skip to content

UFS

 

Bulletin No. 907

Monday 28th March

 

Vulnerable Period

Use of Vulnerable Period - Thursday 31st March

System maintenance is scheduled for the vulnerable period (VP) of 6am to 9am on Thursday 31st March.
  • Users who are processing in CUFS when the VP starts will lose their work.
  • Users who are running requests in CUFS when the VP starts could delay the start of work while those requests complete.
  • Users attempting to log onto CUFS while the system is being brought back online can face instability and delay the return of the system
UFS Communications will be issued when the work is complete and users can access the system.
 
Issued by Lesley Dent - System Administrator

Top

=

Concur departments – check which Barclaycard holders have unsubmitted spend

  • For departments using the Concur expense system, this becomes the method for holders of University Barclaycards to submit their spend for coding and approval.
  • We ask cardholders to ensure their spend is submitted in Concur by the 15th of the month following the spend. The Finance teams in those departments should regularly check that all cardholders have submitted their spend.
  • This can be done by running a report in Concur.
  • Please also remember to check all Barclaycard spend has a useful narrative in the Purpose field, and that the appropriate VAT type is selected by one of the approvers (we’d expect this will often be the final approver).

Isued by Stephen Kent-Taylor - Head of Corporate and Shared Services

Top

=

Ryanair bookings

Ryanair have made some changes to the way bookings are made via Travel Management Companies (TMCs) such as the University’s preferred supplier Key Travel.  The main change is that once bookings are made via Key Travel they can only be amended using the Ryanair website.  Despite the change to the process, there are still benefits from booking with Key Travel which are as follows;
 
  • All Ryanair bookings are included in traveller tracking and risk management support.
  • All Ryanair bookings are included for Scope 3 Carbon Footprint reporting
  • Customers benefit from online and offline booking 24/7 on phone and email.
  • Where payments are made via invoice, organisations benefit from a credit facility, additional coding workflow and approval support processes.
  • All Ryanair bookings are transparently reported, providing buying-behaviour insights.
In case you didn’t receive the FAQ’s from Key Travel, please click here for further information.
 
If you have any other question please contact procurement@admin.cam.ac.uk.
 
Issued by Chris Quilter - Contracts Manager, Finance Division
 

=

Russia, Crimea and Belarus trade sanctions: imports and exports of goods and technology

Previously published in bulletin  905 Monday 14th

Following events in Ukraine, the UK Government has imposed further trade sanctions on Russia – including export and import restrictions & bans on certain categories of goods and services.

If you are considering importing or exporting goods or technology involving Russia, Crimea and Belarus – we strongly recommend that you first consult with importexporthub@admin.cam.ac.uk and Export controls (ROO) researchgovernance@admin.cam.ac.uk to consider if there are prohibitions in place and licencing requirements.   There are severe penalties for persons that do not comply.

The sanctions include bans and restrictions on:

  • the export to Russia of military goods, military technology, and dual-use technology;
  • the provision of technical assistance that enables or facilitates the conduct of certain military activity;
  • the export to Russia of certain goods and technology for use in the energy sector, particularly for off-shore drilling and exploration;
  • the export to Russia of certain 'critical industry' goods and technology and aviation and space goods and technology;
  • the export to Russia and Crimea of infrastructure-related exports;
  • certain imports (arms and related materials) originating in Russia (even if the immediate place the goods were shipped from was not Russia);
  • all imports originating in Crimea; and
  • supply and delivery prohibitions – affecting freight agents / carriers ability to deliver goods.

 

What are ‘dual-use’ goods and technology?

Dual-use items (including physical goods, software, and technology) are those which can be used for both civil and military purposes. The UK maintains a list of dual-use goods and technology that it considers to be 'export controlled'. All researchers exporting to Russia or working with Russian collaborators are advised to consider whether their export is included on this list and take advice from the contacts below. Exports to Russia are likely to be prohibited unless the export meets one of a number of exemptions. Examples of dual-use goods and technology include global positioning satellites, night vision technology, thermal imaging, some lasers, some drones and other goods that are designed using precise manufacturing specifications to be used in or in conjunction with dual-use/military equipment. Other examples may include chemicals and radioactive material. In addition, there are wider controls on exports for use, in any way, in nuclear or weapons of mass destruction programmes. 

 

What are 'critical industry' goods and technology?

The new sanctions create an additional list of goods, software and technology that are controlled for export to Russia. These include a number of specific: electronic devices; computers; software; telecommunications equipment; information security technology; sensors and lasers; navigation and avionics equipment; marine vessels, equipment and software; and aviation, space and propulsion goods and technologies. All researchers / staff exporting to Russia or working with Russian collaborators in any of the areas above should take advice from the contacts below. As for dual-use goods and technology, exports of these equipment are likely to be prohibited unless an exemption applies. 

There are also sanctions relating to certain individuals and companies from Belarus, alongside existing sanctions.

For further guidance: https://www.research-operations.admin.cam.ac.uk/policies/export-control/further-guidance

If you have any questions, please contact importexporthub@admin.cam.ac.uk and researchgovernance@admin.cam.ac.uk

Further updates will be provided as the situation changes.

Issued by Angela Fearnside – Deputy Head of VAT

Forthcoming courses (via Teams)

How to Excel 3 (for finance staff), Tue 5 April

The most complex level of the Excel offerings for finance staff, it covers more advanced formulas and macros. Learn how to use the recorder and VBA tools. Apart from holding a finance related role, staff must have completed How to Excel 1 AND 2, or have a similar level of experience. There is a pre-course task that must be completed.

 

Cognos Introduction, Wed 6 and Thu 7 April

This course is the basis for GL and Grants reporting and introduces the functionality of Cognos 11. It is a practical course, with demonstrations of tips and shortcuts. You need to ensure you have Cognos access setup before the course. This is obtained via your Key Contact. NB. The objective is to demonstrate understanding and using Cognos. Report outputs are covered in detail in the GL or Grants reporting courses.

Issued by Christine Rogerson - Finance Training

Top

=

Monthly Accounting Timetable

To view the status of the monthly process including the month end close dates please use the following link: Accounting Timetable

Top