DFL weekly update - January 20, 2023

Upcoming Deadlines at a Glance

  • Friday, 1/20 - Submit recharge self-certification forms (today)
  • Friday, 1/27 - Submit Course Materials and Services Fee Proposals
  • Friday, 1/27 - Submit Miscellaneous Student Fee Proposals
  • Friday, 1/27 - Submit SSGPDP fee proposals for 2023-24
  • Friday, 2/3 - Complete Q2 Key Controls
  • Friday, 2/10 - Submit Reserve Analysis templates
  • Thursday, 2/16 - Submit completed and approved org tree change requests

UAW Agreement Financial Impacts and Budget

VCF is building the campus financial model to understand UAW financial impacts

The campus is in the process of building a financial model that helps us better understand the financial impacts of the UAW agreement. The model draws from UCPath and SIS data at the employee level and will deliver aggregated results by title (GSI, GSR, PostDoc, Academic Researcher), department, and award. We would prefer that all schools and colleges use the data set within the model as a starting point for your own calculations to avoid inconsistent reporting for critical decision-making. CAO Dat Le (Engineering) and Amy Robinson (Letters and Science) are representing the CAO/DFL community in this work group.

We are hopeful that we will have a draft model ready to share with the CAOs and DFLs within the next few weeks. We will call a special meeting to preview the model and solicit your feedback. Completion of this work is essential to finalizing the assumptions for and launching the FY24 budget process, about which more information will be provided in the coming weeks.

Instructions for reader support and grade submission

We previously shared the EVCP's Office message regarding instructions for Reader and Grade support and how to track such costs for reimbursement. We are including this reminder in case you did not receive it. Reader appointments are being supported for certain courses to help facilitate the submission of final grades. Supplemental funding for Unit-18 lecturers to complete grading for their courses has also been provided in a small number of cases. The deadline for final grade submission was January 9, 2023. However, the Registrar is aware that several courses will be submitting grades after this date. If an instructor in your unit is having difficulties submitting grades, then they should contact the Registrar’s Office for assistance. Funding for the reader or lecturer appointments will be provided on a reimbursement basis and will follow a process similar to reimbursement for Reading and Composition course expenses. Please have your teams use CF2 3XRDR when setting up the reader or lecturer appointments. The CF2 must be entered in UCPath by January 31. We anticipate being able to provide reimbursement alongside R&C reimbursement at the close of March.

Action Items

Submit recharge self-certification forms by Friday, January 20 (today)

Self-certification recharge forms for FY2023-24 are due on Friday, January 20. Divisions will need to submit a recharge self-certification form if they support a recharge unit and the unit charges Contracts and Grants or if the unit plans for a recharge income greater than $500,000 a year. We posted the self-certification form to the recharge section of the CFO website. If you have any questions, please contact the Budget and Financial Operations team at recharge_certification@berkeley.edu.

Submit Course Materials and Services Fee Proposals by Friday, January 27

The call for proposals for Course Materials and Services Fees (CMSF) for FY2023-24 has been released. The proposal form to establish a new CMSF or to increase an existing CMSF, relevant campus policy, and guidance on completing the form, is available on the Course Materials and Services Fees page. Completed proposals are due to studentfees@berkeley.edu by Friday, January 27. Final recommendations and approvals will be made in the spring. Please share this call widely with department leaders in your units. Contact studentfees@berkeley.edu with any questions.

Submit Miscellaneous Student Fee Proposals by Friday, January 27

The call for proposals for Miscellaneous Student Fees (MSF) for FY2023-24 has been released. The proposal form to establish a new MSF, increase an existing MSF, or consolidate multiple fees into one MSF, as well as additional information on MSF policies and procedures, is available on the Miscellaneous Student Fees page. Completed proposals are due to studentfees@berkeley.edu by Friday, January 27. Final recommendations and approvals will be made in late spring. Please share this call widely with department leaders in your units. Contact studentfees@berkeley.edu with any questions.

Submit SSGPDP fee proposals for 2023-24 by Friday, January 27

UCOP has released the call for SSGPDP fee proposals for the 2023-24 academic year. All new and existing approved SSGPDPs are required to submit an annual fee proposal for review and approval by the President. Completed proposals are due to studentfees@berkeley.edu by Friday, January 27. The call for proposals, submission documents, and instructions are available on the CFO website. Please direct questions to studentfees@berkeley.edu as early as possible prior to the submission deadline.

