January 14, 2025 | Edition #203
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PADUA Updates
PADUA has been updated to include new features! Some of the key highlights are below:
- Ability to update Award & Project Owning Org
- Includes recalculation of costs where appropriate
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Ability to Duplicate Project/Task Details from existing when creating a new project/task
- Select Burden Schedule for General Projects with Burdening template
- Input Recharge License number when creating new recharge project
- Fixed Asset Project Asset Description will equal the Task Name
- Various bug fixes
If you have any questions, please submit a ticket under PADUA Inquiries service offering.
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Updated Oracle ADF Desktop Integration Add-In
When using one of Oracle’s excel spreadsheet templates, you will be prompted to download the latest version of the Oracle ADF Desktop Integration add-in, version 5.2.2.27711.
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New "Export to Excel” functionality in PPM Manage Awards
You can now export associated projects in Manage Awards via the new “Export to Excel” icon.
Pathway: Oracle Homepage > Awards > Tasklist > Manage Awards > Navigate to Award Project on lower half of the page
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NEW Oracle Contract and Project Search Criteria in AR Manage Transactions
Improve your search experience by leveraging new project related search criteria fields: Project Number, Contract Number, LOC Number, LOC Document Number. Reminder that you can search by project number only if it was included on the Billing Event.
Pathway: Oracle Homepage > Billing and Receivables > Billing > Tasklist > Manage Transactions > Advanced Search
Tips:
- Search in conjunction with required field Transaction Source = Contract Invoices
- Select View > Columns to add the new values to the search results page
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Digital Gift Card Options Now Available
The Integrated Procure-to-Pay Solutions (IPPS) Payment Services team is happy to announce that the new digital gift card options are now available. If your department is interested in issuing digital gift cards for Human Subject Compensation or Employee and Non-Employee Gifts and Awards, visit the IPPS Gift Card Options Blink page for details and guidance, including links to recordings of all the digital gift card prelaunch training webinars.
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Canva for Campus - Pro License: UC-wide Agreement Unlocks Canva Pro for UC San Diego
UC San Diego Faculty and Staff can purchase a Canva Pro license for $94.50 per year per license. Students can access Canva Pro for free. Canva is a user-friendly online platform that simplifies the creation of a wide range of visual content with easy-to-use templates and design tools. Canva Pro unlocks unlimited premium templates, 100M+ photos, videos, graphics, audio, social media scheduling, 1TB cloud storage, 1000 brand kits, and over 20 AI tools. Visit the Canva Blink page for details.
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Department Operations Dashboard Enhancement
A prompt for Last Closed or Open Accounting Period has been added to enable users to schedule reports for automatic monthly delivery. Follow this KBA on how to schedule Cognos reports for monthly delivery.
Project Management Dashboard Enhancement
Use the new ‘Quick Prompts’ section to quickly enter a single value for Financial Unit, Project, Project-Task, and/or Fund. Quick Prompts will be added to additional reports in the coming months.
Fund Manager Workload Dashboard Enhancements (formerly Staff Workload Dashboard)
The Staff Workload Dashboard has been renamed as Fund Manager Workload Dashboard, and the following enhancements have been made:
- The report can now be viewed either by Fund Manager or by Fin Unit.
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A prompt for Financial Unit L4 has been added. Combined with the Fin Unit view, this enables departments with multiple Fin Units to be able to compare workloads between Fin Units.
- Counts of DRs/SCTs initiated have been added. These counts identify the number of DRs and SCTs on projects managed by the indicated fund manager.
- Sponsored and Non-Sponsored Transaction Counts now exclude $0 transactions.
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A drill-through (named ‘Data Details’) has been added to give users more details about the metrics. For example, while the report shows how many agencies a Fund Manager’s portfolio represents, the drill-through shows which agencies are in the Fund Manager’s portfolio.
Accounts Receivable Panorama: Receivables Aging Report Enhancement
A hyperlink has been added to the Invoice #, drilling down to the invoice in OFC. This feature facilitates research and resolution.
Special thanks to Amir Schangali, Becky Uhl, Doug Carlone, Nick Lekovish, Shan Poon, and Zachary Dake for submitting enhancement requests.
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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.
- 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.
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Gift Card pickups can only be scheduled on Tuesdays - Fridays, between 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM
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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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Oracle Planning and Budgeting Training and Budget Development Begins this Month!
Mark your calendars: EPBCS System Training Starts January 27 for All Budget Preparers! The Campus Budget Office will host virtual instructor-led and in-person system training sessions for all campus budget preparers starting the week of January 27. Please visit this webpage for a list of all courses with links to register on UCLC.
Who is a Budget Preparer? Budget preparers are individuals assigned by their department to create and manage financial unit budgets. The Budget Preparer role could be responsible for budget entry or final review & approval. Not sure if you're responsible for preparing the budget for your Financial Unit in the Oracle Planning and Budgeting system? Please consult with your Vice Chancellor Office.
