DFL weekly update - April 22, 2022

Upcoming Deadlines at a Glance

  • Friday, 4/29 - Perform Quarterly Controls - Financial Reporting Review & System Access Review
  • Friday, 4/29 - Queue commitments for Q4 requests
  • Tuesday, 5/17 - Submit Form A templates
  • Wednesday, 5/18 - Submit completed and approved org tree change requests
  • Friday, 5/27 - Submit Strategic Priorities template
  • Friday, 5/27 - Submit non-contract and grant deficit clearing waivers
  • Friday, 6/10 - Submit budgets in CalPlan and budget template

Budget Process

Budget process update

The budget process guidelines and assumptions are available on the CFO website, along with the budget process timeline and information about this year’s budget process templates. If you have any questions, please contact the VCF Immediate Office at vcfinance@berkeley.edu.

Form A templates due Tuesday, May 17

We released Form A templates to the divisions with ladder-rank faculty. The purpose of Form A is to plan campus support for faculty appointments. The completed templates are due back to dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu on Tuesday, May 17.

CalPlanning availability

The CalPlanning tools CalPlan and HCP are unavailable for edits until mid-May while we make updates to the system. While the planning tools are down we’ll actualize the Forecast, update central transfers for FY22 and FY23, and implement DeptID inactivation and CF1 changes. We will also load updated UCPath HCM data for planners to review and selectively copy to HCP. The CalRptg and HCPRptg reporting applications will continue to be available to run reports and Smart View queries.

Action Items

Complete Q3 Key Controls by Friday, April 29

Please complete and submit the financial reporting and system access reviews by Friday, April 29. Please visit the Division Key Controls page for instructions and more information. Note the GL Summary Report is now broken out in three tabs: Current Funds Excluding Contracts & Grants, Contracts & Grants, and Agency Funds. 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 System Access team at secbfs@berkeley.edu.

Queue commitments for Q4 requests by Friday, April 29

Please complete the applicable form (linked below) to queue commitments by Friday, April 29 for commitments to be funded in the fourth quarter of FY2021-22. Please note that the following commitments do not need to be queued: Budget Decisions; EVCP TAS; Star Awards; Bear Grants; Productivity Suite withdrawals and now endowment payouts for rotating chairs. Commitments are processed on a quarterly basis.

Please note that while working remotely you must log in through VPN for these forms to work.

Please email dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu with questions.

  • To queue non-faculty commitments, complete the non-faculty commitments form on the DFL Knowledge and Resource Portal.
  • To queue faculty commitments, complete the faculty commitments form on the DFL Knowledge and Resource Portal. 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.
    • New this year: Please provide screenshots of UCPath entries for ASMD leave begin dates and ASMD end dates when you queue ASMD funding through the faculty queue.

Submit completed and approved org tree change requests by Wednesday, May 18

If you would like to submit changes to the Org Tree, please submit your completed, Budget and Financial Operations (BFO) Committee approved request by Wednesday, May 18. As a reminder, the submission date is the last day that approved change requests can be submitted for entry to the May Master Org Tree. Allowable changes through May 31 include New DeptIDs, New Org Nodes, and Description Changes. The last opportunity for allowable Org Tree changes to be processed this fiscal year is in May and approved and signed forms must be submitted by the May 18 deadline. As a reminder, the Org Tree will be closed to all changes from May 31 through fiscal close. 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. 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.
  • Please review the Org Tree Calendar for the timeline of allowable org tree changes throughout the year.
  • 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.

Submit non-contract and grant deficit waiver requests by Friday, May 27

The non-contract and grant (C&G) FY2021-22 Deficit Waiver request form is now available on the VC Finance website. If you are planning to submit a non-C&G waiver request, complete the form by Friday, May 27. As a reminder, all divisions are expected to meet their operating needs within their available funding; waivers should only be requested for exceptional circumstances. Deficits less than $25,000 are not eligible for a waiver request. To assist in this process, use the fund deficit report in Cal Answers: Dashboards>Finance>Fund Deficits Reporting>Deficits to be Cleared. Note that you do not need to submit a new request for a previously approved multi-year deficit waiver unless you require a higher waiver amount. To view waivers that were approved as part of a prior multi-year request, use the waiver report in Cal Answers: Dashboards>Finance>Fund Deficits Reporting>Waivers and Tolerances. More information about non-C&G deficit resolution policy and processes, including waiver eligibility thresholds, how to clear deficits, and what happens if a deficit is not cleared, is available on the Fiscal closing related page. If you have other questions regarding the non-C&G deficit clearing process, please contact the Financial Planning & Analysis team at dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu.

Informational Updates

Removing students and employee suppliers from BearBUY by Tuesday, May 31

As the Controller’s Office announced earlier, UCOP and all campuses are moving to a new Common Chart of Accounts that is standardized across the UC system. In order to align with the new standard, UC Berkeley will be implementing some updates to our Chart of Accounts. One of the changes associated with this update is that we will remove student and employee suppliers from BearBUY. The impact of this change should be minimal. In most cases, payments to students or employees are generated from sources other than BearBUY. There is no impact to financial aid payments coming from the Student Information System (SIS), reimbursements through the Reimbursement System or compensation to employees or students coming from UCPath. Going forward, when an employee or student requires a payment that cannot be accommodated by one of the other systems, in order to select a student or employee as a supplier in BearBUY, they will need to go through the supplier onboarding process. This change is scheduled to be implemented by Tuesday, May 31. If you have any questions about this change, you can reach out to vcfinance@berkeley.edu.

Uber vouchers are available for business transportation

The Berkeley Card Program now offers departments the ability to request Uber vouchers for business ground transportation. This service enables departments to directly pay for ground transportation for students, staff, faculty, and hosted guests of UC Berkeley who are traveling on approved UC Berkeley business. This means that travelers do not have to submit reimbursement requests for those expenses. Uber vouchers can be issued for both individuals and groups and can be limited to a certain date range or geographic area, allowing departments to carefully control their usage. To learn more about the Uber voucher program or to order vouchers visit the Uber Vouchers page.

New travel resources for booking group travel and sustainable travel

We have updated the travel site to include new traveler resources for group travel and sustainable travel. We’re very happy to be able to provide group travel support services, which is one of the most frequently requested services from our campus customers. If you need to book business travel for a group, review the booking group travel page. If you are interested in learning more about strategies for reducing your carbon footprint when making decisions on traveling for business and how to adopt sustainable travel practices visit the sustainable travel page. If you have any questions about this information, please contact travel@berkeley.edu.

CalPlanning and Smart View Training

Do you need to learn or enhance your skills in CalPlanning or Smart View? Training classes are available through the end of June 2021. Visit the CalPlanning Training page to learn more and sign up. Our new blended learning model combines self-study work that you can do at your own pace with instructor-led group learning sessions where you can apply the material covered in the self-study.

Office Hours for CalPlanning and Smart View

Office hours are available so that you can ask specific questions about CalPlanning and Smart View. Request office hours and indicate the topic for which you are requesting support. Office hours are an opportunity to get individual support for a specific challenge your unit is facing; they are not a replacement for training.

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.

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