CALS Business Operations Newsletter
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COVID-19: CBO Updates Webpage
Keep up-to-date on business operations updates and guidance related to COVID-19 on the
CBO Updates – COVID-19
webpage.
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Guidance for State Fiscal Year Close
We are approaching the close of our state fiscal year (
June 30
). At this point of the year and in light of recent
guidance
from the Office of State Budget & Management (OSBM) and the university, we are expected to limit our expenditure of state funds to purchases of goods and services that are mission-critical or COVID-19 related needs. Here is the link to the college’s
CALS State Fiscal Year Close-Out Deadlines
(Unity-wrapped) for financial activities and transactions that impact state and federal capacity funds in ledgers 2-, 3-, and 4-.
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Status of Business Partners Meetings
We decided to cancel our May Business Partners meeting as we have been holding weekly meetings with primary business partners and the CBO leadership team during the COVID-19 restrictions. We have not made a decision in regards to holding a July meeting, but will keep everyone posted.
You can view recordings of the weekly meetings on the
CBO COVID-19 Updates
webpage. If you have questions regarding these meetings, please contact Molly Bradshaw, Process Efficiency and Training Manager, at
[email protected]
.
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University Travel Update
Travel restrictions are currently in place until further notice. Travel within North Carolina (NC) is the only location with limited restrictions. When traveling within North Carolina, social distancing should be practiced. Also, remember to follow all laws put into place by Governor Roy Cooper for COVID-19. You must submit a Travel Authorization (TA) and/or a Travel Reimbursement (TRs are only needed if for mileage only (using personal vehicle)). If and when a restriction is lifted, an official communication will be sent directly from the university. We have not been informed by the NCSU Controller’s Office of a date we can begin to review to approve TAs outside of NC. Travelers can submit a travel appeal for an exception to the Provost using the following link:
Travel Appeals Form
. The approval form must be uploaded to the TA and TR, otherwise the TA and/or TR will be denied back to the Traveler. Please use the following link to review the restrictions:
Travel Restriction Guidance
. This link also provides questions and answers that can assist you with cancelled, postponed and future travels. The travel guidelines for university employees can be found on the Controller's Office website:
Travel Requirements for University Employees
.
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Shop MarketPlace First- FY2021 Change
As of July 1, 2020 NC State is moving to require use of the NC State eProcurement MarketPlace for supply purchases of
less than $1,000
. The
3D memo
from Mary Peloquin-Dodd is available online. The Shop Marketplace First Initiative first kicked off in July 2017. NCSU Faculty and Staff should use NC State Marketplace to purchase all low dollar supplies. When making purchases for supplies that are available from MarketPlace catalogs*, the MarketPlace system should be the method used to purchase those supplies. Voucher payments for supplies must be greater than $1000. Procurement requires shoppers to pay via PCard for goods and services less than $1000 and cannot be found on Marketplace. Payments via voucher for any invoices less than $1000, must fall into one of the following, 1) does not accept visa/mastercard, or 2) Invoice that is $1000 and below is part of a larger PO, and the voucher is a portion of the payment on the PO.
The amount will change
as of 7/1/2020
, where voucher payments for supplies
$1000 or less
must be purchased through Marketplace or paid via a PCard.
*MarketPlace catalogs provide all vendors available in MarketPlace. You must use the vendors through MarketPlace, Business Services can not pay a voucher to a vendor listed in Marketplace.
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Purchases Over $5,000 - Reminder
Purchases for goods that total $5,000 or more that cannot be found in the MarketPlace may be purchased by submitting a Non-MarketPlace Requisition. The order must go through this process, and should not be ordered directly by the department for any reason. Instead, the department should submit a “Requisition Request” into ServiceNow. Also the department should never split the payment of an invoice over $5,000 through multiple PCard transactions as this is not allowable.
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PCard Updates and Deadlines
Please take a moment to review the deadlines and reminders below to help ensure PCard policies and procedures are being followed and transactions are processed in a timely manner.
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May Billing Cycle (Past Billing Cycle)
- The May billing cycle (April 21 - May 20) statement deadline is 5 p.m. on June 22.
- To allow cardholders and supervisors adequate time for approval, reconcilers will approve statements by June 8 unless additional information is required.
- If additional information is required in order to approve a statement, cardholders will received notification by June 8 from [email protected]. Please be on the lookout for these communications.
- Additionally, cardholders who did not have their receipts uploaded for this billing cycle into the PCard Center as of 3:30 p.m. on May 21 would be required to submit a JV request via ServiceNow if the transaction was not charged to the appropriate project.
June Billing Cycle (Current Billing Cycle)
- The reconciliation deadline for the June billing cycle (May 21 - June 19) is June 23. However, in order to guarantee reconciliation of transactions, receipts should be uploaded by 3:30 p.m. on June 22.
- Anything uploaded after the June 22 deadline will be reconciled for this billing cycle only if time allows and the cardholder will be responsible for submitting any JV requests via ServiceNow if necessary.
As a reminder, to ensure deadlines are met, cardholders should do the following:
- Upload receipts within 1-3 days of the transaction date and avoid uploading all receipts the day before or on the day of the reconciliation deadline.
