Policy 82d

Approved Administrative Committee 464.2

FORMS MANAGEMENT

INTRODUCTION

1. The goal of forms management is to provide central control and coordination of all forms that are essential for the conduct of the University's business, to provide an efficient forms design service, to avoid the proliferation of forms, and to reduce costs and improve administrative efficiency through central forms management.
2. The purpose of this policy is to describe the forms management program of the University and the actions considered necessary to ensure that the needs of users are met in a timely and effective manner.
3. Forms management includes the analysis, design, content, supply, pricing and periodic review of all forms used by the university community.

DEFINITIONS

4. Within the scope of this program, a form is defined as any document that is printed or otherwise produced with spaces for filling in various types of information.
5. Documents without fill-in spaces may be considered to be forms when it is advantageous to identify and control them for the sake of consultation, printing, storage, and/or for distribution and use with forms.

RESPONSIBILITY

6. The analysis, design, specifications, classification and supply of all forms required by the University are the responsibility of the Forms Management Section.
7. Furthermore, the Forms Management Section is responsible for:
   1. ensuring that each form fills a basic need within an approved operating procedure;
   2. specifying the most economical method of manufacture;
   3. maintaining a system of replenishment that will make forms available in economic quantities at beneficial prices;
   4. reviewing forms in use to detect duplication or obsolescence;
   5. taking the necessary steps to ensure that linguistic and graphic standards are met;
   6. ensuring that the content of each form meets the University's policies and procedures.

SUBMISSION OF DEMANDS

8. A faculty, school or service needing a new form or a revision of an existing form shall submit a request to the Forms Management Section. All requests must be carefully planned and thought out well in advance. The request must include a draft of the proposed form, an outline of the intended operating procedure, quantities required and the desired delivery date.
9. Requests for design work and/or editing must be submitted to the Forms Management Section three or five months before the delivery date.
10. The time intervals specified are required in order to allow sufficient time for analysis of form content, design planning, drafting or re-drafting of the form, processing of tenders or obtaining quotes, as applicable, typesetting and proof preparation by the printer, proofreading, printing and delivering of the forms. Commercial printers need at least four to eight weeks between the time a printing contract is awarded and final delivery of the forms.
11. All requests for printing or reprints of forms must be submitted to the Forms Management Section which will forward them to the appropriate printer as the case may be.
12. Consolidated requests of forms which must be printed by a supplier specializing in business forms are put to tender in January, March, June, September and November of each year. This cycle is intended to best satisfy user needs, achieve optimum cost reductions and avoid costly special orders and late deliveries. The Forms Management Section will notify users at appropriate intervals before each call for tenders.

FORMS CLASSIFICATION

13. A standard forms classification system has been developed to allow for the identification and inventory of all forms used by the University. Within this system, the Forms Management Section assigns an identification code to each form.
14. A catalogue of all forms on stock is maintained in the Forms Management Section.

CHARGES

15. There is no charge for the forms analysis, design and management services provided by the Forms Management Section. However, all typesetting and printing costs are charged to the operating budget of the faculty, school or service concerned.

OBSOLESCENCE

16. An important feature of the forms management program is to eliminate unnecessary, obsolete or duplicate forms. This is done by the Forms Management Section in consultation with users.

EXCEPTION

17. No exception may be made to this policy without the written consent of the Administrative Committee.

Revised June 6, 1990

(Computing and CommunicationsServices)