Upcoming Deadlines at a Glance
- Friday, 4/19 - Submit completed and approved org tree change requests
- Friday, 4/26 - Budget due in CalPlanning and template due
- Friday, 4/26 - Queue commitments for Q4 requests
- Tuesday, 4/30 - Complete Q3 Key Controls
Budget Process
Budget process update
The budget process templates, including the strategic priorities template, and the central resource request form, are available on the budget process website, in addition to the timeline. Budgets are due in CalPlanning on Friday, April 26, along with divisional strategic narratives. Throughout the budget process, the FY2024-25 budget process page is the hub where we will post budget process materials and updates.
Form A
Thank you for submitting your completed Form A to the Financial Planning and Analysis team. Your division's March 2024 Form A submissions have been loaded to FY2023-24 Forecast and FY2024-25 Operating Budget in CalPlan and the Budget Template. The Form A amounts from the FY2024-25 Operating Budget were also added to FY2025-26 and FY2026-27 on the Budget Template.
Budget Template Reports
The R180 - Budget Template and R181 - Use of Reserves Template reports are available for you to run until the budget deadline. To get to the reports, log into CalPlanning and navigate to Explore > Budget Template. Run them and save the results before the budget deadline on Friday, April 26, 7 pm.
CalPlanning scheduled maintenance
All of CalPlanning (CalRptg, HCPRptg, CalPlan and HCP and Smart View) will be unavailable for planned maintenance from Wednesday, April 24, 10:30 pm to Thursday, April 25, 8:00 am.
Action Items
Queue commitments for Q4 requests by Friday, April 26
Please complete the commitment queue form by Friday, April 26, for commitments to be funded in May of FY2023-24. Please note that the following commitments do not need to be queued: Budget Decisions; EVCP TAS; Star Awards; Bear Grants; both Productivity Suite and Campus Data Network assessments and endowment payouts for rotating chairs. Commitments are processed on a quarterly basis. You only need to use one commitment queue Google form to submit your commitment requests for both faculty and non-faculty funding commitments. Faculty commitments are defined for this purpose as Start-up; Retention; ASMD; and Chancellor's Professorships. Chancellor’s Professorships are those that are offered via start-up or retention in lieu of an actual chair - until one can be found, and are funded by central resources. For more information about queueing commitments and documentation required, please visit the Commitments page. Please note that if you are working remotely, you must log in through VPN for these forms to work. Please email dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu with questions.
Complete Q3 Key Controls by Tuesday, April 30
Please complete and submit both the Financial Reporting Review and System Access Review by the end of the day on Tuesday, April 30. Please visit the Division Key Controls page for instructions and more information. Email questions about the financial reporting review controls to the Financial Accounting & Controls team at gao@berkeley.edu and questions about the system access review controls to the BFS Security team at secbfs@berkeley.edu.
Submit completed and approved org tree change requests by Friday, April 19
If you would like to submit changes to the Org Tree, please submit your completed, Budget and Financial Operations (BFO) Committee approved request by Friday, April 19. We recommend that you submit your change request form for review as soon as possible to allow time for the BFO team to review your request, follow up with you for any necessary clarification, approve your request, and allow you time to obtain all required signatures before the submission deadline. Allowable Org Changes through May 31, 2024, include New DeptIDs, New Org Nodes, and Description Changes. Approved DeptID and Org Node moves will resume after fiscal close.
The time needed to review change requests will vary, depending on the complexity of the request. For more information:
- A high-level summary of the process to approve org tree changes is available on the DFL concierge webpage.
- An overview of the org tree change submission deadlines is available in the Org Tree Submission and Processing Timeline. Important: Please review the update on the estimated processing time for journal source configuration of new L4 org node codes. As a reminder, journal source configuration for new L4’s is required if there is a need to prepare and approve journals.
- Please review the Org Tree Calendar for the timeline of allowable org tree changes throughout the year.
- Please review the new Org Tree Lookup Tool This new tool replaces the monthly manually produced Master Org Tree and will provide the most current org tree data as of one business day before. Training materials and Job Aids are located on the CFO website.
- There are updates coming soon to the Department Prefixes, and How to Create Visio files job aids located in the Tools and job aids section of the Organizational Tree web page.
- Please submit questions and requests for changes to the Org Tree to dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu. Note: If you plan to request an Org Node change or Entity Hierarchy redesign, please contact dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu and explain what you would like to change before completing the request form because these changes are typically more complex and involve longer consultations.
Informational Updates
Updated and approved Composite Benefit Rates
The composite benefit rates (CBR) for FY2024-25 have been approved by the government. As a reminder, we follow a standard process for calculating rates led by UCOP and adopt their agreements with the federal government. The new rate values and more information about how the CBR rates are calculated are available on the Composite Benefit Rate webpage. If you have any questions, please email Hervé Bruckert of Central Resource Management at centralresourcemanagement@berkeley.edu.
Travel lodging rate update
Travel Policy G-28 has been updated to include an increase to the lodging rate for travel within the Continental United States (CONUS) to reflect the highest rate available for all UC locations as published by the U.S. General Service Administration for January 2024. The nightly lodging limit for travel for CONUS has been increased from $275 to $333, excluding taxes and mandatory hotel fees, and must be supported by original itemized receipts, regardless of the amounts incurred, and must be reasonable for the locality of travel. This revision is effective immediately, strictly on a going-forward basis and we are currently working to update the UC Berkeley Travel resources and the reimbursement system. If you have questions about this update or other issues related to travel, please contact the UC Berkeley Travel office at travel@berkeley.edu.
Inactive CDS Processing Units
Cash Handling & Banking Services in the Controller’s Office will begin inactivating all invalid CDS Processing Units that are associated with an Org Node that no longer exists on the current Org Tree. Units that have not had any processing submissions in the calendar year 2023 and/or 2024 will also be reviewed for inactivation. If a unit expects to receive a payment once its inactive Processing Unit has been closed, the unit should coordinate with Cash Handling & Banking Services (cashiers@berkley.edu) for appropriate processing.
Cal Answers Training
Please review the self-service learning resources on the Cal Answers website, where Cal Answers users will find a complete course in basic navigation as well as short videos, job aids, wiki documentation, and a list of Frequently Asked Questions. Additionally, the two-hour instructor-led classes build on the basic navigation skills covered in the self-study. There are separate courses focusing on financial dashboards and student data dashboards. In the class, a subject matter expert will guide a deep dive into the reports and data available in the dashboards and answer specific questions.
CalPlanning Training
The next series of CalPlanning and Smart View training classes begin Thursday, September 14. The curriculum uses a blended learning model. Courses begin with self-study using online “books” divided into chapters supplemented with practice exercises and short videos. Courses culminate with a group session using Zoom in which participants work on case studies in small teams to apply the material covered in the self-study. The self-study materials are available on the website for everyone to use; they can be a helpful resource for those that have already completed the training and are looking for a refresher. Review the CalPlanning Training page for schedules, links to enroll, and to access the self-study materials.
Changes to the DFL in your division?
If the DFL role in your division is changing, email fpa@berkeley.edu to ensure our website, communications, and training plans are updated.
DFL Weekly Updates Page
As a reminder, these updates are regularly posted to the DFL Weekly Updates page so you can reference past updates at any time. Additionally, the Operational Deadlines page provides an overview of deliverables by quarter.
Thank you,
Office of the Vice Chancellor of Finance