DFL weekly update - March 24, 2022

Upcoming Deadlines at a Glance

  • Monday, 4/18 - Submit completed and approved org tree change requests
  • Friday, 4/29 - Perform Quarterly Controls - Financial Reporting Review and System Access Review
  • Friday, 4/29 - Queue commitments for Q4 requests

Budget Process

Budget process update

Now that the California legislature has made a decision regarding enrollment, we are working to resume the budget process and will share the next steps in the coming weeks. If you have any questions, please contact the VCF Immediate Office at vcfinance@berkeley.edu.

Action Items

Submit completed and approved org tree change requests by Monday, April 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 Monday, April 18. As a reminder, the submission date is the last day that approved change requests can be submitted for entry to the March 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:

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.

Informational Updates

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.

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.

CalPlan and HCP will be available next week

The CalPlanning tools CalPlan and HCP will continue to be available next week. We’ll reach back out when we need to take them down to prepare for the budget process. Please check the CalPlanning website for updates. If you have questions, please contact the Help Desk at calplanhelp@berkeley.edu.

CalPlanning February Actuals available

The FY22 Forecast Working version has been updated with February Actuals. The CalPlanning tools are now in sync with the master org tree as of Saturday, March 12 to include all new DeptIDs, Org Node, and DeptID moves between divisions as well as description changes. As a reminder, the FY2022-23 Operating Budget has been seeded with preliminary numbers to assist with planning activities and is subject to change when the budget cycle officially launches. Please check the CalPlanning website for updates. If you have questions, please contact the Help Desk at calplanhelp@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