Monthly Closing Deadlines

The March 2025 period in the general ledger has closed.  The current and future month-end processing deadline schedules are located at Monthly Closing Deadlines.

Year End Closing Reminders

The Office of the Controller is preparing the year-end memorandum, which will outline important guidance and deadlines critical to the efficient closure of the fiscal year. Once the memorandum has been finalized, a separate communication will be sent to key stakeholders in April.

In addition, we will be hosting our annual in person year-end closing workshop on May 9, 2025, so please be on the lookout for any communications related to the workshop as you will be able to register and receive continuing education credit.

We want to emphasize that now is an excellent time for all those departments that have activity numbers in Fund 604 Transfers from Component Units and Funds 471/472 Scholarships, to send in any reimbursement requests to their respective Direct Support Organization (DSO) to make sure you receive your reimbursements before fiscal year end.

Departments must submit requests for deactivations or ChartField changes by May 16th for FY2025, and all changes are expected to be completed by June 30th.

Important International Travel Compliance Reminder

Effective March 1, 2025, if you depart on an international trip prior to full Travel Authorization (TA) approval, a confirmation of which is emailed to you, there will be no reimbursement of travel expenses paid by you from personal funds, and repayment from the traveler to the University for expenses paid with University funds will be required. Further, an employee may be subject to discipline and/or restrictions on international travel privileges. Regardless of whether a proxy assists in the TA process, the traveler is responsible for verifying that the TA is fully approved before departing on the trip and will be held accountable if it is not.

Please reference the full memorandum, which also includes details from previous notifications.

Prohibited Expenditures BOG 9.016

Per the Florida Board of Governors (BOG) 9.016 Prohibited Expenditures regulation, expenses related to DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) are unallowable. The regulation became effective in January 2024 and university-wide compliance was effective July 1, 2024.

Budget managers must review all expenses before submitting to ensure these do not include unallowable services/deliverables. No purchases of goods or services related to DEI activities made with E&G funds can be approved as these are prohibited. 

Please use the following tools to determine if an expense is prohibited:

• PE Decision Tree – tool to determine whether an expenditure is permitted
• PE PowerPoint – presentation by the PE Team
• PE Justification Form – form to document justification for permitted expenditures

If you have any questions on prohibited expenses, please send an email to prohibitexps@fiu.edu.

Helpful Information for Category Codes

What is a category code?

A category code, also known as a commodity code, is a code used to identify products or services being purchased. At FIU, we use the National Institute of Governmental (NIGP) Code; other codes widely used are the United Nations Standard Products and Services (UNSPSC) Code.

How are category codes set up and work at FIU?

At FIU, all category codes are linked one to one to a GL account code. When a requisition is created, a category code must be entered for each line, and the item being purchased is charged to the GL account tied to that category code. Note that you cannot change the GL account associated with a category code.

Why does my requisition have a budget error that says “No Budget Exists” when I know that I have enough funds in my Project ID?

The reason your requisition has the “No Budget Exists” error is because one or more of the lines in your requisition contains a category code that is tied to a GL account for which budget was not provided.

I make purchases in myFIUmarket, and those requisitions are most of the time in budget error. Am I doing anything wrong?

No, you are not doing anything wrong. The category codes of all products sold within myFIUmarket are set up by their respective manufacturers or sellers (in the case of Amazon). When an item is brough into a requisition and the requisition is budget checked, the said requisition may go into budget error.  Indeed, the item may be coded to a category code with a GL account for which the department did not budget for. It may happen with “dual use” products; for example, a lab may purchase cleaning supplies and the category code for those products are tied to GL account 773206 (Janitorial Supplies). However, no budget was created for janitorial supplies as the grant does not allow for it, thus  the budget error. In this case, Procurement Services will need to change the category code.

How do I resolve the “No Budget Exists” error on my requisition?

To resolve the budget error, please contact Procurement Services. If the item is not correctly coded, we will look for a correct category code that also has a GL account that will pass budget check. If the item is correctly coded and Procurement Services cannot find an alternative code that can pass budget check, we will ask the department to open a budget line for the GL account in error.

