CFAES Give Today

CFAES Finance

CFAES Finance
https://cfaesfinance.osu.edu

College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

Business Purpose Helpful Hints

Overview

The University requires all expenses be supported by a comprehensive narrative (tell-the-story) often referred to as “Business Purpose”.
Expenses workflow through multiple reviews and approvals (CFAES, University, special approvers, etc.). An effective and comprehensive “Business Purpose” which is fully understood by others will minimize delays, as well as be a critical component for future Internal and External Audits.

Helpful Hints: Below is guidance for constructing an effective “Business Purpose” (by transaction type). The Workday field where “Business Purpose” is entered will vary, as well as required attached documentation.

Requisition (RQ) and Expense Report (ER) Non-Travel PCard and Personal Reimbursement
Workday	RQ: “Internal Memo” field ER: “Header Memo” and/or “Expense Line Memo” and/or “Business Reason” fields
Who	Person/department responsible for expense.
What	Describe the goods/services.
Why	Provide purpose and benefits to the University.
Where	Explain the location.
When	Provide timeframe, event date or timeline.
Attachments	Supplier quote, itemized receipt, screenshot of supplier website, related emails, promotional materials, supplier agreement, etc.
Examples	Dr. Smith’s lab tests stream water for chemical run-off levels May through October. Sealable bottles needed to collect samples throughout state. Specific type and size of bottle is critical given volume of liquid needed for testing and safe transport to lab.
Examples	Plant Pathology hosting a national conference 08/01-08/03/23. Estimated to be 500-700 participants. Hilton Hotel selected for large meeting spaces and on-site participant sleeping rooms. Meeting space and catering required for conference events.

Requisition (RQ) for Blanket PO
Workday	“Internal Memo” field.
Who	Person/department responsible for expense.
What	Describe the goods/services.
Why	Provide purpose and benefits to the University.
Where	Explain the location.
When	Provide timeframe or timeline.
How	Explain methodology used to calculate requested amount.
Attachments	Supplier quote, screenshot of supplier website, related emails, etc.
Example	Waterman Farm performs weekly applications of liquid fertilizer/nutrients. Waterman does not have on-site liquid storage tanks. Supplier must make weekly deliveries. No catalog suppliers provide these specialized liquid fertilizers/nutrients. Previous FY costs averaged $300 per delivery x 52 weeks = $15,600.

Spend Authorization (SA) for Pre-Trip Travel Approval
Workday	“Description” and/or “Justification” and/or “Business Reason” fields.
Why	Provide purpose (conference, research, speaking engagement, etc.).
What	Describe benefits to the University.
When	Start and end dates to reflect estimated travel dates, including any personal time (vacation). The University requires personal travel be disclosed at time of SA approval and supported by a completed “Travel Comparison Worksheet” available on the University Travel Office website.
Attachments	Conference agenda, related emails, personal time disclosure, Travel Comparison Worksheets, group travel participant list, traveler “Acknowledgement” (risk) forms, etc.
Examples	Attending annual conference for Higher Education IT Support to gain knowledge on new data security tools and strategies against cyber-attacks and breaches of intellectual property in cloud-based software. Adding 4 personal vacation days to trip.
Examples	Meeting with 4 colleagues at Rutgers University to collaborate on publishing combined research of industry impacts of robotic bovine systems (feeding, health monitoring, milking, etc.). University will be mentioned in publications, peer reviews and symposiums.

Expense Report (ER) Travel for PCard and Personal Reimbursement
Workday	“Header Memo” and/or “Expense Line Memo” and/or “Business Reason” fields.
Why	Reconfirm and edit (if applicable) the “Business Purpose” provided on SA.
When	Reconfirm and edit (if applicable) actual travel dates, including any personal time.
What	Describe purpose of conditional expenses (e.g., Ubers, on-site rental cars, airline change fees, etc.)
Attachments	Conference agenda, flight itinerary, itemized receipts, etc.
Examples	Daily Uber fees due to hotel and conference site not being same location.
	Rental car needed on-site due to multiple site visits for gathering research data.
	Added 2 extra travel days for additional collaboration with Dr. Jones from Texas A&M related to common research projects.

Miscellaneous Payment (MP)
Workday	“Memo” field.
Who	“Payee” can be supplier or individual person.
What	Select purpose from pre-populated drop-down box.
Why	Provide benefits to the University.
When	Provide timeframe, event date or timeline.
Attachments	Itemized invoice, related emails, completed supplier set-up forms (if applicable), etc.
Examples	Dr. Brown from UCLA was invited to present her research at Entomology’s webinar on 06/28/22. Committed a $1,000 honorarium to Dr. Brown for her time and services.
Examples	Franklin County Extension contributing a $500 donation to Hilltop non-profit volunteer committee in support of building community vegetable gardens and fundraising events.

Supplier Invoice Request (SIR)
Workday	“Internal Memo” Field
Who	“Supplier” can be a company or individual person.
What	Describe the goods/services.
Why	Provide purpose and benefits to the University.
Where	Explain the location.
When	Provide timeframe or timeline.
Attachments	Monthly utility statement, copy of office space rental lease, etc.
Examples	Equine Center’s 2^nd quarter water/sewer fees due to village of Apple Creek, OH.
Examples	August 2023 monthly rental fees for temporary office space in downtown Wooster while renovations and asbestos abatement being performed in Wooster Campus Administration Building.