In this issue:
- Irregular Invoices | Latest Resolution Deadlines
- Subawards & Subcontracts | Updating FM & PI Details
- Work Stoppage | Campus Delivery Impacts
- Next Week's Forecast | Office Hours & Other Important Events
- In Case You Missed It... | A Glance At Previous News
The Irregular Invoice Resolution Calendar has been updated with the latest department deadlines!
Not sure how to identify the invoices your team is responsible for actioning? Follow the steps in the How to View & Sort Irregular Invoices by Hold Date training guide.
TIP: Add upcoming deadlines to your calendar through our dynamic Events feed.
REMINDER: April Deadline
Irregular invoices with a hold date of April 1, 2025, through April 13, 2025, must be actioned by departments no later than end of day today, April 25.
If the necessary department action(s) is not taken by this deadline, impacted invoices may be rejected or pushed to payment. Additional information on how unactioned invoices are centrally addressed can be found on the Irregular Invoice Resolution Calendar web page.
NEW! May Deadlines: Part 1
| Invoice Hold Date | Department Action Deadline |
|---|---|
| April 14, 2025 – April 30, 2025 | Friday, May 9, end of day |
Resources & Support
- Comprehensive instructions for viewing and addressing irregular invoices are available on the Irregular Invoice Reporting and Irregular Invoice Resolution web pages.
- Receive live support through office hours.
Overview
Invoices related to a subaward or subcontract must be approved by the associated principal investigator (PI) and fund manager before they can be processed for payment by Accounts Payable. This approval workflow is driven by fund number.
IMPORTANT: Currently, BruinBuy Plus only supports one PI and one fund manager per fund. Review the August 30 Recap to learn more about subaward / subcontract invoice workflow.
How to Request an Update
You can view a comprehensive list of BruinBuy Plus fund numbers and their assigned PIs / fund managers through our Subaward / Subcontract Invoice Approver list. This report is refreshed on a weekly basis.
If you notice incorrect PI or fund manager information for an existing subaward / subcontract fund OR need to add the PI and fund manager details for a new subaward / subcontract fund, complete the BruinBuy Plus Invoice Approver Update form.
Update Schedule
Updates are posted per the below calendar:
| Request Submission Date | BruinBuy Plus Posting Date |
|---|---|
| Monday, April 14, through Sunday, April 20 | Friday, April 25 |
| Monday, April 21, through Sunday, April 27 | Friday, May 2 |
| Monday, April 28, through Sunday, May 4 | Friday, May 9 |
| Monday, May 5, through Sunday, May 11 | Friday, May 16 |
| Monday, May 12, through Sunday, May 18 | Friday, May 23 |
| Monday, May 19, through Sunday, May 25 | Friday, May 30 |
| Monday, May 26, through Sunday, June 1 | Friday, June 6 |
Submitters will be notified if their request is unable to be processed due to incomplete or inaccurate information.
Earlier this week, Mail, Document & Distribution Services (MDDS) sent the below message to all UCLA employees:
The UC Office of the President has informed us of a one-day strike by UPTE and AFSCME planned for Thursday, May 1, 2025. This may affect delivery services as drivers for companies like UPS, FedEx, and Amazon may choose not to cross picket lines. To mitigate any disruptions, we encourage all departments to implement their continuity plans and stock up on essential supplies immediately.
Complete details can be found in MDDS’ April 21 communication.
| Date | Details |
|---|---|
| Monday, April 28 | N/A |
| Tuesday, April 29 | 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. PT | Accounts Payable Office Hours 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. PT | Vendor Management Office Hours |
| Wednesday, April 30 | 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. PT | Travel Accounting Office Hours 11 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. PT | Purchasing Office Hours |
| Thursday, May 1 | 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. PT | Subaward / Subcontract Office Hours 1 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. PT | Accounts Payable Office Hours |
| Friday, May 2 | N/A |
Procurement Practices to Mitigate Tariff Impacts
Last week, Chief Procurement Officer O.T. Wells II sent the following message to CAOs, CFOs, and BruinBuy Plus users:
The federal administration recently announced significant tariffs that will impact nearly all United States trading partners. Considering this uncertainty, we must take proactive measures to mitigate disruptions.
The most effective and actionable step for the Bruin community is to prioritize the use of strategically sourced agreements with UCLA and UC-systemwide vendors.
Review additional details and recommendations in the April 15 communication.
Recent BruinBuy Plus Enhancements
Declining Balance Restriction on Catalog Orders
BruinBuy Plus’ Declining Balance functionality is typically used for recurring services / blanket purchase agreements because it reduces a PO’s balance as invoices are processed against it. Most catalog orders are considered one-time purchases and therefore ineligible for this functionality.
Historically, BruinBuy Plus has not prevented a user from accidentally applying the Declining Balance designation to a catalog order, resulting in various downstream impacts and delays. Moving forward, users will experience a hard stop if they try to submit a catalog order with the Declining Balance setting enabled.
NOTE: Airgas and Ricoh catalog orders are excluded from this restriction.
McKesson Minimum Order Threshold
UCLA’s contract with McKesson Medical Surgical requires a minimum order value of $100. Previously, orders that did not meet this threshold were manually returned to the submitter for correction.
To reduce processing delays, users will now encounter an automated error if they attempt to submit a McKesson Medical Surgical order that is less than $100. The order minimum does not include sales tax and shipping / handling fees.
RESOLVED: Sales Tax Impact on QDB and GL
As previously announced, implementing the new Los Angeles County sales tax rate caused a temporary integration error between QDB and BruinBuy Plus. As a result, QDB and GL data may have been outdated / missing for invoices whose pay and/or invoice status changed between Tuesday, April 1, and Friday, April 4.
As of April 12, this issue has been resolved:
- QDB now reflects the most current invoice information.
- Missing encumbrance transactions are now appearing on the GL.
- Impacted encumbrance transactions with a March effective date will reflect in the April 2025 GL posting period.
If you notice any issues, please submit a ticket to the BruinBuy Plus service desk.
Recap Mailing List Form
Would one of your colleagues benefit from receiving the weekly BruinBuy Plus Recap? Have them complete our mailing list form!
NOTE: If you already receive the BruinBuy Plus Recap, no action is needed.
Need Help? | We're Here to Support!
The BruinBuy Plus hub continues to be updated with new resources! For Service Desk support, create a ticket:
- Email: help@it.ucla.edu
- Phone: (310) 267-HELP (4357)
- ServiceNow Portal: tinyurl.com/bruinbuy-plus-support
BruinBuy Plus Recap Web Articles
Access previous BruinBuy Plus Recaps on the Campus Purchasing & Payables website.
