Weekly Bulletin No. 819
Tuesday 7th July
- Merger of Sigma Aldrich, Millipore and Merck Chemicals - Resumption of ordering postponed
- An update on the Air Products refund procedures
- Launch of the new Procurement Services website
- Cambridge University Endowment Fund distribution June 2020
- Deposit Account interest and enforced movement notifications
An archive of previous communications and guidance regarding measures put in place as a result of Covid-19 are also available. However, if you have any additional queries please do continue to contact the Helpdesk on 01223 (7)65999 or at UFS_enquiries@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Year end tasks to be completed this week
|
Last date |
Module |
Task |
Actioned |
|
Tue 7 Jul |
FA |
Distribution of Fixed Asset reports as at 30 Jun to departments |
N/A |
|
Fri 10 Jul |
PAY |
Final date for overtime claims input |
|
For those less familiar with the year end (or simply needing a refresher), this programme provides guidance through the process. There are seven video presentations available covering different topics/modules. These will be complemented by a Q&A session on the Thursday 9th July. Please book to obtain the Teams meeting link.
Issued by Christine Rogerson – Finance Training
P11d 2019/20 Class 1A National Insurance Contributions costs
The class 1A NIC on-costs resulting from the 2019/20 P11d process have now been journalled and will appear in departmental accounts shortly. Any queries should be referred to payroll.enquiries@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Issued by Alexsis Dicken – Payroll
Merger of Sigma Aldrich, Millipore and Merck Chemicals - Resumption of ordering postponed
As of the 1st July the following suppliers have merged into a new legal entity: MERCK LIFE SCIENCE UK LTD (No: 429375).
- Sigma Aldrich Co Ltd
- Millipore (UK) Ltd
- Merck Chemicals Ltd
Orders were suspended last Wednesday (1 July) to allow the supplier time to complete all necessary configuration to support their merged business. Unfortunately technical issues between the newly merged entity and the Marketplace eCatalogue vendor, Advanced, have prevented resumption of ordering. As such, no orders can be placed with the merged entity/supplier at this time.
FSG and Procurement Services are working with both parties to resolve these issues as soon as possible. We will issue an update within the next 48 hours.
If you have any questions, please contact the Procurement Services Team via: procurement.services.enquiries@admin.cam.ac.uk.
An update on the Air Products refund procedures
Last week, we advised that AIR PRODUCTS PLC (No: 60198) had introduced a surcharge of £13 per transaction against University orders. This charge should not have been applied. The supplier has accepted that they will need to issue refunds for these charges to all affected departments.
Procurement Services is continuing to work with the supplier to finalise when and how these charges will be reimbursed. We have also raised the persistent issue of departments still receiving invoices with these erroneous charges applied. We will provide a further update next week on this issue.
Launch of the new Procurement Services website
As presented during last week's Finance User Group, the new Procurement Services website will go live on Tuesday 14th July. The aim of this new website is to forge a single source of truth for procurement information and guidance for all types of stakeholder, whether a departmental user, a supplier or a procurement professional from across the University.
This new website features a range of updates and improvements; you can view the tour of some of these, as presented to FUG, here.
Procurement Services welcomes all feedback to help us improve this website and to make it tailored and relevant to your purchasing needs. The website will be continuously updated going forward, with new features and information in the pipeline for release over the coming months.
Once live, please direct any feedback to procurement.services.enquiries@admin.cam.ac.uk or use the dedicated 'Feedback form' on the website itself.
PPE: Nitrate glove availability
As a direct result of COVID-19, some suppliers are facing a shortage of products covered by the IRLA Framework, specifically nitrate gloves. Appleton Woods, Camlab, Starlab and VWR have provided updates on their stock availability, which can be viewed on the Procurement Services website.
If you have any further questions on this, please contact Helen.S.Stuckey@admin.cam.ac.uk.
All Issued by Matthew Kidd, Procurement Systems, Reporting & Communications Manager
Expenses Quick Guide for Claimants
A handy 2-page, quick guide summarising the main aspects of the current Expenses Policy and Procedures is now available to download from the Expenses section of the Finance Division website.
In addition to listing the UK rates for subsistence and mileage, it also includes a useful reminder of items claimants must consider before travelling and the five key principles that should underpin all claims and be considered by those authorising i.e.
- Expenses should only be used where it is not possible, or practical, for the University to pay for the goods or services directly;
- Expenditure should be for business purposes only, and the individual should neither gain nor lose financially;
- Travel choices should represent value for money balancing time, cost and the impact on the environment;
- Costs should be avoided that an outsider might consider un-necessary or excessive;
- Only actual and evidenced costs are reclaimed.
It is designed as an aide-memoire for claimants, that complements the full guidance detailed in the Expenses & Benefits chapter of the Financial Procedures Manual. By its very nature it will not cover every scenario and claimants are still advised to refer to the FPM and consult with their Departmental Administrators for further advice.
Any queries or comments should be forwarded initially to the Training Team at finance.training@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Issued by Karen Sheldon – Finance Training
Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) levy charges
The CRC levy charges relating to the period of August 2019 to April 2020 has been posted into Departmental accounts in the Jun-20 period using the transaction code EJFA.
The data used is based on actual meter readings.
These charges have been calculated using the levy price of 1.5p / kWh.
Any queries should be addressed to Central and Research Accounting.
Issued by David Cook - Central and Research Accounting
Cambridge University Endowment Fund Distribution June 2020
Please note that the Cambridge University Endowment Fund distribution for June 2020 has been processed in the June 2020 CUFS period at 216.54p per unit per annum.
Deposit Account
Interest
Please note Deposit Account interest has been credited for June 2020 in CUFS.
Please ensure deposit movements for July 2020 have been processed by the close of 20th August 2020, and that overdrawn accounts have had funds taken off deposit by this time to avoid delays in crediting July’s Interest.
Enforced Movements and notification letters
As part of monthly monitoring the Treasury & Investments team have carried out deposit movements to correct debit balances on Sources of Funds. Affected departments will receive documentation indicating which accounts have been adjusted.
Departments will now receive enforced movement letters via email. If these are being received by the incorrect contact or you have not received a notification you were expecting, please contact Treasury & Investments.
Issued by Scott Maclaren – Treasury & Investments
Monthly Accounting Timetable
To view the status of the monthly process including the month end close dates please use the following link: Accounting Timetable
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