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Comparison Checklist

The following questions are intended to assist airports to differentiate between management information system needs of airports versus business in general. The list of questions is not intended to be a comprehensive requirements definition for automated accounting systems. Use this checklist to help evaluate resources and find the right partner for your airport.

Company

• Does the company have the appropriate:
  - Mix of skills Functional, Industry and Technical (FIT)?
  - Experience with, and commitment to, airports?
  - Technical background?
  - Participation in Airport Associations (ACI-NA, AAAE)?
  - How responsive is the company to problems and user requests?
  
  

  Platform

• Is the software hardware independent?
  
• Does the system employ an Open Architecture Operating System? If so, which one?
  
• Does the application software use a Relational Database Management System foundation? If so, which one?
  
• Is ad hoc inquiry and reporting available system wide?
  
• Will the software run on PC's, Mini's and Mainframes?
  
  

  Applications
  

• Do all applications currently exist and have they been successfully installed?
  
• Are the applications integrated, that is do they share information as needed or is there redundant data entry?
  
• Is there a time lag between entry and posting and when the information is available for reporting and inquiry?
  
• Are audit trails built into the system to log appropriate changes? Do the applications have information validations to assist with accuracy? Please explain specifically.
  
• Will the system allow deletion of information if it is used elsewhere in the system?
  
• Does the system safeguard against accidental deletion of history based on user specified criteria?
  
• Can the user retrieve information from the system using words rather than numbers and codes? Please demonstrate how.
  
• Does the system provide for the separate accounting for multiple airports, with financial consolidation, if desired?
  
• Does the system accommodate commercial accounting suggested for Authorities and/or enterprise funds of Municipalities by Generally Accepted Accounting Procedures (GAAP).
  
• Does the system also account for funding sources as required by governmental regulatory agencies? Please describe specifically how.
  
  

  Lease / Properties / Agreement Management
  

• Does the system allow for recording and reporting of unlimited lease locations, contacts, insurance, utilities and maintenance requirements? Will the system record audit requirements, deposits and options?
  
• Can the user define categories of remarks and input unlimited text with respect to remarks? Can the user inquire as to narratives based on category and date range?
  
• Is there an audit trail that records who made changes, on what date and from which terminal with a before and after change data report?
  
• Is there reporting with respect to lease expiration, insurance, options and or audits coming due based on user supplied date ranges?
  
• Will the system itemize cases where insurance coverage is not met?
  
• Can the expiration date of a lease and all related billing items be globally extended?
  

  Airport Statistics
  

• Does the system allow for tailoring of information input screens to parallel reports received from tenants (such as Landing Reports)?
  
• Does the system allow for ad hoc inquiry and reporting based on user specified criteria?
  
• Does the system provide for delinquency listings should the reports due from the tenants be late?
  
• Does the system use statistics, as appropriate for billing, without redundant entry?
  

  Tenant Billing

• Does the system allow, through user definition of parameters, billing for all items including landing fees based on ramp weight, rent, percent of gross revenues with minimums, passenger facility charges?
• Does the system allow, without the use of a third party spreadsheet, pro-rate billing based on user defined formulas? Do the formulas allow other statistical codes, revenue codes, user defined percentages, constants and General Ledger account balances as formula variables?
  
• Does the system allow for global extension of billing items upon extension of the lease? Does the system allow for global rate changes based on user specified criteria?
  
• Can the invoice format be tailored by the user for each group of billing items and for each tenant? For example, can the user elect to print different information on the invoice for landing fees, concession fees, ground rent, etc.?
  
• Can the billing address be changed globally for a group or all billing items for a particular tenant?
  
• Does an audit trail exist that logs billing item changes, dates, with before and after data?
  
• Can the system keep track of statistic only items, defined by the user, without printing the statistics on a tenant invoices?
  
• Can the user elect to bill items on a user defined cycle? (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually)
  
• Does the system produce reports which show billing items as delinquent?
  
• Does the system allow for revenue projections based on application of user supplied rate and quantity changes to actual history for a specified time frame?
  
• Does the system reduce electrical and water billings based on meter readings taken with hand-held terminals?
  

  Accounts Receivable

• Will the system support multiple billing locations per tenant with appropriate sub-totaling on all reports?
  
• Can invoice line item detail be retrieved on-line?
  
• Can the user specify the amount of billing history to retain?
  
• Can the system assess service charges and can the rate be altered by tenant?
  
• Will the system accommodate an open invoice accounts receivable and does it have the ability to produce statements?
  
• Can the user elect an automatic write-off of invoice balances below a specified amount? Will this process present potential write-off candidates for user override? Will the process produce appropriate write-off journals with associated posting to the General Ledger?
  
• Will the system produce summary or detailed aged trial balances with user provided aging categories (prompted for at report time)?
  
• Will the system produce an aged trial balance subtotaled by user defined Property Managers?
  
• Does the system provide for entry of non Accounts Receivable cash receipts and will it produce a daily Bank Deposit Report which may be used in lieu of a hand written deposit slip?
  

  Accounts Payable

• Does the system provide for user defined cash payment terms and calculate the net amount due based on the compliance with the terms?
  
