In August, our Small Business Office showed up to outreach at two local events: the Procurement Matchmaking with the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce 47th Annual Conference and the Taste of Bayview event with local caters. We participated in the Procurement Matchmaking at the event during the 47th Annual Statewide Convention held on August 20 to explore opportunities for businesses to compete, grow, and become part of broader supply chains. The conversations and connections made during this event are an important part of CHCC’s mission to build concrete bridges between corporate leaders, public agencies, public utilities, and California’s small business community. We hope the connections made during the event lead to meaningful relationships and future opportunities for both buyers and suppliers. To view the list of businesses that want to work with UCSF see the list here AIM Procurement & Small and Local Business Outreach Event Connection FormPlease remember to onboard new suppliers through Graphite accordingly.
When registering a new supplier with UCSF, one requirement can sometimes catch suppliers by surprise: providing a current certificate of insurance (COI). All UCSF registered suppliers must have up-to-date insurance documentation on file. Insurance is a mark of quality for our suppliers, and a COI is more than just another document in the registration process. All UCSF registered suppliers have up-to-date insurance documentation on file. Insurance demonstrates a level of functional maturity that UCSF expects from their business partners. Proof of insurance is a necessary protection. A supplier can put our whole institution at risk. UCSF suppliers are required to maintain insurance appropriate to the goods or services they provide and the risks associated with the engagement. From copyrights to physical safety, insurance enables us to partner with confidence. Since the launch of Graphite Connect for supplier registration, system administrators have tracked proof of insurance as a stumbling block for suppliers looking to partner with us. What can you do to make COI collection smoother? Before starting a new supplier registration in Graphite: Tell your supplier about the insurance requirement upfront. Be aware that it is an up-front requirement and communicate to your supplier contact before starting the Graphite process that our COI requirement entails meticulous documentation. Suppliers can find more information on doing business with UCSF on our website. Make sure you are working with the right representative. Make your intended supplier representative (or representatives) aware that they will need access to digital copies of their critical business documents to navigate our supplier registration process. This may be simple if the supplier is an individual; but may involve escalations through the organization to the appropriate document-keeper in some cases. Encourage suppliers to follow all Graphite instructions carefully. Give your contact a heads-up that copies of documents and attestations must be properly posted online. The supplier contact must follow the directions on the Graphite interface to post digital documents and complete all the attestations and steps related to insurance to continue in the registration process. Know there may be an option for suppliers without appropriate coverage. If an intended supplier does not have insurance or appropriate insurance coverage, we offer suppliers the option to purchase UCSF's Campus Connection insurance coverage. For more information on CampusConnexions visit the Risk Management website. And finally, plan for adequate processing time. Emphasize to your supplier that the process will likely take days to complete, and that they will need to be on the look-out for emails and updates in the Graphite system. Their vigilance and commitment will ensure that no time is lost due to communication gaps. Setting expectations early can make a significant difference. Before inviting a new supplier to register, make sure they understand that proof of appropriate insurance is an important part of becoming a UCSF supplier partner, and that having their documentation ready can help keep registration moving.
Hertz has updated its cross-border rental policy for vehicles rented in the United States. Historically, travel into Mexico was available only for eligible rentals originating from select border-state locations. Going forward, vehicles rented in the United States will no longer be permitted to travel into Mexico. This update further aligns Hertz’s policy with common industry practices regarding vehicle travel into Mexico and supports operational consistency across their network. What Travelers Need to Know U.S. Rentals: Vehicles rented from Hertz in the United States may not be driven into Mexico. Rentals in Mexico: This change does not affect Hertz operations within Mexico. UC travelers who need a rental vehicle while in Mexico may continue to rent from Hertz locations in Mexico, subject to applicable rental terms and requirements. Travel to Canada: Eligible cross-border rentals between the United States and Canada are not affected by this policy change. For more information on car rentals, visit the Travel pages on the UCSF Supply Chain Management website.
Justin Check In | WFH Tuesday September 22 | Viz Boards | Flu Shots | Project One Learning Series | Clipper BayPass Program | Kudos to Ice Cream | Oracle Celebrate
September Calendar | Ice Cream Social | Service Milestones | Block Party | Continuous Improvement Conference | Employee Discounts | Farewell Trevor | Oracle Celebrate
Suvoda-branded emails provide guidance to migrate your Greenphire account migration to Suvoda.
In February 2025, UCSF was notified of the U.S. Small Business Adminstration’s (SBA) intent to conduct a Subcontracting Program Compliance Review (SPCR) on The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco and University of California, San Francisco. On May 27–29, 2025, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) conducted an on-site audit of the Federal Program.SBA issued the SPCR report on June 30, 2025, and UCSF was assigned a Marginal rating based on the SBA’s findings and recommendations. Per SBA requirements, UCSF was required to and submitted a Corrective Action Plan within 45 days, which was accepted by SBA on August 19, 2025.To assess progress, SBA scheduled a Follow-Up Compliance Review after mutual agreement on the timing. On June 12, 2026, SBA conducted the Follow-Up Compliance Review. The SBA team was led by the Office of Government Contracting, Area Director and Team Lead, along with the Commercial Market Representative. UCSF was represented by Alex Chang (Audit Liaison), Marliz Copado (Small Business Liaison Officer), Derrick Chun (Business Systems Analyst), and Shirley David (Project and Data Team Lead). SBA continued their review after the meeting.Following the review, SBA concluded that UCSF had successfully addressed all major findings and implemented the recommendations outlined in the initial SPCR report. As a result, UCSF’s Marginal rating was upgraded to Satisfactory on July 14, 2026.SBA commended UCSF’s dedication to providing maximum practicable opportunities to small businesses and acknowledged the University’s efforts to achieve compliance with Federal Subcontracting Program requirements.If you are working with a Principal Investigator or their project team requestors on procurements involving federal contract funds, please collaborate with Marliz Copado to ensure compliance with the updated Standard Operating Procedures for the Federal Subcontracting Program. You can access and use the SBA’s Small Business Dynamic Search Database to locate certified small businesses for federal contracts. When engaging a new supplier, please follow UCSF’s supplier onboarding instructions.
To build on Strategic Sourcing’s continued success in delivering significant cost savings for UCSF, Strategic Sourcing's Category Manager Ngoc Ngo will be transitioning from the Research category to overseeing the Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MRO) category. This strategic move positions the team to focus on one of UCSF's largest spend categories, representing $136 million in annual spend, with only 16 percent currently under agreement. By increasing contract coverage and driving supplier optimization, Sourcing has a tremendous opportunity to reduce costs and generate additional value for the organization. Ngoc's transition to MRO builds on the strong results our team has achieved within the IT and Research categories. Sourcing looks forward to applying the same disciplined, data-driven approach to MRO and continuing to deliver meaningful savings.For more information, contact Ngoc Ngo.
Certain kinds of UCSF software purchases will be subject to sales and use tax starting on January 1, 2027.
Justin Check-In | Recognition Abounds | Taste of Bayview | Administrative Team Tips | Sourcing Team Update | Kudos: Dean Shehu and Eli Dominguez | Celebrate
