In this issue:
- BruinBuy Plus Enhancements | "Subaward / Subcontract Amendment" form
- Irregular Invoices | Next Resolution Deadlines
- Upcoming System Maintenance | Potential BruinBuy Plus Disruptions
- Next Week's Forecast | Office Hours & Other Important Events
- In Case You Missed It... | A Glance At Previous News
Over the past year, you’ve helped us identify improvement opportunities for BruinBuy Plus’ subaward and subcontract functionality. We’re excited to share that the second of several enhancements launched yesterday, May 1!
Subaward and subcontract amendments will now be centrally processed through the new Subaward / Subcontract Amendment form.
TIP: Review the February 21 Recap to learn about the Draft PO enhancement that went live earlier this year.
Background
Subaward / subcontract amendments are defined as follows:
- No-Cost Extensions
- Additional Funding
- Encumbrance Releases / De-Obligating Funds
- FAU Changes
- Subaward / Subcontract Close-Outs
Previously, amendments were initiated through BruinBuy Plus’ Change Request functionality. Unfortunately, this process often introduced PO errors that adversely affected the University’s ability to pay subawardees and subcontractors.
By centralizing PO amendments, errors and rework will be substantially reduced.
How Does the New Form Work?
When a subaward or subcontract amendment is needed, the requesting department will complete the Subaward / Subcontract Amendment form. Once submitted, the UCLA Campus Purchasing Subawards / Subcontracts team will review the form and work with the requestor to centrally edit the PO.
What you need to know:
- You can submit multiple amendments for the same PO on one Subaward / Subcontract Amendment form.
- With this new process, subaward and subcontract POs no longer support Change Requests.
- If you recently submitted a Change Request for a subaward / subcontract, the UCLA Campus Purchasing Subawards / Subcontracts team will notify you if any additional action is needed.
- The previous subaward amendment workaround has been retired.
How Can I Learn More?
The Subaward / Subcontract Tips & Resources guide outlines this updated process and provides step-by-step instructions for amending a subaward / subcontract PO. Additional materials will launch soon! Have questions? Come to an upcoming office hour.
Irregular invoices with a hold date of April 14 through April 30, 2025, must be actioned by departments no later than end of day Friday, May 9.
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.
Need help? Join an upcoming office hour.
To support monthly system maintenance, BruinBuy Plus may be unavailable during the following periods:
| Maintenance Window | Impact |
|---|---|
| Thursday, May 8, 5 p.m. PT through Friday, May 9, 3 a.m. PT | Intermittent system disruptions |
| Saturday, May 10, 3 p.m. PT through 11 p.m. PT | Intermittent system disruptions |
| Friday, May 23, 4 p.m. PT through Monday, May 26, 8 p.m. PT | Complete system outage |
| Thursday, May 29, 5 p.m. PT through Friday, May 30, 3 a.m. PT | Intermittent system disruptions |
Please plan your transactions and activities accordingly. If you have any questions or experience issues, submit a ticket to our Service Desk.
TIP: Add BruinBuy Plus planned outage events to your calendar!
| DATE | DETAILS |
|---|---|
| Monday, May 5 | N/A |
| Tuesday, May 6 | 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. PT | Accounts Payable Office Hours 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. PT | Vendor Management Office Hours |
| Wednesday, May 7 | 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. PT | Travel Accounting Office Hours 11 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. PT | Purchasing Office Hours |
| Thursday, May 8 | 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. PT | Subaward / Subcontract Office Hours 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. PT | Non-T&E Reimbursement Office Hours 1 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. PT | Accounts Payable Office Hours 5 p.m. PT | BruinBuy Plus monthly maintenance begins |
| Friday, May 9 | 3 a.m. PT | BruinBuy Plus monthly maintenance ends End of Day | Irregular invoice resolution deadline |
Updating Subaward / Subcontract PI and Fund Manager Details
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 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.
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.
