CALS Business Operations Newsletter |
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Get CBO Help at:
919-515-4226 or cbo_help@ncsu.edu
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COVID-19: CBO Updates Webpage
Keep up-to-date on business operations updates and guidance related to COVID-19 on the CBO Updates – COVID-19 webpage.
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Business Partners Bi-Weekly Meetings
Bi-weekly meetings with primary business partners and HR coordinators will continue in the new year beginning on January 12 to answer questions and provide updates surrounding the COVID-19 situation.
Recordings of each meeting along with the agendas are posted to the CBO Business Partners webpage as they become available. If you have questions regarding these meetings, please contact Molly Bradshaw, Process Efficiency and Training Manager, at mqbradsh@ncsu.edu.
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Mandatory Training for CALS PCard Holders
All CALS PCard holders will be required to complete a CALS CBO cardholder training module online by February 26, 2021. The training aims to improve CALS’ PCard program compliance, focusing on CALS CBO PCard processes, purchasing guidelines, travel guidelines, and documentation requirements.
Please note the following:
- Cardholders must pass the end of training assessment with 90% or higher and complete the cardholder acknowledgment form before training is marked complete.
- Cardholders are required to complete the training by February 26, 2021. The training is estimated to take 1.5 hours and can be completed in multiple sessions.
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Travel Mileage Rate Changes
Effective January 19, 2021, the Office of State Budget and Management (OSBM) decreased the mileage reimbursement rate for official university business from 57.50 cents per mile to 56 cents when the round trip mileage does not exceed 100 miles per trip. If the round trip mileage exceeds 100 miles per trip, the employee will be reimbursed 33 cents for all miles traveled.
Mileage reimbursement rates for employees using courtesy/lease vehicles in accordance with Board of Trustees Policy 05.15.03 “Non-Salary and Deferred Compensation” will be 16 cents per mile for employees authorized in section 4.4.1 and 30 cents per mile for employees authorized in section 4.4.2.
These changes will be updated in the Travel Center and Travel Guidelines – Travel Requirements for University Employees section on the Controller’s Office website.
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Travel for Students
Beginning August 10, 2020 research restart submissions that involve undergraduate students may be sent through the Research Restart Phase III Process and no longer require a special research exception, but the student must fall into one of the following classifications:
- Undergraduate is working as an NC State University employee.
- Undergraduate is working in research spaces for class, program, or project credit.
- Undergraduate student employees must be marked as mandatory in the HR System.
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COVID-19 Testing Requirements for University Approved Travel
All faculty and staff planning to travel, please ensure you read the email sent on November 13 from NC State University with the subject: COVID-19 Testing Requirements for Spring 2021. In particular, please note the following:
All travelers on approved university travel to out-of-state or international locations must submit proof of a negative COVID-19 test prior to returning to campus. For employees who cannot get a test elsewhere, testing will be available on campus to fulfill this requirement. More information will be provided by NCSU in regards to the testing locations on campus.
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Travel Reimbursements - Submit On-Time to Avoid Taxation
As a reminder, travel reimbursements should be submitted within 30 days after the trip. If they are not submitted within 30 days, the University does have a right to report it as taxable income.
NC General Statute 138-6(c) requires that all travel reimbursement requests must be filed for approval within 30 days after the travel period for which reimbursement is being requested and reimbursements submitted 30 days after the travel period may be reported as taxable income.
The IRS requires that if an entity has an Accountable Plan under IRC Regulation 1.62-2, three rules must be met.
- Establish the business purpose and connection.
- Substantiate expenses within a reasonable period of time.
- Return any excess amounts.
If any of these are not met, then the expense must be added to the employee's W-2 statement and taxed accordingly. Since this falls outside the timeline of "a reasonable period of time" the University must tax this accordingly.
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Accounts Receivable - Deposit Drop-Off Reminders & Extended In-Person Hours
This is a reminder that with the Spring semester, the doors to Patterson Hall are now unlocked. You can resume placing your deposits in the CBO Accounts Receivable deposit box outside of Room G11 (ground floor). The doors are unlocked at 8 a.m. and locked at 5 p.m. We will continue to process deposits on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
For cash deposits, the preference is for it to be hand-delivered on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday when there is in-person coverage. This allows us to count the funds with you and provide you a receipt. If you must drop off the deposit outside of hours of in-person coverage, please ensure you have a second person count and affirm the amount you write on the deposit slip.
