DFL weekly update - January 26, 2024

Upcoming Deadlines at a Glance

  • Friday, 1/26 - Validate your chartstring for FY2024-25 IT Assessment (Today)
  • Tuesday, 1/30 - Complete Q2 Key Controls
  • Friday, 2/9 - Submit Reserve Analysis template
  • Friday, 2/16 - Submit Course Materials and Services Fee proposals
  • Friday, 2/16 - Submit completed and approved org tree change request

Budget Process

Budget process update

Thank you for attending Wednesday’s DFL/CAO meeting. We are working with the Finance Committee to finalize the FY25 budget assumptions. We expect to be able to communicate the budget assumptions in mid-February.

CalPlanning availability

We anticipate making planning tools CalPlan and HCP unavailable for edits the week of February 5 while we make updates to the system for the budget process. We will provide a more specific date as soon as possible. While the planning tools are down, we’ll actualize the Forecast, and update central transfers for FY24 and FY25. 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

Validate your chartstring for FY2024-25 IT Assessments by Friday, January 26

The Berkeley IT assessment will be added to the commitment database for FY25-FY27 and seeded to CalPlanning for the budget process. Berkeley IT plans to process the FY2024-25 Productivity Suite and Campus Network assessments and post it to the FY25 Q1 general ledger. Important: Please take the following steps by Friday, January 26:

  • Review the information in the FY2025 Berkeley IT Assessments spreadsheet
  • Find your division’s chartstring used in the prior fiscal year to validate the chartstring to be debited for these two assessments for your division in FY25
  • Whether you require an update or keep the same chartstring used last year, please email bit_assessments@berkeley.edu with your division name and the confirmed DeptID and Fund by Friday, January 26
  • If we don’t hear back from you by the deadline, your division will see both assessments seeded into CalPlanning for FY25, FY26, and FY27 at the current chart string listed

Please direct questions to bit_assessments@berkeley.edu and visit the assessments website for more information.

Complete Q2 Key Controls by Tuesday, January 30

Please complete and submit the Financial Reporting Review and System Access Review by Tuesday, January 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 and Controls team at gao@berkeley.edu and questions about the system access review controls to the BFS System Access team at secbfs@berkeley.edu.

Submit Reserve Analysis template by February 9

The Reserve Analysis templates will be due on Friday, February 9. The Reserve Analysis template is in your division folder under FY2024-25 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 webpage.

Submit Course Materials and Services Fee Proposals by Friday, February 16

The call for proposals for Course Materials and Services Fees (CMSF) for FY2022-23 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, February 16. 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 completed and approved org tree change requests by Friday, 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 Friday, 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. As a reminder, the May 16 submission date was the last day that approved change requests could be submitted for entry to the May Master Org Tree. Allowable changes through November 30 include New DeptIDs, New Org Nodes, Description Changes, and moves of DeptIDs and Org Nodes.

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

FY2024-25 Budgeted Composite Benefit Rates

We are in the process of submitting the calculated FY25 CBR rates to the Federal Government for approval. Please visit the CBR webpage for additional information and the new projected CBR rates for FY25. Please 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 FY25 CBR rates before the end of this fiscal year (FY24). Contact centralresourcemanagement@berkeley.edu if you have questions.

BearBUY Supplier Expo 2024 and Office hours

Supply Chain Management is hosting a Supplier Expo on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, from 10 am. - 2 p.m., at Pauley Ballroom in the MLK Student Union. Details about registration, schedules of events, and the participating suppliers and campus departments will be available beginning in late January 2024. More details about the event and registration information will be published on the BearBUY system and through associated campus newsletters. The first 300 registered attendees will receive welcome packages at the event. For more information about this event or other questions about BearBUY, please visit the Supply Chain website or the BearBUY Open Office Hours.

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.

Cal Answers and CalPlanning scheduled maintenance

Cal Answers will be unavailable on Sunday, February 4, between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. due to system maintenance.

CalPlanning will be unavailable Sunday, February 4, from 6 a.m. to midnight due to system maintenance.

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