[Faculty] March 18 - Impact23 Faculty Update

[Gerard J Bomotti]

Dear Faculty Colleagues,

As we navigate the Impact23 transition, our commitment to keeping you well-informed remains a top priority. Expect regular email updates every few weeks, providing detailed insights into the progress made, resolutions to known issues, updated timelines, and available faculty resources. These updates will complement other communication channels, including Impact23 office hours, town halls, web updates, and campus publications. For previous Faculty Update emails, please go to: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/13EU_jcpzxx2nEmDoJCILv4XkP-7fmMRv.

In addition to the updates mentioned, we encourage you to stay informed by reviewing the latest information on our Known Issues Tracker at: https://impact23.ucr.edu/known-issues-tracker. This resource will provide you with valuable insights and timely updates.

Thank you for your continued collaboration and patience as we work together through this transition.

UPDATES
Suppliers, Payments, Reimbursements & Refunds: One major focus of process improvement has been supplier onboarding. Before initiating payments, reimbursements, or refunds, it is necessary to onboard new suppliers and payees. We are reviewing methods to streamline this onboarding process to address reported challenges and minimize delays.

  *   We are pleased to announce a completely new process for reimbursement and refund only suppliers, which includes students and others, as of March 12. This update aims to simplify the Supplier interface with Oracle and UCR systems, providing departmental staff with greater control over the onboarding process. It also will help us resolve supplier onboarding backlogs associated with reimbursing guest travelers, visitors, and students.
  *   Additionally, we are constantly considering process improvements for the onboarding of suppliers with tax reportable payments, such as visitors receiving honorariums or human subject payments.
These improvements reflect our commitment to fostering a more efficient and user-friendly experience for all stakeholders involved.

Contract and Grant Award Setup: We identified an issue on December 12 in the integration from Kuali to Oracle, that impacted award stand-up and allocation. Though we resolved this manually at first, an automated solution was deployed in early March to proactively address this issue should it recur. We will continue to monitor this crucial integration and address any future issues as we become aware, so that award stand-up is not adversely impacted.

Approvals via Email: Several faculty members have raised specific cases regarding the functionality of Oracle's email approvals of requisitions and invoices, where an "approve" button is clicked from an email but it does not actually approve the item in Oracle and an error email is received. Despite the implementation of a system solution in July 2023, some users have continued to experience issues with the functionality. The project team has been able to provide solutions to cases raised so far, and if you are also experiencing email approval failures, please enter a ticket for review and resolution.

Web Recharge Tool: Since our January deployment, we are pleased to report that 86 service providers have been successfully onboarded, with the remaining 40 set to join in the coming weeks. There was an initial issue with the system feeding transactions to Oracle, but that was resolved by the end of February. It's important to note that while template billing, to allow for mass billing uploads via spreadsheet, is currently under development, it is not yet available.

Reimbursement Payments from Concur: The team is addressing the challenge of Concur payments not processing into Oracle, recognizing the complexity and critical nature of this issue. In the coming weeks, we will be introducing enhancements to the process, both technically and operationally, with the goal of ensuring a more foolproof system. We appreciate your patience, and recommend referring to the guidance outlined in the Known Issue Information for actions you can take to help alleviate potential payment delays: https://impact23.ucr.edu/known-issues/2023/12/15/concur-expense-reports-not-paid-and-not-appearing-ledger-or-looker
Procurement: Initial workflow and contract and grant coding issues were resolved early in deployment. Despite some progress, we are still facing challenges related to adjusting purchase order quantity and pricing after receiving the supplier's invoice. To streamline processes, units are encouraged to utilize the Procurement Card for allowable orders under $10,000.  For a one-time transaction limit increase or other exceptions in supplier payments, reach out to your Financial Administrative Officer (FAO), who will collaborate with Procurement to facilitate a solution.

Charges for Closed Contracts and Grants: In cases where transactions have not yet posted to a C&G Award that is now closed, please contact your departmental FAO and/or your Organization CFAO for assistance. They will collaborate with the EMF team to explore viable solutions.

Payroll Certification System: The technical team is currently working on the development of the new Payroll Certification System under Oracle/COA. We are prioritizing this system for a smooth transition for faculty members before the end of the Spring quarter and fiscal year.

Graduate Student Pay: Several cases have been raised to the Impact23 team about graduate students not getting paid. At this time, we understand this to be a UCPath issue, and not related to the Oracle implementation. These issues should be addressed with your respective UCPath Service Center.

Suppliers No Longer Servicing UC/UCR: Due to some payment delays related to the system transition, some suppliers have put UCR on credit hold until the payment is resolved. Most of these issues are resolved as soon as possible. Other suppliers have decided to stop doing business with UC/UCR related to SB27. For additional information, please see the recent email from Chancellor Wilcox: https://insideucr.ucr.edu/announcements/2024/02/21/impact23-and-sb-27.

RESOURCES FOR FACULTY
In addition to your organization's finance and administration staff, Faculty members can access a variety of resources to navigate Impact23 effectively. Please see the following resources available at your fingertips!

Impact23 Meetings and Upcoming Town Halls
Stay informed about Impact23-related meetings, office hours, and town halls by checking the Impact23 calendar. Our next Town Hall will take place on April 30th, from 10:30-11:30am, Zoom meeting link: https://ucr.zoom.us/j/93586344128. <https://ucr.zoom.us/j/93586344128> Town Hall sessions, specifically, offer an opportunity to hear more on stabilization efforts, address current issues, and have questions answered. The calendar is accessible at: https://impact23.ucr.edu/impact23-calendar
Concierge
For any Impact23 system-related inquiries, faculty are welcome to contact the Concierge Helpline (951) 827-9990 or submit a ticket at: ucrsupport.service-now.com/finadmin_portal<http://ucrsupport.service-now.com/finadmin_portal>

The project team continues to work toward system stabilization as quickly as possible to minimize the impact on UC Riverside's mission and essential work. If you have questions or comments, please contact Impact23 at ucr.edu<mailto:Impact23 at ucr.edu?subject=Faculty%20Communication%20Inquiry%20-%20October%202023>.


Sincerely,
Gerry Bomotti on behalf of the Impact23 Executive Steering Committee
Vice Chancellor & Chief Financial Officer

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