Frequently Asked Questions About Financial Services

Allocation is the authority to spend up the amount indicated and for the purpose stated. Allocation is your budget and does not roll forward from fiscal year to fiscal year.

No. You cannot move allocation between funds. Allocation can only be moved between accounts in the same fund and between sub-object codes within an account.

General IFR and SUTRA accounts have cash. DIFR and state accounts do not have cash. Cash does roll forward from fiscal year to fiscal year. It is the allocation balance in your account which allows you to expend funds, not the cash balance in the account. Your account may have plenty of cash, yet purchasing is unable to process an order. When purchasing processes a purchase order, they make an encumbrance against your account’s allocation, not your cash.

Ultimately, you need your allocation to spend your cash, and you need your cash to get your allocation!

The Financial Stability Plan is a four-year plan to decrease costs, generate revenue and achieve financial stability by the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021-22. SUNY Plattsburgh will use our campus plan to set priorities that strengthen support for student success, promote teaching excellence, build our community connections, increase global experiences and multicultural competencies, and cultivate a culture of continuous improvement.

SUNY Plattsburgh will not only use our Financial Stability Plan to set priorities, but also to achieve financial stability. Over the next four years, the campus will transition from depleting to building reserve funds.

As an institution, we have a responsibility to balance our budget. Currently, the college is facing an $8.4 Million structural deficit in FY 2017-18 as a result of declining revenue, primarily due to sustained enrollment decline and erosion of state support for higher education. Since we must pay our bills, the college has been paying our deficit shortfalls with one-time cash reserves, but we cannot continue this strategy.

The current situation is due to declining enrollment and decreasing state support and a need to put us on a more sustainable financial footing. Like many other colleges and universities, SUNY Plattsburgh has seen the size of its enrollment decrease over the past few years. At the same time, support from the state continues to decrease as a percentage of our total revenue. While the college has made strides to cut its expenditures, these have not been enough to offset the loss of revenue, leaving us with a structural deficit. We have balanced this budget by paying with cash reserves, but this strategy is a short-term fix. To achieve a secure financial future, we need to raise more revenue and cut our expenditures. Our financial plan helps us to achieve this goal.

SUNY Plattsburgh is taking various, proactive steps to address the budget situation. Financial Stability Plan meetings have been held throughout September and the college is thoroughly reviewing all vacant, temporary and term appointments. We have formed a new strategic enrollment management group to lead our institutional enrollment planning. Our academic affairs division under the leadership of Interim Provost Dave Hill is engaging in critical dialogues to bolster enrollment and retention in our academic programs. Finally, we are encouraging members of our community to submit their budget ideas and thoroughly reviewing them for cost savings and revenue generation.

Decisions will be made in a deliberate, participatory, and transparent manner. Decisions will address the immediate, short-term issues but will also ensure a strong SUNY Plattsburgh future. As the budget affects our entire campus, the input from everyone will be considered when consulting with key constituents. As decisions are made, you can expect on-going communication. Final budget authority lies with the president, while recognizing the valuable counsel of the campus VP’s, deans and directors and respecting our strong campus tradition of shared governance.

Yes. All areas of the campus will be impacted and have a role in achieving the goals outlined in the plan.

The Financial Stability Plan is based on the assumption that we will enroll approximately 5,500 students annually through 2021. An increase in enrollment would result in an increase in revenue for the campus. For example, if we exceed our projected Fall 2018 enrollment by 200 students, that would result in an approximate $1.4 million in revenue. It's important to recognize that there are additional costs associated with an increased class size but the increase in revenue generally outweighs the additional costs.

New York state does not permit SUNY to offer retirement incentives - only the state can do so. We are not aware of any intention to offer such an incentive at this time.

Although there is no incentive program, members of the faculty and professional staff are encouraged to consider individually tailored retirement transition opportunities, either through the Phased Separation Program or by retiring and developing a mutually-agreeable post-retirement employment arrangement.

For those of you who can, please give these opportunities your most serious consideration. Everyone who takes advantage of the program/arrangement will contribute to the overall permanent salary savings the campus must achieve.

You can help in a variety of ways. Continue to provide our students the best possible Plattsburgh experience. Share your ideas for efficiencies, cost savings, or revenue generating. Attend your school or division's Financial Stability Plan meeting.

Please share your revenue generation or cost savings ideas with us by submitting a budget suggestion online.

1. Consult the purchasing threshold matrix to determine what processes you need to utilize.
2. Determine based on the value and type of purchase if a P-Card can be used or a purchase requisition is required. Consult the Purchasing Office if you have any questions. Your department then initiates the purchase requisition. As part of this process the referenced account is checked for sufficient funds by the requesting department and supervisor.
3. When received by the Purchasing Office, it is checked for accuracy and completeness including valid authorized signatures. Incomplete or erroneous requisitions are returned for correction.
4. If a requisition is used and not a P-Card, then it is approved by the Purchasing Office, created into a Purchase Order (PO), or AC340 contract encumbrance and issued to the vendor. A copy of the PO is emailed to the person who initiated the requisition for your records.

Purchasing threshold matrix

The process varies based on several factors, with cost being the most significant impact.

