working to ensure all vendors have equal access to contract opportunities. Volume buying and competitive bidding procedures result in significant cost savings. These savings enable state government to operate cost effectively by reducing the expense of providing services to the citizens of Georgia.
Roles and Responsibilities:
o The Department of Administrative Services (DOAS) provides business solutions for state and local governments. DOAS' product and service offerings encompass a broad spectrum that includes purchasing, risk management, fleet support services, surplus property, mail and courier, and rapid copy services.
o DOAS strives to meet the business needs of its customers while providing the highest level of customer service in a rapidly changing state government.
DOAS SERVICES
o State Purchasing is responsible for procuring a wide range of commodities and services for state government. Purchasing negotiates statewide contracts for the benefit of state and local governments and offers technical assistance in conducting and assessing competitive bids. Purchasing provides cost reduction through aggregation of purchasing demand, competitive procurement, efficient purchasing systems, standards, specifications, and practices. Furthermore, Purchasing promotes fair and equitable business opportunities among vendors and strives to ensure the availability of high quality goods and services to state and local governments at the lowest possible price.
o Risk Management directs the State's internal workers' compensation, liability, property, and unemployment insurance programs and also manages the Georgia State Indemnification, Teacher's Indemnification, and Educator's Professional Liability programs.
o Risk Management oversees the claims administration process and assists state entities in identifying unique loss exposures and developing strategies to reduce the cost of risk associated with individual business operations. Through these efforts, Risk Management Services assures responsive stewardship of state funds and the protection of state assets.
o Fleet Support Services, in conjunction with the Office of Planning and Budget, regulates state government's motor vehicle fleet management functions to ensure efficient and cost-effective fleet operations and to minimize the life-cycle costs associated with vehicle ownership. Fleet Support Services provides state government with guidance on vehicle purchases, assignment, usage, maintenance, operation, and disposal. Fleet Support Services also provides an economical and convenient transportation alternative for state employees traveling on official business through a daily vehicle rental program for state entities in the Metro Atlanta area.

Streamlined Banking Newsletter

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Spotlight: Streamlined Banking Pilot Agencies (continued)

o Surplus Property is responsible for redistribution of state and federal surplus personal property to state and local governments, eligible non-profits, and to the public. Redistribution through sales to the public is accomplished through internet sales service providers and through fixed price "stores" located at each service center. Surplus Property centers are located in Tucker (Atlanta), Americus, and Swainsboro. Surplus Property also provides assistance to state and local governments with the disposal of personal property.
o Document Services provides mail, courier, and rapid copy services to state government within MetroAtlanta. Document Services operates an interoffice mail delivery network, delivers mail to state entities, manages two U.S. Post Offices on Capitol Hill, and provides photocopying services to state government. It provides convenient, efficient, and cost-effective services to customers in their day-to-day business activities.
DOAS is located at:
Department of Administrative Services 200 Piedmont Avenue, Suite 1804, West Tower
Atlanta, Georgia 30334-9010 Phone: 404-656-5514 Fax: 404-651-9595

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Streamlined Banking Newsletter

Spotlight: Streamlined Banking Pilot Agencies (continued)

Department of Audits and Accounts

The Department of Audits and Accounts exists to provide decision-makers with credible management information to promote improvements in accountability and stewardship in state and local government.

Major offices and divisions include: Administrative Division, Education Audit Division, Healthcare Audits Division, Information Systems Audit and Assurance Services Division, Information Technology Division, Nonprofit and Local Government Audits Division, Performance Audit Operations Division, the Sales Ratio Division, and State Government Division.

DOA is located at:

Department of Audits & Accounts 270 Washington Street
Atlanta, Georgia 30334-8400 Phone: 404-656-2180 Fax: 404-657-5538