We have extended our hours on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Please see our updated hours and contact information;
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Monday - Paul Ballance (919) 515-2747, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Wednesday - Missy Grissom (919) 513-1749, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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Friday - Tiffany Bryant (919) 515-7919, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Please ensure your deposits include the following;
- Provide the deposit slip and check/cash, and supporting documentation to include when/if you have an excel sheet with multiple checks listed and their amounts (i.e. Supplemental form). Complete all fields on the deposit slip.
- Provide ONE* copy of your deposit of all documentation provided. Remember to redact the checking account number and routing number check on the copy by covering the information with paper/post-it when making your copy.
- Please include a campus box addressed envelope with each deposit to receive your receipt via interoffice mail.
*Only one copy of your deposit documentation is needed
Deposits can also be mailed to the CBO, CBO Accounts Receivables, Campus Box 7644, Raleigh, NC 27695-7644.
If you are dropping off a deposit, please call the person listed above upon arrival and they will retrieve the deposit from you.
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Why It's Necessary to Provide a Project and Phase for Expenditures
The college receives funding allocations from a variety of sources, including federal capacity funds and state funds to name a few. Annually we must report to the federal government and other entities on our uses of these funds. When we report on our activities, having both project and phase information helps us to accurately align the expenditures to effort. Hatch funding is an example of federal formula-based funding we receive because of our land grant status to support agricultural research. Any faculty member with a research appointment of at least 15% is required to submit a Hatch project and is assigned a "Hatch Phase". This "Hatch Phase" is a phase number assigned to a specific faculty member that allows for efficient and effective annual reporting of their financial expenditures across all funding sources. A Hatch project is active for 5 years and upon expiration must be renewed. As faculty and staff make purchases (MarketPlace, PCard, travel, purchase vouchers, etc.), they may be asked by CBO staff to provide additional phase information if a project number is provided without a phase. For additional information about our college use of phase numbers, please contact Sean Munday at scmunday@ncsu.edu.
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IT purchases of $5,000 or more
IT Purchases include:
- Software applications and operating systems
- Web-based applications (SaaS)
- Cloud hosting services
- Products that process electronic payments
- Network and storage solutions (e.g, Load Balancer, IP management, VPN, storage platform, etc.)
- Integrated hardware such as endpoints connected to special purpose devices (i.e. microscopes)
An IT Purchase is defined as all information and communication technology products obtained by the university to support its mission that employs, stores or transmits university data, integrates with university systems or utilized by faculty, staff or students.
IT purchases must be reviewed BEFORE the purchase to ensure the IT purchase complies with University standards and follows Federal and State guidelines.
Only after the requested IT purchase has been reviewed and approved by OIT will the Purchasing Department process the requisition or execute the agreement.
Requestors should plan in advance for these reviews to be conducted. Depending on the complexity, reviews may take up to 2-12 weeks, based on the depth of the review required and the supplier responsiveness. Feel free to submit reviews early even before funding is established. This will allow the purchase process to move quicker when the department is finally ready to purchase. This is especially important for end of fiscal year purchases.
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Information About 1099 Forms
North Carolina State University is required by the IRS to provide information returns to vendors, individuals, etc. that have received payments from the University for the following: Rents, royalties, prizes, awards, physician or medical services, healthcare, attorney fees, and non-employee compensation.
Information reported on 1099s is based on payments made by the University during a calendar year. Based on the account the payment was posted to, Peoplesoft will generate 1099s for mailing. A review is done of the information and adjustments are made as necessary.
1099s are due to recipients by January 31st. This information is also provided to the IRS.
1099s are filed based on the following thresholds:
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Rent – If amount paid to a vendor is $600 or more for a calendar year. Payments to corporations are not reported.
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Royalties – If amount paid to a vendor is $10 or more for a calendar year. Payments to corporations are not reported.
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Other Income – If amount paid to a vendor is $600 or more for a calendar year. Payments to corporations are not reported. Other income includes prizes, awards, punitive damages, awards to students, etc.
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Medical and Healthcare Payments – If amount paid to a vendor is $600 or more for a calendar year. Payments to corporations are reported.
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Non-Employee Compensation – If amount paid to a vendor is $600 or more for a calendar year. Payments to corporations are not reported. Non-employee compensation includes fees, commissions, and any form of compensation for services performed. The reportable amount for Honoraria payments made to non-employees should include the amount of the honorarium paid and any expenses incurred by the non-employee (including travel).