• Does accounts payable voucher entry provide for capture of Fixed Assets information with subsequent transfer to the Property, Plant and Equipment module?
  
• Does the accounts payable voucher entry provide for designating costs associated with user defined projects with automatic posting to the Project Cost module?
  
• Does the accounts payable voucher entry provide for designating costs associated with a particular work order with automatic posting to the Work Order/Preventive Maintenance module?
  
• Does the system accommodate the automated tracking and validation of user defined retaining and draw schedules?
  
• For contract retention held in escrow, will the system accumulate retention by Escrow Agent and produce a check for the agent automatically with a supporting Bank Advice report?
  
• Can the system connect, via telephone line, to the Bank to receive information regarding cleared checks for an automated check reconciliation process?
  
• Will the system produce a cash requirements report?
  
• Does the system provide for user defined designation and tracking of payments to Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE)?
  
• Will the system print vendor rolodex cards and labels?
  
• Will the system produce 1099s?
  
• Can the user elect to print them by vendor?
  

  Requisitions and Purchasing

• Does the system provide for on-line input of requisitions?
  
• Does the system provide for on-line gathering of requisitions for on-line approval by user defined responsible parties?
  
• Will the system cross reference requisition line items to purchase order line items to stock receipt line items and report requisition fulfillment status?
  
• Will the system accommodate on-line gathering of approved requisitions for inclusion onto a purchase order?
  
• Will the system provide for the internal matching of requisitions, purchase order and receiving report line items? Will the system automatically approve for payment items which match and produce a variance report for items which differ in price and or quantity? Will the system allow acceptance of differences from a user with appropriate authority?
  
• Will the system allow for vendor shopping between requisition approval and inclusion onto a purchase order? Will the system automatically flag requisition line items for re-approval should the price exceed user defined guidelines?
  
• Will the system retain vendor performance history and report vendor price and delivery time performance by product?
  
• Will the system calculate economic order quantities and produce a suggested order report based on seasonally adjusted usage?
  
• Does the Purchase Order system log control of purchase order forms through forms control numbers in lieu of pre-printed purchase order numbers?
  
• Will the system accommodate Purchase Order inquiry with line item detail?
  
  Inventory Control
• Will the system accommodate multiple warehouses and multiple bins?
  
• Will the system automatically allocate stock to requisitions?
  
• Will the system produce a bulk pick list allowing for one pass around a warehouse?
  
• Will the system allow another pick list by department or work order which will allow bulk-picked products to be staged for pick up or delivery?
  
• Does the system produce an ABC analysis and inventory turns with calculation of either low stock or excess inventory based on user supplied parameters?
  
• Will the system accommodate vendor returns with the appropriate requisition, purchase order, work order and general ledger posting?
  
• Will the system allow categorization of inventory into major and minor classifications?
  
• Will the system allow for valuing inventory based on FIFO, LIFO, replacement, average or standard cost?
  
• Does the system provide inter and intra warehouse stock movement and control?
  
  Project Cost
  • Will the system allow for definition and accounting of a project as either fixed fee or cost plus?
  • Will the system automatically calculate the percent of completion based on the completed project accounting method?
  • Will the system allow for user defined projects and cost centers?
  • Does the system allow for designation of authorized work areas for project cost centers?
  • Will the system allow for cost transfer between projects, first checking available budgets, followed by all of the appropriate postings: General Ledger, Job/Cost Center and Funding Source?
  • Will the system allow on-line inquiry by Project, Sponsor and Cost Center?
  • Will the system maintain contractor draw and retaining schedules by cost center with Accounts Payable voucher entry and cash disbursements validated against these schedules and against the system calculated or user overridden percent of completion?
    
  • Will the system accommodate Escrow accounting for the user defined retention?
    
  • Will the system accommodate multiple funding source accounting automatically and by project cost center?
    
  • Does the system provide for Project component capitalization to the Property, Plant and Equipment module with pull forward of all cost detail including specific vouchers, labor hours, inventory and funding sources?
    
  • Can the system produce variance reporting by Job/Cost Center, Category or Funding Source?
    
  • Will the system allow for entry, accounting and analysis of change orders separate from a project's original budget?
    
  • Will the system automatically account for earned versus unearned funds as required by the FAA for AIP funding?
    

  Property, Plant and Equipment

  • Will the system allow for PP&E definition with multiple components which are separately accounted for but may be reported in total?
  • Will the system account for the allocation of an asset to multiple departments?
  • Will the system account for depreciation by department for a single asset?
    
  • Will the system account for the funding of an asset from multiple sources?
    
  • Will the system provide for asset depreciation by user defined methods either based on the passage of time or units of usage?
    
  • Will the system accommodate the automatic addition of an asset from Accounts Payable or Project Cost?
    
  • Will the system automatically post to General Ledger upon the purchase sale or disposal of an asset?
    
  • Will the system calculate gain or loss upon sale with automatic posting of the appropriate amount by to the General Ledger?
    
  • Will the system retain insurance appraisal amounts with "good until" dates for reporting even after an asset is fully depreciated?
    
