DFL weekly update - May 10, 2024

Upcoming Deadlines at a Glance

  • Friday, 5/17 - Submit completed and approved org tree change requests
  • Friday, 5/17 - Submit purchase requests over $10,000 to your buyer
  • Friday, 5/31 - Submit non-contract and grant deficit waiver requests

Budget Process

Budgets process update

Thank you for all your effort to complete and submit your budget materials. The CalPlanning planning tools (CalPlan, HCP) are closed so the Financial Planning & Analysis team can review the budget submissions. CalPlan and HCP will remain unavailable while the Operating Budget is finalized.

Reserve Analysis

As in previous years, the reserve analysis will be part of the budget meeting documents that leadership will review. Your reserve analysis summary reports are available in the FY2024-2025 Budget Process subfolder within your Divisional folders. The report is based on your reserve analysis submission(s). Please contact the Financial Planning & Analysis team at dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu if you have any questions.

Action Items

Fiscal close deadlines available

The VC Administration and VC Finance fiscal close deadlines are posted to the CFO website on the Fiscal Close page. The BRS Fiscal Close deadlines are also posted on the Berkeley Regional Services website.

Submit purchase requests over $10,000 to your buyer by Friday, May 17

Any requests for purchases over $10,000 with non-contracted suppliers should be submitted to a buyer by May 17, 2024. Purchase Requisitions after that date will be processed according to Supply Chain's posted Service Levels. Catalog and Punchout orders may be submitted for processing without any deadlines.

Submit completed and approved org tree change requests by Friday, May 17

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, May 17. 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. Allowable Org Changes through May 31, 2024, include New DeptIDs, New Org Nodes, and Description Changes. Approved DeptID and Org Node moves will resume after fiscal close.

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.

Submit non-contract and grant deficit waiver requests by Friday, May 31

The non-contract and grant (C&G) FY2023-24 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 31. 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 webpage. 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

CalTime timecard approval compliance metrics

The CalTime team is monitoring compliance with our time recording policies and procedures and will begin reporting our compliance rates to supervisors and leaders across campus to mitigate future risks. For the monthly period ending March 2024, as measured across 23,399 employees, the review resulted in an approximate 50% error rate. It was noted that 2,464 supervisors did not approve 11,338 timesheets across the reporting period. In addition, we have no record of approval from 11,720 employees for their own timecards. Financially, this translates to approximately $90.0 million in salaries and benefits per month or over $1.0 billion annually.

Time recording controls are a critical component of our control environment. They ensure all evidence of service performed (e.g., timesheets, time clocks, etc.) is obtained, employee services are recorded in the correct period, evidence of the performance of service is obtained or approved, and fictitious time and attendance information are not entered into the system. This ensures we have complete, accurate, and valid records in place. When timecards are not approved there is a material risk to the university and the potential for under and overpayments. We will send details and compliance reports to department supervisors, managers, and leaders across campus in the near future.

Travel and entertainment updates

The Travel team released the new lodging updates and some great travel tips in a recent email message to our travel and entertainment community. Read the full message to learn more.

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.

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