DFL weekly update - October 8, 2021

Informational Updates

Q1 funding requests for faculty commitments

Due to competing priorities, no faculty-related requests for Q1 funding have been processed. The requests will be processed in the second quarter of FY22.

Changes to Process to Submit Supplier Updates Coming Soon

As part of the Accounts Payable work to make the processes around suppliers more simple and efficient, the team will be making some changes to the way suppliers submit updates to their vendor profile information, including payment instructions. There will be two new DocuSign forms to submit - one for foreign suppliers and one for U.S. domestic suppliers. The forms are scheduled to be released in October. Suppliers will be able to access the forms from links on the Accounts Payable webpage. Once submitted, the form will route automatically to the Accounts Payable Vendor Desk for processing. These forms will replace the current ‘Substitute W-9 and Supplier Information Form,’ the ‘Foreign Bank Authorization (wire transfer) Form’ and the ‘Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Authorization Form’ that are currently submitted by fax or email. More details will be announced soon. This does not impact the process through the Supplier Onboarding Portal to register a new supplier.

Updates to Key Campus Gift Policies

The campus has updated four important policies governing gifts and giving. Please delete any copies you may have downloaded or saved and consult these current versions, and note the key updates below.

• Gift Acceptance Policy
  • The update to note is the requirement that we know the identity of all donors making gifts of digital currencies (cryptocurrencies)
• Assessment and Distribution of the Campus Philanthropic Allocation and Research Administrative Fee
  • The key change is the clarification that Philanthropic Allocation funds can and should be used to support all aspects of advancement, not just fundraising
• Philanthropic Gift Fund Minima
  • This version includes the $1 million Professor of Practice gift opportunity
• Distribution from Endowed Chairs and Professorships
  • The distribution model for $6 million Chancellor’s FTE Chairs has been added to the policy

These policies are available on UC Berkeley’s Central Policy website and on Eureka.

BEAR Grants Funding timeline update

The funding for the Berkeley Excellence Accounts for Research Grants (BEAR Grants) will not be provided in the first quarter. FP&A is working with the Academic Personnel Office (APO) to get the necessary information for the BEAR grants funding allocation for fiscal year 2021-2022. We will reach out to you when the data is ready for your review in the upcoming weeks.

Business-related travel must be booked through ConnexUC beginning November 1

UC Berkeley is updating their policy on booking business-related travel. Beginning on November 1, employees and students booking flights for business travel will be required to book through the UC travel system ConnexUC (formerly Connexxus). This means employee and student travelers will also need to use the Direct Bill system to generate the identification number that will be used to pay for flights within ConnexUC. The benefit of using Direct Bill is that staff don’t have to pay out of pocket upfront for their airfare, often well in advance of the travel, then having to wait until travel is completed before being able to get reimbursed. With Direct Bill they can charge their airfare directly to the university. With this change, travelers or their delegates will include the payment chartstring when they make the Direct Bill request, rather than providing it in the reimbursement request. Booking through ConnexUC means travelers will automatically get travel insurance, ticket protection, and agent support for their trip. Other potential benefits include preferred seat options, priority standby, and additional mileage. Additionally, if you find a lower fare somewhere else, send it to the travel team at travel@berkeley.edu and they’ll find you the rate in ConnexUC or potentially grant an exception to book outside the ConnexUC system. More information about how to use ConnexUC is available on the ConnexUC page on the Travel website and we will post frequently asked questions as they become available. If you have questions about this change, email the travel team at travel@berkeley.edu.

Master Org Tree closed

The final opportunity to submit approved org tree change requests to be entered in BFS for FY21 was May 18. The org tree will be closed for all changes until after the FY21 budget decisions are finalized. Org tree change requests can be submitted for review and approval anytime during fiscal close as the Budget and Financial Operations (BFO) team will continue to review requests to approve in advance of when the tree will open. 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. All Org Tree change types including Org Node and DeptID movements will be available after fiscal close through November. 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.

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.

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.

As a reminder, these updates are regularly posted to the DFL Weekly Updates page so you can reference past updates at any time.

Thank you,

Office of the Vice Chancellor of Finance