My requisition has a “Translation Tree” error and it’s tied to category code 00000. What is this error?

Catalogs in myFIUmarket use the UNSPSC codes while FIU use the NIGP code. There is a crosswalk in Jaggaer, the system that hosts myFIUmarket, which translates USNSPC codes into NIGP codes. It may happen that a UNSPSC code does not have a suitable corresponding NIGP code. In those instances, there is logic that translates those UNSPSC codes into the default NIGP code 0000, tied to GL account 711998; it is this GL account that causes the “Translation Tree” budget error.

Procurement Services has a report that is delivered daily at 2:00 pm and which list all the requisitions containing any lines with category code 00000. This enables us to proactively update those requisition lines before the departments reach out to us.

I have budget in the Material and Supplies account group. Why is Procurement Services not using category code 17553 (Lab Supplies Non-Chemical), tied to account 773606 (Lab Supplies Non-Chemical) for all the lines in my requisition that have the “No Budget Exists” budget error?

Even though you have budget in account 773606 and your requisition is in budget error, we will not change all the lines in error to category code 17553 just to clear your budget error. Indeed, Procurement Services still needs to make sure that the products or services being purchased are coded correctly. For example, a hard drive or a network cable is not a “lab supply non-chemical” even though that hard drive or that network cable will be used in a lab.

Why is it important for items in my requisition to be accurately coded?

The University relies on category codes to have a sense of what is being purchased. If, for example, Procurement Services is tasked to provide a report on how much the University spends on lab glassware, we can provide that report by looking at all Purchase Orders that have category codes associated with lab glassware. However, if we were using category code 17553 (Lab Supplies Non-Chemical) as a catch all code to push requisitions successfully trough budget check, we will not be able to provide this information as those corresponding POs will also have category code 17553. 

Additionally, the Division of IT (DoIT) and Facilities review requisitions that contain specific products, which are identified by their category codes (for example computer hardware, security systems, etc.). If those items are not properly coded with the trigger category code, they will bypass those additional reviews, thus causing requesters to purchase items that may not comply with University regulations.

I am a budget (or grant) manager. What actions can I take to minimize the rate at which my requisitions are in “No Budget Exists” error?

Budget or grant managers can reduce the occurrence of their requisitions being in “No Budget Exists” budget error by having money in the right GL account categories. Indeed, they need to identify the category of items they purchase the most by reviewing the list of FIU’s active NIGP codes; this list provides GL account information for all NIGP codes, thus allowing budget or grant managers to determine which GL account categories to fund.

Effective February 11, 2025, all Smart Journals will require supporting documentation to be attached before they will be posted.  Please see page 3 of the updated Smart Journal Entry Manual for guidance on acceptable documentation.  If you have any questions or need assistance, contact Jose Zubimendi at extension 7-1139.

New Self-Paced Training: ID Transfer Journals – Now Available in FIU Develop!

We are excited to announce the launch of the new self-paced ID Transfer Journal training, now available in FIU Develop.

Previously offered as an instructor-led session, this course has been redesigned for on-demand access—giving you more flexibility to learn when it’s convenient for you.

What’s an ID Transfer Journal?
ID Transfers are used to reclassify expenses that were previously charged to the wrong accounting—ensuring accuracy in the General Ledger in PantherSoft Financials.

Not all transactions qualify for reclassification using an ID Transfer Journal; in some cases, other journal types must be used. This training will help clarify when and how to use ID Transfers appropriately.

In this course, you’ll learn:
✔️ Which transactions qualify for an ID Transfer
✔️ How to complete and submit an ID Transfer Journal in PantherSoft Financials
✔️ What roles and approvals are involved
✔️ How to avoid and resolve common issues

Important:
If you need access to create or edit ID Transfer Journals, you must complete this training (along with PantherSoft Fundamentals) before submitting an Access Request Form in PantherSoft Financials.

