Post in Booked time v. real time usage: Core Administrators Network Forum: ABRF Discussion Forums

Personally, I think that it is most important to find the method that gets the best behavior out of core clients and then use it consistently, with discretion when necessary. ( Great question, Jon Phipps! All the best, Julie On 3/22/21, 6:51 AM, "Core Administrators Network Forum on behalf of Nikolaidis, Natasha N" <email obscured> on behalf of <email obscured>> wrote: Hi Julie, Thanks, makes sense. We use the actual usage time in our rate calculations, which does drive the rate up some. I'm going to have to go back into Ilab and see what the price difference would be if we used scheduled time and charged for unused time. -----Original Message----- From: Core Administrators Network Forum <email obscured>> On Behalf Of Julie A Auger Sent: Friday, March 19, 2021 5:35 PM To: <email obscured> Subject: Re: [core administrators network forum] Booked time v. real time usage Hi Natasha - The costs remain the same - personnel time, maintenance/repair costs, etc. What changes is the volume that is used to calculate the rate to cover those costs. There are 2 potential problems you may encounter. 1. If you do not charge for the unused time and yet it cannot be used by anyone else, you will not collect sufficient revenue to cover your costs. Example: Annual expenses = $50,000 Annual volume of SCHEDULED use = 2000 hours. The resulting rate is calculated at $25/hr. Annual volume of ACTUAL use due to unused booked time = 1500 hours. 1500 hrs x $25/hr = $37,500 collected ($12,500 shortfall which may be carried forward to the next rate calculation). 2. If you do not charge for the unused time and yet it cannot be used by anyone else, the overall annual volume of usage that the costs are spread across decreases. Thus the resulting recalculated rate is higher for everyone. Example: Annual expenses = $50,000 Annual volume of SCHEDULED use = 2000 hours. The resulting rate is calculated at $25/hr. Annual volume of ACTUAL use due to unused booked time = 1500 hours. The resulting rate is calculated at $33/hr. I hope this is helpful. Best, Julie On 3/19/21, 10:10 AM, "Core Administrators Network Forum on behalf of Nikolaidis, Natasha N" <email obscured> on behalf of <email obscured>> wrote: For those of you that charge this overage time, what costs to the core are you using in your rate calculations for time that is booked but not used? -----Original Message----- From: Core Administrators Network Forum <email obscured>> On Behalf Of Julie A Auger Sent: Friday, March 19, 2021 1:01 PM To: <email obscured> Subject: Re: [core administrators network forum] Booked time v. real time usage Chris - The Stratocore PPMS software that we use at UC Davis is configured to automatically bill in that way. Core staff can intervene to make modifications, if necessary (extenuating circumstances, good excuses, etc.). Best, Julie On 3/19/21, 9:40 AM, "Core Administrators Network Forum on behalf of Gilpin, Christopher J" <email obscured> on behalf of <email obscured>> wrote: Aaron, Does Nucore allow for that type of billing in an automated way? Chris He/Him/His Christopher J. Gilpin Ph.D. Campus-wide Coordinator for Electron Microscopy Director, Life Science Microscopy Facility Purdue University Whistler Hall of Agriculture Research, Room S052 170 S. University St West Lafayette, IN 47907 765-494-7750 <email obscured> <email obscured> reaches everyone in the facility. http://ag.purdue.edu/arp/Microscopy/Pages/default.aspx skype cjgilpin -----Original Message----- From: Core Administrators Network Forum <email obscured>> On Behalf Of Aaron J Rosen Sent: Friday, March 19, 2021 12:20 PM To: <email obscured> Subject: Re: [core administrators network forum] Booked time v. real time usage Hi All, One model to consider is to bill for what might be termed "overage". In this model, one would bill for the union of the reservation window and the actual usage: Reservation Window: 1:00 - 2:00; Actual Usage: 1:15 - 3:00; Bill: 1:00 - 