Continuous Service Improvement Governance Group (CSIGG)

The Division of Finance and Business Services is focused on process improvement, particularly that which has a positive impact on our customers.

To that end, the Continuous Service Improvement Governance Group (CSIGG) was created to oversee a methodical, intentional mechanism to continually improve campus financial work processes. Our efforts to streamline and enhance the services we provide will benefit our staff, the work of our faculty, and the educational experience of our students.

CSIGG accepts improvement project ideas from the campus community so that we continue to better the division, be great stewards of our university’s financial resources, and continually strive to:

  • Increase customer satisfaction
  • Increase cost effectiveness
  • Improve efficiency
  • Improve accuracy
  • Enhance compliance

CSIGG will accept improvement project ideas from the campus community.

CSIGG meets montly.

Suggest a future improvement project

To submit a project for consideration, please complete the CSIGG Form.

CSIGG Membership

  • Chair - Jessica Kilby, assistant vice president for Operations Finance
  • Andrea Johannes, associate director, Student Affairs Finance
  • Clint Merritt, executive director, Financial Management Operations
  • Joe Dillard, assistant dean for Finance, Bush School of Government and Public Service
  • Paul Barzak, director, Strategic Sourcing
  • Rachelle Dudley, executive director, Research Finance
  • Rod Mireles, director, Operations Finance
  • Shelly Janac, financial analyst III, Budget Office
  • Shirley Davidson, assistant dean for Finance, School of Nursing
  • Vanessa Garza, budget manager, Texas A&M University at Galveston Budget and Analysis
  • Ex-Officio - John McCall, associate vice president for Accounting and Financial Services and controller

CSIGG Project Information as of January 2025

Twenty-eight CSIGG submissions have been received as of January 2025. Of those submissions, four did not relate to the Division of Finance and Business Services and were referred to the correct unit on campus.

Fourteen projects have been successfully completed to date. More information is provided below.

Major Completed Projects

Delegated Purchasing Authority

The purchasing delegation limit increased from $10,000 to $25,000. Additionally, a new process for purchases between $25,000 and $50,000, was established (detailed below). These decisions were made to streamline and expedite the procurement process by providing more autonomy, speed and flexibility in purchasing activities.

For purchases of up to $25,000, this delegated authority allows departments/units to expedite the purchase of items needed immediately without having to prepare a purchase requisition. Thus, providing the same speed of processing for purchases up to $25,000 as previously experienced up to $10,000.

For purchases between $25,000 and $50,000 departments/units now have the option to solicit three or more informal bids (email bids are acceptable) with at least two of the three bids from Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs) and submit a requisition to Procurement Services with all bid documentation attached. This process is optional and not intended to add additional burden to department resources. Procurement Services stands ready to assist with the solicitation process.

As before, purchases may not be separated to remain within the delegated dollar amount.

For additional information about the Rules and Regulations governing this process, please visit the Procurement Services website.

Contract Review and Approval Process

The contract review and approval process underwent a thorough assessment to determine how to shorten the length of time for a contract to be finalized. 

As a result, from 2022 to 2023 there was a 21% reduction in time for contract completion while experiencing a 31% growth in the number of contracts reviewed and executed. The contract team elevated its communication efforts, increased the utilization of AggieBuy/Contract+ system functions and developed dashboards for tracking and reporting at the unit level.  

Other highlights include:

  • Contract assignment – Contract assignments are now based on the type of transaction and relationship to build familiarity with the challenges and specifics of contract types. This practice has created subject matter experts on various contract types.
  • SRS Decision tree – A tool was developed to help departments determine if a document needs to be processed by SRS or Contract Administration.
  • Training - How-to training programs have been created for various groups, from staff who complete specific tasks within AggieBuy/Contracts+ to higher level sessions for administrators to discuss process, expectations, and status updates.
  • Listserv – A “Contract Administration List Serv” was formed. To join, email CONTRACTLISTSERV+subscribe@lists.tamu.edu with nothing in the body or subject line.
  • Lower risk contracts – Rule revisions are being drafted for review and approval to delegate certain contract types, using an unaltered OGC template, to departments for signature.
  • Legislative Mandates – Due to new requirements for contracting with a vendor centered around data security, IT Security now reviews contracts that contain provisions for the exchange of data, connections to our network, etc.

Contract Administration continues to pursue opportunities that will create additional efficiencies. For additional information, please visit the Contracts Administration website.

Completed Process Improvements:

The following 12 process improvements were completed wholly or in part through discussions with the submitter and other stakeholders. Improvements to forms and processes were made where possible. In other cases, additional training, resources, or information was provided to the submitter, or an alternative solution was proposed and implemented. 

  • Vendor bid submission process
  • Merit process
  • “Save Draft” functionality for Laserfiche forms
  • Improvement for assigning fund codes and accounts for scholarships
  • Reduce duplication of approvals on requisitions and POs
  • Easier building location for inventory/asset management
  • “Total” function for iPayment cashiering document with multiple lines
  • Efficiency improvement for mileage reimbursement
  • Multi-year contract treatment
  • Termination/re-assignment of items in AggieBuy for employees that leave TAMU
  • Adding signature information to responses from the FMO helpdesk
  • Improvements to the prepaid expense/deferred revenue form

Active Projects

Of the remaining projects, nine are currently in process and are noted below.

  • Inventory Management
  • Review of reconciliation and verification policy
  • Standardize business forms
  • Simplify Concur submission process
  • Reduce various departments purchasing the same software and move towards university licenses where possible.
  • Allow removal of encumbrances from frozen projects without thawing them
  • DCR processing between different campus codes
  • Incorporate comments in the notifications area in AggieBuy.
  • Map the disbursement process from start to completion to determine if efficiencies can be achieved.

Finally, there is one submission related to a review of the access and security process that is on hold pending the availability of staff resources to review and consider the project.