More information can be found at 1099 Policy or by calling the NCSU Payroll office at 919.515.4350.
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Information About NCSU Record Retention
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PCard Deadlines
Please take a moment to review the deadlines and reminders below to help ensure PCard policies and procedures are being followed and transactions are processed in a timely manner.
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January Billing Cycle (Past Billing Cycle)
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The January billing cycle (December 19 - January 20) statement deadline is 5 p.m. on February 22.
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To allow cardholders and supervisors adequate time for approval, reconcilers will approve statements by February 5 unless additional information is required.
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If additional information is required in order to approve a statement, cardholders will receive notification by February 5 from cals_cbo_pcard@ncsu.edu. Please be on the lookout for these communications.
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Additionally, cardholders who did not have their receipts uploaded for this billing cycle into the PCard Center as of 3:30 p.m. on January 22 would be required to submit a JV request via ServiceNow if the transaction was not charged to the appropriate project.
February Billing Cycle (Current Billing Cycle)
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The reconciliation deadline for the February billing cycle (January 21 - February 19) is February 23. However, in order to guarantee reconciliation of transactions, receipts should be uploaded by 3:30 p.m. on February 22.
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Anything uploaded after the February 22 deadline will be reconciled for this billing cycle only if time allows and the cardholder will be responsible for submitting any JV requests via ServiceNow if necessary.
As a reminder, to ensure deadlines are met, cardholders should do the following:
- Upload receipts within 1-3 days of the transaction date and avoid uploading all receipts the day before or on the day of the reconciliation deadline.
- Be sure receipts have written on them the project phase to be charged, a detailed business purpose, and the travel authorization number (if applicable).
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Streamlined Subaward Invoice Approval Process
In response to feedback from departments, Business Services and Contracts & Grants has revised the subaward invoice approval process. Prior to this change, the PI had to both approve the invoice and confirm the appropriate ledger 5 project and phase number for each subaward invoice. Due to the below University requirements, we cannot remove the requirement that PIs approve the subaward invoices.
PIs must monitor Subrecipients’ performance through direct contact with the subrecipient’s PI and interim technical reporting. PI must approve all invoices submitted by subrecipients before they can be paid. The Department and College must retain all documentation relating to each subaward for a minimum of 3 years following the end date. https://research.ncsu.edu/sparcs/budgeting-guidelines/budgeting-consultants/
However, we are removing the step which requires the PI to confirm the ledger 5 and phase numbers. Going forward, the Post Award Consultants will now be accessing the ServiceNow incidents and providing the appropriate ledger 5 and phase numbers for all subaward invoices. Please note, the PI will still need to access ServiceNow in order to review and approve the invoice, via logging a comment.
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CALS EHRA Non-Faculty PI and Co-PI Eligibility Guide
In collaboration with NCARS, NC Cooperative Extension and CALS Research Committee, the CALS EHRA Non-Faculty PI and Co-PI Eligibility Guide has been created to provide eligibility guidelines for those EHRA Non-Faculty individuals, who do not fall within the University’s “Research Matrix”, to become Co-PI and PIs on sponsored projects (ledger 5 projects). Please note for those individuals who fall within the Research Matrix, that will continue to be utilized as part of Co-PI and PI requests.
For those individuals who meet the requirements of the new EHRA-Non-Faculty guide or the Research Matrix, the process starts with the supervisor of the individual reaching out to either the Department Head or District Director, with the individual’s CV and recommendation of a Co-PI or PI role. Please note, typically an Non-EHRA individual will need to be in a Co-PI role prior to moving into a PI role. If approved, the Department Head or District Director would forward the request to cals_preaward@ncsu.edu. CALS C&G will then work with NCARS or NC Cooperative Extension on the request. If approved, the request will be forwarded to SPARCS for final approval.
We are working to create a webpage in the near future with this and other information associated with the Co-PI and PI process. If you have any questions, please reach out to cals_preaward@ncsu.edu.
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Upcoming Changes to Ability to Charge to Ledger 5 Projects Post Close-Out
It is anticipated that within the next month or so, University C&G will roll-out changes to the Financial System that will impact ledger 5 projects. One of these changes is the system’s ability to update a grant from “active” to “pending”. The distinction is that charges can post to an “active” grant, while charges cannot post to a “pending” grant. This status update will occur, based upon an algorithm, approximately 30 days after the Final Financial Report has been submitted to the Sponsor. The Final Financial Report is typically due 30 to 90 days after a grant has ended. Therefore, it continues to be important that faculty work closely with both their department contacts and Post Award Consultants to timely and successfully close-out their ledger 5 project. As more information is shared with the colleges, we will share it with the CALS Community.
