Upcoming Deadlines at a Glance
- Friday, 5/17 - Submit completed and approved org tree change requests
- 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
BRS Fiscal Close deadlines available
We will announce the campus fiscal close deadlines in the coming weeks. However, the BRS Fiscal Close deadlines are posted and available on the Berkeley Regional Services website.
Supply Chain Management Fiscal Close deadlines
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
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.
Updated and approved Composite Benefit Rates
The composite benefit rates (CBR) for FY2024-25 have been approved by the government. As a reminder, we follow a standard process for calculating rates led by UCOP and adopt their agreements with the federal government. The new rate values and more information about how the CBR rates are calculated are available on the Composite Benefit Rate webpage. If you have any questions, please email Hervé Bruckert of Central Resource Management at centralresourcemanagement@berkeley.edu.
Inactive CDS Processing Units
Cash Handling & Banking Services in the Controller’s Office will begin inactivating all invalid CDS Processing Units that are associated with an Org Node that no longer exists on the current Org Tree. Units that have not had any processing submissions in the calendar year 2023 and/or 2024 will also be reviewed for inactivation. If a unit expects to receive a payment once its inactive Processing Unit has been closed, the unit should coordinate with Cash Handling & Banking Services (cashiers@berkley.edu) for appropriate processing.
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