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In This Issue
CA
M
PUS CONTROLLER’S OFFICE presen
ts FI$CAL NEWS
Area Accounting | Sponsored Projects Accounting | Central Operations
Cost Accounting | Technical Operations
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What is an After the Fact Purchase? Why is it Critical to Avoid ATFs?
PSC Town Halls in April
Central Collection Services - Potential Chargebacks
Central Collection Services - New Email
Obtaining Large Dollar Goods or Services Prior to FYE
Prepare General Fund Budgets for FYE 2015 and FY16
SPA Contacts
Elevate FIN Upgrade
PeopleSoft Finance Training
April 2015 Training Dates
External Sales and Service Training
Meet the Team: SPA’s New Dedicated Setup & Closeout Team
Interview: Zahid Ashrafi
APRIL 2015
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Campus Controller’s Office www.colorado.edu/controller2 3
. INSTRUCTIONS .Click here to access the CCO Calendar
and to add items to your personal Outlook Calendar
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• Finance System campus close for Mar 2015 – 6:00 pm
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• Deadline for fully approved expense reports
• Gift Expenditure cutoff to make the Apr 10 CUF wire transfer
• Sales tax documentation for the previous month’s sales tax is due from departments. Send to: [email protected]
• Gift Expenditure cut-off to make the Apr 17 CUF wire transfer
• Time collection for monthly payroll - 5:00 pm
• Time collection for biweekly pay period ending Mar 28 - 5:00 pm
• HRMS available for review or inquiry only
• Allocation changes and creates due for the current month’s business. Send to: [email protected]
• Check for unposted Apr journals to correct, approve or delete
• Mar allocations run and Finance System closes
• All unposted Mar Journals will be deleted starting at 10:00 am - copy them into the next period
• Creation, validation and departmental approval of cost transfers, JEs and PETs for Fund 30/31 projects and Fund 34 gift fund journals due for Apr
• Gift Expenditure cut-off to make the Apr 24 CUF wire transfer
• Reminder: please do not create, validate, or approve Mar JEs and PETs after 6:00 pm
• Check for unposted Mar Journals to correct, approve or delete
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APRIL 2015
APRIL - MAY 2015
• Time collection for biweekly pay period ending April 11 - 5:00 pm
• SATURDAY APRIL 4 - CIW is now updated with month-end closing entries. Mar statements ready
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• Gift Expenditure cut-off to make the Apr 30 end-of-month CUF wire transfer
• Time collection for biweekly pay period ending April 25 - 5:00 pm
Campus Controller’s Office4 www.colorado.edu/controller 5
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• Return the purchased goods to the supplier, explaining that the university is under no obligation to pay for the items purchased.
In addition, ATFs result in delayed payments to vendors who have in good faith provided goods or services to the university. Since we strive to build and maintain strong working relationships with each of our vendors, we ask that you try diligently to avoid ATF purchases.
Please allow only designated and trained individuals to initiate purchases on behalf of the unit. We are all obligated to be good stewards of university resources and protecting the university, ourselves and our vendor relationships are critical components.
If you have questions, please contact the appropriate PSC purchasing agent by commodity listing for assistance.
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CCO UPDATESThe PSC will host two Town Halls on the CU-Boulder Campus to provide updates on services:
• April 20 - UMC, Room 235 - 2:00 - 4:00 PM
• April 28 - UMC, Room 235 - 9:00 - 11:00 AM
Procurement Service CenterApril Town Halls
Central Collection Services has set up a new email address in an effort to reduce response times and improve communication. Send your questions to [email protected] at:
Please visit their website for additional resources and information at:
https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/dfp/CCS
Central Collection Services -New Email
Register today to reserve your seat at either of these events!
(Depending on your Internet browser, you may need to “allow” Survey Monkey to open before you are able to register.)
CU-Boulder has seen an uptick in the number of After-the-Fact purchases recently. In order to reduce the number of ATFs processed by this campus, CCO wants to ensure your understanding of what an ATF is, how to avoid making an ATF, and what the consequences might be for an ATF.
An After-the-Fact purchase occurs when a department makes a purchase of goods or services, including shipping fees, totaling more than $5,000 before the Procurement Service Center (PSC) issues a purchase order. After-the-fact refers specifically to requesting approval after the purchase was made.
