March 2022

Published monthly, the Fiscal Administrators' News is where you can find the latest information regarding the Office of Procurement Services.

Table of Contents

Controller’s Office

Updates to Fixed Assets Policy

Revisions to the policy:

  1. Change the definition of Fixed Assets to include “shipping, installation, training, and other costs necessary to put the asset into service”.
  2. Change the Acquisition/Addition of Fixed Assets section to include “shipping…and other costs” in the capitalized value of the asset.

How do these changes impact units and departments?

  1. Shipping costs should be coded to the same account as the equipment being purchased.
    1. If Shipping is listed as separate line item on the PO, use the same Account Code when entering the requisition.
    2. If shipping is not listed on the PO, no action is required, Real Source will allocate it for you. This will allow the Fixed Asset staff to include those costs as part of the asset.
  2. For non-HEETF equipment costs over $5,000 (including shipping), use expense code 700002 to 700315. For HEETF use 700190 or 720190.

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Business Services

VCUDine

VCUDine’s newest location, Za’atar is now open in the Student Commons! Za’atar is the first Halal-certified restaurant on-campus featuring Mediterranean cuisine. Steak ‘n Shake is expected to open this month, located next to Za’atar in the Commons. Students chose these locations based on feedback from a survey conducted in the fall of 2020.

Our new Starbucks is also open on the MCV Campus on the ground floor of the Gateway building. For menus, hours and updates, please visit vcu.campusdish.com or follow @VCU_Dining on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

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Grants and Contracts

Organizational Changes

We are excited to announce the following changes for the G&C team effective February 25th.

Delois Alexander will transition to her new role as a Senior Accountant on the Gamma Team. Delois has been a grant accountant on the Gamma team since 2013, where she has assisted with numerous G&C initiatives and training. As Delois transitions into this new role, she will continue with the grant management of her portfolio and assisting with special projects and initiatives. Delois has over 25 years of accounting experience with VCU and the Department of Motor Vehicles, and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from Saint Paul’s College.

Camilo (Cam) Medina will be stepping into the role of Assistant Director of G&C. Cam joined G&C in 2019 as the Effort Reporting Manager and has worked tirelessly to transform the effort reporting function at the University. Through the development of new training, compliance reviews, and leading the upgrade to ECC, Cam and his team have contributed much to the University. Prior to his time at VCU, Cam was an internal auditor with the Research Foundation for the State University of New York (SUNY). He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University at Albany and is completing his Masters in Public Administration with VCU.

In transitioning to his new role, Cam will be working closely with Javeria Kazi, Director of G&C where he will be taking on a broader role for G&C focusing first on internal controls and process improvement, while continuing his involvement on committees related to research related initiatives for the institution. While Cam will still be overseeing the effort reporting team, for more immediate assistance regarding effort, please work with Shanea Raj, Effort Reporting Manager (mclaurinism@vcu.edu) and effortreport@vcu.edu.

Shanea Raj will transition to the Effort Reporting Manager in G&C. Shanea joined G&C in 2017 as a Grant Accountant. During her time on the Effort Team, she has been instrumental in the launch of our new effort reporting system, ECC. In addition to her work on ECC, Shanea has assisted with the effort reporting policy, compliance reviews, and developing new training. Shanea will be transitioning into her new role over the next several weeks, where she will support the Assistant Director with various reports and projects, manage the day-to-day operations of ECC, provide training for the VCU community, and oversee the effort and project statements certification for the MCV Campus. For more information or assistance with effort reporting, please contact effortreport@vcu.edu.

Robert Wilson will step into the role of Effort Reporting Analyst. Robert Wilson joined G&C on the Effort Reporting team as a Grant Accountant at the end of 2012 and has since been involved with two effort system upgrades, led several trainings, and been instrumental to the success and consistency of the Effort Reporting team. In his new role, Robert will be taking on more responsibility within the Effort Reporting team in the area of compliance and general oversight of the ECC system. Robert has an extensive background in accounting and financial advisement, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Business Finance from Norfolk State University. Lastly, Robert was born in Pittsburgh, PA, raised in Alexandria, VA, and is a U.S. Navy veteran.

Reminder of Upcoming Effort Periods

The pre-review period for MCV Campus is now open in ECC. Effort Coordinators will have the entire month of March to pre-review project and effort statements for the MCV Campus before the certification period opens in April. Please log into ECC and pre-review your statements as soon as possible to avoid delays in certification.

Lastly, Monroe Park Faculty, please log into ECC to complete your certification (project and effort statements). The certification period closes on April 30, 2022, for the Monroe Park campus.

Please contact effortreport@vcu.edu with any questions

Upcoming Effort Reporting Training

Please join us for our upcoming Advanced Effort Training session on April 1, 2022, via Zoom. A brief description of the course is listed below:

  • This advanced training is designed for individuals who have a level of familiarity with ECC but would like to fully utilize the system and gain a better understanding of some of the compliance guidelines that govern effort reporting. Topics that will be covered include the NIH Salary Cap, Highly Sponsored Faculty, and a series of reports available through ECC. We hope you take the time to sign up, have your questions answered, and learn how to use ECC to its full potential!