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Ending Grants Early - New Option per Uniform Guidance Updates
In August, the Office of Management & Budget revised Uniform Guidance (terms and conditions governing the majority of federal awards) in several areas. One of these areas was the ability for Federal awarding agencies to terminate Federal awards.
OMB is revising §§ 200.211 Information contained in a Federal award and 200.340 Termination to strengthen the ability of the Federal awarding agency to terminate Federal awards, to the greatest extent authorized by law, when the Federal award no longer effectuates the program goals or Federal awarding agency priorities. Federal awarding agencies must clearly and unambiguously articulate the conditions under which a Federal award may be terminated in their applicable regulations and in the terms and conditions of Federal awards. The intent of this change is to ensure that Federal awarding agencies prioritize ongoing support to Federal awards that meet program goals. For instance, following the issuance of a Federal award, if additional evidence reveals that a specific award objective is ineffective at achieving program goals, it may be in the government's interest to terminate the Federal award. Further, additional evidence may cause the Federal awarding agency to significantly question the feasibility of the intended objective of the award, such that it may be in the interest of the government to terminate the Federal award.
As shared by SPARCS, potential indicators utilized by the federal agencies may be burn rate and progress reports.
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IRB Handbook
IRB Office has made a one-time newsletter/bulletin to use and reference as needed. It includes the following information:
- Information about changes related to federal regulations
- New IRB Office policies and procedure
- Completely new IRB Office team, team structure, and IRB Full Board
- Guidance and links to guidance
- Overall it will make the experience with the IRB process more collaborative and streamlined.
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Effective October 1st - NSF Biosketch and Current Pending Forms Required
NSF requires the use of NSF-approved formats for the biographical sketch and current and pending support sections of NSF proposals starting October 1, 2020.
ORCID ID and SciENcv Biosketch Information and Steps:
If you plan to submit or participate on an NSF submission, please follow the below steps to first create an ORCID ID, then a SciENcv biosketch. If there are any questions regarding the process, please contact the NCSU librarians for assistance at group-lib-citations@ncsu.edu.
Please follow the instructions below to complete this task as soon as possible.
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Create or link your ORCID record to your Unity ID by clicking "Get Started" at this link: https://ci.lib.ncsu.edu/
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Add your publications to ORCID by following these directions: https://ci.lib.ncsu.edu/user/search-and-link
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If you need help importing publications into your ORCID record, send your CV to the Libraries through this link: https://ci.lib.ncsu.edu/user/cv-service
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Log into SciENcv: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sciencv/ and select "Click here to start"
- Select "See more 3rd party sign in options" and choose "North Carolina State University"
- Log into SciENcv using your Unity ID
- In the upper right corner, go to Settings by clicking on your username
- In Settings, scroll down to "Linked Accounts" and click the "Change" button
- Search for "ORCID" in the "Search for account name" box and select "ORCID" from the results (you should now see your ORCID record in the "Your Linked Accounts" section above)
- Click on "MyNCBI" in the upper right corner to go back to the main dashboard
- Proceed to the "SciENcv" section to start creating biosketches
Additional Information Regarding the SciENcv requirements:
If there are any questions regarding the SciENcv biosketch process, please contact the NCSU librarians for assistance.
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Welcome Brenda Gainey, Pre-Award Manager, CALS C&G |
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Please join us in welcoming Brenda Gainey as the new CALS Contracts & Grants, Pre-Award Manager, effective February 8. Brenda is joining us from the College of Engineering where she was a Contracts and Grants Manager for the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering. Brenda also has over five years of experience managing the College of Engineering’s Center for Dielectrics and Piezoelectrics. We are happy to have Brenda join the CBO team! |
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Farewell Michelle Butts, PCard/Wex Program Supervisor, CALS Business Services |
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After five years with NCSU, Michelle Butts, CALS PCard/Wex Supervisor, will be leaving the CBO. Her last day is March 1. Michelle came to CALS with a focus on building the PCard process for our college and has been an integral part of the success and growth of our PCard program. We are sad to see her go, yet, wish her the best in her future endeavors. Please join us in wishing Michelle farewell!
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