CFOB Newsletters
March 2021 Edition
CFOB Q3 Service Standards results
Continuing to build on the 2019/20 CFOB Service Standards results, we are happy to share the results for the third quarter of 2020-2021.
Below are a few interesting highlights from this quarter:
- From Q2 to Q3, there has been a 73% increase in the number of budget transfers approved by authorized senior management that required CFOB processing within two business days. Despite the increased volume, a service standard rate of 100% has been maintained in FY 20-21.
- The number of general inquiries received through the iService catalogue has more than doubled since Q2 (excluding ATIP requests or a parliamentary question that comes with specific deadline). Despite the significant increase in volume, all inquiries were assigned to a CFOB staff member within 2 business days of receipt.
- There has been a 37% decrease in the number of DARS - SIN Change requests when comparing the cumulative volume at Q3 between the current and previous fiscal year. All of the SIN change requests in the current fiscal year have been completed within 10 business days of receipt of all required documentation and approvals.
- Between Q2 to Q3, a 71% increase has taken place in the number of ESDC Procurement - Call-Up Against Standing Offer requests. Despite the increase in volume, approximately 92% of the requests saw a contract issued within 14 calendar days of receipt of all required documentation and approvals.
- The cumulative volume of myEMS (SAP) access requests received at Q3 has decreased by approximately 35% in comparison with the cumulative volume at Q3 of FY 19-20. Once all the criteria of training are met, 100% of non-sensitive and sensitive role access requests have been given within two business days.
As we review and post results for each quarter, our goal is to continuously improve the information shared.
Equipping Employees – Reimbursement for Home Office Furniture
To support a safer work environment for employees working from home, ESDC is supporting employees in obtaining a task chair and/or desk. To date over 6000 reimbursements for a desk and/or chair have been processed.
In order to ensure that your reimbursement request is accepted and processed timely, it is important that all mandatory documentation be included when submitting via the Payment Request Portal:
- Managers Email approval (Expenditure Initiation)
- ESDC-FIN5050 form with all mandatory fields completed including S32 digital signature
- Valid receipt(s) for purchase(s)
For further guidance on the reimbursement for home office furniture process and requirements, please visit the iService page and the accompanying FAQ. Additional information and instructions on how to complete a valid Digital Signature are also available to managers on I-Service.
Reminders:
- The intent of the process is to provide employees with a safe and ergonomic workspace while they are required to work from home. As such, managers and employees should review the Ergonomic Considerations for Working Remotely: Choosing a Suitable Chair and Desk to ensure equipment purchases provide for such a work environment. Purchases such as patio furniture, folding table, or living room furniture (e.g., couch or accent chairs) would not meet the intent of the process and costs will not be reimbursed for these types of purchases.
- Duty to Accommodate (DTA) will continue to be addressed through the existing guidance to managers. If a desk and/or a chair is being acquired due to a DTA, please follow the Furniture Purchase Roadmap rather than the Reimbursement for Home Office Furniture process.
Payment on due date
Do you have financial responsibilities related to invoice processing as part of your duties? If so, it is important to familiarize yourself with the best practices to adopt.
As required in the Directive on Payments, payments to suppliers must be issued within 30 "calendar" days of receiving goods or services, and the invoice. Payments made after the 30-day deadline are subject to interest to be paid by ESDC. The Treasury Board of Canada has set a target where at least 95% of payments made by departments must be issued by their due date.
Our compliance rate for 2020-2021 is currently at 94%. While this is a respectable result, we encourage you to put in the extra effort to reach the target of 95%.
Be proactive: The accounts payable team needs 14 days to process invoices, leaving 16 days for Branches to review, process, and approve invoices. Therefore, it is strongly encouraged that branches process and submit their invoices as soon as possible in order for ESDC to meet the prescribed 30-day payment deadline.
What can be done to achieve good results? Below are the best practices to adopt:
✓ Raise awareness with staff on the payment deadline and the Directive on Payments;
✓ Provide the date of receipt for each invoice;
✓ Process invoices regularly and avoid accumulating them to send in batches;
✓ Ensure that Section 34 approvals are obtained in a timely manner; and
✓ Activate an Acting Delegation Memorandum of Authorization (MADI) when out of the office.
To find out what essential information to provide and for any additional information, consult the Accounts Payable section on iService.
ESDC now use the new paperless process for visa log monthly submission
Reminder: The new paperless process is mandatory since September 1, 2020.
Instead of signing with a wet signature, printing, mailing and storing the paper documentation, this new solution is designed so that cardholders can attach all VISA supporting documentation directly in SAP to be viewed by managers and all interested parties.
The managers have access to view all documentation in the myEMS portal and can perform their FAA Section 34 signature using the Entrust digital signature in Adobe Reader.
For more information or to view the complete process, visit the Reconcile my Monthly Statements iService web page.
- ✓ You will also find the Presentation used at the information session on the new Visa process that was held this fall!
- ✓ Do not forget to read our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)!
For those who have not yet adhered to the new process, please contact us today!
Please do not hesitate to contact us for any assistance.