SAO Fiscal Leadership for Georgia

Streamlined Banking Newsletter
Transition Session 3 Questions and Answers

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Q: Will agencies need to submit the Banking Supplies Order Form to SAO for local accounts? A: No, SAO is only responsible for the main depository and disbursement accounts. Agencies will work with their local accounts as they do today.
Q: Does the "vendor address" on the Control Group Register mean the same as "payment address"? A: Yes.
Q: Will agencies receive check copies? A: No. Agencies will no longer receive a paper copy of checks that they currently use to file invoices and documentation.
Q: Is it mandatory that agencies use Control Groups? A: Not at this time. However, agencies will no longer have physical checks to verify payments for correctness. The Control Group will allow an error to be seen before the check is processed rather than after.
Q: When is the Control Group Report created? A: It is a crystal report and can be pulled anytime after the Control Group is completed.
Q: Why should we use a Control Group? A: Today you have access to the actual checks to verify against the invoice or other documents before they are sent out. In the future you will not see the checks as they will be sent from SAO. Agencies will need to adopt a new business process to verify checks and voucher information prior to the check being printed and mailed.
Q: If you have one item rejected in the budget check process, will it reject the whole Control Group? A: If you post your group using post individually, only the one item that is rejected will not post. The rest of the Control Group will post. However if you select the group button, all items will be rejected.
Q: If a check in the Control Group doesn't clear budget check, will it be on the Control Group report? A: The Control Group report contains the data keyed for every voucher in the control group. Budget checking data will not show here. If you reprint the report, it should still show every voucher that was included in the Control Group. User can use the Payable Due Proof report to see budget checked information.
Q: What does "AG" mean for the Handling Code? A: It means "Return to Agency".
Q: What is the turnaround time for a stop pay, void, or reissue since the process will go through SAO? A: The Policy and Procedures are being developed and we will communicate turn-around times when Policy and Procedures have been completed. However, SAO will implement a rapid turn around to ensure that productivity is not compromised.
Q: If SAO is handling stop payments, will they still appear on the agencies' books? A: Yes.
Q: If you have documentation that needs to go with the check, can you still get the check sent back to the agency for further processing? A: Yes, we will allow special handling codes to be used for this purpose, but will continue to monitor to ensure that the bulk of the AP checks are sent directly to the vendors. Additionally, you may also send out documentation separately from the check and notate that the check will be arriving at a later date. SAO is encouraging the use of ACH (electronic) payment to vendors when appropriate.

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Streamlined Banking Newsletter

Transition Session 3 Questions and Answers (continued)

Q: If we submit a request for a check copy to SAO, how long will it take to get the copy? A: The Service Level has not been determined for all of the services SAO will provide, but as soon as the Service Level is determined, we will communicate this to the agencies. However, we anticipate that check images will be electronically sent to agency within 1-3 hours.
Q: What is the plan for Federal funds that cannot be escheated? A: Agencies will monitor this on a monthly basis by reviewing the monthly aging report. If they have outstanding items in the 180+ day grouping, they will need to identify those items that cannot be escheated such as federal or trust funds and notify SAO not to escheat those items. Agencies will be responsible for initiating void/reissue to clear the items.
Q: How will HCM-related agency payments be handled if they do not have treasury accounts? A: Most payments will be made using EFT technology, but some will continue to be paid by check.
Q: Will garnishments be handled automatically? A: No. Agencies will continue to handle the paperwork and manage the garnishment process as they do today. Payments will be disbursed from the central disbursement account and forwarded to the agency for the necessary documentation.
Q: What is the planned date for customer consolidation? A: The date for the customer consolidation has not been determined. Agencies are encouraged to continue with the data clean up until a date can be announced. Agencies that cannot complete the data clean up prior to conversion will have system generated numbers assigned to the affected customers. Further communication will be sent out shortly.
Q: How will agencies be able to make credit card deposits to PeopleSoft on the same day as the deposit when it takes 2-3 days for the deposits to settle and reconcile? A: Agencies that receive large batches of credit cards payments will be evaluated on an agency basis to determine the best solution for that agency. SAO is currently developing business processes to handle credit card collections.
Q: Some agencies receive payments through ACH. What means of notification by SAO to the agency that the funds have come in? A: The funds will come in on the agency depository account that the agency will reconcile daily. This account will get a daily BAI electronic feed of all transactions and it will be imported into PeopleSoft every morning. Agencies will be able to identify payments at that time. There may be a day lag before the agency gets this transaction into PeopleSoft so you may carry a reconciling exception for one day.
Q: How will the payments through ARIS be identified? A: There is no change. Agencies will still be required to send a query.
Q: Will the agency name be on the check and if so, where will it be? A: Yes. The agency name will be at the top left of the State of Georgia address on the check.
Q: How will we inquire on the status of a check if we no longer have access to the bank proprietary system? A: You will be able to view the check status on the Payment Inquiry page on PeopleSoft. You will see if the check has been reconciled (cashed by the bank), escheated, or if it is still outstanding.

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Transition Session 3 Questions and Answers (continued)

Q: Will agencies still need to submit a report on travel per diem and payroll expenses to SAO annually for the CAFR reporting? A: Agencies do not submit this information to SAO; this information is submitted to Audits for reports they are required to produce annually. SAO facilitates the submission of this data through an extract of PeopleSoft information (with processes in place to allow agencies to make adjustments, as necessary). The statute outlining this reporting requirement by Audits has not changed; therefore, this information will still need to be submitted annually.

