Thank you for your interest in the Office of Operations 2025 Virtual Fall Conference. By attending any of the courses below, you will be added to the Office of Operations email distribution list to receive future communications related to its annual Fall Conference. You may opt out at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe from this list” link included in every email.

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WHEN

October 6 - October 10 

REGISTRATION

No registration is required. 

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This conference is intended for State agency staff who have responsibility for adding vendors, procurement, payments, accounting, finance, 1099 reporting or contract management.

Please contact the Office of Operations' Bureau of Analysis, Support, and Knowledge Transfer at [email protected] if you have questions or need assistance.

COURSE SCHEDULE

Monday, October 6

9:00 – 10:30: Procurement Record Document Submission Guide

This course will provide attendees with an overview of the documentation requirements for a complete procurement record submission to OSC for goods and services purchases and contracts.

Presenters: Marco Alvarez, Kylie Hotaling, Brianna McNall, Nicole Mele and Jami Olander (Bureau of Contracts)

Target Audience: New procurement professionals with one year or less experience who are primarily responsible for submitting transactions to OSC through Electron Document Submission System (EDSS)

Course Length: 1.5 hours

 

11:00 – 12:00: Vendor Responsibility Basics

This course will provide attendees with an overview of best practices when performing vendor responsibility (VR) reviews with a special emphasis on potential VR issues and subcontractor reviews. Guidance will be provided to aid in successful state agency submissions of VR documents.

Presenters: Jamie Hockey-Barrett, Zachary Nash, Linsay Scribner, Carmen Story and Renee Tilley-Goyette (Bureau of Contracts)

Target Audience: New procurement and contract management professionals and those seeking a refresher on vendor responsibility core requirements.

Course Length: 1 hour

 

1:30 – 3:00: Procurement Evaluation Concepts for Goods and Services

This course will engage attendees through discussion of case studies related to the procurement and evaluation processes and pitfalls of IFBs and RFPs for goods and services.

Presenters: Priscilla DeLair, Julie Dixon and Carolynn Supliski (Bureau of Contracts)

Target Audience: Experienced procurement professionals who possess a fundamental understanding of state procurement concepts 

Course Length: 1.5 hours

Tuesday, October 7

9:00 – 10:45: Contract Payment Review

This course discusses internal controls, fraud, various types of red flags and the monitoring process. Includes a Q&A panel.

Presenters: Sam Blumenthal, Janel Carey, Theresa Cassiack and Gabriella Marinese (Bureau of State Expenditures)

Target Audience: Agency Fiscal and Program Staff

Course Length: 1.75 hours

 

11:30 – 12:00: Banking Services and Banking RFPs

This session provides agency staff with clear guidance on managing State bank accounts and related services. We'll cover when to contact OSC's Banking Services team versus working directly with a bank, along with key requirements from the NYS Guide to Financial Operations. Attendees will leave with practical tools to ensure compliance, improve efficiency, and avoid common pitfalls.

Presenters: Alyssa Noel and David Trestick (Bureau of State Accounting Operations)

Target Audience: Certain agency staff who may be involved with agency bank accounts, banking services RFPs and contracts, and anyone interested in understanding what our Cash Management Unit does to administer the State's bank accounts

Course Length: .5 hours

 

1:00-2:00: Capital Assets (Part 1) - Understanding Agency Reporting Requirements

New York State has a significant investment in capital assets; the total value of which is reported annually in the statewide financial statements published by the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC). To ensure consistent and accurate tracking of these assets, the New York State Office of General Services (OGS) established the Bureau of Capital Assets (BCA), which oversees data collection and reporting through the Statewide Financial System Asset Management (SFS AM) module. 

Each State agency is responsible for recording and maintaining its own asset records within SFS AM and identifying the staff responsible for doing so.

This course provides a foundational understanding of the capital asset reporting requirements and process. Participants will learn about the types of assets that must be tracked, the criteria for if and when they must be recorded or modified in SFS AM, and the importance of accurate monitoring and reporting. The course will also highlight tools and resources available to support agencies in fulfilling these responsibilities effectively. 

Presenters: Christine Wemette (Bureau of Financial Reporting and Oil Spill Remediation), Remington Abbott, Kerry Forezzi, Michael Jenks and Deanne Webster (New York State Office of General Services)

Target Audience: Agency fiscal officers and program staff who provide data for inclusion in the State’s Cash and GAAP basis financial statements as well as the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards, or others interested in obtaining an understanding of the processes.

Course Length: 1 hour

 

2:30 – 3:30: Capital Assets (Part 2) - Entering and Maintaining Data in SFS AM

Building on the foundational concepts introduced in Part 1, this course provides detailed guidance on how to accurately enter and maintain information in the Statewide Financial System Asset Management (SFS AM) module.

Each state agency is responsible for recording and maintaining its own asset information within SFS AM. To support this responsibility, each agency must designate a Property Control Manager, or a staff member with a similar title, who is accountable for gathering, entering, and maintaining the agency's capital asset activity in the system. 

Participants will receive step-by-step instruction and practical examples for performing the most common asset transactions, including adding new assets and modifying existing ones. The course will also explain what agencies can expect from OGS, including compliance with requests for additional information through the biennial letter process and during site visits, which include physical inspections of assets. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of their role in ongoing asset management and become familiar with key resources and job aids available to support accurate and effective data entry reporting in SFS AM.

