The PTAC ISD module is live! 
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Financial Management Services is announcing the new PTA Manager Capital Project In-Service Date (PTAC ISD) module (available via Oracle Financials), a tool designed to streamline how capital project in-service dates are managed at Stanford. Launched Monday, July 20, 2026, this new module empowers capital project teams with direct control over their in-service data, leading to greater accuracy, efficiency, and successful project outcomes for their respective schools and business units.

What's changing

Starting July 20, 2026, the responsibility for managing in-service data will transition from Capital Accounting to capital project teams across campus, placing control directly in the hands of those most closely involved with the projects. Project managers or their designated delegatees will use the PTAC ISD module to directly manage their in-service dates (update estimate in-service dates, place projects in service, save supporting files, and add comments documenting project lifecycle information).

New responsibilities

Capital project managers or their delegatees will use the PTAC ISD module to accomplish two key tasks:

  1. Manage in-service dates: Directly update estimate in-service dates and input actual in-service dates as project milestones change. To ensure data stays current, the module will send automated reminders during the first two months of each quarter. 
  2. Perform a quarterly attestation: During the third month of each quarter, project managers or their delegatees will receive an automated request to review and attest to the accuracy of their in-service data with a simple checkbox confirmation.

Project owners can monitor project data and progress using PTAC ISD view-only access. 

Refer to the access and roles section for details.

Resources and support

The following resources are available on Fingate to help users learn how to use the new module.

Guidance

Support contacts

To stay updated, bookmark this news page or follow our Slack channel, #Stanford-FMS-news.

Learn more about why FMS created PTAC ISD to streamline the university’s process of managing capital project in-service dates.

Why the change?

Timely and accurate in-service dates are critical to the university's financial health, impacting everything from financial reporting to debt forecasting. The current process, which relies on manual emails and follow-ups from Capital Accounting, can be time-consuming and challenging to maintain a single, reliable source of data. The new PTAC ISD module transforms a manual, email-based process characterized by scattered information, errors, and constant administrative follow-up into an automated, centralized platform that empowers capital project teams to manage their own data. 

Key benefits 

Although this marks a shift in responsibility, the new module and attestation process provide significant advantages for project teams and the university. 

  • Greater efficiency and accuracy: 
    • A centralized dashboard provides a single source of truth for all active capital projects.
    • Built-in Oracle validations automatically flag errors on entry, ensuring data integrity from the start.
    • Automated reminders for data updates and attestations reduce manual follow-up from Capital Accounting.
  • Successful project outcomes: 
    • Financial and expenditure reports give teams the context to make informed decisions about in-service dates.
    • Enhanced visibility into project milestones helps schools/units monitor progress and forecast budgets for more predictable project delivery.
  • Improved financial stewardship: 
    • Monthly reminders and quarterly attestations help keep in-service data accurate for university budgeting, reporting, compliance, and audits.

For the July 20 launch, Capital Accounting has been coordinating with finance leaders across each school/unit to grant appropriate PTAC access based on capital project roles. If you are still having issues with access, or you have been recently requested to use PTAC ISD by your unit, please follow these instructions to attain the proper authority and access role.

  1. PTA Manager authority
    Access to the PTAC ISD module is granted in Authority Manager through the “SU PTA Manager Capital Distributed User” privilege. Once PTAC ISD launches July 20, users with this privilege can find PTAC ISD available when they log into the PTA Manager system in Oracle Financials. (If you do not have access or wish to grant this privilege to someone else, please contact your school/unit budget officer. If the budget officer does not have this privilege, please contact Capital Accounting for further assistance.) Learn more about receiving and granting PTA Manager authority.
     
  2. PTAC ISD access 
    PTAC ISD edit or viewer access is based on project roles and these are granted in different ways, as detailed in the following table. To request delegatees* and additional viewer roles, staff should get approval from their school/unit finance leader, and then email the approval and their SUNet ID to Capital Accounting. 

PTAC ISD access roles

Role name

Access type/function

Typical user

Granting method

Project manager (PM)

Edit: View/input/edit data; complete quarterly attestations.

The person leading the project.

PMs listed on the Form 1 will get access by default.

Delegatee*

(optional role)

Edit: Same as project manager; assigned to act on their behalf. 

Staff who will enter data on the PM’s behalf.

Access must be requested. 

Viewer

Read only: View data to monitor project budget/progress.

Budget unit finance leaders; project owners listed on the Form 1. 

