USAID contracting organizations are busy working toward their mission, leaving them little time to concern themselves over employee timesheets and expense reports. On the other hand, some of these organizations might be spending too much time and effort working on manual spreadsheets to track their time and expense.
Either way, time and expense is one area that automated process can help in decreasing the time and effort expended on ensuring that there’s no fraud being committed, resources are properly used, and all contract/government rules/regulations are being followed. Not having a proper USAID contractor time & expense system in place could be extremely detrimental to any USAID contractor.
Some USAID contractors might initially not understand or not want to consider implementing one of these essential systems. Here are some of the concerns that might be preventing USAID contractors from implementing USAID contractor time and expense software:
What might be holding back USAID contractors from implementing USAID Contractor time and expense software?
Concern #1: The system needs to be implemented organization-wide, which means that employees will need to be trained.A primary concern of USAID contractor organizations is that they probably have a large mobile workforce with no time or money to re-train them on a new system. The answer to this concern is software built to be intuitive enough to require little to no training.
When employees can quickly and intuitively get into the system and do their timesheets and expense reports, they’re more likely to submit their timesheets and expense reports quickly and on time, which will speed up other processes like billing and reimbursement.
Employees are also likely to be more satisfied with their job and less frustrated with their administrative work, leaving them more time for their mission. This is especially true of software with a complete mobile application that matches the functionality of the desktop version, allowing that mobile workforce to get their work done no matter where they are.
Grants are a primary source of funding for USAID contractors, making it imperative to follow the regulations of that funding source so that they might get it renewed or use it as evidence of money well spent to earn even more grants.
USAID time and expense software that comes with grant tracking can be really helpful in accomplishing this essential task. Automated software should be flexible enough to accommodate you, not the other way around, which means that USAID contractors can track grants and allocate time and expenses to those grants the same way they would for a regular project. This sounds complex, but the end result is that the software does the work for you when it comes to managing grants and connecting associated billing.
Related Article: Time & Expense Mobile Apps for USAID Contractors
Concern #3: Managing compliance is a major priority.
Some organizations might have a team of people responsible for ensuring that expense reports and timesheets meet compliance regulations, whether those are DCAA/FAR regulations, rules stipulated by a contract, or requirements from a local government. Automated software can do the heavy lifting of automatically rejecting or pushing along submissions from employees so that managers and approvers are freed up to manage higher value tasks. Then, those timesheets or expense reports that need more scrutiny can get the attention they need.
Concern #4: The organization already has software so adding another kind of software will only complicate matters.Businesses rely on several tools to get the job done nowadays, so it might seem intimidating to add yet another one to the toolbox. However, USAID contractor time and expense software can be the tool to unite all the others. Automated time and expense software can integrate directly with all other existing systems, including billing, HR, accounting, and even your credit card among others. Then, the systems come together under one roof and don’t have to be managed separately to move data from one system to another. The result is an all-in-one platform for all your essential business systems.
Beyond supporting the core requirements of USAID contractor organizations, DATABASICS provides the right solution for your timesheet, expense reporting, and leave management needs. With a platform built for the USAID contractors, this cloud-based software can streamline processes and cut costs. Learn more about what DATABASICS Time + Expense for USAID Contractors™ can do for you.
For more information on the DATABASICS Time & Expense solutions, contact us, or call (800) 599-0434.
DATABASICS provides cloud-based, next generation Expense Reporting, P-Card Management, Timesheet & Leave Management, and Invoice Processing automation. Specializing in meeting the most rigorous requirements, DATABASICS offers the highest level of service to its customers around the world.
DATABASICS is relied upon by leading organizations representing all the major sectors of the global economy: financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, research, retail, engineering, non-profits/NGOs, technology, federal contractors, and other sectors.
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