- Be sure receipts have written on them the project phase to be charged, a detailed business purpose, and the travel authorization number (if applicable).
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CALS C&G COVID-19 Information
CALS C&G has created the following webpage containing information regarding COVID-19 and research programs:
COVID-19: CALS Contracts & Grants Updates and Guidance
. The webpage contains federal guidance, non-federal guidance, NC State research guidance, as well as a Q&A section. The webpage is continuously updated as new information becomes available.
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NSF Delays Roll-out of Current & Pending and Biosketch Templates Until October 1st 2020
Please see the email below from Jean Feldman, NSF Policy Office Head:
Dear Colleagues:
On June 1, 2020, NSF will implement the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 20-1) for proposals submitted or due on or after this date. The revised PAPPG implements a variety of changes and clarifications, the highest profile of which requires use of an NSF-approved format for the preparation of the biographical sketch and current and pending support.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing stress on proposers, the research community has not been able to adequately prepare and train their staff for the implementation of the new requirements.
NSF has therefore made the decision to delay the requirement to use NSF-approved formats for the biographical sketch and current and pending support sections of NSF proposals until October 1, 2020.
Proposers must continue to format these documents in accordance with PAPPG requirements (see PAPPG sections II.C.2.f and II.C.2.h). NSF encourages the community to use these formats and continue to provide valuable feedback as we enhance them for future implementation.
Over the coming week, NSF will make updates to existing policy guidance, websites and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to reflect the change. NSF will communicate further with the community once these updates have been made.
Webinars covering the use of NSF-approved formats as well as all of the significant changes to the PAPPG are available on the NSF Policy Outreach website.
NSF will continue to implement all other changes to the PAPPG beginning June 1, 2020, including the following:
- New requirement for proposing organizations to submit government-wide representations and certifications in the System for Award Management (SAM);
- New requirement for providing email documentation of Program Officer approval for the submission of RAPID and EAGER proposals; and
- Clarifications to current and pending support coverage as well as other changes throughout the document.
You are encouraged to review the by-chapter summary of changes provided in the Introduction section of the PAPPG. If you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact the DIAS/Policy Office at
[email protected]
.
Regards,
Jean Feldman
Head, Policy Office
Division of Institution & Award Support
National Science Foundation
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Conflict of Interest (COI) and Notice of Intent (NOI) forms are now in RED (Research Enterprise Database)
Please see the below email from the Enterprise Research Administration (ERA) Project Team.
The COI/NOI module
launched for a limited audience on May 12
.
The COI/NOI module replaces the separate legacy COI and NOI online systems
, with both forms now being housed in the
Research Enterprise Data (RED) system
.
Now that the COI/NOI module is live, the legacy systems have been deprecated to prevent new-data entry. They will remain read-only accessible for reference, review and reporting until winter 2020.
All new COI disclosures and NOI forms must now be submitted through RED.
EHRA employees who intend to engage in an External Professional Activity for Pay (EPAP) must file a NOI through RED at least ten days prior to the activity’s start date. Training resources for the COI/NOI module are provided within the forms and can also be found at
go.ncsu.edu/red-coi-noi-training
.
The only people at this time who are required to complete a COI disclosure in RED are
:
- Newly hired EHRA employees;
- Those who undergo a status change that requires them to submit a COI disclosure (e.g., SHRA to EHRA, graduate student who becomes involved in sponsored research); and
- Anyone who needs to update their COI disclosure due to a change in circumstances.
If you need to use RED to submit a COI disclosure, you have been or will be notified. For more information, please follow this
link
.
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New Research Administration and Compliance Website
In an effort to streamline the resources available, the Offices of Sponsored Programs and Regulatory Compliance Services (SPARCS) and Contracts and Grants (C and G) have combined their websites into the
Research Administration and Compliance Website
. The website includes resources from proposal preparation through award set-up and close-out. Additionally, it includes a frequently used resource section on its main page.
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REMINDER: 20 & 5 Pre-Award Policy Still in Effect
We understand that it has and continues to be a transition to remote working and learning, and the CALS Pre-Award Team has been working diligently with faculty and staff in regards to their proposals to overcome some of the new obstacles. However, please note that the
20 & 5 Pre-Award Policy
is still in effect for all proposals being submitted through CALS. We are recommending our PIs start their proposals and PINS initiations even earlier than before to allow for additional time so that Pre-Award Consultants can successfully assist with and submit their proposals. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your Pre-Award Consultant, Pre-Award Manager Wes Winkelman, or CALS Director of Research Administration Holly Lipkovich.
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Budget Office
We would like to wish Katie Kleinknecht, CALS Budget Consultant, farewell as she has accepted a promotion outside of the university. Katie has been a valuable part of the Budget team and will be missed. The budget office will notify effected departments of their interim Budget contact while we work to fill the position.
Business Services
Please joining us in congratulating and wishing PCard team member Soji Weeks farewell.
Soji completed his Physics/Mathematics degree with NCSU and has accepted a position as a Senior Procurement Business Analyst with Parexel. We also wish farewell to Accounts Payable team members Angela Morgan and Monique Engram. Monique has accepted an opportunity with the College of Engineering. All were valuable members to the Business Services team and we wish them the best.
We will be working to cross-train staff members to assist in other areas in the interim.
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