OHA to replace travel-expense system with Oracle-integrated application; go-live targeted mid-May

Office of Hawaiian Affairs staff on April 3 provided a status briefing on a project to replace the agency’s custom SharePoint travel request and expense application with an Oracle‑integrated travel services application, with a targeted go‑live of mid‑May.

Chief Financial Officer Ramona Henk presented the high‑level business process and timeline, saying the current application limits reporting, lacks accounting integration, and has a cumbersome user interface. The new application will integrate with Oracle Fusion to create accounts‑payable and general‑ledger transactions during the workflow, provide real‑time reporting, support drop‑down expense selection, permit uploads of forms and receipts, and add advance per‑diem functionality.

Henk outlined the process flow: employees submit a travel request form (TRF), travel services books travel and pays vendors via p‑card, employees travel and submit expense reports (SOCT) on return, financial services reviews reimbursements and per diem, and disbursements are sent via ACH. The new system aims to automate approvals and reduce manual errors.

Project timing: discovery began Feb. 1; build and test occurred March through mid‑April, including biweekly subject‑matter‑expert sessions and a conference‑room pilot. Training and user testing were planned for mid‑April through the go‑live estimate of mid‑May. Henk said the vendor is under contract and consultants are configuring delegation‑of‑authority workflows to accommodate the agency’s approval matrix.

Trustees asked about risk and training. Henk said the presence of all SMEs during discovery slowed early progress but that the main risk remains the complexity of approval workflows tied to OHA’s delegation of authority. The project expects to produce user manuals and updated standard operating procedures, and training will be part of rollout plans.

Staff named as participants included procurement and travel‑services representatives (Lisonbee, Chris, Loreen, Danielle, Gary) and financial staff (Mylene). Henk thanked the cross‑functional team and said the change aims to reduce emergency payment authorizations and speed vendor and employee reimbursements.

Next steps: continue build/test and begin user training and user acceptance testing; staff expect to return to trustees with progress updates and to provide training materials and SOPs before go‑live.

Source: OHA board meeting presentation, April 3, 2025.