Neuro Financial Services during COVID-19 ramp-down period

Financial Services will ensure normal operations as much as possible during this exceptional period.  There may be some delays in processing times and we ask for your patience.

CONTACTS

For expense reimbursement questions, contact Billy Arnaoutelis, Financial Administrator vasilios.arnaoutelis [at] mcgill.ca

For other questions or concerns, contact Andrew Marcheschi, Financial Officer andrew.marcheschi [at] mcgil.ca

DIGITAL SIGNATURES ACCEPTED

Financial Services is exceptionally accepting digital signatures OR email approvals for the following transactions:

• Expense Reports and Advances
• Payment Requests
• Invoices
• Wire Transfers
• FIS Authorization Forms

 EXPENSE REPORTS

Expense reports may be sent for processing through PDF files by email. Hard copies are temporarily not necessary for review/approval.

• You must continue to follow usual policies regarding original receipts and retain the original hard copy. Please keep hard copies and original documentation and we will send an update upon our return on how to proceed in sending to Travel Desk.

Review and approval process

• Digital signatures and email approvals are temporarily allowed for both claimant and approver (email and word templates are attached – please be sure to distinguish between the two templates).
• Digital Signatures: In Adobe, there is an option to upload the personal signature by signing a blank sheet, scanning and uploading. Digitally signed documents will also be accepted.
• Email Approvals: Whoever requests the expense report on behalf of a claimant must fill out the generic information on the “claimant” template and send it to the claimant. The claimant simply needs to reply with “approved.” This email needs to be forwarded to
  • Billy Vasilios vasilios.arnaoutelis [at] mcgill.ca along with the expense report.
  • The same requirement applies for the approver template if the approvers are not Dr. Rouleau or John McCall.
  • Email approvals required by John McCall or Dr. Rouleau will be handled by the Finance team as usual once a week.

No requests should go to them directly.

• A PDF of the expense report submitted in Minerva as well as all the backup documentation and the appropriate email templates should be put, if possible, in one PDF. For the time being, scans, pictures and photocopies are permitted in order to expedite handling of expense reports.

All policies regarding original receipts must be respected and receipts retained until the original hardcopy can be sent to Travel Desk.

• If you do not have a scanner at home, the iPhone “Notes” app allows you to scan documents by creating a new note and selecting the camera icon. Please make sure every page is clear and is scanned into one document. More information:
  • iPhone: Notes Scanner;
  • Android: Google Drive Scanner;
  • Other free apps: Scanner Pro (iOS), and Genius Scan (Android) available in your respective app stores.

·         Send one expense report per e-mail to Billy Vasilios vasilios.arnaoutelis [at] mcgill.ca with “EXR00XXXXXX” as the subject.

Please note that in the event of an internal or external audit, the Fund Financial Manager is responsible and accountable for all financial transactions/documents approved digitally or by email. 

Cancelled or Postponed Trips

• Please try to receive reimbursement or a flight credit for any incurred expenses.
• Trips planned through McGill’s Direct Vision line may be changed/cancelled, and the advance date will be moved up to one year. Any non-refundable expenses for trips can be claimed through an expense report. However, we ask that you show proof that you requested reimbursement. Please use the activity code “COVID” when creating the expense report for any non-refundable expenses.

TRAVEL DESK

FIS Help will be open during regular hours to answer calls and emails. Please note that access to the Durocher building is card-access only (the entrance drop box is not available either).

• 514 398-3463
• FIS Help Acct: fishelp.acct [at] mcgill.ca

FIS SECURITY

FIS Security will accept FIS Authorization forms with: email approval.

PO’s

Invoices on POs will continue to be processed and paid. AP staff are working from home, so please understand that their productivity could be reduced.

PAYMENT REQUESTS

All newly created Payment Requests will also continue to be processed and paid. These should be sent as .pdf documents to:

anita.recchilungo [at] mcgill.ca with a cc to: kimberley.renaud [at] mcgill.ca

The Payment Request must include the digital or email approval as well as the scanned back-up/receipts. For email approvals, the approver must include the following text:  

APPROVER: I certify that I have reviewed the attached Payment Request and that all expenses are legitimate, appropriate, reasonable, for University purposes only, are in accordance with University policy, are charged to the correct FOAPAL(s), and where applicable, conform to granting agency regulations and relate to research for which the grant/contract was awarded.

PCard

Central will continue to regularly upload BMO transactions into MOPS. Reconciliation and approval dates will remain as they stand, unless we are notified otherwise.

Here are the dates for February transactions

Processing Date: February 2020

Reconciliation Deadline: March 20, 2020
(Also applicable to Cardholders (including FFMs/PIs) who have not assigned a Reconciler. ) 

Approval Deadline no. 1: March 25, 2020
For Research Grants/Contracts (2F/2M type) ONLY
Approval deadline for PI/Delegate when Reconciler is an employee other than FSTM

Approval Deadline no. 2: March 30, 2020
For Research Grants/Contracts
(2F/2M type)
Approval deadline for PI/Delegate when Reconciler is FSTM

For all other fund types
Approval deadline for FFM/PI/Delegate

AR and BANKING

Business will operate as usual. AR staff are working from home, so please understand that productivity could be reduced.