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Winter Closure Deadlines & Services

Overview

The 2023-2024 Winter Holiday Closure is scheduled from Saturday, December 23, 2023, through Tuesday, January 2, 2024. Normal operations will resume on Wednesday, January 3. 

Important Dates

Review the below deadlines and important dates for the 2023 closure (expand each section for additional information):

To the extent possible, vendors should submit 2023 invoices no later than Monday, November 27. Invoices will stop being processed on Friday, December 15.  

REMINDER: The new BruinBuy Plus invoice submission process starts December 14.

To the extent possible, submit requisitions with supporting documentation no later than Wednesday, November 29.  

  • Leverage the PO Checklist to confirm your requisition’s individual requirements. 
  • Only requisitions with the necessary supporting documentation and approval(s) (e.g., Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) approval) will be processed.  
  • Travel Accounting conceptual approval is required for all business meeting, entertainment, and other occasion expenditures that are not pursuant with UC Policy BUS-79.   
  • Requisitions will be assessed and processed based on priority.
NOTE: Subcontracts and orders requiring negotiation of terms and conditions will require more lead time and may not be completed prior to closure. 

In order to process campus rush requests prior to December 15, no new rush requests will be accepted after Tuesday, December 12. 

Rush requests for invoices that would otherwise be placed on H&I cannot be processed. Prior to submitting a request, ensure there are no invoice issues (e.g., insufficient funds, vendor name/address mismatch, etc.).

REMINDER: The rush request form is not for Travel Accounting invoices.

In preparation for the transition to BruinBuy Plus, the current BruinBuy system will shut down at 8 p.m. on Thursday, December 14. After this date, users will be unable to submit purchase requests, purchase orders, or change orders.

  • Invoice processing will be paused Friday, December 15, through Tuesday, January 2. Processing will start again on Wednesday, January 3.
  • Processed invoice payments will continue to be distributed.
  • The new BruinBuy Plus system will be available starting January 2. 
  • In the event a critical purchase is required and it meets set eligibility criteria during the BruinBuy shutdown, an emergency PO process is available.
NOTE: The BruinBuy shutdown does not impact PCard purchasing/reconciliation, and we strongly encourage departments to leverage their PCard. To learn more about PCard-eligible purchases, review our Common PCard Purchases web page, create a case with the PCard team, or attend PCard office hours.  

Friday, December 22, is the last day physical checks will be mailed.

NOTE: Electronic payments will continue to go out (except on holidays), so encourage vendors to enroll.

The December 1 – December 15 Concur PCard statement report must be reconciled, submitted, and approved no later than Saturday, December 23. 

  • The PCard team understands that staffing may vary during this holiday period. If this statement report is unable to be approved by December 23, a January 3 approval deadline is available; however, all efforts should be made to meet the original deadline. 
  • For more information, review the PCard Reconciliation Calendar and/or attend PCard office hours.

Emergency PO Process

To avoid significant issues with university operations during the BruinBuy shutdown, an emergency PO process has been established for Friday, December 15, through Monday, January 1. The emergency PO process can be used if:

  • The PO is for a transaction or event that cannot be placed on hold. 
  • Waiting until January 2 may cause interruptions to research. 
  • Waiting until January 2 may cause significant disruption to university operations. 

If the purchase meets one more of these criteria: 

  1. The requestor will confirm the purchase requires the emergency PO form:

    •   If the requestor’s department has a PCard and the purchase can be made with a PCard, the emergency PO form should not be completed (see the Common PCard Purchases web page for additional information). 

    •   If the requestor’s department does not have a PCard and the purchase can be made with a PCard, the emergency PO form should be completed (see the Common PCard Purchases web page for additional information). 

    •   If the purchase cannot be made with a PCard, the emergency PO form should be completed.  
  2. The requestor will complete the emergency PO request form via DocuSign. 
  3. The requester’s CAO/CFO will receive a DocuSign signature request and approve/reject the submission. 
  4. If CAO/CFO approval is received, the form will be routed to Campus Purchasing & Payables for processing. 

Access Emergency PO Form

Services

During campus closure, the following services will be closed or modified:

Service Status

Campus Purchasing and Accounts Payable
CLOSED*

BruinBuy System
CLOSED*

BruinBuy Help Desk
CLOSED

Vendor Onboarding and Vendor Information Updates
CLOSED

*Emergency PO process and associated support will be available