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Service Plan

Executive Summary - 1.1 Principle Objectives for 2007/08

The principal objective is to maintain the high level of service that the area provides, enhance areas where the need exists and ensure the service is fit for purpose for the period to 2010. The service has 3 distinctive areas and the Service Plan is presented as such. The over-arching theme of ‘Creating capacity for the future’ is reflected in how the service functions its main areas of involvement with student recruitment, enrolment, registration and collection of fees; stewardship, procurement; and budgeting and long term financial planning and analysis. We believe that we have exhausted our ability to raise funds from the sale of surplus assets and should not finance further development and investment through loan financing but we should generate through effective planning the financial capacity to meet future demands. Financial Services believes it can influence, assist and deliver to this agenda.

Financial Accounting

1. Review and continue to enhance UEL –Direct
2. Develop further the Bursary schemes with a view to aid retention and progression
3. Work with IT services, develop ideas and possibly introduce new cards that lead to a cashless campus
4. Develop systems for student residences payment options to better aid collection, the student experience etc.
5. Development of options and initial possible implementation of a new finance system
6. Explore options to encourage more of our students to complete their registration with us during the summer rather than the first few weeks of semester A. This process has an extra challenge with the re-introduction of late summer re-assessment. We would also like to find ways of ensuring that our students have applied to the SLC for loan/grant funding in advance of their arrival.

Management Accounting

• In partnership continue to develop and maintain the commitment accounting function and use by budget holders.
• Develop the capacity to provide long term financial planning and analysis to better aid planning for Schools and Services. This can only be achieved through a closer involvement with Strategic Planning and additional resource in financial analysis.
• Develop the management accounting reporting function to better aid analysis. This should be achievable with the addition of the recent management accounting resource. This will also release the head of management accounting as provided for in last year’s plan.

Procurement

Priority	Objective
High	Implement e invoicing
	To bring the influence of professional procurement to more of our non pay spend
	To continue to develop our lead buyers
	To find further uses for our purchase cards and develop ‘links’ to the finance system
	To award our new cleaning contract
	To investigate ways in which our procurement strategy can have a positive impact on our local community and the re generation agenda
Medium	Further develop electronic orders and the Commitment Accounting System
	To get agreed and publish a sustainable procurement plan and strategy
	To establish regular communication channels with our customers
	Review, and improve and re-launch the Procurement web pages
Low	To consider links with other non HE public sector bodies with a view to forming an opinion on the possibility of collaborative procurement partnerships
	To achieve a recognised quality standard for our procurement service

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© 2007