DFL Weekly Update - August 16, 2024

Upcoming Deadlines

  • Friday, 8/16 - Submit completed and approved org tree change requests
  • Tuesday, 8/20 - Complete Q4 Key Controls
  • Friday, 8/30 - Submit Fiscal Close Certification Letter
  • Friday, 8/30 - Queue commitments for Q1 requests

Action Items

Submit completed and approved org tree change requests by Friday, August 16

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, August 16. 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.

Complete Q4 Key Controls by Tuesday, August 20

Please complete and submit both the Financial Reporting Review and System Access Review by Tuesday, August 20. Please visit the Division Key Controls page for instructions and more information. 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 Security team at secbfs@berkeley.edu.

Submit Fiscal Close Certification Letter by Friday, August 30

Campus senior management (Vice Chancellors, Vice Provosts, and Deans) and their Division Finance Leaders are required to complete a Fiscal Close Certification Letter annually. Submit a copy with a signature or the DocuSign. Signed letters should be uploaded into the Division’s Box file folder by DFLs. Contact gao@berkeley.edu with any questions.

Complete Queue Commitments for Q1 requests by Friday, August 30

Please complete the commitment queue form by Friday, August 30, for commitments to be funded in the first quarter of FY2024-25. 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. You only need to use one commitment queue Google form to submit your commitment requests for both faculty and non-faculty funding commitments. 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. Please visit the Commitments page for more information about queueing commitments and the required documentation. Please note that if you are working remotely, you must log in through VPN for these forms to work. Please email dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu with questions.

Informational Updates

Accounts Payable Information Session

The next AP Information session is on Monday, September 16, at 11:00 a.m., and it will review simplification and automation in BearBuy and BFS and updates from ConnexUC and the travel program. Reach out to Dan Parnas for questions at dparnas@berkeley.edu.

Divisional CalTime Timecard Approval Compliance Report

The Divisional CalTime Compliance Report containing metrics for supervisors who did not approve their employees' timecards for the month of June was distributed on July 23, 2024. Some key changes from the last compliance report (for March timecards) that was distributed are as follows:

  • Marginal improvements from March 2024 to June 2024. The exposure decreased from ~$70M in monthly payroll/benefit costs to up to $44M/monthly exposure.
  • During the summer, there is a 24% decrease in the time-tracking population, which may contribute to this trend. In March we had 21k employees required to submit timesheets vs. 16k in the summer months.

Non-Compliance with University Equipment Management Policy

Equipment Management within Supply Chain Management in the VCA’s office is sending out Non-compliance notices to various VCs/Deans informing them of non-compliance with BFB BUS 29 within their organizations. Equipment Management tracks 345 custody codes representing tens of thousands of equipment assets across UC Berkeley. As of June 30, 2024, 71 custody codes representing $271.6M in gross costs were out of compliance with the biennial physical inventory policy. 32 ($94.0M) of those custody codes were resolved as of July 25, 2024.

The BUS 29 (Management and Control of University Equipment) policy ensures that a physical inventory must be conducted every 2 years. Departments are responsible for maintaining accurate inventory and resolving discrepancies to ensure compliance with university policies. Non-compliance can have serious repercussions, including adverse audit findings and reduced research awards. Federal awards may impose additional conditions or penalties for non-compliance, including termination of grants, reduction in future payments or funding amounts, repayment of federal funds already received/spent, imposed fines/penalties, reputational damage, or suspension/debarment. Contact Eric Anglim at eanglim@berkeley.edu with any questions.

Cal Answers training

The Cal Answers website hosts self-service learning resources including a complete course in basic navigation as well as short videos, job aids, wiki documentation, and a list of Frequently Asked Questions. Instructor-led classes resume this fall.

CalPlanning training

CalPlanning instructor-led courses are on hiatus until the fall. We have self-study materials for those who would like to learn or refresh their skills. The CalPlanning training page has links to the courses, a range of job aids to help with reporting, CalPlan, HCP, and Smart View, and a link to request office hours for 1:1 support.

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