Both will get access by default. Additional viewers must be requested.

*Delegatee responsibility scope options

For schools/units wanting to set up a delegatee to update in-service data instead of the project manager, they can choose among varying levels of responsibility for the delegatee:

  • An entire unit
    • An entire unit except one or more project managers
    • An entire unit except one or more org codes
  • One or more specific project managers
  • One or more specific org codes within a unit

Review the following answers to common questions for new users of the PTAC ISD module. If you still have questions, try asking the Stanford chat assistant Financial Information Navigator (FIN), or email Capital Accounting.

TopicQuestionAnswer

Responsibility - role

How do I know if I need to use PTAC ISD?

-By default, the assigned project manager (listed on a capital project’s Form 1) is responsible for using PTAC ISD to update their capital project in-service dates and attest to its accuracy each quarter.
-Delagatees can be set up by a school/unit to update PTAC ISD on behalf of project managers. 
-If someone in your unit just wants to monitor project in-service dates without making changes, they can instead be given a viewer role. 

For these and other changes, refer to Access and Roles.

Definition/impact

What's the difference between an estimate in-service date (EISD) and an in-service date (ISD), and what happens if either is inaccurate?

The estimate in-service date (EISD) is the projected date an asset is expected to be substantially complete and can be placed in service. The EISD can change if the project timeline shifts, but should be updated as needed to keep it current.

The in-service date (ISD) is the actual date an asset is placed into service when it's deemed substantially complete (available for occupancy or its intended use, even if not yet operating at full capacity). The ISD is typically not adjusted once set; modification requires documented justification and approval.

Inaccurate or delayed EISDs or ISDs can cause incorrect capitalization and depreciation and affect reporting and funding timelines. Please document any delays and determine if you need to communicate the reasons to stakeholders.

For details, see Topic Overview: Capital Projects.

Access

How do I get access to the PTAC ISD module?

Access to PTAC ISD is granted in Authority Manager through the “SU PTA Manager Capital Distributed User” privilege. 

  • Project managers/delegatees requiring edit access and financial leaders requiring view-only access and should first ensure their school/unit budget officer has granted this authority to them. Once this privilege is granted by your school/unit budget officer, you will automatically receive access to PTAC ISD.

  • If you are a newly assigned delegatee, please reach out to Capital Accounting to set up your delegatee role.

For these and other changes, refer to the access and roles section. 

Access/role - delegateeHow do I assign a delegatee?Depending on your school/unit’s needs, you can assign a narrower or wider scope of responsibility for your delegatee(s) in PTAC ISD. Refer to access and roles > Delegatee responsibility scope options and email Capital Accounting with your request.

Log in

How do I log into PTAC ISD?

 

Log into PTA Manager via Oracle Financials.
1. Select “SU PTA Manager Capital Distributed User.”
2. Click “Launch PTA Manager Capital Application.”
3. Navigate to PTAC In-Service, click the arrow on the right, and click Projects at a Glance.

Note: You must have been granted 1) PTA Manager authority and 2) PTAC ISD access; refer to access and roles for details. If you run into a login error, see the next question. 

Log in - error

My authority is set up and I tried to log into PTAC ISD but am getting an error. How do I fix this?

Make sure you are logging in via the Oracle Financials link and are using the recommended browser. For browser issue guidance, refer to Common Oracle Browser Issues and Resolutions.
Please email Capital Accounting if you still receive an error.

Responsibility - estimate in-service date

Do I need to enter my estimate in-service date (EISD) for my new capital project?

No, the estimate in-service date is entered automatically from the Form 1. You only need to update the EISD in PTAC ISD if it changes.

Update - timing

How often do I need to update my estimate in-service date? 

Whenever your project's timeline shifts and the estimate in-service date (EISD) is no longer accurate (since EISDs affect correct capitalization, depreciation, debt service charges, and more). PTAC ISD sends automated reminders during the first two months of each quarter to prompt you to review and update the EISD as needed. 

Attest - timing

When do I need to attest?

Quarterly. During the third month of each quarter, you (or your delegatee) will get an automated request to review your project's in-service data and then confirm their accuracy with a quick checkbox attestation.

Place in service; closeout

Does placing a project in service mean the project is closed and can no longer accept charges?

No. Placing a project in service does not close the project. The project will remain active and able to accept trailing costs until a formal closeout request is submitted through the PTAC Closeout module (accessible via PTA Manager).

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