SHARED SERVICES CENTER (SSC) TASK FORCE OVERVIEW Ben Lowenthal Nico Washington 11/30/12 Nico www.umbc.edu

Background Information Taskforce Charge & Purpose The UMBC campus community has identified the need to establish a strong platform of financial and administrative management that will sustain our current growth as well as future growth as we continue to thrive and expand. Nico Washington, Ben Lowenthal – Co-chairs Nico www.umbc.edu

What is a Shared Services Center? A Shared Services Center (SSC) consolidates expert resources currently distributed through out the University into a centralized unit. The service centers focus on administrative activities to increase service quality while positioning us for projected future growth. Nico www.umbc.edu

Benefits of Shared Services Centers Shared Services Centers will allow us to streamline, consolidate, and automate processes to leverage economies of scale. This will lead to: Higher level expertise Expert knowledge Improved transactional flow Use of technology to improve reporting tools Re-engineering and standardizing current processes incorporating accepted best practices. Improved compliance and audit results Nico www.umbc.edu

Specific Benefits in Administrative Areas Payroll and HR – Improve processing turnaround time and accuracy of charges. Procurement and accounts payable – Proactive review and problem resolution. Contracts and grants pre and post-award coordination – Expert knowledge of required regulations to assist with navigation of complex rules and policies and related compliance issues. Financial management – Consistent review and monitoring of accounts. Proactive alerts to prevent over-expending of spending limits/budgets and/or approaching contract end dates. Technology liaisons – Provide customer focused reporting. Nico www.umbc.edu

Plan of Action Identify existing models Commission smaller workgroups Consistent communication to campus (background, progress, recommendation, and plans) Recommend Shared Services Center model(s) Report Models to President, Provost, and Vice President Administration and Finance Develop implementation plan Ben www.umbc.edu

Progress to Date Workgroups established Communication – Implement campus communication plan. Data – collect, survey, analyze, and review transactional, position, and benchmarking data. Needs Analysis/Business Processes – review current administrative structure, process flow, and functions. Shared Services Center Models – review various SSC models, advantages, and disadvantages. Ben www.umbc.edu

More Progress Taskforce and Work groups are meeting bi-weekly – alternating weeks Campus update schedule for the Business Managers Group meeting on November 30. Resource library with materials from University Executive Business Roundtable, NACUBO, and other higher ed sources. Contacts established with peers that have implemented shared service centers. Established internal UMBC website to report progress to campus. Established taskforce myUMBC group. Ben www.umbc.edu

Timeline October 2012 – Taskforce and workgroups established; communication initiated November – December 2012 – Research, gather data, site visit. January 2013 – Initial recommendation to President, Provost, and VP, Admin & Fin. February 2013 – Initiate planning and implementation for FY14 budget cycle. Ben www.umbc.edu

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