CFOB Newsletters

CFOBrief. Not just a number.

May 2019 Edition

  1. Archives
  2. Submit an article

  Programme Management Update!

As an organisation undertaking major transformational change to achieve many of its business objectives, ESDC has taken significant steps to improve the delivery of complex change by adopting a Programme Management approach. [Continue reading Programme Management Update!...]

  Flight Pass Restrictions

The purpose of this message is to update you on a minor amendment to the Departmental Travel Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures (THCEE) Policy(216 KB) (section 4.3.4 & definition). This adjustment is a direct result of recent monitoring and a risk-based assessment. Specifically, the use and/or purchase of flight passes are not permitted within ESDC for the following reasons:

  • Inability to track usage making monitoring challenging and costly;
  • Difficulty in demonstrating cost savings;
  • Selection of flights is limited and may not meet business needs;
  • Increased risk of misuse, which leads to Internal Control risks;
  • Flight passes are valid for a specific period of time, which increases risk of expiry and use for non-critical travel as a means of avoiding expiry;
  • In the name of individual, not the department, so it cannot be transferred if and when an employee leaves the department;
  • Previous government study recommended against the use of flight passes.

[Continue reading Flight Pass Restrictions...]

 Special Case of Relocations

The National Relocation Office (NRO), under the Chief Financial Officer Branch (CFOB), has observed a significant increase in cases of non compliance with the Relocation Directive by sub delegated managers; i.e. 3 cases in 2017-2018 vs. 22 cases in 2018-2019. In most cases, non compliance with the Directive prevents the opening of a file with the federal government's relocation service provider (Brookfield General Relocation Services/BGRS). However, when it has been determined that fault is partly attributable to the employer, the Department's HR group (Labour Relations) recommends proceeding with reimbursement of the expenses incurred. [Continue reading Special Case of Relocations...]

  Managers' Corner

P3 forecasting exercise is just around the corner… Forecasts are useful to your financial advisors, and to you too!

Stay tuned! If not done already, your Financial Management Advisory team will reach out soon to communicate branches' specific internal deadlines and requirements for the P3 forecasting exercise.

What can you do to make facilitate forecasting exercises and, who knows, even enjoy them?

  • Decisions: Remind yourself that timely and accurate forecasting drives informed departmental financial management decision making.
  • Salary: Ensure that the Salary Forecasting Tool (SFT) is always up-to-date and that planned staffing is realistic and reflective of actual plans.
  • Any expense: Plan ahead for all non-salary expenses and timely input them in the non-salary forecasting tool.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your FMA from CFOB.

  myEMS (SAP): Access to Training & User Role Provisioning Update

The myEMS (SAP) team is continually reviewing end user feedback and internal processes to proactively provide forward-looking solutions.

Based on this review, during the Spring of 2019, the myEMS CoE team will migrate all training material to Saba, the departmental Learning Management System (LMS).

Benefits for you: All the training to receive the access to myEMS (SAP) will now be in one central curriculum-based and traceable location.

To ensure a smooth transition, please note:

  • You will not be able to register for any myEMS (SAP) in-class or eLearning training sessions in Saba after April 23rd.
  • All myEMS (SAP) eLearning courses that you have already started must be completed and have successfully passed the assessment(s) by April 25th.
  • All myEMS (SAP) training will be unavailable on April 29th.
  • All myEMS (SAP) training will be available in Saba on April 30th.

The myEMS (SAP) iService page will be updated on Tuesday, April 30th to direct learners accordingly.

To see a more in-depth overview of the changes please see our Access to myEMS (SAP) Overview presentation.

If you encounter any issues or notice any discrepancies in your Saba account, please submit an NSD ticket and select "Saba [ILMS Saba]" in the first field (What product/system/application do you need help with)".

SAP Centre of Expertise

Employment and Social Development Canada / Government of Canada

  Payment on Due Date

Did you know that the Treasury Board of Canada has established as a service standard that 95% of our payments must be made before the due date?

Indeed, the Directive on Payments requires that payments to suppliers are to be made within 30 days after receipt of the invoice and acceptance of the goods or services. Interests are paid automatically by ESDC for all payments made after the due date.

As of now, ESDC's compliance rate is 88%. We aim to improve this result.

Please note: The service standard for invoice processing by Accounts Payable is of 14 calendar days. Therefore, the sooner your invoices are sent to us, the sooner they will be processed and the 30-day payment term will be met.

What can you do? Below are the best practices:

  • Educate staff on the Directive on Payments;
  • Stamp each invoice with the receipt date;
  • Process invoices regularly and avoid accumulating them to send in batches;
  • Ensure timely approval according to the section 34; and
  • Activate a Blanket Acting Designation Memorandum (BADM) when away from the office.

In order to know which essential information to provide and for any additional information, please refer to the Accounts Payable section on iService.

  Calling all Project Managers at ESDC!

The Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO) is proud to announce the implementation of the Project Management Competency Development (PMCD) program. [Continue story Calling all Project Managers at ESDC!...]