Friday, December 16, 2022

The UVA President's Local Economy Working Group

Strengthening the relationship between the University of Virginia and the surrounding Charlottesville/Albemarle County community is one of UVA President Jim Ryan's top priorities.  As such, several UVA-Community partnerships have been formed, featuring working groups with goals to make our community as strong and equitable as possible. 

The President's Working Group on the Local Economy has a well-defined plan to increase local spending with local minority-owned firms by 10%, along with doubling University spending with local minority-owned firms.

The Working Group is made up of a variety of UVA and local business leaders.  The scope of the group's work includes but is not limited to: 

  • identifying opportunities across the University for increased vendor relationships with SWaM business
  • reviewing the existing vendor selection process, including advertisement, requirements and guidelines, and identifying barriers to access 
  • surveying UVA purchasing managers to understand how purchasing decisions are made
  • consulting with existing and potential vendors to understand barriers
  • identifying ways to expand the number of local businesses certified as SWaM
For more information on the President's Council on UVA-Community Partnerships, visit their website.
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UVA Partners with SupplierGATEWAY

UVA Supplier Diversity recently partnered with SupplierGATEWAY with the goal of reaching an ever-increasing group of local small and diverse businesses. 

SupplierGATEWAY enables buyers across UVA schools and units to become more familiar with the firms capable of providing products and services in the fields they're searching.

SupplierGATEWAY is a platform used by hundreds of organizations across the United States, including hospital systems, professional sports leagues, Fortune 500 firms, and municipalities.  When businesses register their business in the University of Virginia's instance of SupplierGATEWAY, their data is stored securely and becomes visible to buyers who are looking to buy what those suppliers provide.  Additionally, those suppliers can leverage the existing relationships they have with existing clients so that prospective buyers see those relationships and positive reviews.

For more information about SupplierGATEWAY and to learn if your business should register, contact Mark Cartwright, Director of Supplier Diversity at UVA.

Monday, December 12, 2022

Five Things to Know about Finance: December 13, 2022



1.  Procurement will operate under an altered schedule during Winter break.  

  • Procurement has altered its payment schedule to accommodate the Winter Break. On December 21st the Accounts Payable team will make all payments scheduled through January 6th. Payments suitable for processing must be fully approved and ready for settlement by 9 am on the 21st. The normal payment schedule will reconvene on January 2nd.
  • Procurement will operate at a limited capacity during the break. If you have an urgent request with operational impacts, please send a request marked Urgent to askfinance@virginia.edu and copy Alita Salley. For Travel and T&E card-related matters, please use travel@virginia.edu and card@virginia.edu. Procurement will check these boxes Monday – Friday at 10 am and 2 pm.

2.  Account Certification News & Resources:  The Deadline for November Account Certification is COB January 20.  New Account Certification Resources have been posted on the training webpage, along with a new FAQ and a new Workday Account Certification Dashboard in UBI.

3.  Match Exceptions are improving, and we have new resources for avoiding them and correcting them.  Get the links to resources on the blog.

4. The Reporting & Analytics Team has posted release notes for December 2, including significant new reports and modifications for the month of November.  See the release notes here. 

5.  Finance Strategic Transformation is officially over as of the end of 2022, but support and engagement are ongoing in 2023, including Time with a Trainer and sessions like Fiscal Administrators and Business Officers Council.

FST Update: December 13, 2022

This is the last Finance Strategic Transformation Update of 2022 . . . and, if you can believe, it, EVER!

Want to listen instead of reading?  Tune in to WFST Radio.

Engagement is Ongoing in 2023

Thank you for the meetings you’ve attended, the WFST broadcasts you’ve listened to, the blog digests you’ve read, the emails you’ve tried to keep up with, the effort you’ve given to the project, the questions you’ve asked, the time you’ve taken:  thank you.  Sincerely.

The spirit of collaboration forged during the project will carry forward into 2023 and beyond.  Fiscal Administrators will continue to meet monthly, along with regular meetings of the Business Officers Council, continuous improvement focus groups, and All Pods Groups. See more detail in the blog.

Help is Available

In addition, the UVAFinance Trainers will soon release a new slate of one on one Time with a Trainer time slots that you can slide into if you need help with Workday Financials.  Although FST is officially ending, the support and collaboration from the finance team aren’t ending, and neither is the individual and collective change journey that you and your team will experience.  See more resources in this edition of the blog:  Match Exceptions,  Reporting & Analytics Release Notes, New Account Certification Resources, Update on Non-Catalog Requisitions

Listening Tours in the New Year

When we’re all back from the holiday break, the Change Enablement & Continuous Improvement  will engage in Listening Tours, gathering info on what UVA schools and units need in terms of support as they move forward with our new systems and processes.

Have a wonderful holiday season!

