Chicago’s general expense management going paperless

Nearly 2,500 University employees have been introduced to a new paperless expense-management system, which the Comptroller’s Office and its project team introduced to a single division last fall.

Most of the University will follow by the end of the year, said Marlyn Llorens, Senior Project Manager for Networking Services & Information Technologies.

Approximately 350 NSIT staff members became the first users to adopt the system last fall. They were followed by the Comptroller’s Office, the Graduate School of Business and the Smart Museum. Sixteen departments and divisions have been engaged and are currently or in the process of making the switch.

A Web-based application facilitates the new system, called the General Expense Management program. “No matter where you are, as long as you have a secure Internet connection, you can do your expense reports,” said Llorens.

In the past, employees would submit travel expense and direct payment vouchers, along with receipts, for reimbursements. Now they will log onto a special Web site to create their expense reports, using their CNet identification and password. The University’s audit rules and policies are built into the system, providing online guidance through a series of prompts and “flags.” Should a user attempt to file incorrect information, “They will be prompted to review their selection and make corrections as needed,” said Associate Comptroller Gia Kastelic.

Once an expense report has been submitted, the system automatically routes it to the appropriate departmental representative for approval. “It allows a person to either approve something or send it back with a comment, and it happens really quickly,” Kastelic said.

The entire process is automated, including submission of receipts. Users fax their receipts to an 800-number, or attach them electronically as jpeg or pdf files. “They can view the receipts online almost immediately, and the receipts stay attached to that expense report forever in this imaging system,” she said.

GEMS allows users to handle travel and business entertainment expenses via their personal credit cards, or through a departmentally approved University credit card.

Personal expenses incurred via GEMS will be deposited directly into the checking accounts of employees who receive their paychecks via direct deposit (recipients of paper paychecks will still receive paper expense-reimbursement checks).

Reimbursements will be paid on the bi-weekly payroll cycle. Similarly, personal charges incurred on the University card will be deducted from the user’s paycheck.

A variety of support services are available to users who have questions about GEMS. They include classroom training, online simulations and e-mail support groups.

“We have five or six people looking at e-mails that come through, so if a user has a question about anything, there’s always someone looking at it,” said Llorens, who added the Web site is updated each Friday with new information.

For more information, see gems.uchicago.edu.