December 17, 2024 | Edition #202
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Season's Greetings!!!
This is the last edition of the Weekly Digest in 2024. It will resume on Tuesday, January 7.
We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable time away over the winter closure. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
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Change in Contract Billing Subledger Accounting Rules (SLAs)
Beginning November 22nd, Oracle Financials Cloud started posting revenue on sponsored projects for LOC and SSA contracts in the chartstrings posting to the General Ledger.
The change is driven by UCOP’s requirement for reporting revenues and expenses by project. This is the first phase of the SP2OFC project; moving sponsored billing from SPARCM into Oracle. One benefit to this change, the system will allow the ability to post project revenue to multiple Project Owning Orgs (Financial Unit) from one contract. Note that the balance sheet accounts will still post to the contract owning org. There will be no impact to Receivables direct invoicing because this change only pertains to PPM Contract Billing.
Resources to review:
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Gift Card Pick-ups 2025
As we approach the campus closure dates, Payment Services wants to share an important update regarding gift card requests. Any gift cards fully approved during the week of 12/16-12/20 will not be delivered before the closure date of 12/23/2024. This is due to the timing of the shipment (from our gift card provider), shipping delays due to the holidays, and campus closure. These gift cards will be available for pick-up starting January 3, 2025.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we navigate this seasonal scheduling adjustment. Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season!
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Non-PO Payment Request Form Enhancements
To improve efficiency and reduce payment processing times, the Non-PO Payment Request Form has been updated and launched on November 14th. Key changes include removing unnecessary fields, adding instructions to avoid common errors, and refining payment type options to reduce the use of the “Other” category. New payment types have been added for clearer categorization, including Phone Bills, Real Estate, Refunds and Reimbursements, and Shipping/Freight. These updates aim to streamline the process and reduce the need for form revisions.
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Now Live! UCPath Projects: November Release
The following projects are now live in the UCPath system, as part of the UCPath November Release:
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Rewrite GL Assessments Phase 2: This project will consolidate, centralize, and streamline the generation of assessment information. As part of this project, UCPath will be updating assessments to calculate on rates of the original earning period (vs. current paycheck dates) for retro payments.
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Direct Entry Enhancements: The Direct Entry (formerly known as Hire Pilot) enhancements will allow Early Adopters from Central Offices to transact using the new Manage Human Resources tile before all transactors can transact within the tile.
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Automate Security Deprovisioning: This project will automate the deprovisioning of security when an employee transfers from one location to another. Only local UCPath Security Administrators will be impacted.
Refer to the UCPath November Release project page for more information.
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Travel Wire Expense Type (Concur)
Due to the new electronic wire process, as of 12/23/2024 any expense reports with the expense type “Wire Payment Form” will be rejected and will be advised to use the new expense type “Wire Payment Request RITM.” When submitting expense reports for travel related expenses, remember to follow these steps:
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Create an expense report in Concur using the new expense type "Wire Payment Request RITM" - do not use "Wire Payments Form" and do not attach a PDF.
- Submit a wire request in Services & Support with the Payment Services team using this link.
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Add the RITM number your wire request is assigned in Services & Support to your expense type "Wire Payment Request RITM" and submit your report in Concur.
For step-by-step guidance on the updated travel wire process, review the How to Process a Travel Wire Knowledge Base Article.
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Changes Coming to the FY26 Budget Process
The FY26 planning cycle will include enhancements to the Oracle Planning & Budgeting (EPBCS) system, designed to improve data accuracy and system performance. The most notable changes include an updated Core Recurring Resource Budget Model and the addition of a new Budget Adjustment Module, along with the launch of the Budget Distribution Page (BDP) on UCPath.
These changes aim to streamline the budget process and provide more accurate and reliable data for financial planning and decision-making. More information on the impact to the budget process, including a short video highlighting the major process changes, is available on the CBO website.
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Retirement of Payment Compass
The time has come to retire Payment Compass, which will happen in early 2025. Payees will continue to register and update their information on file via PaymentWorks and will use Transcepta to submit invoices. More formal announcements about the phase-out will be sent to payees and campus in the new year.
We encourage payees to use PaymentWorks to maintain their profiles and check payment status. For campus, we suggest using Oracle to check payment status.
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Who should have Concur Access?
Only current UC San Diego employees (including student employees) and Sponsored Affiliates can log into Concur with Single Sign-On using their Active Directory credentials. If you do not have a UCPath employee ID, you will not have access to Concur.