3:00 Reservation Window: 1:00 - 2:00; Actual Usage: 1:15 - 1:45; Bill: 1:00 - 2:00 In this type of billing model, the unused portion of the reservation window is billed, whether it is due to a late arrival or an early logoff (the instrument was booked and otherwise unusable for these periods). Usage beyond the reservation window is also billed. This model can be quite effective for extremely heavily booked instruments, where maximizing usable time for all users is the highest priority. Aaron Aaron Rosen Senior Finance Lead Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Basic Science Administration 303 East Chicago Avenue Ward Building, 8-296 Chicago, Illinois 60611 773-519-5977 cell <email obscured> feinberg.northwestern.edu/sites/bsa/ <http://feinberg.northwestern.edu/sites/bsa/> On 3/19/21, 10:20 AM, "Core Administrators Network Forum on behalf of Gilpin, Christopher J" <email obscured> on behalf of <email obscured>> wrote: Michael, You forgot more scenarios - user starts at 2pm and ends at 5pm (assuming there was no one else reserved 4-5) Bill them 2-5pm. Another is user shows up at 2.20 but uses it until 5 pm (assuming no one is reserved). Bill them 2-5pm? Given all those scenarios it is difficult to have software take care of it. - We use interlocks on our instruments so it is easy to use actual time. Do we have software use reserved time, actual time - do a calculation based on differences? Also there was mention of federal regulations that say you cannot bill for a service that was not provided unless there is a visible cost incurred. When I have looked into usage patterns I cannot pin "no shows" or shortfall of time on specific individuals. For all of the above I have found having a conversation with the users is most productive about curing behavior. Chris He/Him/His Christopher J. Gilpin Ph.D. Campus-wide Coordinator for Electron Microscopy Director, Life Science Microscopy Facility Purdue University Whistler Hall of Agriculture Research, Room S052 170 S. University St West Lafayette, IN 47907 765-494-7750 <email obscured> <email obscured> reaches everyone in the facility. https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://ag.purdue.edu/arp/Microscopy/Pages/default.aspx__;!!Dq0X2DkFhyF93HkjWTBQKhk!Bm4ayx4n0OakPEraFRClIWnoeaMCKQvAx9lBMT2CzVtDopdW4TWBmgr649uzJwnPfCsxCPew$ skype cjgilpin -----Original Message----- From: Core Administrators Network Forum <email obscured>> On Behalf Of Cammer, Michael Sent: Thursday, March 18, 2021 2:42 PM To: <email obscured> Subject: Re: [core administrators network forum] Booked time v. real time usage Direct quote from a finance person about 20 years ago: "If they breathe near the instrument, bill them." (This was very pre-covid, so breathing near instruments was allowed.) Joking aside, here are a few scenarios based on a scheduled time of 2:00 to 4:00. They show up at 2:20. Billing begins at 2:00. No exceptions. Make an exception and it will become a habit. They show up at 1:45. Billing begins at 1:45. They don’t show up. They tied up the instrument so no one else can use it. Bill them. (Exceptions can be made for extenuating circumstances, but you will find that some people will take advantage of your kindness.) They leave at 3:30. I usually advise billing until 4:00, but this is a policy decision you need to make. They work until 5:00. Bill them for the extra time. (Of course, if you have iLab, the system stops keeping track at 4:15, so you're out of luck.) Cheers- Michael Cammer, Sr Research Scientist, DART Microscopy Laboratory NYU Langone Health, 540 First Avenue, SK2 Microscopy Suite, New York, NY 10016 Office: 646-501-0567 Cell: 914-309-3270 <email obscured> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://nyulmc.org/micros__;!!Dq0X2DkFhyF93HkjWTBQKhk!Bm4ayx4n0OakPEraFRClIWnoeaMCKQvAx9lBMT2CzVtDopdW4TWBmgr649uzJwnPfM3d68PP$ https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://microscopynotes.com/__;!!Dq0X2DkFhyF93HkjWTBQKhk!Bm4ayx4n0OakPEraFRClIWnoeaMCKQvAx9lBMT2CzVtDopdW4TWBmgr649uzJwnPfKRAkwZg$