Thank You, and See You Next Year!

Thank you for your commitment to adapting to the new chart of accounts, financial systems, and reports. Your feedback has been invaluable in setting priorities and improving financial systems to meet campus needs, and we appreciate everyone who completed the staff survey. Efforts to implement further enhancements will continue. Wishing you a well-deserved break and looking forward to a successful 2025!

Amazon Business for PCard Purchases

Make the most of Amazon Business for your purchases! Orders must be placed through the Amazon Business portal using the PCard Holder's UCR email address and Procurement Card to ensure compliance. For those who missed the live webinar on November 22, the recording is available here. The session provides valuable insights and tips to help maximize the benefits of Amazon Business. For more information, visit this webpage. 

Fly America Act Guidance

Federal regulations require the use of U.S. carriers for travel reimbursed from federal grants and contracts, including federal flow-through awards. Departments and principal investigators (PIs) must ensure compliance with the Fly America Act. Guidance on the minimum backup documentation for EMF to review federally funded foreign travel reimbursements is available here and on the BFS Accounting Website under Extramural Funds > Forms & Resources. To determine if an award involves federal flow-through funding, refer to the “C&G Awards Direct Fed and FFT” list published monthly (~15th) on this same webpage. 

New for US Citizens Traveling to UK 
Beginning January 8, 2025, travelers to the United Kingdom from 49 designated countries and territories, including the United States, will be required to secure an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA). This change impacts many nationalities that previously did not need a visa or prior approval for entry. 

• UK ETAs are valid for two years, provided the associated passport remains valid.
• If a passport expires within two years of the ETA's validity or a new passport is acquired, a new ETA must be applied for.

To avoid complications during travel, UCR researchers and travelers should be aware of this requirement and ensure it is accounted for when booking trips through Concur or Anthony Travel. For more details, visit the official UK ETA guidelines here.

REAL ID Enforcement Deadline

Starting May 7, 2025, U.S. travelers will need a REAL ID-compliant license or another acceptable form of identification to board domestic flights and access certain federal facilities. The Department of Homeland Security has proposed extending the deadline to May 2027 due to adoption concerns, but the current enforcement date remains.

View Payables Invoices

To view payables invoices, including the new enhancement that displays invoice approval history, users must have the UCR Inquiry JR role assigned in EACS. Department SAAs should ensure this role is assigned whenever any other Oracle Financials role is granted.

Additional invoice information, like AP holds and approvals, the installment tab on invoices, and invoice notes and comments, was recently made accessible to users in Oracle Payables. Users can find this information by navigating to an invoice in the Payables Invoices infotile. 

Extra Time, Same Support 

Monthly office hours will be extended in response to user feedback until the end of the fiscal year on June 30, 2025. The BFS calendar will be updated to reflect these changes. 

Oracle Guided Learning Update

By the end of this year, training resources will transition from the Oracle Guided Learning widget to being fully available on the Training Resources webpage. While the widget will remain accessible within Oracle, it will contain only minimal resources. Business & Financial Services training guides and materials have been consolidated in Training Resources.

Known Issues Tracker 

Review the Known Issues Tracker for the latest information on issues affecting financial processes and reports. Of special note are the recent additions, including the concerns regarding the budgets for K-099 projects in Oracle Budget and the temporary workaround for Oracle Financials displaying only five tasks at a time in the BPM Worklist.