Date:

To:

From:

Subject:

October 2017

State Aid Designees

Andrea Hyary

Release of the new web-based SAMS Bus Purchase Approval System


Dear Colleague:

This is the second field communications regarding the new web-based SAMS bus purchase system. The system has been incorporated into the State Aid Management System (SAMS) and is now available to the field. This document provides an overview of how the new system works and what districts need to do at this time.

Here is a link to the first field communication, issued in June 2017, should you wish to review it:
https://stateaid.nysed.gov/trans/bus_purchase_docs/pdf_docs/field_memo1_announcement_of_new_sams_bus_purchase_app_sys.pdf (PDF doc 99KB)
These two communications, and any subsequent communications, can also be viewed in the Bus Purchase Approval Automation Project section of the Transportation topic area on the State Aid homepage.

About buses with purchase order dates between 7/1/16 and 6/30/17

  1. The June 12, 2017 memo said not to be concerned that you had not received paper bus purchase approval letters in response to SA-16 forms submitted for these buses. No approval letters were mailed for these buses, and no approval letters will be mailed for these buses. SED staff has entered all these buses into the new system for you and certified them. Unless you hear otherwise from the Transportation Unit in the State Aid Office, buses for which you submitted paper SA-16s, with PO dates between 7/1/16 and 6/30/17 are approved and will start generating Transportation Aid during the 2017-18 aid year.
  2. As part of the transition to the new system, it is recommended that districts verify that all buses purchased between 7/1/16 and 6/30/17, for which paper SA-16s were sent to SED, are in the new system. Simply choose "Form BP: Bus Purchase" from the main SAMS form tree, then click on Bus Purchase Approval Form. Use actual purchase records to check that the list of buses you see is complete, and that the ‘Status’ column says 'CERT' or 'REV_AFTER_CERT' for every bus listed. If you have any concerns, please send a detailed email to BUSPURCH@nysed.gov, including your district name in the subject line and relevant bus numbers in the email.
  3. Should districts also wish to verify the aggregated approved bus service expense for 2017-18 aid, or projected expense for 2018-19 aid, please see the User Manual reports section descriptions for the new bus purchase system reports titled: Buses Generating Aid on TRA Output Report and Buses Generating Aid on TRA EST Output Report. These two output reports have been available to users via 2017-18 SAMS (not via the web) for this purpose. Note that the total aidable transportation expenses and aid data on these reports is ony valid if the district has completed Form FT and the ST-3. If you have any concerns, please send a detailed email to BUSPURCH@nysed.gov, including your district name in the subject line and relevant bus numbers in the email.
  4. Districts my also wish to use their actual purchase records to review/verify the bus information entered by SED, especially the 'COST INFORMATION' section at the end of each bus form. The best way to do this is to select Reports from the SAMS main menu, then "Bus Purchase Reports", then "Bus Detail Report". Use the CSV export button at the bottom of the report to receive an MS Excel version of the report and review all bus data. Cost data is displayed in the last several columns of this report. If you any concerns, please send a detailed email to BUSPURCH@nysed.gov, including your district name in the subject line and the relevant bus numbers in the email.
  5. Please do not send any more paper SA-16s or documentation to SED for buses purchased between 7/1/16 and 6/30/17. As of the date of this communication, SED staff is no longer entering these buses into the new system. The new Bus Purchase (BP) system is in production in 2017-18 SAMS, and available for your use. Buses purchased during 2016-17 and buses purchased during 2017-18 can be entered into 2017-18 SAMS. Go to the "Bus Purchase System Workflow" section of the user manual for detailed instructions, and click on 'Help' at the top of the bus form for item by item assistance. Contact us if you have any problems!
    SAMS Bus Purchase User Manual.

About buses with purchase order dates between 7/1/17 and 6/30/18

  1. Please do not send any paper SA-16s or documentation to SED for buses purchased between 7/1/17 and 6/30/18.
  2. The new Bus Purchase (BP) system is in production in 2017-18 SAMS and available for you to enter these buses. Go to the "Bus Purchase System Workflow" section of the user manual for detailed instructions, and click on 'Help' at the top of the bus form for item by item assistance. Contact us if you have any problems!
    SAMS Bus Purchase User Manual.
  3. If the district plans to purchase buses during the 2017-18 school year, please enter them into 2017-18 SAMS as soon as they are purchased.
  4. In addition to entering buses with PO dates between 7/1/17 and 6/30/18 into the new BP system, districts must still enter the total estimated 2017-18 bus purchase expense at Form FT items #164 and #165 so that Transportation Aid can be estimated for the projected year (2018-19).
  5. Districts must retain and have available all purchase documentation for buses with PO dates of 7/1/17 and thereafter. Although SED will no longer collect this information for every bus, the information will be requested from selected districts every year to verify bus purchases, contract information, emergency purchase data, costs, etc. Districts may be contacted by State Aid staff to provide this supporting documentation via the SAMS Claim Verification system or at any time during the school year.

Additional Resources

  • Item by item help text accessible via the bus form
  • SAMS Bus Purchase Approval System User Manual for Districts: available via the links provided above, via the Core SAMS home page, the Bus Purchase Approval Conversion Project Section of the Transportation topic area on the State Aid website, and the Training Material section of the SAMS topic area on the State Aid website.

Please email all questions, concerns and problems during this transition: BUSPURCH@nysed.gov. Please include your district name in the subject line. We want your feedback even if you don’t have any problems! Please let us know how the user experience can be improved.

We know how very busy you are, and we thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation during this transition.

Last Updated: October 19, 2017