An ATF on the CU-Boulder Campus must be submitted for approval by the Campus Controller, Laura Ragin (or by the University Controller, Robert Kuehler, if the amount of the purchase is over $50,000), in order for the vendor’s invoice to be processed. This requires the department to submit an After-the-Fact form in CU Marketplace as described in PSC Procedural Statement: After the Fact Purchases. The ATF process helps ensure we comply with CU’s purchasing rules.
If an ATF is approved, the ATF requisition will be processed by the PSC into a purchase order.
Why is it important to avoid ATFs?
The ATF may not be approved. If an ATF is not approved:
The individual(s) responsible for ordering the goods or services and incurring the unauthorized obligation must either:
• Pay for the purchase personally, without reimbursement from the university; or
What is an After-the-Fact (ATF) Purchase? Why is it Critical to Avoid ATFs?
Central Collection Services (CCS) has issued a reminder regarding potential chargebacks (or consumer refunds).
Chargebacks may occur in the event that CCS needs to issue a refund to a consumer who has gone through the collections process in error, due to:
• Lack of backup documentation• Unreported or late payment• Late cancellation notice
Processing fees incurred by CCS and issued by the Department of Revenue will be billed to your unit at the following rates:
• Gaming: $25.00• Federal interceptions: $17.00
Once an account has been submitted to CCS for legal collections, it should not be cancelled. Reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the department can be added to the account balance and collected from the consumer. Accounts
Central Collection Services - Potential Consumer Refunds
cancelled prior to collection of such expense will then be the responsibility of the department.
Review any collection accounts you have with CCS. Check to make sure the balances in your SpeedTypes match the balances at CCS and resolve any discrepancies.
Questions? Contact: [email protected]
Campus Controller’s Office6 7www.colorado.edu/controller
&TrainingEvEnTs
Join us for PeopleSoft Finance System Training. This course covers basic information on fund accounting, budget theory, and how to access and use the system. This includes navigation, Chartfields, reporting and journal entries (JEs).
This month’s class will be hosted on April 14 from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm. Classes are held on the East Campus - Marine Street Science Center (MSSC), located at 3125 Marine Street, Room W179. Classes are held every other month.
To register please email: [email protected]
BOULDER eRA TRAINING SCHEDULE
PART I: Boulder – eRA/InfoED Familiarization and Navigation TrainingInstructor: Christina TenerowiczMonday, April 13 - 10 - NoonEast Campus - MSCC 179
PART II: Boulder – eRA/InfoED Filemaker Conversion Model TrainingInstructor: James UhesMonday, April 13 1:30 - 3:30 ECCE 157 Bechtel Computing Lab
Friday, April 17 - 1:30 - 3:30 ECCE 157 Bechtel Computing Lab
PART III: Boulder – eRA/InfoED Reporting TrainingInstructor: Christina Tenerowicz and Kathy PhillipsWednesday, April 29th – 1:30 – 3:30East Campus - MSCC 179
Register: Send an Email to [email protected] listing the date and time you would like to attend
PeopleSoft Finance Training is April 14
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Obtaining Large Dollar Goods or Services Prior to FYE ODBC Access Update
ODBC access will not be impacted at go live. Current campus users will continue to have access. However, testing will be critical for subsystems that connect to the CIW through ODBC. Initial integration testing is scheduled to begin in mid-July. Reporting Strategy and MatrixThe system team developed and delivered a reporting strategy and matrix. This is a comprehensive review of reporting options, best practices, and recommendations. There are a wide variety of tools available depending on department needs and expertise.
m-Fin continues to produce the official financial statements for the university. However, other tools are available, including query tools for ad-hoc reporting. Current Project PhaseWe are currently in the testing phase of the Elevate project. Designated
Elevate FIN Upgradetesting coordinators for the campus have been busy creating testing scenarios that will be used for the first round of testing.
TestingTraining for SME’s/power-users will begin in the April/May timeframe. These are users that will be assisting with the first round of testing and utilizing the testing scenarios developed this month.
End User training will be offered in the August/September timeframe.
Drop In and Chat with the TeamThe System team will be available for drop-in meetings several times each month. If you have questions, concerns, or topics you’d like to explore with the System team, please let Laura know and she will coordinate a meeting.
The System team will be on-site for drop in sessions on April 21 and 28 from 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM.
Although June 30 fiscal year-end is three months away, you may want to start the process early if you need to obtain large-dollar goods or
services using this year’s funds.
Requisition deadlines are noted below:
Friday, April 10: Last day to submit requisitions for purchases that require Formal Solicitations (purchases of goods or services in excess of $500,000).