For newly hired employees, it may take up to two weeks to gain access to Concur.
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Gift Card Pick-up Best Practices
- Provide a strong business purpose for each gift card request.
- Review the Request Timeline for approval tracking / request status.
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Email paymentservices@ucsd.edu 5 business days after the final approval is granted to schedule your gift card pick-up.
- We are not able to accommodate same day pick-ups/walk-ins.
- Gift Card pickups can only be scheduled on Tuesdays - Fridays, between 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM
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Cash & Merchant Services: Deadline
The deadline for providing checks to the TritonPay Office for final processing is December 20, 2:00 p.m. prior to campus closure.
The separate dropbox has no time limit, and can be accessed 24/7 using the expanded slot (to accommodate large envelopes).
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PPM Invoices Reverting to Draft status
Due to an Oracle issue we are continuing to experience, several submitted invoices are being reverted to "draft" status after submission. Please report when this happens. If you're able to wait (even a day) for ITS to research, please hold off on further action. If it's urgent, we understand, please review these invoices and resubmit for approval; if the invoices are already resubmitted, please ignore this message. We are appreciative of your efforts and patience as we work to resolve this issue immediately with ITS.
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PPM Invoice Transfer Rejections
Due to an issue with Oracle, we are experiencing an increase in PPM invoice transfer rejections. Our team is actively working to resolve these rejections on a daily basis. If you receive an email about one of these rejections, please rest assured that it will be resolved by the end of the day.
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PPM Contract Amendments: Reminder
To prevent acceptable Contract Amendments from being rejected, please notate the changes when submitting the contract amendment.
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Internal Controls Checklist Update
As a result of the Department Exceptions Panorama Clean Up announced in last week’s digest, the internal controls checklist has been updated to reflect these changes. Please download a new copy of the checklist here: Best Practices in Internal Controls.
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Wires to Mexico
It has been brought to our attention that the new electronic wire request form does not include an input field for a CLABE (standardized 18-digit bank account number used in Mexico) unless MXN currency is selected, however, a CLABE is required for sending wires to Mexico whether sending USD or MXN currency. Please input the CLABE either in the "Account Number" input field or the "Comments to Wire Processor" field until this has been resolved. Please input a CLABE for all wires being sent to Mexico.
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Update BDP Before January 7
In preparation for the budget process, a snapshot of the roster data from the Budget Distribution Page (BDP) will be taken on January 7th. This snapshot will be the basis of the core recurring roster lines you interact with for compensation planning in EPBCS Task Lists 1 and 2. Any changes you make in BDP after January 7th will not be reflected in EPBCS, so you are encouraged to update BDP by this deadline to reduce dual entry for any outstanding updates.
New to the Budget Distribution Page? Learn more about required training and available resources on the UCPath CORE training website, and join CBO for our last BDP office hours of the year next Thursday 12/19 at 11am on Zoom.
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Make an Impact with the Process and Systems Optimization Workgroup
Help shape the future of UC San Diego’s financial systems! The Process and Systems Optimization (P&SO) workgroup is dedicated to improving the Financial Information System (FIS) to better meet the university's needs. We invite you to collaborate with us to enhance workflows and ensure your team has the tools to succeed.
To get involved, submit a Business Enhancement Request or work directly with our team. Visit our NEW Process and Systems Optimization Blink page to learn more.
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NEW & UPDATED VERSION OF THE DATA GLOSSARY IS NOW LIVE
Over the past six months we've been working on cleaning up and remediating the BI & Financial Reporting Data Glossary. Its previous version was outdated and had many missing/duplicated fields. All the definitions have been cleaned up and vetted by Subject Matter Experts.
This Data Glossary contains definitions for all the fields contained in the Budget & Finance Financial Reports. There you can look up any column that you might need information about, which will help you understand the report you use better.
If you find something in a report that is not defined in the Data Glossary, please submit a ticket here.
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All Fund Management Office Hours recordings and FinOps video content has been moved to Mediaspace. Mediaspace is a UCSD-owned and managed video repository protected by single sign-on. Cloud recordings of your Zoom meetings are automatically saved there, which streamlines content management (no downloading/uploading).
We have leveraged a really great AI transcription software called Notta to generate summaries of everything that was discussed in the recording, including timestamps. Those summaries are included in the description of each video, and Mediaspace's search functionality then allows users to search for any keywords that might be found in the descriptions.