  • Will the system accommodate the automated generation of user defined preventive maintenance work orders based on the passage of time or units of usage? Will the PP&E module send the work order information to a Work Order/Preventive Maintenance module?
    
  • Will the PP&E module receive completed work order information detail from the Work Order/Preventive Maintenance module for historical posting and subsequent analysis?
    

  General Ledger

• Will the system accept posting of financial related data from all other modules eliminating redundant accounting and significantly reducing the number of general journal entries required?
  
• Will the system accommodate the accrual journal entries with appropriate reversals? Does the system provide for definition of re-occurring journal entries?
  
• Will the system accommodate re-distribution of certain account balances based on user supplied criteria?
  
• Can the system simultaneously account for multiple open periods?
  
• Will the system allow the user the ability to define an unlimited number of financial reports using an ad-hoc report writing facility?
  
• Will the system allow the user to define this year and next year budgets and allow for "what-if" scenarios based on user supplied parameters?
  
• Will the system accommodate on-line inquiry into account balances?
  
• Will the system allow for financial reporting for a new fiscal year even though the old year has not been closed due to pending audit adjusting journal entries?
  
• Does the system allow the use of a closing status inquiry to display the last closed accounting period for each subsidiary module?
  

  Parking Lot
  

• Does the system accommodate the daily reconciliation of information from fee computers, cashiers and bank deposits?
  
• Will the system automatically upload, summarize and process transactions from fee computers in the field?
  
• Will the system produce a lot analysis for traffic and/or fees by user specified time frame?
  
• Will the system provide a special analysis of voids, validations and manually overridden transactions to assist with audits and detection of fraud?
  
• Will the system recalculate fees due, by transaction, based on the entrance and exit times? Will the system compare the re-calculation with cash received to produce an exception report for differences?
  
• Will the system automatically post revenue with authorized adjustments to the General Ledger?
  

  Identification Badge Control

• Does the system allow the airport to keep track of badges issued to employees, tenants and contractors?
  
• Does the system allow the airport to keep track of parking decals and Airport Operations Area vehicle decals?
  
• Will the system calculate the expiration date of a badge based on user specified criteria? Will the system print a report of badges due for expiration within a user specified time frame?
  
• Will the system track the various status of badges and decals based on user defined status codes? Will the system assure that additional badges will not be issued if a prior badge does not have an acceptable status?
  
• Will the system validate personal, badge and decal information based on other relevant information in the data base?
  • Tenants
  • Vendors
  • Employees
  • Airport Departments
  • Projects
  • Authorized Work Areas
  
• Will the system interface with a Tenant Billing system to automatically invoice badges and/or decals which have been issued?
  
• Will the system allow for ad-hoc inquiry or reporting based on user criteria for information selection, sorting and display/print? Can these definitions be saved for future inquiry/reporting?
  
• Can the system accommodate Photo Images? Will the Photo Images be displayed without a proprietary compression/ decompression and communications protocol?
  
• Will the system connect with third party access control and alarm monitoring systems?
  

  Preventative Maintenance

• Will the system interface with a Property, Plant and Equipment module to receive cycled preventive maintenance work orders?
  
• Will the system allow ad hoc work orders?
  Can the Supervisor control the release of work orders regardless of the source?
  
• Will the module interface with the Inventory Control module to automatically allocate and subsequently relieve inventory to the work order?
  
• Will the module interface with the Payroll module to post actual labor and pro rated overtime and benefits to work orders?
  
• Will the system allow a completed work order to be posted to:
  • Maintenance expense for a particular asset?
  • A project as defined in the Project Cost module?
  • Be allocated to multiple departments based on user specified criteria?
  
• Will the system provide for exception reports for required stock not available?
• Will the system also report on estimated delivery dates for missing stock currently on order?
  
• Does the system provide a Work Order status report with a status change history?
  

  Payroll / Human Resources
  

• Will the system retain appropriate information regarding employees including:
  • Personal Data
  • Military Background
  • Education/Skills Background
  • Beneficiary Information Requirements
  • Position Information Requirements
  • Compensation History
  • Performance Evaluation
  • Grievance Administration
  • EEOC Complaints
  • Unemployment Compensation
  • Training Requirements/History
  
• Does the system accommodate all necessary with holdings based on user supplied information or purchased tax tables?
  
• Will the system automatically produce government required reporting including 941 and W2 forms?
  
• Does the system produce the required OSHA, Workers Compensation, Disability and EEOC reporting?
  
• Will the system account for and report on COBRA requirements?
  
• Does the system accommodate applicant tracking?
  
• Does the system provide for appropriate security and integrity of sensitive payroll and personnel information?
  
• Will the system accommodate user definitions of earnings and deductions?
  
• Will the system accommodate automated deposit with Financial institutions?
  
• Will the system accommodate ad-hoc inquiry and reporting?
  
• Will the system assist to monitor a formal step/grade subsystem?
  
• Will the Payroll module interface with:
  • Human Resources
  • Project Cost
  • Work Order/Preventive Maintenance
  • Accounts Payable
  • General Ledger

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