Friday, May 1: Last day to submit requisitions for purchases that require Documented Quotes:
Purchases of goods: • $5,000.01-$500,000 using federal funds, or• $10,001-$500,000 using nonfederal funds; and
Purchases of services:• $5,000.01-$500,000 using federal funds or • $50,001-$500,000 using non-federal funds.
Friday, May 22: Last day to submit other requisitions using FY15 funds.
Please review the February 16 PSC Communicator for details.
If you have questions, contact the appropriate PSC purchasing agent by Commodity Listing the specific commodity.
APRIL 2015TRAINING DATES
m-FinHave you checked out Carl’s m-Fin Blog? Carl’s blog contains updates on new reports as well as improvements to existing reports. For more information, please visit: Carl’s m-Fin Blog. Project WebsitePlease check out the updated Elevate website for valuable content and updates regarding the project: http://www.cu.edu/elevate For More Information, Contact [email protected] at 303.492.1842.
PS Lite to m-Fin ReportsTraining Presented by: Leila McCamey and Sharon DeCarlo Date and Time: April 1, 2015, 12-1 PM Location: UMC Rooms 382-386
PS Lite to m-Fin ReportsTraining Presented by: Leila McCamey and Sharon DeCarlo
Date and Time:April 8, 2015, 9:30-11:30 AM
Location: ARC, Room 620
With our recent staff updates, contacts for specific requests have changed:
• Gabby Rushing will process re-orgs and Fiscal Staff requests, please send the requests to [email protected].
• Diana Vidal will process Fiscal Manager requests, please send the requests to [email protected].
Please note that we are in the process of updating our forms as Phase II of our communications enhancement project, and will have all those modifications completed soon.
If you have questions, please contact [email protected].
SPA Contactsfor Project-Related Fiscal Staff, Fiscal Manager and
Re-Org Requests
The Office of Industry Collaboration (OIC) is offering training sessions for External Sales and Service Guidelines. We will share insights and details for the setup and management of these types of activities.To register for training, click here.
External Sales and Service (ESA) Training Available
The complete training schedule and registration information may also be found on the OIC Events webpage. Please contact [email protected] with questions or for assistance.
The FY15 General Fund continuing budget change cutoff for the campus is April 15 per standard Boulder campus business practice. After the cutoff, General Fund continuing budget may only be moved within the same Gen-eral Budget Account and Campus Division. If you have a continuing bud-get change past the deadline, you can make a temporary budget change in FY15 and a continuing change effective dated July 1, 2015 (i.e., FY16). The FY16 budget ledgers are now open in the Finance System. If you have any questions regarding this cutoff, please contact the Budget Office at 303.492.8631.
Align salary budgets: We expect that there will be salary increases for all employee types in FY16. Therefore, for General Fund units in particular, it is strongly recommended that you align your salary budgets to the proper levels and budget pools (classified/exempt) because these budgets will become the basis for salary budget allocations in the new fiscal year. Click here for more information on managing salary and benefits budgets or call or email the Budget Office if you have questions or need assistance at 303.492.8631 or [email protected].
Prepare General Fund Budgets for FYE 2015 and the New FY16
Campus Controller’s Office8 9www.colorado.edu/controller
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MEET ThE TEaM
The Campus Controller’s Office Sponsored Projects Accounting (SPA) team assists principal investigators (PIs), research administration, and funding agencies in successfully managing CU-Boulder’s sponsored projects through
the post-award administration of grants and contracts. Recently, SPA created a new unit, Setup and Closeout, dedicated to the set-up of new awards, closeout of contracts and grants, and evaluation of post-award compliance requirements.
After the award negotiation process has been completed by the Office of Contracts and Grants (OCG), SPA’s Setup team assumes responsibility for the project setup within the Finance System. They follow established benchmarks and delivery timeframes to provide the following for Fund 30/31 projects:
• Review award documents to make sure data is accurate and correctly input into the online systems• Locate, correct, and resolve discrepancies and budget errors if necessary• Assist with complex budget resolution• Enter all relevant project data into the PeopleSoft Finance System• Create SpeedTypes, A/R codes, and budget journal entries in PeopleSoft• Assure required documents are linked to the correct award• Update PeopleSoft with award changes, fiscal staff or re-orgs• Send requests to the System Office for new sponsors and account codes
Once the research project ends, the Closeout team manages the closeout process during which they perform a comprehensive closeout analysis and a review of all account activity over the lifetime of the award.
