Develop Non-Salary Forecasts

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Non-salary forecasting at ESDC is done through the use of the Non-Salary Forecasting Tool, an integrated component of the myEMS (SAP) financial system that enables managers to:

  • Forecast non-salary expenditures at the Commitment Item (GL grouping) level; i.e. Operations and Maintenance (O&M) expenses such as travel, materials and supplies, training, etc.;
  • Forecast Grants & Contributions (G&C), Special Purpose Accounts and Vote Netted Revenue (VNR) at the aggregate level;
  • Review and monitor non-salary forecasts, expenses and commitments using reports developed specifically for managers.
  • Guiding Principals
    • Non-salary plans should be aligned to approved budgets, and must consider future obligations.
    • Spending plans should be monitored/updated on an ongoing basis to reflect the most up-to-date information, and required actions should be taken as soon as possible.
    • Planned purchases must consider realistic turnaround time and procurement deadlines.
    • Non-salary commitments and expenditures should be reviewed on an ongoing basis and closed whenever possible.
  • Develop and Maintain Non-Salary Forecasts
    Develop and Maintain Non-Salary Forecasts. Long description below
    • Long Description
      • Step 3.a: Analyse the Commitments and Expenditures Report.
      • Step 3.b: Enter Non-Salary Forecast in Non-Salary Forecasting Tool.
      • Step 3.c: Analyse the Surplus/Deficit Report

    myEMS (SAP) is a system that captures non-salary commitments and expenditures. On an ongoing basis, managers are responsible for ensuring that commitments and expenditures data is accurate, and for making corrections to the system when required. During forecast periods, managers are required to use this information to develop non-salary forecasts, as well as entering the relevant information in Non-Salary Forecasting Tool. Specifically, this entails:

    • Step 3.a: Execute and Analyse the Commitments and Expenditures Report

      On an ongoing basis, managers are responsible for reviewing non-salary expenditures for accuracy. This including invoices, journal vouchers, interdepartmental settlements, etc. and commitments, whether manual funds commitments or purchase requisitions/purchase orders. The Commitments and Expenditures report, accessible through the MSS tab of the myEMS (SAP) Portal, provides a detailed view of outstanding commitments and actual expenditures, by funds centre and fund. This report allows managers to track commitments and expenditures coded to their funds centre, determine what planned expenditures are still outstanding and establish the total annual expected costs by commitment item.

      If, while reviewing non-salary data for accuracy, managers note that certain non-salary expenditures that have already been incurred are not included under the appropriate financial coding, it is possible for these costs to be transferred to the appropriate coding by way of a journal voucher. Managers might also notice required changes to outstanding manual or contract commitments.

      Required changes to non-salary should be communicated to BMS/RMS, or the FMAS unit, depending on the organizational structure of the specific branch or region, as soon as they are known. Reviewing and updating non-salary commitments and expenditures on an ongoing basis will not only serve to improve the accuracy of forecasts but also simplify the forecasting process as a whole.

      For detailed information on how to access, execute and interpret the Commitments and Expenditures report, refer to the training documentation located in the Manager and Designate Reporting - Funds Management (FM) folder.

    • Step 3.b: Enter Non-Salary Forecast in Non-Salary Forecasting Tool

      Once non-salary plans have been determined, managers are responsible for inputting non-salary forecasts, including O&M and G&C if required, into the Non-Salary Forecasting Tool. Using the Forecasting entry screen, accessible through the MSS tab of the myEMS (SAP) Portal, managers can input the total annual forecasts for their funds center. Note that Non-Salary Forecasting Tool will also require the forecast to be detailed by fund (e.g. Regular Operating, Learning Investment Fund, etc.) and commitment item (e.g. Travel, Training, Materials and Supplies, etc.).

      Non-Salary Forecasting Tool includes other functionalities that could be used by managers to capture additional details concerning their forecasted annual non-salary expenditures. Among these:

      • The "Forecast Details" function that allows managers to detail the different projects or planned expenditures that make up an aggregate amount; for example, specifying the expected costs of each planned business trip that make up the total annual travel forecast.
      • The "Comments" function that allows managers to include high level notes regarding their non-salary forecast by Commitment item.
      • The "Documents" function that allows managers to attach an external file, such as detailed explanation of variance or relevant supporting documentation, to the forecast entered in Non-Salary Forecasting Tool.

      For detailed information on how to access and use the Non-Salary Forecasting Tool, refer to the training documentation located in the Managers and Designates Forecasting/Reporting File folder.

    • Step 3.c: Execute and Analyse the Surplus/Deficit Report

      The Surplus/Deficit - report, accessible through the MSS tab of the myEMS (SAP) Portal, provides forecasting information against Notional budget (approved budget and approved risk management) including commitments and actual expenditures. The report allows managers to review their overall non-salary forecasts and determine how these compare with the available funding.

      When reviewing the Surplus/Deficit Report, managers should also pay attention to the total approved budgets amounts (approved budget and approved risk management items). Any discrepancies relating to the total amount of non-salary budget allocated to the fund centre should be noted and communicated to the BMS/RMS or FMAS unit, depending on the organizational structure of the specific branch or region, as soon as they are known. This is particularly important in the case where analysis of the approved budget indicates that a requested transaction such as internal budget transfers or Operating Budgets Adjustments (OBA), i.e. the conversion of non-salary budget to salary budget or vice-versa, has not been processed in myEMS (SAP).

      For detailed information on how to access, execute and interpret the Surplus/Deficit - Forecast reports, refer to the training documentation located in the Manager and Designate Reporting - Funds Management (FM) folder.

  • For Assistance
    • To modify non-salary commitments and/or expenditures, contact your BMS/RMS or FMAS, depending on the organizational structure of your branch or regions.
    • If you are experiencing technical issues with any of the myEMS (SAP) tools, Report an incident
    • If you have questions relating to the non-salary forecasting process, contact your BMS/RMS or FMAS, depending on the organizational structure of your branch or regions.