In this issue:
- Upcoming AFSCME Strike | Anticipate Delivery Delays
- Winter Closure | 2024 Deadlines & Important Dates
- Recent Enhancements | Irregular Invoice Dashboard, Account Title, & More!
- November Hot Topic | Access the Recording & Resources
- Next Week's Forecast | Office Hours & Other Important Events
- In Case You Missed It... | A Glance at Previous News
Upcoming AFSCME Strike | Anticipate Delivery Delays
UCLA Employee & Labor Relations has confirmed that a planned employee strike is set to take place on Wednesday, November 20, and Thursday, November 21, 2024, at all UC campuses, initiated by the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME).
This will impact campus operations, specifically campus deliveries. During these dates, access to campus for delivery vehicles may be limited, and UCLA’s ability to receive, process, and distribute essential items could be affected.
What You Need to Know
- All campus deliveries (e.g., UPS, FedEx, USPS, Amazon) will likely be affected. This includes perishable research items delivered with dry ice.
- All UCLA departments are asked to implement their continuity plans and pre-order essential supplies immediately.
- Limit orders during this time as deliveries will be delayed, and only urgent inbound items may be available for pickup.
- If possible, adjust delivery schedules to either before or after these dates.
Stay Tuned
For all the latest campus delivery information, visit the Mail, Document & Distribution Services (MDDS) website. You can learn more about the AFSCME strike by visiting UC’s Active Labor Negotiations website. Finally, if you need special assistance, please email MDDS.
Winter Closure | Important Dates
The 2024-2025 Winter Holiday Closure is scheduled from Saturday, December 21, 2024, through Wednesday, January 1, 2025. Normal operations will resume on Thursday, January 2.
Earlier today, we communicated UCLA Campus Purchasing & Payables’ winter closure deadlines to all CAOs, CFOs, PCardholders, PCard approvers, and BruinBuy Plus users. Access the Winter Closure Deadlines & Services web page for details. Quickly add deadlines to your calendar through our dynamic Events page!
Irregular Invoice Dashboard: Invoice Details Functionality
The Campus Irregular Invoice Dashboard provides a holistic view of your unit’s irregular invoice volume, allowing you to quickly filter and visualize invoice data.
Based on your feedback, we’ve taken the dashboard one step further… it now features invoice-specific details, including invoice owner, voucher, and purchase order (PO) number. Wish you could export dashboard data for your own analysis? Now you can!
Review the Irregular Invoice Reporting web page for complete instructions.
NOTE: If you receive an error message when accessing the dashboard, complete our access request form.
FAU Account Title
In response to campus feedback, BruinBuy Plus’ FAU Account field now displays an account’s base title. Previously, BruinBuy Plus populated the title of an account’s most recent Account-Cost Center combination even when a different Cost Center (CC) was entered on a transaction.
Historical transaction data is also being updated to align with this change.
Decoupled Object Code and Commodity Code
Catalog order Object Codes are no longer automatically populated.* You can now easily select your desired code at the header or line item level!
Previously, the BruinBuy Plus system auto-populated catalog order Object Codes based on a line item’s assigned Commodity Code – this was meant to reduce the number of clicks required to complete an order. Unfortunately, this mapping was sometimes too broad and resulted in certain orders being submitted with the incorrect Object Code(s).
*Commodity Code 4730 Pharmaceuticals will continue to auto-populate Object Code 4730.
Improved Lab Animal Purchase Instructions
In collaboration with UCLA’s Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine (DLAM), BruinBuy Plus’ Purchase Request Form now guides users to the appropriate purchasing channel for live animal vendors. The form’s logic clearly defines which vendor purchases must be made through DLAM’s Cayuse portal rather than BruinBuy Plus.
November Hot Topic | Takeaway Materials
Our November 13 Hot Topic webinar covered an array of subjects, including winter closure deadlines, a demo of the Campus Irregular Invoice Dashboard, 1-800-Flowers purchases, and the Eppendorf punchout catalog!
Missed the webinar? No problem! The recording and presentation materials are now available.
Next Week's Forecast | November 18 – November 22
Take a look at next week’s support opportunities and important events:
| Day | Details |
|---|---|
| Monday, November 18 | N/A |
| Tuesday, November 19 | 11 a.m. –12 p.m. PT | Accounts Payable Office Hours 3 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. PT | Vendor Management Office Hours |
| Wednesday, November 20 | 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. PT | Travel Accounting Office Hours 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. PT | Purchasing Office Hours |
| Thursday, November 21 | 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. PT | Subcontract / Subaward Office Hours 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. PT | Accounts Payable Office Hours 5 p.m. PT | BruinBuy Plus monthly maintenance begins |
| Friday, November 22 | 3 a.m. PT | BruinBuy Plus monthly maintenance ends 5 p.m. PT | Deadline to submit new requisitions prior to closure 5 p.m. PT | Deadline to submit new subcontracts prior to closure 5 p.m. PT | Legacy Invoice Submission Portal sunset |
In Case You Missed It...
Other Recent Enhancements
Accounting Code Auto-Completion
BruinBuy Plus’ Accounting Codes fields now support type-ahead functionality.
When entering values into a field, the system will immediately display a dynamic list of matching options, allowing you to quickly select your desired input.
Vendor Status Verbiage: “Enabled for Procurement”
BruinBuy Plus’ Registration Status Icon indicates a vendor’s status within UCLA’s vendor management system. Previously, this field designated vendors as Active or Inactive. Effective November 4, it displays:
- Enabled for Procurement: The vendor is registered with UCLA and ready for shopping!
- Not Enabled for Procurement: The vendor is no longer active and needs to be onboarded.
The Vendor Registration Training web page and How to Identify Vendor Registration Status in BruinBuy Plus guide reflect this new verbiage.
Legacy Invoice Submission Portal Sunset
The legacy BruinBuy Invoice Submission Portal will be decommissioned at 5 p.m. PT on Friday, November 22.
What Does This Mean?
This portal was one of several invoice submission methods used for the legacy BruinBuy system – it became view-only in December 2023. Once it has been sunset, campus users will no longer have direct access to its invoices.
How Can I Prepare?
If your unit needs to download a previously submitted portal invoice, please do so prior to November 22.
After this date, you will need to request legacy invoice copies from Accounts Payable. Additional details will be shared in a future communication.
Questions?
Submit a ticket to our Service Deck or attend AP office hours.
Recap Mailing List Form
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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.
