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Appendix 3: Merger Proposal - Corporate Services
Merger Proposal Document - Corporate Services
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3.5. The merger will offer an opportunity to better deploy staff and thereby
improving service provision to students, staff and other stakeholders. For
example, this greater staffing resource will assist in improving the debt
collection cycle. The rationalisation of some areas of service provision will allow
resources to be reinvested in college-wide improvements.
3.6. The merger will present an opportunity to drive forward the wider use of
electronic document management systems, which will reduce the flow of hard
copy paper documents, processing time and storage requirements.
3.7. The new College will have greater resources available to assist with the
introduction and support of electronic procurement services and also better
manage the services offered by APUC.
3.8. The merger will present an opportunity to achieve improved functionality across
a range of finance and other related systems, which will benefit in terms:
• Enhanced financial reporting (PORTAL);
• Improved data access for budget managers;
• Improved utilisation of electronic transfer of information - orders, invoices,
payments, reporting (EBIS, Infolaunch, and Cash Office);
• Greater integration and use of staffing data from HR system (single
integrated HR & Payroll system with finance interface);
• Reduced transaction costs by improved use of electronic data transfer, and
reduced transaction processing time; and
• Greater use of BACS payments to suppliers with emailed remittances rather
than paper based transactions.
• The merged College will have a Finance team that will be better able to
cope with incidences of sick leave/turnover and other absences
Merger Challenges
3.9. The merger of the three colleges will have a significant and immediate impact
on the work of the finance function. The significant challenges are noted below.
Computerised Financial System
3.10. The existing colleges use different computerised financial systems. These
systems will, therefore, need to be integrated. The aim is to have a single
accounting system from the point of merger. Depending, however, on the
availability of resources it might be necessary to continue with separate
financial systems during 2010-11 with the introduction of an integrated system
by 1st
August 2011 at the latest.
3.11. It will be necessary to employ some temporary accounting staff during the
merger process to assist with the integration of the financial systems and/or
release existing staff from other operational issues. Systems training including