Click here to enroll in the course now

For any questions, feel free to contact a Financial System and Support Services Help Desk or Trainer at (305) 348-7200 or email controller@fiu.edu.

New Requirement: Attachments Now Mandatory for All Smart Journals

To improve the accuracy and completeness of our records, Smart Journals in PantherSoft Financials now require an attachment before submission—regardless of journal type.

Previously, attachments were only required for Construction Journals. With this update, all Smart Journals must include supporting documentation before submission. The system will block submission attempts without a saved attachment.

What to Know:

• Attachments are now mandatory for all Smart Journals
• The system will not allow submission unless at least one attachment is saved

Please review your attachments carefully to avoid delays.

An update to the Smart Journal Manual will reflect this change soon.

For questions, please contact a Financial Systems and Support Services Help Desk representative at (305) 348-7200 or email controller@fiu.edu. 

Purchase of Controlled Substances and Hazardous Chemicals 

The purchase of controlled substances is strictly prohibited with the Pcard; all controlled substance purchases must be procured via a purchase order. 

The purchase of hazardous chemicals/materials with the university card is limited exclusively to Fisher Scientific on an emergency/expedited basis only. We have partnered with Fisher to ensure that the purchase complies with all EH&S safety regulations. The purchase of hazardous chemicals/materials from any other merchant is not allowed with the Departmental Card.   Dry Ice will be allowed, under 25 pounds from the vendor of choice. 

Procurement Services Updates

Effective immediately and till June 30, 2025, all requests to close POs should be addressed to Kesha Shrestha and Herve Serge Menyonga.

Effective immediately and until further notice, inquiries regarding POs with Crystal Herrera as the buyer should be directed to Financial Systems and Support Services (FSSS) at 7-7200 or Perla Gonzalez.

CCS9 Temporary maintenance Request eForm Go-Live

The Credit Card Solutions Team, in conjunction with ImageNow, are happy to announce the conversion from .PDF to our paperless eForm!

This form now routes electronically to improve requests securely and efficiently to the Credit Card Solution Team.

Click here to request temporary increases to your card limits and to unblock a vendor. Please ensure that your business purpose is included under the justification section and attach your vendor invoice for support.

Airfare

FIU does not have a preferred airline for travel. Airfare reservations should be made using any commercial airline in accordance with Florida Statue 112.061.

FIU travelers will be reimbursed for economy, coach, or main cabin airfare.

Receiving Notifications

If you receive an e-mail from fin-panthersoft@fiu.edu requesting a receiving transaction, Accounts Payable has already received and entered the invoice.  Do not resubmit the invoice.

The e-mail is a notification that an invoice has been received and that there is no receipt in the system to match it.  Once you create a receipt, PeopleSoft will automatically match the invoice to the receipt. 

If you create a receipt and continue to receive the notifications, please send Beatriz Blanco-Hernandez (bblancog@fiu.edu) or Liza Del Campo (ldelcam@fiu.edu) an e-mail to have the voucher reviewed and provide any additional corrective actions needed.

ODP

When an item is ordered and invoiced but has not been received or returned, a credit memo from the vendor is required to delete the invoice from PeopleSoft.  Please make sure to contact the vendor and request a credit memo.  The vendor will then forward it to Accounts Payable.

Amazon

Receipts should be created by Shipment Received, not the Total Ordered amount.  Most vendors issue invoices by shipment.  Creating one receipt per order will delay the invoice payment.

For FIU Marketplace supplier contact information, please click here.

Supplier Check Payment Replacement Process

As a reminder, we have an online request process for those suppliers who need a check replaced.  The supplier will be able to log into the Supplier Portal Home page and choose the check they need replaced from a list of outstanding checks. They can submit the request and will receive updates on their new payment request.

Please provide your suppliers with the link to the FIU Office of the Controller’s Disbursements website, where they will find detailed instructions on how to submit a request.

End of Fiscal Year PO Closure

Effective immediately and until June 30th, all requests to close POs should be directed to Kesha Shrestha and Herve Serge Menyonga, in preparation for the Fiscal Year End.