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New Finance Training Series Now Live!
The second and third series in the Finance Training Program are now available in the UC Learning Center!
The second series, Accounting in Oracle for Non-Accountants, provides an overview of governmental accounting at UC San Diego and introduces some of the basic accounting concepts that are unique to governmental entities. The three courses which make up this series include:
- Financial Statement Basics
- Overview of Financial Accounting
- Additional Topics in Accounting and Managerial Reporting
The third series, Intermediate PPM Concepts, builds more mastery over the information found in PPM, managing projects, and understanding your portfolio. The three courses which make up this series include:
- Costs and Committed Costs
- PPM Cost Transfers
- PADUA and Managing General Projects
The Finance Training Program aims to establish a foundation of knowledge, so those with finance-related responsibilities can achieve long-term success. More information about the Finance Training Program, including a roadmap of future courses, is available on the Budget & Finance Training Blink page. If you need assistance, check out our services & support portal (Service: Training and Engagement Support; Service Offering: General Financial System Training Inquiries).
- Getting credit for each series requires that you pass the final assessment with a score of at least 80% at the end of each series.
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Both of these series first require the completion of series 1.
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TritonPay Office Adjusted Hours
For departments dropping off payments/deposits in-person, please check our adjusted hours for the month of December. The payment drop box is available 24/7.
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Fund Management Office Hours
Every Thursday 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Come get your questions answered and solidify your understanding during this information-packed session. Don’t miss it!
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ECERT Effort Reporting Office Hours
Come get your questions answered, system access setups, or helpful hints on the effort report certification process.
ECERT OFC hours for the rest of 2024: Join using this link
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Dec 18, 2024 Wednesdays @ 2:30pm
ECERT OFC hours for 2025: Join using this link
- Once a month beginning January 8, 2025 and every first Wednesday of the month.
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IPPS Office Hours
IPPS holds weekly Office Hours to help with all of your questions related to Procurement, Accounts Payable, Travel and Entertainment, Procurement Card, and Tax & Account/Supplier Setup. This is our schedule:
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IPPS Office Hours will be canceled on December 23, 2024.
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Financial Operations: Announcement
Financial Operations will not have Office Hours for the month of December.
Office hours will resume on Friday, January 17.
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Financial Operations: Announcement
📢 Attention: Accounts Receivable will be Hosting a Clinic on Unclaimed Receipts!
Are you struggling to locate unclaimed receipts? Did you know the university receives many deposits each year that remain unclaimed?
Join the Accounts Receivable (AR) team for a special clinic to learn effective methods for identifying and claiming these receipts. We'll walk you through the tools and processes available to track down unclaimed funds and ensure they are correctly allocated.
📅 Date: January 23, 2025📅
⏰ Time: 10-11am
📍 Location: Zoom link to be provided on 01/07/25 BFS Digest
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ICA 1:1 Sessions
Sign up for 1:1 zoom session with ICA team members!
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Payroll Financial Management team 1:1 sessions have moved from UCPath to ICA.
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Register here for help with Salary Cost Transfers, Direct Retros, Payroll Reconciliations, UCPath Funding Transactions, Composite Benefit Rates (CBR), General Liability (GAEL) & Vacation Leave Assessment (VLA).
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General Ledger Financial Management team
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Register here for help with General Ledger, Capital/ Fixed Assets, Detail Code setup, ITFs, Internal Controls, Oracle Role questions and more.
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Reporting 1:1 Sessions
Sign up for a 1:1 Zoom session to meet with a member of the BI & Financial Reporting team who can answer your specific questions about financial reporting and dashboards/panoramas in the Business Analytics Hub (BAH).
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The Support Framework: Your Guide to Finding Help
Learning all there is to know about budget & finance can feel daunting.
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The Support Framework is designed to help the Budget & Finance community, including faculty or staff with financial responsibilities, identify their resources based on the following questions:
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What can I do on my own?
- Where can I get help?
- Who can help escalate?
- How do I suggest enhancements?
Bookmark or download a copy for quick links to various resources available to you.
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Each Tuesday, the Weekly Digest provides important updates related to
Budget & Finance, including Oracle Financials Cloud and Concur Travel & Expense.
Our goal is to deliver timely information that matters to you.
Not sure where to find answers? Get started using our Support Framework.
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