Call us at 1-855-684-7827 option 1
Send us a request through our Acquisition Card Gateway
Training on Project Management
If you work on a project or programme and find yourself looking for tools, templates, and guidance material then look no further! The Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO) manages the ESDC Knowledge Repository, a central location where you can find policies, process documents, templates, tools and guidance to help you manage your project or programme. Check out the ESDC Knowledge Repository here!
The EPMO also offers a suite of courses that relate to project management at ESDC that encourages professional development and allows project managers to strengthen the knowledge and skills needed to achieve project outcomes. These courses cover a range of knowledge areas used by project managers in their day-to-day work.
The EPMO courses are included in the Project Management Competency Development (PMCD) program curriculum but are open to all employees of ESDC. This means that you do not need to be registered in the PMCD program to benefit from these courses.
Recently, the EPMO launched a new course called the Introduction to the Management of Investment Projects at ESDC: Project and Programme Management Practice. The objective of this course is to give employees the information necessary to:
- Distinguish between a project and a programme
- Describe the project life cycle of investment projects at ESDC
- Identify the role of governance in the management of investment projects at ESDC
- Identify enabling partners who can provide expertise on project-related activities and when to engage with them.
You can register now for the “Introduction to the Management of Investment Projects at ESDC: Project and Programme Management Practice” through Saba.
If you are interested in project management training, or if you want more information about the ESDC Knowledge Repository, email the EPMO Single Point of Contact today!
DARS Replacement Project and myEMS(SAP) Downtimes 2021
The DARS (Departmental Accounts Receivable System) Replacement Project is a major project under the SAP Centre of expertise (COE) Directorate within Chief Financial Officer Branch (CFOB), focused on modernizing and enhancing how Canadians repay program overpayments and defaulted Canada Student Loans to the Government of Canada.
Much like our old Walkman, DARS has been steadily aging and has been struggling to adapt to our modern business environment. With millions of citizen accounts within DARS reaching a balance of several billion, a team was assembled to find and implement a new solution to help manage our social programs well into the future. The replacement system for DARS is the SAP Public Sector Collections and Disbursements (PSCD) module and along with its implementation come enhanced functionality, new technologies, and improved processes.
PSCD has been specifically developed to meet the needs of those Departments and Agencies that have high transaction volumes for mass processing, collections and case management. In other words, PSCD will provide a one-stop-shop for overpayment management, allowing information, statements and correspondence to reach millions of Canadians.
In 2020, the rollout of PSCD was postponed for one year to allow ESDC to focus on the priorities of providing social and financial services to the millions of Canadians that were out of work, ill or caring for ill family members and children. This additional year allowed for the enhancements of PSCD to more accurately account and manage higher volumes of overpayment transactions.
Great features coming with PSCD:
- Improved user experience
- Tile based transactions, similar to apps on a smart phone
- Elimination of screen codes
- Single-view of client with new Debtor Overview screen where previously agents had to navigate through several screens to be able to view debts for a particular client
- Quicker overpayment recovery
- More efficient use of departmental resources
- More accurate financial reporting
- Reduce risks caused by aging technology
Training
There are approximately 4,500 employees at ESDC and CRA that use DARS today, who will need to be trained to use PSCD. This training is scheduled start in February 2021, well in advance of the April 6, 2021 Go Live. PSCD training will be utilizing e-learning and virtual instructor lead training courses that are aligned with the transactions users will perform in PSCD based on their involvement in the management of overpayments.
Downtime
Since PSCD is a module of SAP, the department’s financial management system will experience some downtime in order to enhance the system, implement the new module, convert DARS legacy data and transfer interfaces with partners from DARS to SAP. Thanks to the Easter long weekend, these downtimes should cause very few working interruptions; however, this downtime will affect both DARS and SAP, with specific times listed in the table below. It is important to note that during this downtime, users will not have access to the SAP systems including Portal, GUI, BI Reports or the FIORI Launchpad.
Long description:
DARS will not be available from April 1 to April 4 inclusively. It will be available in read only mode permanently as of April 5. DARS database and Inquiry, Reporting and Information System (IRIS) Cognos tools will become available on April 6.
SAP will not be available from April 1 to April 5, inclusively. On April 5, the partner interfaces go live. SAP will be available as of April 6 including the PSCD. The first Notice of Debt (NOD) will be available on April 9 and the first Monthly Statement of Account (MSA) on April 22.
Local Web Receipt (LWR) system will not be available from March 31 at 7:55 pm (EST)/4:55 PST to April 1 early am (EST).
2020-2021 Year-End Instructions
The 2020-2021 Year-End Instructions are now available on iService.
Year-end calls are scheduled to provide key highlights as well as answer questions and concerns related to the instructions. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with its content prior to the calls and to submit your questions in advance to NC-CFOB-DGDPF-TRANSFORMATION-GD.
Interested participants are invited to register to any of the following calls:
| Date | Time | Language |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, February 23 | 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm EST | English |
| Thursday, February 25 | 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm EST | French |
| Tuesday, March 2 | 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm EST | French |
| Thursday, March 4 | 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm EST | English |
Registration Form
An Outlook invitation will be sent in the days leading up to the call.