 


 

 

Welcome New Director of Accounts Payable, Amanda Lockhart Davis

Recently, Augie Maurelli announced that Amanda Lockhart Davis is UVAFinance’s new Director of Accounts Payable.

With experience in several ERP, customer service, financial management platforms, and multiple procure-to-pay systems, Lockhart Davis’ most recent position was Senior Accounting Manager and Accounts Payable Manager for Maximus in McLean, Virginia. Before Maximus, Lockhart Davis was Accounts Payable Manager at Cvent. She also has worked in accounting and payables positions at Inova Health Systems and PM Hotel Group.

When asked what drew her to her new position at UVAFinance, Lockhart Davis had this to say:

 “First of all, it was a chance to work at UVA! I was also interested in working with people like Augie Maurelli who I could tell is the kind of leader I’d been looking for. He clearly understands both the work and people aspect of UVAFinance. I knew we would work well together because I believe in leadership that has the entire group’s interest at heart.”

As the leader of Accounts Payable, Lockhart Davis will primarily work with the Procurement team to get payments out the door.

“I also want to help streamline some of the current processes,” she said. “And I want to focus on bringing up staff morale as best as I can. This will boost productivity and efficiency, and it’s something I thrive on.”

Outside of work, Lockhart Davis is a huge fan of the Golden Girls and loves comic books. She also loves to travel and take trips with her friends while trying activities like archery and pottery and going to wineries. However, her family and faith are the most important things to her. She enjoys spending time with her husband (whom she’s known since they were in 2nd grade together!) and her three sons.

Friday, December 9, 2022

UVAFinance Team focuses on Expanding Opportunities, Not Risk

One of the last places on Grounds you may expect to find UVAFinance team members is at the Radioactive Safety Committee meeting, but that is just where you can find Gretchen Kriebel, Director of Property and Liability Risk Management.

Kriebel and Kristin Dinwiddie, senior manager of Risk Control, are often involved in working groups and committees, such as the Radioactive Safety Committee, across Grounds so they can proactively stay engaged in activities and help groups mitigate risks in their work. 

UVAFinance’s Property and Liability Risk Management identifies, eliminates, and reduces the conditions and practices which cause financial loss and cause unnecessary risk. The team maintains a comprehensive risk financing program to protect the University against losses that could impede its academic mission.

With inherent risks in any large academic, research, or outreach program, the University involves UVAFinance in decision-making.  When a significant risk is identified, Kriebel and the Property and Liability Risk Management team aim to find a solution rather than thwarting an initiative. 

Aside from Kriebel and Dinwiddie, the team includes Miranda Bransom, who as the Administrative Assistant keeps the team on track and manages the insurance portfolio premium payments and recoveries. This is not limited to July when the fiscal year begins. The University purchases property year-round and it must be cataloged and paid for with precision. Cameron Beasley provides data and reporting to both Risk Management and Treasury, which Risk Management uses for managing its self-insured retention, claims data, and dashboard reports. In September 2022, Todd Hite joined Risk from outside UVA, as a Claims Adjuster, and is responsible for insurance claim intake, investigating, negotiating, and settling claims for the University.

“Nothing is risk-free, but we have strategies for reducing risk and transferring it outside of the University,” Kriebel says. 

“Being involved in University committees gives us an opportunity to learn about and review specific activities and we review them because, in a lot of instances, we can see some areas of risk that the University program may not immediately realize.”

“We work a lot with International Studies and review how specific trips or programs could affect safety, health, or security,” Kriebel shares. 

“For instance, a student program wanted to be involved in some exciting work that was just outside of a war zone. While outside of the immediate area of danger, security, flights, and infrastructure in the neighboring country were going to be potentially affected.”

When a significant risk is identified, Kriebel and the team aim to find a solution rather than thwarting an initiative.

“Often, programs worry that we’ll just say ‘no’ but we don’t – we just find a different way and engage the University programs as our partners in that,” she says.

If travel to a specific country is deemed a safety risk, Kriebel and Dinwiddie work with faculty and students to determine how academic and outreach goals can be achieved in another region or how specific activities can be altered to decrease risk.

“Students have great ideas, and we never want to dampen their enthusiasm,” Kriebel shares. 

“We partner to help develop solutions, alternate plans that meet the same goals, and provide the logistical support such as the liability paperwork needed to ensure we are good stewards of our university resources and protect all involved.”

When students aimed to have dogs as part of an event on Grounds, Kriebel and the team identified potential risks involved. Animals are fun to be around but there is a lot of unpredictability associated with pets that may not be caught up on their vaccinations or may have behavioral issues interacting with students and community members. Instead of canceling the event, Kriebel suggested partnering with the ASCPA, allowing animal experts to manage the pets ensuring that those animals with updated vaccinations participated. Additionally, the ASPCA-trained volunteers could manage the pets’ potential behavioral issues and choose those best suited for the activity.

