Video: Utility FICO/FERC panel discussion at SAP Controlling 2015

At last month's SAP Controlling conference, HPC moderated a panel discussion of four utility company controllers and FICO/FERC experts from RPU, NTUA, FirstEnergy, and Sharyland Utilities, covering a range of topics around modern cost accounting and regulatory reporting strategies for utilities on SAP.

Panelists Bryan Blom, Gerard Curley, Steve Law, and Armando Bustamante were joined in an engaging discussion by utility FICO/FERC professionals from PSEG, Salt River Project, CPS Energy, and EDF Renewable Energy.

Watch the SAP Controlling video online:

Utility FICO/FERC Topics at SAP Controlling 2015 - Part 2/2

Following up on last week's post, the utility company panel discussion at the 2015 SAP Controlling conference will give utility company controllers, utility accounting and finance managers, and Rates department managers a chance to learn from several highly experienced utility FICO/FERC subject matter experts.

Steve Law, Business Analyst at FirstEnergy Corporation, will discuss FirstEnergy's steps to eliminate clearing groups and resolve negative flow errors. Steve has more than 35 years of experience in utility accounting, and has worked in General Accounting, Financial Reporting, Internal Controls, and Business Services. Most recently, Steve has been a project lead on FirstEnergy's upgrade to a "CO-centric" FERC model that enhances external reporting with Controlling module data.

Armando Bustamante, Controller of Sharyland Utilities, will speak about streamlining Sharyland's regulatory reporting and creating a hybrid functional Income Statement. Armando has more than 20 years of experience in accounting, including Financial Reporting and External Audit. He began his professional career with PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Venezuela and Dallas, before joining the Hunt Family of Companies in 2011. Armando is also a CPA.

Contact HPC to learn more about modern SAP FICO/FERC strategies for utilities at the 2015 SAP Controlling conference, and to request group discount registration passes.

Utility FICO/FERC Topics at SAP Controlling 2015 - Part 1/2

At next month's SAP Controlling conference in San Diego, the utility company panel discussion will cover a number of SAP cost accounting and regulatory reporting topics relevant to utility controllers, utility finance and accounting managers, and Rates department experts.

Bryan Blom, Controller of Rochester Public Utilities, will speak about RPU's steps to improve SAP FERC reporting clarity, and their process for eliminating offline cost calculations. Bryan is a CPA and has more than 16 years of SAP Financials experience. Today, he is responsible for general ledger accounting and reporting; treasury management; accounts payable, budgeting and forecasting; financial regulatory reporting; utility billing, credit and collections; and financial, cost, and rate analysis.

Gerard Curley, Controller of Navajo Tribal Utility Authority, will speak about improving NTUA's assessment process, and minimizing month-end reconciliations in SAP. Gerard has more than 10 years of SAP Financials experience, and focuses on optimizing NTUA's ERP functionality to streamline operations of the utility's electric, gas, water, wastewater, photovoltaic, and communication services.

Contact HPC to learn more about modern SAP FICO/FERC strategies for utilities at the 2015 SAP Controlling conference, and to request group discount registration passes.

FirstEnergy to join Utility Panel Discussion at SAP Controlling 2015

Back in January we announced that the 2015 SAP Controlling conference in San Diego would include for the first time some utility-specific content: a panel discussion of utility company accounting experts sharing their latest solutions to SAP cost accounting, regulatory reporting, and other SAP FICO/FERC challenges. (Plus, a networking session for utility industry professionals.)

We're very pleased to announce that Bryan Blom and Gerard Curley, Controllers from RPU and NTUA, respectively, will be joined on the utility industry panel by Steve Law, a business analyst and FICO/FERC subject matter expert from FirstEnergy Corporation, a diversified energy company headquartered in Akron, OH that serves 6 million customers across Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, and New York.

Steve has more than 35 years of experience in utility accounting, and has worked in General Accounting, Financial Reporting, Internal Controls, and Business Services. Since 1998, Steve's primary responsibility has been Regulatory Reporting; he led the SAP FERC module implementations at General Public Utilities Corp. in 1999, and at FirstEnergy in 2003. Today, he is a project lead on FirstEnergy's upgrade to a "CO-centric" FERC model that enhances external reporting with Controlling module data.

Learn more about the utility industry panel discussion at Controlling 2015, and contact HPC to share any questions or discussion topics that you would like the panelists to address.

2015 SAP Controlling Conference: Utility-Centric Sessions

Looking ahead to late-September 2015, HPC America will return to the SAP Controlling conference in San Diego. This year, we'll also be moderating two sessions at the event. The first will be a Customer Panel Discussion on modern cost accounting and FERC strategies for utilities on SAP. Key topics will include:

• Best practices for using assessments with overheads to capitalize indirect labor and expenses
• Improving defensibility of FERC accounts through CO documents
• Benefits of using CO for pricing fleet units and applying pricing to work orders

This discussion will include Controllers from RPU and NTUA, both of whom have a extensive real-world experience with SAP Financials for utilities. 

We'll also be hosting an Expert-Led Networking session for utilities and public sector organizations, which will provide attendees an opportunity to discuss budget preparation and experience with SAP and third-party solutions; infrastructure and support sharing across organizations, districts, or governments; meeting internal and external reporting requirements; improving visibility into costs; and other topics unique to utility companies, municipalities, and other public sector entities.

To learn more about HPC's plans for the 2015 SAP Controlling conference, or to request a discounted conference pass, please contact us.