In collaboration with our business partners in IT, Contracts & Grants Accounting (CGA) is implementing a multi-year project to update and improve invoicing and billing processes at UCSF. The first two phases of the project focused on streamlining CGA processes to reduce or eliminate manual and repetitive actions. We recently launched a third project phase focused on standardizing the sponsored project billing request process that campus departments initiate. Departments most commonly initiate invoicing for fixed price awards, including clinical trials, where the invoicing process requires communication and the exchange of information with CGA.
This project phase has three objectives:
- Build a framework for initiating fixed price billing requests currently managed offline
- Create visibility into the status of the requests and develop tracking/productivity metrics
- Leverage existing RAS award data to expedite the process and reduce errors
During design and development, we identified two additional capabilities for the request framework beyond initiating fixed price billing: requesting an additional project for an existing award and requesting an edit to an existing project. We will continue to explore other applications of the framework during the project and after rollout.
CGA is seeking feedback from our campus partners to plan for rolling out this new functionality. We are looking for approximately ten volunteers from across the control points who currently have a role in their department’s sponsored project fixed price invoicing request process. We anticipate the time commitment to be minimal; volunteers will participate in two meetings, review system features, and provide feedback. If interested, please email [email protected] by August 10 and mention the Department Communication project.
We will share additional project updates in future Newsletters and at the Research Administration Town Hall on September 23.