Feel free to enroll in this opportunity via Talent and don't hesitate to contact us at effortreport@vcu.edu with any additional training requests or questions.

Coming Soon: RAMS Mini Forum Sessions

G&C will be hosting a virtual RAMS mini forum (date to be announced soon) in collaboration with Research and Legal, Audit and Compliance Career Committees and OVPRI.

VCU Research Dashboard: An Overview from Various Viewpoints

This session will provide an overview of the VCU Research Dashboard, an online system that displays financial and award information for sponsored projects. We will delve into how engagement with the dashboard differs for various roles and how common issues are identified and resolved. Please join us to learn more about this key post award tool from the perspective of the principal investigator, research administrator, and Grants & Contracts accountant.

For more information and the link to register, check out the RAMS Forum website.

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Procurement Services

New RealSource eCatalog- Encompass Supply LLC

A new eCatalog with Encompass Supply LLC, a SWaM certified Minority-Owned Business (MBE) providing electrical and industrial construction supplies and technology services, will soon be live in RealSource and available for use. Encompass Supply LLC is also an authorized Grainger distributor/reseller. As part of the Grainger Distributor Alliance Program, Encompass is listed as authorized distributors/resellers of Grainger product and product-related services.

With the addition of Encompass Supply LLC, RealSource now offers 36 eCatalogs to department users and shoppers. If you have questions about this or any other RealSource eCatalog, existing or future, please send an email to RealSource@vcu.edu or call 8-1077 and select option 6

New Process: Contracts $10k and Less

To gain efficiencies on your end and our end, we have created a new process for the review of contracts valued at $10k or less.

First Steps

  • Review vendor document(s); e.g. SOW, quote, order form or contract, to make sure it reflects what you wish to purchase.
  • Create a Requisition and attach vendor document(s).
  • Obtain Requisition approvals and issue a Purchase Order.

Do NOT sign any vendor documents.

Second Steps

  • If vendor rejects the Purchase Order because a signature is required, then submit vendor documents through the Contracts+ module in RealSource.
  • The Contracts team will negotiate and finalize the contract.

Pcard Purchases

  • All Pcard rules, including thresholds, must be followed.
  • If vendor is not requiring a signature, then pay with a Pcard.
  • If vendor is requiring a signature, then send documents through the Contracts+ module in RealSource.
  • The Contracts team will negotiate and finalize the contract.

Vendor MSAs

The Vendor MSAs spreadsheet, available on the Procurement Services web site, provides guidelines for making purchases with specific local vendors. Be sure to continue to follow the instructions on the spreadsheet when working with those vendors.

Please contact contracts@vcu.edu with any questions.

Travel Updates

University travel

As university related travel begins to pick back up, the travel team would like to remind you of the helpful information available on our Procurement webpage found here. This is where you will find a wealth of information including step by step instructions for both Chrome River and Christopherson Business Travel (CBT) along with VCU’s Travel Guidelines and Procedures.

Booking Air/Rail

Christopherson Business Travel (CBT) is the university’s mandatory use Travel Management Company (TMC). VCU faculty and staff are required to book air and rail tickets for university related travel using CBT’s online booking tool or contacting an agent directly. Additional information can be found here.

Here are 10 Helpful Tips to review before traveling.

Business Meals

When submitting an expense report for Business Meal reimbursement, please remember you must submit an itemized receipt, the list of attendees and a business purpose with your submission otherwise your reimbursement will be delayed. More information can be found here.

Chrome River users and Internet Explorer (IE)

Due to Microsoft’s deprecation of Internet Explorer (IE) on August 17, 2021, Chrome River will be fully ending the use of the browser on June 15, 2022 (end of life). At that time, users will no longer be able to access Chrome River via any version of Internet Explorer.

Please contact Travel@vcu.edu with any questions.

Corpcard Classroom Trainings & BOA Global Card Access

Trainings

P-Card will offer their final “classroom” training of FY22 on April, 6th. This training will be offered virtually via Zoom. To enroll, please visit training.vcu.edu and use the keyword search “pcard.”

Attending a classroom training, does not grant an exemption from the Canvas training(s) and test(s).

Global Card Access

Bank of America Global Card Access (GCA) website allows cardholders to retrieve and change their personal identification number (PIN). In the coming months, BOA will implement changes to the GCA site that will impact both cardholders and approvers. Corpcard will update users on these changes as soon as more information is available.

If you have not already registered on the site, we ask that you please do so. There is a one-time registration that will require users to create a username and password. Cardholders will be asked to enter the full 16-digit card number. This is allowed as the site is secure and run by BOA.

Please contact Corpcard@vcu.edu with any questions.

Airgas Unplanned Shut-Down

The university has been informed that the supply of products purchased from Airgas will likely be affected by an unplanned shut down experienced by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). BLM’s shut down is ongoing. If you have an issue with obtaining products from Airgas, please let the Procurement office know. We will work to assist you in finding other suppliers who may be able to meet your needs.

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