The financial planning process

How finance works ... at the University of Sheffield

The University undertakes a financial planning process on an annual cycle. The purposes of financial planning are:

to ensure that the University has the best chance of achieving its financial operating strategy

to highlight what has to happen (in financial terms) to get the University from where it is now to where it wants to be in the future

to understand the impact of internal and external factors that will affect the University’s finances

to enable the University to forecast how much income it will generate and how much it can spend on different activities

to meet a funding council requirement for a financial forecast to be provided annually

The financial planning process involves a large number of people from across the University. This includes staff in academic and professional service departments, the University Executive Board and Finance Committee members as well as staff in the Finance Department.

How does the financial planning process work?

Each year the University reviews and updates its financial plan (or forecast). This covers the current year, to see if we are still on target to achieve what we thought we were going to, and the subsequent four financial years.

The financial forecast is a rolling five year plan that is reviewed and updated on an annual basis. This ensures that the forecast takes account of the latest information that may affect the University’s financial position in the future.

The stages of the financial planning process

Who makes the decisions?

At the end of the day it is the University Council that approves the financial forecasts on the recommendation of Finance Committee. However, leading up to this point a number of individuals and committees have an input to the process.

Group Accounting and Planning (Finance) – co-ordinate the preparation of the financial plans (see below)

Academic and Professional Service Departments – plan activity levels for future years incorporating business plans for new activities.

Faculties – prepare individual forecasts for each department based on the information coming from the academic planning process and predictions of staff and non-staff costs.

Planning and Governance Services – co-ordinate the academic planning exercise that feeds into the financial plans.

Student Services – provide intelligence and advice on student number projections.

Research Finance (Finance) – prepare a forecast of research income and expenditure for the whole University.

Capital Projects (Finance) – ensure that latest intelligence on the capital programme is built into the plans.

Group Accounting and Planning (Finance) – prepare cash flow forecast and predictions of income from investments, and debt charges.

Group Accounting and Planning (Finance) – prepare balance sheet forecast and predictions of depreciation charges.

University Executive Board (UEB) – makes decisions on the overall financial position and what actions need to be taken to manage income and expenditure. Decides level of overall faculty/professional service budgets.

Senate Budget Committee – comments on the financial forecasts to Senate.

Finance Committee – provides overall guidance to UEB on financial position and recommends forecasts to University Council (without this recommendation the Council would not approve the forecasts).

What happens to the financial forecast after it has been approved?

Once the financial forecast has been approved by the Finance Committee and University Council a copy is sent to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). This is a requirement that is placed on the University and the return is made in the University’s Annual Monitoring Statement. The submission of this report gives HEFCE the assurance that the University is being managed in a financially sound manner.

Budget setting

The financial forecast also forms the basis for the budgets set for each department. It identifies what the University can afford to spend based on the forecast level of income. The University Executive Board decides how much can be spent in the Faculties and the professional service areas. The budgets for Faculties are determined using the resource allocation process and agreed by UEB. For professional services the budgets are decided upon by the Registrar & Secretary. Within departments, budget allocations for activities and individuals are determined by the Head of Department.

Need help or more information?

Who to contact
A Finance Manager supports Academic Departments or Professional Services Departments with queries relating to departmental expenditure and budgets for non-research activities.