DFL weekly update - March 11, 2022

Upcoming Deadlines at a Glance

  • Friday, 3/11 - Complete External Audit Certification (today)
  • Friday, 3/18 - Submit completed and approved org tree change requests

Budget Process

Budget process update

The budget process is delayed as we assess the financial impacts of the enrollment court order. We’ll provide more detailed information on the next steps in the coming weeks. If you have any questions, please contact the VCF Immediate Office at vcfinance@berkeley.edu.

Action Items

Complete External Audit Certification for Q3 by Friday, March 11

To ensure the completeness and accuracy of the quarterly Controller's report on the campus' external audit activities, please help us identify the campus' external audit activities. The Controller's Office is sending a separate email with additional information to DFLs with known external audit activity. By Friday, March 11, 2022, please submit the materials below to gao@berkeley.edu:

  • All DFLs: External Audit Confirmation Form (You must return the completed External Audit Confirmation Form even if you do not have any external audit activities so we can certify campus responses.)
  • DFLs with external audit activities: External Audit Confirmation Template (Include any related documentation with the template, i.e. notification of the commencement of the audit, audit report, etc.)

If you have questions, please contact gao@berkeley.edu.

Submit completed and approved org tree change requests by Friday, March 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, February 16. As a reminder, the submission date is the last day that approved change requests can be submitted for entry to the February Master Org Tree. Allowable changes through May 31 include New DeptIDs, New Org Nodes, and Description Changes. 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:

Informational Updates

FY23 Budgeted recharge rates are available

The Recharge website has been updated to include a file capturing all the FY23 recharge rates approved for budgeting purposes only. We will be reviewing the submitted rates in detail in the coming weeks and will approve the rates for use in FY23 by June 17. Thank you to all the recharge units for their effort in submitting their recharge rate for FY23. Please email recharge_certification@berkeley.edu with questions.

Changes to Common Chart of Accounts, internal recharge activity

Effective Friday, July 1, 2022, internal department recharge activity will need to be recorded to new 590xx expense accounts, with the recharge credit transactions recorded to existing account 59000 – Internal Recharge Income. Please make sure to update your recharge journals and allocations accordingly. Review a list of 590xx internal recharge accounts on the Chart of Accounts webpage. Please reach out to the Financial Accounting and Controls team with any questions at gao@berkeley.edu.

Connect to VPN to access SARA system remotely

The SARA system application has been updated to require VPN access when staff log in remotely (outside the campus network). This update is to improve security in the application. The SARA system is the application that requests for the finance systems are routed through. If staff are accessing the system from the campus network, they will not need to use VPN. Follow the instructions on the remote access page of the Information Security Office website to review how to log in with VPN. Please direct questions to itcshelp@berkeley.edu.

CalPlanning system availability

CalPlanning will not be available Sunday, February 6 from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm due to scheduled system maintenance. Please visit the CalPlanning website for details or contact the CalPlanning Help Desk at 510-664-9000 (option 1, then option 2) or email calplanhelp@berkeley.edu with questions.

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