Presenters: Jennifer Hallanan (Bureau of Financial Reporting and Oil Spill Remediation), Remington Abbott, Kerry Forezzi, Michael Jenks and Deanne Webster (New York State Office of General Services)

Target Audience: Agency fiscal officers and program staff who provide data for inclusion in the State’s Cash and GAAP basis financial statements as well as the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards, or others interested in obtaining an understanding of the processes.

Course Length: 1 hour

Wednesday, October 8

9:00 – 10:30: Tips, Tricks, and Techniques of the New York State Vendor File and 1099 Processing

This course provides an overview of Vendor File functionality, the Vendor Portal and 1099 reporting. This session includes a Q&A panel. 

Presenters: Rebecca Backstrom, Brittany Crump, Ashley Cummins, Jill Donnelly, Katie Germain, Anne Hall, Aidan Klein, Maria Menagias, Suzanne Trzcinski (Bureau of State Expenditures) and Emily Snyder (Statewide Financial Systems)

Target Audience: Agency Staff Adding Vendor or Assigning Payment Location or Withholding on Vouchers

Course Length: 1.5 hours

 

11:00 – 11:30: SFS Coach Training and Support

This course will provide an overview of the Statewide Financial System's (SFS) training repository, SFS Coach Training, and the SFS Support Tile, two resources that help support the work you do in SFS. This course will include demonstrations of SFS Coach Training and the SFS Support Tile.

Presenters: Zach Lisewski and Emily Snyder (Statewide Financial System)

Target Audience: Any Statewide Financial System (SFS) user

Course Length: .5 hours

 

1:00 – 2:30: Travel Refresher and FAQs

This course will include travel guidelines and rules refresher, overview of frequently asked questions (FAQ) with answers, reminders and best practices, travel resources, and a Q&A panel.

Presenters: David Behrmann, Yochanan Bertos, Trevor Brink, Vladimir Contreras, Ashley Cummins, Peter New, Andrea Witham and Nicholas Woods (Bureau of State Expenditures)

Target Audience: Agency Fiscal Staff

Course Length: 1.5 hours

Thursday, October 9

9:00 – 10:30: Financial Reporting and Beyond

The Bureau of Financial Reporting prepares Cash and GAAP Basis Financial Statements as well as the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards. To accomplish this, we collect information from State Agencies using Online Services Applications: Agency Financial Reporting Package (AFRP), Sole Custody Reporting Package (SCRP) and coming soon, the Federal Single Audit. Join us as we discuss the ins and outs of these financial reporting applications including helpful hints, common questions, and how we use the information.

Presenters: Mike Breen, Jon Golden, Laura Hennessey, Jennifer Riley, Sandra Trzcinski, and Christine Wemette (Bureau of Financial Reporting and Oil Spill Remediation)

Target Audience: Agency fiscal officers and program staff who provide data for inclusion in the State’s Cash and GAAP basis financial statements as well as the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards, or others interested in obtaining an understanding of the processes.

Course Length: 1.5 hours

 

11:00 – 12:00: Reporting Unclaimed State Funds in NAUPA II Format

The course covers an overview of reporting unclaimed funds, with a focus on reporting state funds. It focuses on OUF's switch into KAPS and the NAUPA format, and the retirement of NY format. To include a Q&A session.

Presenters: Jennifer Brown, Christie Johnston and Katherine Osterhoudt (Office of Unclaimed Funds)

Target Audience: Holders of Unclaimed State Funds

Course Length: 1 hour

 

1:00 – 2:00: SFS Reporting Tools

This course will provide an overview of the reporting tools available in SFS Financials and SFS Analytics, and highlight the different business needs each tool supports. This course will include demonstrations of SFS reporting tools.

Presenters: Gina Bovair, Jeremy Kaufman and Emily Snyder (Statewide Financial System)

Target Audience: SFS users who use SFS for reporting and/or inquiry purposes.

Course Length: 1 hour

 

2:00 – 3:30: Voucher Certification and Review

This course discusses voucher certification, certification of internal controls over the payment process, agency review of invoices, State Expenditures' Pre-Audit and supporting documentation. Includes a Q&A panel.

Presenters: Janel Carey, Tina Carstensen and Meghan Reaume (Bureau of State Expenditures)

Target Audience: Agency Fiscal and Program Staff

Course Length: 1.5 hours

Friday, October 10

9:00 – 9:30: Cash Advances

This course will be an overview of account reconciliations and reporting requirements for Cash Advance Accounts, including the proper steps to request increases or to replenish accounts. 

Presenters: Matthew Richmond, Eric Roosevelt, David Trestick and Amanda Zibella (Bureau of State Accounting Operations)

Target Audience: Agency staff who reconcile, report and transact with Cash Advance Accounts

Course Length: .5 hours

 

10:30 – 11:30: Treasury Processing

Learn about Treasury's role in the General Checking account and how it impacts you. Covers items such as deposits, stale dated checks, stop payments and more on a high level. Includes more details related to new processes, such as abandoned property letter monthly mailing and stop payment requests.

Presenters: Jessica McClune (Department of Taxation and Finance)

Target Audience: Agency Finance Offices

Course Length: 1 hour

 

2:00 – 3:00: SFS Troubleshooting Tips and Reminders

This course will provide tips and reminders for logging in and navigating the Statewide Financial System (SFS). This course will address common questions submitted to the SFS Help Desk and provide guidance on who you can contact for assistance, based on the type of question or issue encountered.

Presenters: Jeremy Kaufman, Emily Snyder and Connor Vanderbogart (Statewide Financial System)

Target Audience: Any Statewide Financial System (SFS) user

Course Length: 1 hour