Facility

Research Services Facility Management and Billing Module

The IT Works Facility Management and Billing Module is designed for organizations that operate various re-charge centers, core facilities, research service facilities, or charge back centers or  other operational units that  charge for services provided to research scientists or faculty.  The module generates invoices, tracks their payments, and produces reports to aid in the management of the facility.  The module is incredibly flexible in its design and supports the operations of a wide range of research facilities.

Examples of facilities frequently managed include:

One installation of the Facility Module may be used to manage multiple facilities or service centers.  Internal coding systems define the services provided and billing rates for each facility managed by the module.  Multiple billing rates can be established for different services or groups of users for each facility.  For example, university faculty may be charge a lower rate than users from outside of the university.

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Highlights

• Manage multiple facilities with one installation
• Differentiate between University and Non-University employees or Center and Non-Center members for the purposes of setting billing rates
• Invoices formatted to meet organizational specifications
• Electronic imports from electronic systems available for automating the billing process.
• Generate aging and reminder reports to aid in the collection process
• Management reports to improve facility effectiveness

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Integration with Facility Operations

The Facility Module integrates with administrative center operations by collecting information regarding specialized services provided to grant investigators or research scientists and then generating the corresponding invoices.  Information is either manually entered into the Facility Module by administrative staff or electronically imported from computerized equipment or other laboratory management systems after services are completed.  Invoicing procedures charge the appropriate funding source according to predefined billing rates.  Depending on billing or audit requirements, information can be stored in summary or in detailed transaction records.  Detailed information includes date, quantity, description, and research account for each item to be billed or service that has been completed.  All records include both the principal investigator and research staff requesting the service.

After services are recorded and invoiced, invoices may be delivered to investigators and administrative staff by:  1) printing them for mailing, 2) exporting them into PDF formats for e-mailing or 3) posting them to an on-line portal for review.  Customized invoice formats can be developed to meet unique institutional requirements for all delivery mechanisms.  Payment transactions are entered or electronically loaded after receipt.  Aging reports and reminder notification letters can be generated for aid in the collection of outstanding invoices.

An interface to the Accounting Module automates the monitoring of payments and the impact on individual grant budgets.  It loads encumbrance transactions for each invoice and updates payments after they are received.  The Facility Module may also interface with the organization’s general ledger system to further automate the payment collection process.  This interface generates files designed for uploading payments as journal entries.

Facility Management Reports provide information for monitor the quantity and cost of individual items sold or services provided by the entire facility or to individual investigators.  They can be generated in various formats to analyze work or services by the date completed, invoiced, or paid.

Examples of Report Formats

• Invoice: This report is an example of one of numerous invoice formats available. It includes an invoice number; name and address of person being billed; name and address of the administrator handling receivables; payment instructions; total amount due; and an itemized list and cost of any work that was completed.  View example.
• Total Work Billed by Item or Service:  This management report lists the quantity and the total amount invoiced for work completed or items sold during a user-defined time period for a facility.  View example.
• Total Work Billed by Investigator:  This is one of several management report formats that provides information regarding the quantity and total amount invoiced for the different services or work completed for each investigator during a user define time period.  View example.