Public Sector
PROBLEM
The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is a sizable agency with roughly 10,000 employees. Many of them travel for business, some more frequently than others.
The department has 11 major regions, with employees assigned and traveling for business from their regional offices.
NYSDOT processes 70,000 to 80,000 travel vouchers per year. Under state requirements, employees must request and seek approval for travel; depending on the type of travel, NYSDOT employees may need up to seven levels of approvals.
NYSDOT employees use many channels to bill their travels. These include corporate cards, Central Travel Account (travel agency) or Warrants or Direct-billed accounts. Each will require manual oversight, tracking and validation. The reimbursement rules are as per federal General Services Administration per-diem guidelines with NYSDOT-specific caveats.
SOLUTION
NYSDOT sought a Web-based solution to automate its manual process. The department chose VCOM's Web-based ExpenseAnywhere, using criteria such as ease of use, design flexibility, robustness, scalability and functionality. NYSDOT licensed the software for in-house installation.
What was implemented within four months of contract signing: ExpenseAnywhere.gov solution with built-in GSA per-diem rules and NYSDOT-specific approval policies and work flow; with pre-population of credit-card transaction; and with approved expenses batch-filed to the New York State Office of the Comptroller for reimbursement.
After the completed implementation, and with the service in use for more than a year, NYSDOT has an automated system that provides substantial control, audit-tracking capabilities and strong return on investment.
Among the benefits:
- Faster process, ease of use and management.
- Nearly paperless process, with the automated work flow conforming to policies and procedures.
- Cost control, with NYSDOT achieving more than 20 percent savings in travel expenses.
Reviewed and approved by the New York State Department of Transportation
