Job Title: Project Officer (Accommodation and Transport), AO5
Word Limit: 2 Pages
Supports Strategic Direction
As the dedicated booking officer for air, land, and accommodation bookings in the role of Assistant Procurement Officer for Operations Support Command, Public Safety Business Agency (PSBA), I am responsible for managing all travel requests for this area. By performing a cost comparison of booking these items directly with providers instead of utilising CTM and LIDO, I determined I was able to perform this function at a cheaper rate and would avoid being charged fees for cancellations or changes to travel requests. All urgent and after hours travel is booked through QTravel.
When booking travel requests I am required to follow the Whole of Government (WoG) policy, and the Financial Management Practice Manual (FMPM), in relation to inter and intra state travel. Due to bookings being made directly with service providers I have created an excel spreadsheet to track all details of these bookings. The spreadsheet is created by financial year with a dedicated sheet for each month. Information recorded includes traveller details, where they are going, the reason for travel, who their approver is, and the responsible cost centre. If travel is cancelled, I note this on the spreadsheet and detail the reason for cancellation and if a refund or credits were issued, including the date of expiry for credits. Prior to booking travel, I review available credits in order to use these before expiry. If credits are utilised by someone from a different cost centre a journal is created to transfer this expense to the correct cost centre.
I am responsible for the creation and update of the standard operating procedures for travel bookings. Qantas frequently change their procedure for booking travel for police dogs therefore this section is continuously updated. Once an update is made, I immediately archive the existing document and store the current version in the relevant financial year’s server.
Prior to booking any travel I ensure that the appropriate approvals have been obtained. All travel expenses are charged to a central American express account. I am required to reconcile this account on a monthly basis. This includes attaching the correct documentation, organising payment of the account, and investigating any discrepancies. On completion of the reconciliation, I forward this to my supervisor for final approval.
Achieves Results
Every month I am required to prepare a report for submission to the Assistant Commissioner regarding the costs of travel, this report provides a cost centre breakdown of all travel for the two branches within Operations Support Command. Accessing information stored within the travel booking spreadsheet, I prepare a report for the Superintendent detailing available credits and the expiration date of these. This information provides the Superintendent the opportunity to offer expiring credits to other divisions.
Prior to undertaking any booking, I research the best possible flight, accommodation and car hire prices. The policy states that accommodation must be booked at three star and above. Research is conducted on three to five star accommodation as I often find four-star accommodation to be significantly cheaper than prices quoted for three star accommodation.
When requested to book travel for a high number of delegates attending the same conference I am required to source the best price from all travel providers for these group bookings. Time of arrival for these travellers is also taken into consideration to reduce the costs of transport from the airport to the conference or accommodation venue. At times, I need to speak with travellers to investigate the potential for accessing an earlier or later flight if there are no available flights in their requested timeframe.
A requirement of my role is to respond to all travel enquiries received by phone or email; these include flight cost, types of airfares booked and requests for submissions relating to group travel requests. Minor purchasing via corporate card in line with the FMPM is also a requirement of my role.
Supports productive working relationships
As an acting Technical Officer, I was involved in the Boost project. Following project implementation I identified a number of key controls including, no tax file number, work test declaration, late taxes and contribution caps had been removed from the acuity. I identified a number of available options to rectify this issue, resources required for implementation, possible risks involved and my recommended course of action and provided this information to the Operational Manager through a detailed report. The QSuper Management team approved my suggested recommendations.
Whilst performing the role of Acting Senior Administrative Services Officer I was involved in the Equity Projects and Vessels Project. The project aim was to purchase a new vessel. Referring to existing SOA’s for this type of purchase, I was able to source approved suppliers and request quotations. On receipt of requested quotations, a purchase order creation was requested. Due to the purchase order value the Deputy Commissioner approved this. When the vessel was received I actioned the goods receipt and submitted this to accounts payable for invoice receipt and payment. All purchasing for this project was in line with the State Purchasing Policy.
Displays personal drive and integrity
In the role of Technical Officer, I was responsible for identifying risks where controls were not consistent. Risks were brought about by changes to deeds, legislation, and regulations. When risks were identified, I formulated and implemented additional controls and conducted internal auditing of all policies, procedures, member benefit statements and product disclosure statements.
Working in real estate, I performed property inspections on rented properties. This required me to inspect the property and utilising a checklist identify any issues or damage to the property and report this back to the property owner for their advice and action. If tenants had damaged the property, they were provided a timeframe in which to perform these repairs, this was in line with legislated timeframes of 14 or 21 days. Following this period, I would conduct an inspection to ensure satisfactory repairs had been made. The owner was informed of required repairs and advised when the issue had been rectified.
Communicates with influence
Performing my role as an Assistant Procurement Officer I have established excellent relationships with accommodation providers, this enables me to not only secure the cheapest rates for all travel requirements but in the majority of cases where travel needs to be cancelled the department does not received a cancellation fee for this.
Maintaining internal relationships is a key aspect of my role; if a travel request cannot be completed as requested, I am required to present officers with alternative selections to enable them to choose the most appropriate option to suit their requirements.