Generally, items with an estimated value up to $50,000 can be processed, approved and distributed within 5 to 10 business days upon receipt of a completed purchase requisition. Contracts requiring approval by the Attorney General or Office of the State Comptroller will take approximately three months longer. Such items do not require formal competitive quotes, however, departments are strongly encouraged to obtain a minimum of three (3) informal quotes to establish reasonableness of price. This can be done by completing the Vendor Selection and Price Justification Checklist.

Generally, items with a value in excess of $50,000 will have a processing time of 4 to 12 weeks or longer. Such items require formal competitive quotes or public solicitations (e.g., Invitation for Bids, Request for Proposals, etc.), and advertising in the New York State Contract Reporter.

Learn More About the Purchasing Process

The bid process ensures that the procurement of all goods and services purchased with tax payer dollars is conducted in an honest, competitive, fair and transparent manner.

Obtaining informal quotations and competitive bidding, tends to not only assure reasonable prices, but also guard against favoritism, waste, and fraud, according to NYS finance laws and SUNY procurement procedures.

No, only college-authorized signatories may enter into a contract that obligates the college financially.

Not in all instances but you are strongly encouraged to do so where the item requested meets form, fit and/or function, and the cost differential between an MWBE vendor and non-MWBE vendor is negligible.

Learn More About Our Business Diversity Program

For general inquiries or assistance with purchase requisitions or purchase orders, please email the Purchasing Office at [email protected]. 

Contact the Purchasing Office

Determining which method to use will depend on a few variables such as cost, type of purchase, and whether or this is a restricted purchase.

P-Card	Purchase Requisition/Order
Good is $5,000 or less	Over $5,000
Purchase has no terms or conditions	Purchases has terms and conditions
Not a restricted purchase per P-Card Guidelines	Restricted Purchase per P-Card Guidelines

Procurement Card Guidelines

No.  Such services must be paid using a purchase requisition.

Contact the vendor to have the credit sent to accounts payable. Please provide accounts payable the original invoice number and corresponding purchase order number. Please include the account number the refund receiving the credit.

All invoices and packing slips (or other proof of receiving) need to have:

• date received,
• approval to pay,
• and signatures on them in order for us to process payment.

All approvals/dates/signatures must come from the person receiving the item.

All invoices should state who ordered the items and match the corresponding purchase order.

If shipping and handling exceeds $100, provide verification of how the item was shipped. If an item is not shipped by FedEx, UPS, or vendor trucking, provide documentation of how much it cost the vendor to ship the item(s).

In addition to the itemized food receipt, please include the following:

• agenda (meeting), flyer (event)
• list of attendees
• proof the event occurred, such as a sign in sheet or flyer
• justification of benefit to the college

Always send the tax exempt letter (AC-946) with your order.  If you are charged sales tax, contact the vendor/company directly for a refund.

If the refund is received on a P-card, but not on the same statement as the original transaction, please attach documentation to explain credit and the original charge.

Write "ongoing PO" when submitting your purchase requisition.

Agency accounts are used for funds held by campus-related organizations in a custodial or fiscal agent capacity for the benefit of students, faculty, staff members or appropriate recognized organizations. There is a relationship between SUNY and the activity from which the funds are delivered.

An application with the organization must be completed to establish an account for an approved activity or service.

Refer to the following policies to learn more.

SUNY Policy #7200 - AGENCY ACCOUNTS

SUNY Procedure #7201 - AGENCY ACCOUNT GuidelineS

You can make purchases using this account by:

1. Complete an Agency Account Request Form Plattsburgh College Foundation Application for Funding/Reimbursement.
2. Returning Form to Plattsburgh College Foundation.

You can make purchases using this account by:

1. Complete a CAS Agency Account Check Request Form.
2. Obtain signatures of two authorized signers on the account.
3. Return to CAS.

Learn more about CAS

External entities include the following campus-related organizations:

• CAS
• Plattsburgh College Foundation
• Research Foundation
• Alumni Association
• Student Association
• any other private organizations

Complete the non-salary third-party reimbursement form for the following circumstances:

• Whenever you charge account #900802
• To obtain funds/credit for goods or services supported by an external entity.
  • A p-card was used to purchase supplies
  • A purchase includes partial support from an external entity
  • A state account was charged for an expense, however an external party has sent a check for the transaction.

An invoice is required to request funds from an external entity to pay for goods or services.

An IFR should be created for on-going self-supported activities related to the college's mission. The account should have clear and defined income/expenditure relationships. Revenue should be sufficient to cover all costs.

When funds are received for a disallowance state expenditure for items such as:

• cake/flowers bought for a retirement party
• sales tax
• personal expense on a procurement card

If you have already purchased an item under a state account and later find out that an external entity will reimburse those specific expenses.

Examples include:

• Office supplies purchased with state account
• Students traveling to a conference

Yes, as long as support is for a program or initiative that meets IFR guidelines.

Examples include:

• College Foundation has provided support for a music/theater production
• Reimbursement for damages repaired by Maintenance and Operations

The purchase requisition should have the expense split between the department account number and account #900802.

When a transaction is paid by a third-party, charge account #900802 and complete the Non-Salary Third-Reimbursement Form.