The fiscal year-end is June 30, 2024, and Supply Chain Management (SCM) would like to remind you that it is never too early to start preparing. Now is the best time to spring clean your purchase orders, reimbursements and other financial transactions that will need to be closed by the end of the fiscal year. Remember, if you have any questions or concerns about an SCM-related issue, please reach out to the SCM Response Team.
Updated June 12The Supply Chain Management (SCM) website is evolving. The current site runs on a platform created in 2011 (Drupal 7). In order to improve security and align with all the other UCSF websites, we will be moving to the latest version of the Drupal platform — Drupal 10.Drupal 10 provides new navigation and more consistent page layouts. Visitors can expect a lot of visual changes, and a cleaner — more searchable website.Right now, all the existing website content has been copied, organized, and prepared for reformatting into the new site layout. Over 300 pages of content and hundreds of links and images are being reworked in a staging environment hosted by UCSF IT. We hope to go live with the new site within the next month. The project is now in full swing, and the website is currently under a content freeze with limited changes being made. This means that no major updates will be implemented on the current site until the migration is complete. If you come across any incorrect information that lead to processing issues, please submit a ticket to the SCM Response Team.The current site remains our main information resource. A notification will be sent out with the official go-live date and important details or changes. The SCM Communications team will keep you updated, so keep an eye out for more information.
Supply Chain Management (SCM) Strategic Procurement has developed a significant enhancement to our event hosting capabilities. Our SCM Strategic Procurement team has successfully finalized long-term agreements with several in-demand facilities in the Bay Area: Wedgewood Weddings at the Presidio The Luma Hotel Rawlston White Retreat Stanford Court Hotel Oakland Museum of California Ruth Bancroft Gardens The Exploratorium Mission Rock Facility rental requisitions present a unique challenge due to the complexities and risks of utilizing third-party venues. These challenges often lead to extended negotiations, which put undue pressure on our departments striving to meet strict deadlines. On average, facility rental requisitions have taken approximately 18 days to complete. This duration stands in stark contrast to our overall campus average of less than a day. It is even significantly higher than the average for exceptional procurements, which typically take about 6.8 days. We are proud to share that these new agreements offer a breakthrough in streamlining our procurement process for facility rentals at UCSF. Thanks to pre-negotiated terms and conditions, departments can anticipate reduced contracting times and more predictable interactions with these event spaces. While there is some variation in the agreements to accommodate differing venue rules, payment options, and cancellation policies, these details are all clearly outlined in the agreements that can be found in BearBuy. SCM Strategic Procurement Executive Director Andrew Clark commented on the development, stating, “These long-term agreements represent a significant advancement for UCSF. They provide a structured framework for our relationships with these venues, bringing greater predictability in terms of contracting time, service levels, and insurance requirements, all while reducing the resources spent by the campus on processing requisitions. I am proud of our Procurement Team’s ability to proactively execute this project and am grateful for their hard work on this important initiative.” We look forward to the positive impact these agreements will have on our event hosting capabilities and look forward to continuing this effort and adding more facility rental agreements to our campus contracts database. For information on how to book a facility for events or meetings, visit Facility Rental.
UCSF is committed to establishing policies and practices that support faculty in their efforts to balance the needs of their career and family. Effective March 22, 2024, UCSF established a policy that external funding may be used to reimburse dependent care expenses incurred by eligible faculty and award recipients. External funders must explicitly state that dependent care expenses can be reimbursed in the underlying gift or grant agreement, or in a subsequent letter. Eligible faculty and award recipients can request reimbursement for dependent care expenses they incur up to the amount allowed by the sponsor, not to exceed $10,000 per calendar year. These new guidelines support reimbursement from eligible external funding sources for all eligible faculty and award recipients. Review the Policy for Using External Funding for Dependent Care Costs (MyAccess login required) for details on eligibility criteria and procedures to request reimbursement of dependent care costs. If you have questions regarding funding source eligibility, please contact your CGA Service Team member.