The closeout process includes:• Assess if CU-Boulder has maintained compliance with the sponsor’s terms and conditions throughout the award• Determine whether appropriate levels of accounting standards have been met under Generally Accepted Accounting
Principles (GAAP), local, state and federal laws and regulations, and University of Colorado and CU-Boulder policies and procedures
• Review account activity and expenses for allowability and allocability under the terms and conditions of the agreement
• Initiate financial closeout of the grant or contract with the sponsoring agency. This may also include closeout of any subawards.
In addition, we serve as audit liaison for federal, state and private auditors. To learn more or for assistance please contact the SPA Setup and Closeout team.
SPA’s New Dedicated Setup and Closeout Unit
You recently joined the CU-Boulder Campus Controller’s Office from the University of Central Florida. How do you view your current role, and where do you see this position going forward?
I believe in Sponsored Research – when you think about it, you have a sponsor giving you funds to produce a product out of thin air and relying on your expertise to make it happen properly, and with appropriate compliance to their requirements. It is an fantastic process.
I understand the big picture and what comes out of a grant -- the number of parties involved in the process, accounting, tech transfer, purchasing, IP, patent negotiations, and more. Our job is to bring them together as a process to administer each grant, and establish the flow of the project. This requires me to communicate with each of these departments, and work closely to anticipate what the project can bring in the future; plus it allows them to help ensure we are in full compliance at closeout, because during closeout we closeout every aspect of the award - property, IP, financials, IRB, IACUC. To manage this process properly requires all parties to perform their role according to the requirements of the award.
I want this position to become a resource for departments and CCO for issues with closeouts. A good closeout starts at the proposal. I would like to become more involved in the process at the proposal stage so that the closeout process is smoother and we don’t encounter issues that may occur after-the-fact and at the time we are ready to close out the project. Instead, I want to properly ensure the process starting at the beginning of the project. For example, if a sponsor is asking about travel, let’s make sure travel is budgeted upfront -- this will prevent us from having to move an expenditure later.
When we closeout all of the awards in the closeout process presently, I would like to proactively review the current active grants to ensure compliance and prevent any potential future audit flags before they come into the picture. I would like to train my team to eliminate “noise” in the grant process before it occurs.
We want to protect the purity of the research and the integrity behind it. I see that as our primary goal.
Interview: Zahid Ashrafi
Employee Name New Title/Position/DutiesLin Yang Invoicing TechnicianCindy Soliz Promoted to Invoicing Supervisor
POSITION UPDATES
Please share a few details regarding your experience as a Certified Research Administrator (CRA)? What does that mean? What do you do in this regard?
The designation of Certified Research Administrator (CRA) means that an individual has met the requirements of the Research Administrators Certification Council’s eligibility requirements and has demonstrated a level of knowledge necessary for a person to be a professional research or sponsored programs administrator. This certification gives me the confidence to make decisions knowing that I have completed the appropriate training and have the knowledge and information to properly communicate what is required to all stakeholders.
What best practices would you share with your team and the departments?
I used to teach informal classes with departments at the University of Central Florida.
I advised them to think of each grant as if it were their own checking account. You can only purchase certain items. You are a trustee of funds awarded to you, so you won’t overdraw the account, and you won’t purchase something you don’t need -- making you a better trustee. In turn the sponsor will see that you are spending their funds responsibly. If you treat an
award or grant as your own money, the grant will be conducted better and what is stipulated in the grant itself will be properly managed. The result of this can be more funding from the sponsor in the future.
At UCF, I advised them to really review expenditures every month. Do expenses benefit the grant? Are you making sure those funds are properly spent to the best of your abilities?
The grant process is an ecosystem -- everything has to be properly managed because it affects the entire process, which in turn brings more money to the university. Being a research institution is truly a badge of honor that we must protect. Putting good internal controls in place really help.
What do you enjoy doing outside of CCO?
My family means everything to me. I have been married for 27 years to Noor, a second grade teacher. We waited 18 years for our first child. My son, Zain, is 9 years old. I come to work for them; I get off of work and go home to be with them. They are the most important thing in my life. Our family loves hiking in the Colorado Rockies. Our son Zain has been an avid rock collector since he was very little. He is hoping to find T-Rex bones in these rocks some day!
Pictured: Zahid, his wife Noor, and son Zain.
Join us in welcoming new staff members and congratulating current staff members on position changes!
Campus Controller’s Office3100 Marine Street, 4th Floor, 579 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0579
phone 303.492.3166
email [email protected]
web http://www.colorado.edu/controller
