When selected this will list new or altered vehicles requiring authorisation. If nothing is listed then no vehicles require authorisation at this point in time,


Any vehicle that is new will show with the "Submitted" status but any where the vehicle has previously been approved but has had a change made (such as new documents attached) will show with the status of "Submitted (Change)".



Authorise

To authorise a vehicle select the registration number from the list. The screen will load showing the vehicle details.  To approve the use of the vehicle for business purposes you should click on the Authorise button.  The workflow within EASY Expenses will send an email to the person that has to complete the Accept (final approval) procedure.  You should also read the Accept section below as you may also be designated as the Accepter within the system for your staff.


Accept

The EASY Expenses system has a two step approval process: Authorise and Accept,  Some NHS organisations require managers to authorise the use of the vehicle for business purposes, and then have the expenses team complete some additional checks and perhaps update ESR - this is the acceptance process.  In other NHS organisations the manager may be required to Authorise and Accept the vehicle, in which case you will see both the Authorise and Accept buttons at the top right of the screen.

Where you a have selected the Authorise button you must then select the Accept button, otherwise the employee won't see the vehicle when making their expense claims.  By selecting the Accept button without selecting the Authorise button, the system assumes that you are completing both the authorise and accept processes.


Vehicle Documents


Duty of Care - AfC Terms & Conditions – Section 17.6

“When authorising the use of a vehicle, the employer must ensure that the driver has a valid driving licence and MOT certificate and has motor insurance which covers business travel.”

Duty of Care applies to all NHS staff including Medical & Dental Staff and Senior Managers.


Easy Application

Although organisations differ in the way this is applied, Easy has the functionality to enable the required vehicle documents to be attached.

In some organisations the Document section on this page will not appear as responsibility for Duty of Care is maintained outside the Easy System, and in other organisations there may only be some of the documents showing depending on local organisation policies. The following screenshot shows all the possible vehicle documents.



Checking the Vehicle Documents

When checking vehicle documents it is important to ensure that the new documents are valid from the date of the new vehicle or if an update, that they are valid from the employees working day immediately following the previous expiry date.


To check a vehicle document select the word “Attached” which will open the document in the new window for you to view.


What do I check ?.

What needs to be checked differs on each type of document and the following is provided for information :


MOT Certificate – Check the Registration number matches the vehicle, and the date of Expiry is correct.

Insurance Certificate – Check that the policy includes the employee and that it has business use for the member of staff. Note commuting to work is not business use. Check the Vehicle registration number to ensure the insurance is for the vehicle or that it insures the employee to drive any vehicle. Also check the Expiry date is correct.

Driving Licence – You need to make sure that you are able to see the expiry date of the driving licence, that the vehicle type is included (it should not be provisional for work use), and you should be able to see the Endorsements section. If it is a screen shot / print of the government driving licence validity check then this will indicate if the driving licence is still valid. Make sure the licence is for the employee.

Registration Certificate – The registration certificate is used to check the Vehicle Registration Number, the Date First Registered (if entered), the fuel type, and the Engine Cubic Capacity (cc).

RFL Certificate – Check that the vehicle is Taxed or that the appropriate exemption certificate has been issued and that the expiry date is correct.


Once you have checked the necessary documents  you then need to determine what to do with the vehicle. The options available are :


  • Reject - This option requires you to provide a reason for rejection of the vehicle.
  • Unsubmit - This option allows the vehicle to return to the "Data Entry" state where the employee can make further changes or updates before submitting the vehicle for approval at a future time.
  • Authorise - This enables you to authorise the vehicle for use. Depending on your organisation the vehicle may need to go through further acceptance by another department (such as Payroll or Finance). Note that the employee is not able to make a claim against the vehicle until such time as it has been Authorised / Accepted.
  • Withdraw - This will remove the vehicle from the database (effectively deleting it). Do not use this option when an employee has finished using a vehicle. In these circumstances they should enter an end date into the vehicle details and submit this for Authorisation.