“It also gave the students the opportunity to partner with a nonprofit and potentially get some of the shelter dogs adopted,” Kriebel says. “There is a lot of potential in acknowledging risks and then coming up with alternatives.”

The team not only identifies physical and financial risks but reputational ones as well. Keeping the University’s risk lowered provides the institution to continue succeeding and recruiting the best students, faculty, and staff.

Learn more about risk management and the associated policies and procedures here: uvafinance.virginia.edu.

Procurement schedule during Winter break

Procurement has altered its payment schedule to accommodate the Winter Break. On December 21st the Accounts Payable team will make all payments scheduled through January 6th. Payments suitable for processing must be fully approved and ready for settlement by 9 am on the 21st. The normal payment schedule will reconvene on January 2nd.

Procurement will operate at a limited capacity during the break. If you have an urgent request with operational impacts, please send a request marked Urgent to askfinance@virginia.edu and copy Alita Salley. 

For Travel and T&E card-related matters, please use travel@virginia.edu and card@virginia.edu. Procurement will check these boxes Monday – Friday at 10 am and 2 pm.

Thursday, December 8, 2022

Ongoing Engagement in 2023

A positive outcome of the Finance Strategic Transformation project was the collaboration between schools, units, and central finance that grew during the time we worked on the implementation together.  Although the project itself is drawing to a close, that collaboration will not. 

In 2023, members of a diverse array of the finance community across Grounds will continue to meet for conversations around the ongoing improvement of Workday Financials adoption and enhancement of the system.  Some of these groups will look familiar.  Most scheduling will occur in 2023; however, you can see the 2023 Fiscal Administrators meeting schedule posted on the UVAFinance website (click under "For Fiscal Administrators"). 

All Pods

Meets every other week
Topics are driven by representatives from Workday Support, the Change Team, Ask Finance, etc.
The purpose of the meeting is to learn what issues are top of mind for stakeholders across schools and units.

Fiscal Administrators
  • Meets Monthly
  • Operational focus
  • The purpose of this meeting is to discuss issues & their implications, as well as possible strategies to address these issues
Business Officers Council 
  • Meets quarterly
  • The focus is high-level updates and getting everyone on the same page
  • The purpose of this meeting is to answer questions and understand school and unit needs
Continuous Improvement Focus Groups
  • Meets as needed
  • The focus is on improving business processes
  • The purpose is to do a deep dive into issues, identify opportunities for improvement, and brainstorm solutions with a representative subset of the finance community.

New Account Certification Resources!

Recently developed account certification resources are waiting for you on the UVAFinance webpage.  Besides a full list of account cert quick reference guides on the training webpage, you can also now see the following: 
  • Account Certification Frequently Asked Questions: Provides answers to common questions and links to relevant resources
  • Workday Account Certification Dashboard in UBI:  Allows for robust filtering and views of account certification statuses, including a cost center filter that includes projects and grants.  Also allows users to view the next person or persons in the workflow, regardless of status, as well as account certification volumes by unit, preparer, and approver, and monthly trends on volume and on-time performance. 

Reminder:  November Account Certification deadline has been moved to January 20, as the multi-funding source (MFS) engine is not running properly and is not expected to deliver correct accounting information until December.  We are waiting on a fix from Workday, and expect to distribute Account Certifications by December 15.   The deadline for November Account Certification is COB on January 20. 

Match Exceptions: How to Avoid Them & Correct Them

To avoid match exceptions, we recommend the following best practices: 
  • ensure that the PO and invoice details (full name of supplier, price, and quantity) match
  • submit invoices in PDF format
  • encourage suppliers to pay attention to response emails to invoice submissions, in case more information is needed
If you have a match exception, you will need to determine the cause of the exception and initiate the correction for the match exception. 

To determine the cause of the exception:
  1. From viewing the supplier invoice in Workday, you can see the reason for the match exception on the Invoice Lines tab in the Line Match Exception field
  2. Drill into the invoice lines (e.g., click the PO number to identify the quantity and/or price difference, review business documentation to view the original invoice) to better determine the cause of the variance.
To initiate the correction of the exception: 
  • Initiate Change Order: If you need to increase the quantity of the Purchase Order, you can submit a Change Order request.  
OR
  • Initiate Invoice Correction: If you need to make significant changes such as changing the structure of the invoice or Purchase Order (needing to add or delete lines or adjust the price), you will need to submit an Invoice Correction Form
Learning Resources: 

Update on Non-Catalog Requisitions


As of November 21, we have begun utilizing Workday’s non-catalog order process for both Goods and
Service lines, and Jaggaer for catalog orders.  The launch was widely successful and has resulted in a significant decrease in match exceptions over the last few weeks. 

