Page 64 - Donegal CC An Rpt 19

Donegal County Council Annual Report 2019
Areas of note in 2019 included:
· The provision of in-house and external training covering Capital Works Management Framework, eTenders, Quick Quotes, SupplyGov and general public procurement
· The publication of guidance on www.donegalcoco.ie to assist SME’s in public procurement (in line with government policy of promoting and encouraging participation by SMEs)
· Maintenance of Donegal County Council’s Procurement Policy and Procedures documentation to ensure that an up-to-date policy and procedures resource is available to all staff on a consistent basis across the organisation
· Contributing to quarterly meetings of the Council’s Value for Money Committee. The Committee was established to drive efficiencies and maximise savings, where possible, across all Council operations
· Advancing the eProcurement agenda to align with Government’s e-commerce strategy, which is designed to reduce costs for buyers and suppliers alike
Financial Accounting Division
Payroll
The Payroll Section is responsible for the payment of in excess of 1,900 staff past and present. This amounted to gross payments of almost €62 million in 2019, with all the associated deductions, both statutory and voluntary.
In 2019, the Payroll section was responsible for managing the Payroll Modernisation process for the organisation. PAYE Modernisation involves the most significant reform of the PAYE system since its introduction in 1960. From 1 January 2019 employers are required to report their employees’ pay and deductions to Revenue, in real-time, as they are being paid.
Donegal County Council’s Payroll team continues to work with ‘MyPay’ shared services to manage ongoing payroll processes, as well as deal with national issues common to the sector.
Accounts Payable
The Accounts Payable section was responsible for the processing of payments totalling in excess of €205m in 2019. The section also manages all the indirect taxes, Vat, Intra-Community Acquisitions, Relevant Contracts Tax, Professional Services Withholding Tax, and Income Tax, together with all the associated regulatory and compliance requirements.
Central Invoice Matching & Timesheet Processing
In 2017, a new Central Invoice Matching Team (CIM) was established. Since then, the CIM team has undergone specific training on tax compliance, and in the operation of the Council’s financial management system (Agresso).
The Timesheet Processing (TP) function was amalgamated with the CIM Team during 2018. Members of the CIM team are proficient in TP tasks/duties and vice-versa, in order to provide additional resilience during busy periods.