Published April 8, 2022
The Budget Check Pilot which was communicated in a Research News announcement on March 11, 2022, has been completed. During the pilot, Sponsored Projects Accounting (SPA) disapproved transactions that received a budget check message. As discussed during the Workday Bi-Weekly Zoom Call on April 6, 2022, the relevant data regarding the disapproval rates before, during and after the pilot period (March 18 – March 25, 2022) are presented below:
| Period | Transactions Submitted | Transactions Disapproved | Disapproval Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/01 – 3/09/22 | 4,488 | 358 | 7.98% |
| 3/10 – 3/17/22 | 4,368 | 514 | 11.77% |
| 3/18 – 3/25/22 (Pilot) | 3,482 | 449 | 12.89% |
| 3/26 – 4/01/22 | 3,412 | 268 | 7.85% |
| Average | 3,938 | 397 | 10.09% |
This information indicates that the transaction disapproval rates were not substantially impacted during the pilot period. Accordingly, SPA will apply the designed Budget Check functionality in Workday, effective April 18, 2022. Similar to the Pilot period, transactions routed to SPA that contain a budget check warning message will be disapproved. Noted below is a description of the process:
SPA Transactions with Budget Check:
- SPA will disapprove transactions that receive a Budget Check warning message.
- When possible, the transaction will be routed back to the Grant Cost Center Manager (or other designated individual in the department) so a Budget Adjustment (BA) can be processed to ensure sufficient free balance to cover the transaction. Once the department has processed a BA, they should add a note in the Comments section that the BA has been processed, include the BA #, and then re-approve the transaction so it routes back to SPA.
- If the grant is on Project Advance, the Comments section should include a note regarding that status so SPA can continue the approval process.
- Also note SPA makes exceptions for Fixed fee/per event agreements in which funds are budgeted as payments are received and NIH continuations awaiting NOAs. If your grant meets these exceptions, please add a note in Comments section.
- For guidance on how to submit a BA, please see the training video on submitting a budget amendment.
We continue to encourage users to run RPT6845 – WU Grants in Overdraft by Object Class to identify object classes on grants that have a negative free balance. Via the Organization filter on the report, you can run it for CH, CC, GX, GR. SPA recommends the departments utilize this report to identify, adjust and resolve the negative free balances (including salaries, stipends and fringe benefits), as necessary for their grants.
Please contact Joe Gindhart (jgindhart@wustl.edu) if you have any questions about this material.