Upcoming Deadlines at a Glance
- Friday, 11/18 - Submit completed and approved org tree change requests
- Friday, 11/25 - Queue commitments for Q2 requests
Action Items
Submit completed and approved org tree change requests by Friday, November 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 Friday, November 18. The Org Tree is now open to all changes. Note, the last opportunity to process approved DeptID and Org Node movements will be November 30. 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:
- 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.
- Please review the Org Tree Calendar for the timeline of allowable org tree changes throughout the year.
- 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.
Queue commitments for Q2 requests by Friday, November 25
Please complete the applicable form (linked below) to queue commitments by Friday, November 25 for commitments to be funded in the second quarter of FY2022-23. Please note that the following commitments do not need to be queued: Budget Decisions; EVCP TAS; Star Awards; Bear Grants; both Productivity Suite and Campus Data Network assessments and endowment payouts for rotating chairs. Commitments are processed on a quarterly basis.
Please note that while we're working remotely you must log in through VPN for these forms to work. Please email dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu with questions.
New in FY2022-23
- You only need to use one commitment queue google form to submit your commitment requests for both faculty and non-faculty funding commitments (complete the commitment queue form). 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.
- For more information about queueing commitments and documentation required, please visit the Commitments page.
Sign up for recharge training on December 2 and December 9
Self-certification recharge forms will be due on Friday, January 20. Divisions will need to submit a recharge self-certification form if they support a recharge unit and the unit charges Contracts and Grants or if the unit plans for a recharge income greater than $500,000 a year. The self-certification form is posted on the Recharge section of the CFO website. In preparation for the upcoming deadline, we are offering two recharge workshops. Please follow the links below to register for a session. If you have any questions, please contact the Budget and Financial Operations team at recharge_certification@berkeley.edu.
Informational Updates
BearBUY upgrade coming up on Monday, November 7
The 22.3 upgrade release in BearBUY will go live on November 7, 2022. Read the 22.3 New Feature Highlights presentation to review more details. This upgrade includes two new required training courses for those who want to request the Change Order Preparer Role in BearBUY. The new courses are BearBUY 2.0 Intermediate for Shoppers (BEESS960-Online) and BearBUY Purchase Order Changes (BEESS980-Online). Together, the three UC Learning Center courses take about three hours to complete. If you successfully complete BearBUY 2.0 Intermediate for Shoppers (BEESS960-Online) between November 7, 2022, and January 7, 2023, you will be automatically entered for a chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card. The courses are compatible with Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers.
Continued improvement in processing time for new suppliers
The Vendoring Team is continuing to make great strides in reducing the backlog of new supplier registration requests. As of November 3, the vendoring team was working on new registration requests that came in on October 27t, which is five business days out. So, at this time, no further requests should be necessary to expedite new supplier requests as we transition to a focus on maintaining a backlog of no more than five business days and we are hopeful that we can achieve that consistently starting in January, upon our return from curtailment. Once again, we apologize for any impact the backlog may have had on your ability to conduct business and appreciate your patience.
Planned finance system outages
The following systems will be unavailable on these dates:
- Friday, November 4, 2022 - BearBUY system upgrade from November 4 at 6 pm to Sunday, November 6 at 12 pm
- Sunday, November 6, 2022 - Cal Answers Scheduled system maintenance
- Sunday, November 6, 2022 - CalPlanning Scheduled system maintenance
CalPlanning training
The next series of CalPlanning and Smart View training classes begin Thursday, September 8. 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.
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