The request and billing work flow at core facilities involves interactions among researchers, financial managers,and core managers. The core facility management process often relies on non-standard and non-integrated systems. Wasted time and lost revenue result when:

• Scientists don’t know about all the services offered
• Service listings are incomplete
• Service managers receive incomplete requests
• Mechanisms to ensure the valid budget is available are inadequate
• Creation and tracking of invoices is time-consuming
• Inconsistent billing tools lead to under-compensation
• Scientists lack ability to monitor progress and costs in real time
• Billing process is often segregated from institutional financial processes

The iLab system provides a unified and user-friendly system which saves time, accelerates billing, and reduces non-compensation.