Q: How will agencies get the information needed to set up their agencies for EFTPS payment through SAO? A: SAO will provide the account numbers to the agency and the agency can add a new account to their current EFTPS profile. They will continue to use the old profile until they switch to the new SLB account. At that time they can delete the old account number from the profile. It is recommended that if you have an existing ID, you will need to allow a 6 week lead time and if you don't have an ID at all, you may need a two month lead time.

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Streamlined Banking Newsletter

Highlighted SB Team Members of the Month

William (Will) Turner is the Executive Project Director of the Streamlined Banking Project. Will has ten years managing various PeopleSoft projects. His last project was with the Southern Ute Indian Tribe in Durango, CO. Prior to that he has worked with well known financial companies such as the NASDAQ Corp., International Monetary Funds, and other financial and public sector organizations.
Will has degrees in Accounting and Business Administration.
In his spare time he works with Georgia Alliance for Children, Big Brothers, Big Sisters and Project One Junior Golf Academy.

Donna Bowman is the accounting director at the Office of Treasury and Fiscal Services (OTFS). She has been with OTFS for eight years. In that time, she has also served as a cash management analyst and as the accounting manager. Prior to joining OTFS, she had three years of experience at the Department of Audits and one year at Department of Corrections.
Donna earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Georgia Southern University and is a member of the Georgia Fiscal Management Council.
Donna enjoys shopping, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Natalie Redding joined OTFS staff in July as an Accountant assisting in the Implementation of Streamlined Banking. She has been involved with the Streamlined Banking Project since January.
Natalie has eight years of state government experience. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Georgia Southern University and is a member of the Georgia Fiscal Management Council.
Natalie enjoys spending her free time shopping, cooking and traveling.

Streamlined Banking Newsletter
Upcoming Events! Make your reservation today!
Transition Sessions

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The Transition Sessions will disseminate important information to Leadership, Key Users and Production Support concerning the Streamlined Banking Project and the transition activities ahead.

Session
Transition Session # 4:
Overview of Accounting Process, General Ledger and Commitment Control

Course Description and Modules
This session provides an overview of accounting entries as affected by Streamlined Banking, General Ledger and Commitment Control. Also to be discussed:
Contingency Planning Clean-Up Needed Agency Readiness Task list review Upcoming Sessions Policy
o CM Bank Distribution o CM Bank Settlement o CM Escheatment

Planned Date
January 11, 2007

Time 9am - 11am

Location Course #

200 Piedmont Ave, Suite 1514 A&B, West Tower

407FR01

Session #
0004

Transition

TBD

Session #5:

Ready for GoLive

February 8, 9am 11am 200 Piedmont 407FR01

005

2007

Ave, Suite 1514

A&B, West

Tower

Transition

TBD

Session #6

Pre Go-Live Session

March 8,

9am 11am 200 Piedmont 407FR01

006

2007

Ave, Suite 1514

A&B, West

Tower

Have your Agency Training Coordinator sign you up today! If your agency has no training coordinator or the session is full, please email SLBFeedback@sao.ga.gov and someone will register you for the session number listed above. Please be sure to have you employee ID number, phone number, and email address ready.

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Streamlined Banking Newsletter

Take a

Peek at Transition Session #3 participants!

Jeremie Peterkin begins the presentation Transition Session # 3

Jeremie Peterkin continues the presentation

Streamlined Banking Newsletter

Page 11

Take a

Peek at Transition Session #3 participants!

Agency participants pay close attention to the presentation Agency participants pay close attention to the presentation

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Streamlined Banking Newsletter

We Need Your Help!
The Streamlined Banking Team Needs Your Help!!!!!! In order for us to create training that is helpful and understood we need your feedback. Please take the time to fill out our Transition Session Online Surveys.
Transition Session #3 November 14, 2006 Feedback Survey
Your feedback is important to us and will allow us to create training that will be beneficial to you as the end-user.

Glossary of Terms
AG - Return to Agency
EFTPS - Electronic Federal Tax Payment System
CIB Cash In Bank
Investment Fund - an investment fund as it relates to the State of Georgia would be funds that are invested in one of the two AAA rated funds managed by OTFS. These pools are Georgia Fund 1 and Georgia Extended Asset Pool.
Vendor Address - means the same as "payment address" on the Control Group Register.

Streamlined Banking Newsletter
Contact Us! Give Us Your Input!

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For more information on the Streamlined Banking Project or comments/ questions about the Project Newsletter, contact the communications team at:
SLBFeedback@sao.ga.gov
Additional information can also be found at the SAO Website by clicking on the Streamlined Banking link:
http://sao.georgia.gov
State Accounting Office Statewide Accounting 200 Piedmont Ave., Suite 1604, West Tower
Atlanta, GA. 30334 - Phone: 404-656-2133 - Fax: 404-463-5089