Recently, Jim Wrenn, President and CEO of IT Works and Rebecca Vandall, Director of New Program Development and Strategic Partnerships at SRA International, held a seminar entitled Managing Re-charge Centers and Research Service Facilities. This post will provide an outline of some of the final pieces of material that was covered during the seminar.

Quality Control

• Understand the business of the center (What is the work that is being provided?)
• Quality control impacts center costs
• Records and stats
• Returned work
• Malfunctioning equipment (returned work/ canceled work)
• Employee time
• Cause and effect diagrams that influence a given situation

Invoice Generation and Collection

Computer Assisted Paper Invoice Generation

• Collect PI Billing information when work is completed
• Manually enter or electronically feed unbilled work into center invoicing system
• Monthly invoice generation process → assigns billing rates for each service
• Deliver invoice by mail or emailed PDF
• Rely on other department administrators to initiate payment
• Manually enter payments from GL reports into center invoicing system
• Generate aging reports to identify past due invoices
• Generate 2nd invoices and reminder letters to collect past due invoices
• Payments typically received within 60 days

Red Flags

More than 2 months total invoices outstanding

• Increase collection efforts
• Prepare to cut off services

Unexpected supply purchases

• Theft
• Quality control issues

Credits to other investigators

• Invoices don’t match supply usage
• Center director grants lack center charges

Excessive losses or profits

• 60 day working reserve balance
• Inaccurate financial reporting

Unexpected drops in pending grant pipelines

• Invoices

For more information about Facility/Re-Charge Center Management or for questions regarding this seminar, contact Rebecca at rvandall@srainternational.org or Jim Wrenn at wrennj@itworks-inc.com.