We have noticed an uncommon issue to be aware of: if an end user does not have an account in Jaggaer, the newly created purchase order will not successfully integrate into Jaggaer and be distributed.  
The solution is for the end user to do their initial punchout into Jaggaer to create their account, which will allow the successful transmission of the purchase order.

There are also a few changes from the previous process to note:
  • Assign Cart function is no longer available
  • Any favorites saved in Jaggaer cannot be used in Workday to create requisitions. The team is developing QRGs on processes that can replace or mimic the behavior of
  • favorites
Review the Create a Non-Catalog Purchase Request QRG for step-by-step instructions on the noncatalog order process.
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Wednesday, December 7, 2022

Final 2023 CVC Update

Here's where UVA's Commonwealth of Virginia (CVC) 2022 giving stands as of December 6.  Since the last update in early November, many at UVA may have chosen to support the UVA Strong Fund to honor the families of the victims of the November 13 shooting as well as the survivors. If you would still like to support the good work local charities do in our region, CVC 2023 runs through the end of the year.

The last day to make a donation by payroll deduction is December 18. 

To participate in this year’s CVC, use the pledge form at cvc.virginia.edu. If you have questions about the CVC, email uvacvc@virginia.edu.
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Total Amount Raised by UVA: $495,577 (61.95% of the $800,000 goal)

Top 15 UVA Areas by % of Employees Participating in CVC Giving

1.  Communications - 62.8%
2. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Community Partnerships - 50.0%
3. Miller Center - 42.6%
4. Audit & Compliance - 33.3%
5. Advancement - 33 %
6. Operations - 31.6%
7. EVP/COO Office - 20.8%
8. EVP/Provost Office - 17.3%
9. School of Data Science - 14.3%
10. University Counsel - 13.3%
11.  President's Office - 11.1%
12. UVAFinance - 8.1%
13. Information Technology Services - 7%
14. Student Affairs - 6.9%
15. Academic Outreach - 5.6%

Top 15 UVA Areas by $ Amount Raised

1.  School of Medicine - $1119,668
2. UVA Medical Center - $77,481
3. College of Arts & Sciences - $31,930
4. Information Technology Services - $28,591
5. Advancement - $25,120
6.  Batten School - $11,500
7. School of Engineering - $14,270
8. School of Law - $13,358
9. Darden School of Business - $12,545
10. Operations - $12,189
11. EVP / COO - $10,575
12.  Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Community Partnerships - $9,223
13.  Facilities Management - $9,857
14. Communications - $9, 223
15. UVAFinance - $7,029

Monday, December 5, 2022

Our Trainers have Time for You!

Are you struggling with a Workday Financials topic?  Have a question about a transaction?  

Sign up for a one-on-one Time with a Trainer session, during which UVAFinance training team members can answer specific questions and provide live demonstrations. 

Schedule a meeting today using the links below (also found on the Workday Finance Training page).

Upcoming Records & Information Management Training

 

 

Visit the Records & Information Management webpage to register for their next RIM Basics Training on December 14 at noon.  While you're there, you can also see the spring training schedule.

Holiday Shopping at Cavalier Computers


Take advantage of Cavalier Computers' employee purchase program, which works via payroll deduction. 

Take a look at their website to learn more!

Ready to browse?  Shop online.

Wellness Resources December 2022

From Hoos Well

New Social Well-Being Doman: Hoos Wells recently added a new Social Well-Being domain which includes a variety of resources to help you build your social well-being.

Research shows that building social well-being can reduce stress and enhance health and longevity, and that healthy relationships may be the single most important determinant of happiness.

From FEAP

Have you been unable to attend a FEAP webinar that sounded interesting? No worries, you can view recordings of previous events on the FEAP for You website. A variety of topics are available including:
  • Fostering the Mental Well-Being of College Age Students
  • Sustaining Personal Resilience in Challenging Times
  • Train Your Mind, Change Your Life
  • Manage Anxious Thoughts & Negative Thinking
  • And many more!

Reporting & Analytics Release Notes: December 2

Finance Reporting and Analytics Release Notes are posted on the UVAFinance website for December 2nd. This update includes significant new reports and modifications that have been released in the month of November as well as known issues that we are investigating or working on currently.

Friday, December 2, 2022

2023 Fiscal Administrators Meeting Schedule Posted

The 2023 Schedule for Fiscal Administrators Meetings has been posted online.  

These meetings will remain virtual to encourage the pattern of solid attendance.  A Zoom link will be distributed closer to the meeting date.  

See the 2023 meeting schedule on the UVAFinance site (under "For Fiscal Administrators). 

Add the meetings to your calendar now so you don't miss out!