UCSF Surpasses University of California Systemwide Procurement Benefit Goal UCSF has already delivered on annual savings and efficiency goals. UCSF has a fiscal year 2024 target of $16.5M in measurable cost savings for the University of California (UC) enterprise; the UC BenefitBank dashboard is currently reporting a fiscal year-to-date savings of $26.8M. Our savings success is due to our long-running efforts to receive reimbursement from FEMA for costs incurred during the pandemic, and sustained effort by our Supply Chain Management (SCM) Strategic Procurement staff to find the best and most affordable sourcing options for our campus. Every dollar saved through efficient procurement can be reinvested in essential research, patient care, and education.UC System Procurement Benefit Goal Dashboard Updated Through Q3 2024 May 14, 2024
UCSF has partnered with U.S. Bank to expand our virtual credit card program known as Payment Plus. This service allows for the system delivery of automated virtual Visa card payments to our suppliers. Our goal is to increase our ability to pay our suppliers faster, improve process efficiency and working capital management, as well as reduce the cost of processing check transactions.We have identified a list of suppliers for this initiative and U.S. Bank is now contacting them to enroll. This initiative is an important part of our procure-to-pay process and we encourage you to promote the benefits of the Payment Plus program to suppliers with whom you interact today, as well as with any new suppliers that you engage.Key benefits UCSF receives from expanding our Payment Plus program are:Reduced costs from a streamlined payment processIncreased spend visibilityRemoving risk of late payment to suppliersKey benefits our suppliers receive from enrolling in Payment Plus may include:Accelerated payment and improved cash flowReduced paperwork and streamlined accounts receivables processReal-time notifications for each card paymentComplete remittance detail to support efficient receivables postingNo changes or modifications to your existing card acceptance proceduresThe current process for purchase orders and invoices will remain the same. The only change will be the payment process. As an added incentive, we will update payment terms for suppliers participating in the Payment Plus program to pay them immediately upon approval of invoices. Please direct suppliers to contact the UCSF Enrollment Team at (888) 560-5014 or email [email protected] if they have questions about the Payment Plus initiative.For more information about the program, please visit Payment Plus. Thank you for supporting the Payment Plus program.
Based on valuable feedback from our campus community, Supply Chain Management (SCM) has developed new guidelines for making payments to community-based individuals/organizations that participate in activities such as advisory boards or other bodies that greatly benefit the University. Payment is requested through the BearBuy Payment Request Form using a new “Community Partner Payments” Activity Type on the form. These changes on the Payment Request Form and the new Community Partner Payment guide clarify the payment process for our campus community and best facilitates the payment process for our valued community-based partners. Learn more on the Community Partner Payments Guide.
Over the last few months, you may have noticed something different from the Supply Chain Management (SCM) Logistics couriers delivering packages across campus. Logistics recently rolled out the Photo Capture Proof of Delivery feature, meaning we now take pictures of packages and gases at the point of delivery to UCSF customers. Prior to the COVID pandemic, Logistics couriers would obtain electronic customer signatures but discontinued the practice and transitioned to annotating a staff member name in their handheld devices who was present when a delivery was made. With the implementation of this new feature, Logistics now takes pictures showing the location as well as the time and date of the 500 packages and 200 gas cylinders delivered daily. Photo capture proof of delivery is a logistics best practice which improves accountability and should give UCSF customers increased confidence in Logistics delivery service. Handling of all these new delivery confirmation photos and making them accessible to UCSF customers was no small technical feat. The Photo Capture Proof of Delivery feature development was led by David Grubbe and Andrew Alcazar from the SCM Systems team who worked over a year through development and system integration, operational business rules implementation, as well as teaming with Campus Life Services Information Technology to ensure 100% security compliance. They also led the training of the new feature with Logistics couriers, like Parnassus distribution team member Jeremiah Yoo, seen in this photo making a delivery. With the increased amount of UCSF customers working away from the office, photo capture proof of delivery enables Logistics couriers to make more successful first-time deliveries and eliminates the need for multiple delivery attempts should no one be available to receive the delivery. Jeremiah sees photo capture as a positive change, most importantly, because of the assurance the photo provides the customer of the delivery.“I see photo capture as a positive change, most importantly, because of the assurance the photo provides the customer of the delivery.” – Jerimiah Yoo, Logistics Services, Parnassus Distribution TeamFor more information on package delivery and photo capture proof of delivery, please visit UCSF Package Delivery Program.
Cell Signaling Technology (CST) has entered into contract to provide discounted antibodies and other lab supplies. CST specializes in protein analysis, ELISA's, proteomics, Western blots, and SiRNA. Contract details. Sigma-Aldrich (MilliporeSigma) has just signed a systemwide contract to provide discounted antibodies, chemicals, and other lab supplies. Contract details. UC contracts simplify and speed approval for purchase requisitions over $10,000 which must be reviewed by SCM Procurement. The listed suppliers have competitively bid systemwide agreements with the University of California; therefore, no additional justifications are needed when submitting your requisition. See the complete listing of contracts on the UCOP website:General AgreementsLife Science
On July 15, BearBuy was updated with minor visual and functional enhancements to improve your experience. Here are highlights of the changes: Upgraded workflow visualization for clearer visibility into the progress of the document Redesigned form layouts to minimize blank space and optimize the display to reduce the need to scroll Forms now automatically open in a new window, streamlining your workflow and ensuring a more efficient user experience A PowerPoint presentation with details about the enhancements is available on the BearBuy Features Update page of the Supply Chain Management (SCM) website.
