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Contracts & Grants - Human Resources - Purchasing - Receiving & Stockroom
The recent campus budget announcements and updates include information of which all research faculty should be aware – see http://www.berkeley.edu/news/budget. We have had a number of questions regarding the potential salary cuts/furloughs. While there are still some specifics being worked out, at this point whatever course is taken will apply across the board to all categories of employees (except students) regardless of fund source. We don't anticipate that this will change as the details are worked out but will continue to keep everyone posted. Augmentation to salaries to compensate for the salary cut/furlough program is not possible. It is expected that in the next few weeks, the magnitude of the cuts to departments will become clear as the budget cuts are passed down to the units. We will work with the units that we support to implement their cuts. It is expected that with the magnitude of these cuts, there will be widespread layoffs across the campus. Please understand that this will necessarily impact the hiring process as there will be mandatory preferential rehire reviews. Our HR staff will work closely with you to help streamline the review process and ensure that information on candidates is received and reviewed promptly. On another note, I want to stress to all faculty that cost transfers whether off of or onto federal funding are being closely examined by the campus because of heightened scrutiny by the federal oversight agencies. Under no circumstances is it allowed to "park" expenses on federal funding. Your grants analyst will work with you to properly expense your costs when you are faced with a funding dilemma including requesting funds advances, pre-award cost approvals, or no-cost extensions. It is critical that expenses are charged to the appropriate fund to which they brought benefit. False expense claims against federal funding are punishable by fines, penalties, and possibly imprisonment. Please read through the topics below as there is important information in each section. CONTRACTS & GRANTS HUMAN RESOURCES Some exceptions to the freeze may need to be granted. To be considered for an exception, the petitioner must successfully demonstrate one of the following:
Requests for exceptions should be submitted to RES HR for review by the Vice Chancellor for Research, and if accepted, will be forwarded to the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost (EVCP) for a final decision. Detailed information and exception forms for managers and supervisors are available online at http://hrweb.berkeley.edu/scro.htm. Please be advised that it is now time to write and deliver performance evaluations for the current 2008-2009 fiscal year. We request that you work with your employees to complete all performance evaluations no later than July 31, 2009. PURCHASING RES Purchasing offers comprehensive support for all procurement activities as well as travel, entertainment, and general reimbursements.You can find information on purchasing processes, procedures, and policies at http://res.berkeley.edu, as well as instructions for using the online purchasing system, http://resaccess.berkeley.edu/news/news.php. All orders must be processed through the online system. If you need access to the RES purchasing site, contact Dawn Warfield, 666-2736 or dmwarfield@berkeley.edu. If you have invoices to submit, please feel free to use the drop box located in the RES Purchasing Office, on the right just after you walk in the door to 174 Stanley. Note: Hazardous materials and foreign orders now have to go through central purchasing so may require a longer timeline than in the past. Please contact Dawn Warfield for details at 666-2736. Policy on Reimbursements for Travel Expenses Effective September 1, 2008, the University will not reimburse for meals and incidental expenses such as tips and fees for service when travel is less than 24 hours, unless the trip includes an overnight stay as supported by a lodging receipt. Previously, reimbursement was allowed for trips of more than 12 hours. An exception to the overnight stay requirement may be allowed for a meal expense in connection with a business meeting, recruitment, entertainment, or other meal authorized by Business and Finance Bulletin BUS-79 "Expenditures for Business Meetings, Entertainment, and Other Occasions" ( http://www.ucop.edu/ucophome/policies/bfb/bus79.pdf). This change is a result of revisions in the IRS Taxable Fringe Benefit Guide and is reflected in the "Policy and Regulations Governing Travel" (UCOP Business and Finance Bulletin G-28) available at http://www.ucop.edu/ucophome/policies/bfb/g28.pdf. Section VIII.C and Appendix C of the Bulletin provide further details about reimbursement for travel of less than 24 hours. Shipping and Handling Charges Shipping charges have gone up in recent months for a number of the vendors you use every day. Your lab can save money by bundling orders together for the same vendor in order to reduce the number of shipments, and thus reduce your total shipping charges. If you have any questions about this please contact Jonathan Caniezo at 666-3330 or jcaniezo@berkeley.edu. RECEIVING & STOCKROOM Shipping Dry Ice: Stanley Hall is now one of four locations that are allowed to have dry ice packages shipped. If you need help preparing a shipment, please contact Receiving at 666-3654. The Stanley Hall Stockroom is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday to all customers. Stanley Hall occupants can access the stockroom with card key 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Johann Yopp, your Fisher representative, is on site from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday for assistance. Orders placed on fishersci.com by 1:30 p.m. can be delivered within one hour on the same day, or can be picked up in person within 15 minutes of placing the order. All orders placed after 1:30 will be delivered the next morning or can be picked up by the customer until 3:30 on the day of the order. If you still need a username and password come down to 156 to pick it up so you can start using the stockroom.
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