Need or Know Someone Who Needs Access to EPBCS? Request access via the Services and Support portal https://blink.ucsd.edu/finance/resources-training/get-started/access-requests.html.
Join our Community of Practice (COP) - The Budget and Planning COP channel audience includes Budget Preparers identified by each Vice Chancellor Office with responsibility to create Financial Unit budgets within the Oracle Planning and Budgeting system (EPBCS).
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Updates to University Fringe Benefit Rates
UC San Diego’s annually adjusted fringe benefit rates, also known as Composite Benefit Rates (CBRs), take effect on July 1, 2025. These changes reflect adjustments in the costs of medical and retirement benefits, the inclusion of new benefits, and specific increases in cost components funded by the university. Now is the time to incorporate these rates into your FY26+ budget planning, including all sponsored project proposal budgets.
While the University strives to maintain stability in fringe benefit rates, adjustments are necessary to align rates with the actual costs of providing these benefits. Typically, fringe benefit rates remain relatively stable as salary increases offset rising benefit costs. This year, the growth in benefit costs has outpaced salary increases resulting in larger rate increases for certain employee groups. To assist with this transition:
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The updated rates will be integrated into EPBCS for use in the FY 2025/26 university budget planning process.
- They will also be linked on the Sponsored Projects Office (SPO) Office of Contract and Grant Administration (OCGA) website for easy reference by those managing contracts and grants.
- We will host two sessions to discuss these changes in detail and address questions.
For assistance with sponsored project proposals, budgets, and cost allocations, please consult your departmental research administrators, the Sponsored Projects Finance (SPF) office, or the Sponsored Projects Office (SPO).
If you have any questions, please refer to https://blink.ucsd.edu/finance/costing-analysis/cbrs/index.html or email CBR@ucsd.edu.
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| Category Description | FY25 - 26 Rate |
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| HCOMP Faculty & Doctors | 34.0% | | Faculty, Leadership, & Professionals | 36.6% | Service Professionals
| 65.9% | | General Staff & All Other | 49.9%
| | Faculty Summer Salary | 10.3% | Partial Eligibility
| 8.6% | | Students & No Eligibility | 2.0% |
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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 Tutorial Videos Available!
IPPS has created two new videos that provide guidance on reconciling Personal/Non-Reimbursable Card Charges through Concur as well as how to identify Concur-generated Credit Memos in Oracle and how to clear them. These videos are available through mediaspace.ucsd.edu, under Budget & Finance – Travel, Entertainment & Expense.
- How to Reconcile Personal Non-Reimbursable Card Charges in Concur
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How to Look Up and Clear Outstanding Concur-generated Credit Memos in Oracle
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New IPPS Systems Resource Guide!
Find all the information you need in one place with the new IPPS Systems Resource Guide! This comprehensive guide provides an overview of the various systems and sites involved in the procure-to-pay process, including purchasing, reconciliation, payee management, receiving and distribution, and more. Check out our Blink Page here and bookmark it!
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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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Concur: Event Expenses & Other Reimbursements
Thursday, January 16th @ 9:00am - 10:30am
The course will include an in-depth explanation of Concur processes related to meetings, entertainment, and business expense reimbursements. This course will be especially valuable for employees who host meetings and events and want to further their understanding of the expense reconciliation process via Concur. Also, those who previously utilized MyPayments for requesting employee reimbursements for business expenses may attend this course. Intended for preparers, meeting/event hosts, financial managers, and entertainment approvers who are familiar with Entertainment Policy BUS-79 and would like to learn about more advanced meetings and entertainment terminology and concepts.
Topics Covered:
- Learn how to submit event payment requests and employee reimbursements via Concur
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Review the process to submit event vendor payments
- Be able to view and reconcile Travel & Entertainment card transactions
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25-26 Budget Development Kickoff and Information Session
In addition to system training which begins January 27, CBO is hosting a webinar that will provide an overview of the high-level budget climate for the FY26 planning cycle, along with details on the campus timeline and available resources. Please join us on January 29, 2025 at 11:00am on Zoom: https://ucsd.zoom.us/j/95468634016
If you were unable to attend last week’s webinar (FY26 Budget Process: What’s Changing?), the slide deck and recording are now available on the Budget and Planning COP channel. More information on the upcoming budget process, including a short video highlighting major process changes, is available on the CBO website.
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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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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 Registration
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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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Financial Operations Office Hours
Friday, January 17th @ 9:00am - 10:00am
Join the Financial Operations team on Friday the 17th for updates from Accounts Receivable, Strategic Design, Cash & Merchant Services, and Open Q&A. As always we will have open forum discussions, any updates we might have to share with you, and general Q&A sessions. We look forward to seeing you there!
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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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