Complete Q2 Key Controls by Friday, February 3

Please complete and submit both the Financial Reporting Review and System Access Review by Friday, February 3. 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 Reserve Analysis templates by Friday, February 10

The Reserve Analysis templates will be due on Friday, February 10. The Reserve Analysis template is in your division folder under FY2023-24 Budget Process > Reserve Analysis Template. A copy of the prior year’s completed template is included in this folder for your reference. More information is available on the Reserve Analysis web page. We are also offering office hours on Mondays. These will be on January 23, January 30, and February 6 from 11 am to 12 pm to help answer any questions you might have regarding this exercise. Sign up for the Reserve Analysis office hours by completing the linked Google Form. The Zoom link is included in the sign-up form.

Submit completed and approved org tree change requests by Thursday, February 16

If you would like to submit changes to the Org Tree, please submit your completed, Budget and Financial Operations (BFO) Committee approved request by Thursday, February 16. 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. This is for all org changes with the exception of Org Node and DeptID moves.

The time needed to review change requests will vary, depending on the complexity of the request. For more information:

Informational Updates

Refreshed FY23 Q3-Q4 Forecast and FY24-FY25 Operating Budget Intersection Detail Reports

We have refreshed the Intersection Detail Reports for the FY23 Forecast as well as the FY24 – FY25 Operating Budget. The refreshed FY23 Intersection Detail Reports (IDRs) help clarify what was loaded to CalPlan in the FY23 Forecast for Q3 and Q4. For the FY24 – 25 Operating Budget, the information is not final and is subject to change. These refreshed IDRs will be published to your Divisional Folders by end of the day today, and will be located in the “FY2022-23 Budget Process Folder”. Both IDRs will be titled as “FY23FC Q3 & Q4 Refreshed” and “FY24OB-FY25OB Refreshed”. Any changes to commitments made after January 9 will not appear on the IDRs. If amounts change, the affected units will be emailed and the amounts will be updated manually in CalPlan. Please contact the Financial Planning & Analysis team at dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu with questions.

FY2023-24 Budgeted Composite Benefit Rates

We have submitted our FY24 CBR rates to the Federal Government for approval. Please visit the Composite Benefit Rates webpage for additional information and the new projected CBR rates for FY24. Keep in mind that these rates have not yet been approved by the Federal Government and are therefore subject to change. We anticipate approval of the FY24 CBR rates before the end of this fiscal year (FY23). Contact centralresourcemanagement@berkeley.edu if you have questions.

Join us on January 23 at 11 am for a training session covering the supplier onboarding process and campus payment methods

The Accounts Payable team is hosting regularly scheduled training sessions to share information about the different services that the Accounts Payable department provides to campus to ensure better communication and transparency. The first session was in September covering the ConnexUC travel program, an overview of the reimbursement system, and the different credit cards offered. A second session will be held on Monday, January 23, 2023, at 11 am covering the Supplier Onboarding process, and a review of the Purchasing and Payment Matrix to try and demystify the best method for purchasing the many different types of goods and services that campus needs. There will also be a Q&A opportunity for any Accounts Payable-related processes. If you are interested in attending, contact travel@berkeley.edu to request the Zoom information. Please share this announcement with your team members who may be interested in these topics.

Updated mileage reimbursement rate

The federal mileage reimbursement rate has been increased from .625 to .655 as of January 1, 2023. The reimbursement system has been updated to reflect this change. Reimbursement rates for car mileage is posted to the Reimbursement for Private Automobile Mileage page on the Controller’s website.

CalPlanning training

The next series of CalPlanning and Smart View training classes begin Thursday, September 8. 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.

New CalPlanning Enhancements

We’re seeking your assistance in developing several new enhancements for CalPlanning. Be among the first to test drive the new Budget Template in CalPlan or compensation account drill-through capabilities in HCP and provide feedback regarding usability. Seats are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. We request a one-hour minimum time commitment and can accommodate your schedules as needed. Your input is integral to the success of our system! Please contact calplanning@berkeley.edu no later than next Friday, January 20, if you are interested in participating.

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