Monthly Closing Deadlines

The December 2022 period in the general ledger has closed.  The current and future month-end processing deadline schedules are located at Monthly Closing Deadlines.

Procurated

We are delighted to announce Procurement Services is piloting a new vendor evaluation tool called Procurated that is a free service to FIU that we would like to leverage. Inspired by sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor, Procurated is a supplier ratings and reviews site for public procurement.  The pilot will be with all individuals with a requester role, receiver role, a buyer job title, and anyone who participates in the training webinars noted below.

We have chosen to pilot Procurated because we believe their tool will help us better understand how our current suppliers are performing for our internal customers and make it faster and easier for you and your buying teams to find the best suppliers. In addition, it will help us quickly identify contractual issues with supplier performance so we may intervene and help mitigate ongoing matters.  

With Procurated, you will have access to over 50,000 supplier reviews submitted by public procurement professionals nationwide. The pool of feedback will continue to grow as we add reviews of our local Florida suppliers.     

This is a relatively new tool being implemented by multiple higher ed entities, so the pool of reviewed suppliers will continue to grow. The site also allows you to filter by different types of business (e.g., small, women, minority, veteran-owned). 

What can you expect from the pilot?  

Here are next steps:  

1. Attend a training webinar. Please select one of the training webinar dates below to register for a session. You are welcome to attend more than one session, but the content is the same in each session: 

• Webinar #1 Registration, Tuesday January 24^th, 12PM ET: Here
• Webinar #2 Registration, Thursday January 26^th 12 PM ET: Here

2. Write a review. You will start receiving emails and calls from Procurated in the coming weeks to write a review about a supplier you’ve worked with. Please take 60 seconds and write a review! This is how we know if a contract works for you. 
3. Log in and search. Go to Procurated’s website and log in. Look for information about suppliers you are talking to or who have responded to your quotes or bids. If you don’t see a review, email support@procurated.com and they will try to get one for you. 
4. Tell a colleague. Let people in your office know about Procurated and how it works.
5. Check out the FIU/Procurated partnership landing page to learn more information about this partnership. As time goes on, Procurated will add more content here about how FIU users may benefit from their tool. 

We’re excited to partner with Procurated on this pilot program aimed at enhancing our  vendor relationship management efforts for FIU! Thank you in advance for helping us make this pilot valuable for us all. 

Surplus Form Submission Requirements

Effective immediately, the University has implemented changes to the Surplus Form submission requirements. The most significant change is that pictures must be attached to the email sent to property@fiu.edu of the equipment that is listed on the Surplus Form.

The Surplus Form has been updated with specific instructions. Please take a few minutes to review the form located at: https://controller.fiu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SurplusForm.pdf

Should you need additional information or have any questions, please contact the surplus team at: surplus@fiu.edu 305-348-2799

Monday – Friday 7am – 3:30pm (Closed from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM)

For additional information, please visit Asset Management’s website: https://controller.fiu.edu/departments/accounting-reporting/asset-management/

Travel News

Travel Alphabet Assignments:

                                                * Represents the First letter of the Employee’s Last Name

Travel Staff                                         Letters                                                  Phone#

Alejandra Blanco                              Accounting Manager                      (305) 348-1141

Sandra Ocampo                B, F, J, M, N, R, V*                            (305) 348-4041

Yaniz Gallimore                 C, D, O, S, T, W*                                (305) 348-2663

Rossana Guetton                             A, E, I, L, P, X *                   (305) 348-2438

Naomi Rodriguez                             G, H, K, Q, U, Y, Z*                            (305) 348-2543

Mandatory Use of The Travel Authorization (TA) Request Process for International Travel

Pursuant to Florida State legislation (HB 7017/ F.S. 1010.36), the University has expanded its travel authorization process to require screening and pre-approval for all international travel and foreign activities. All (even if paid by 3^rd Party) international travelers must now complete a Travel Authorization Request (TA), which includes a Foreign Travel questionnaire, specific disclosure requirements regarding travel expenses, and the traveler’s Acknowledgement certifying that they have read this Guidance. You may refer to this Quick Guide to provide you with an overview of the international travel screening and reporting process.

It is encouraged that FIU travelers submit their TA request at least 7 business days before their trip to allow sufficient time for the request to be screened and approved by the Export Control Office.

International Travel Screening and Reporting and Foreign Influence Risk Travel

Screening and Reporting Requirements Prior to departing abroad, all employee travelers, not their proxy, must complete, as part of the TAR workflow, a short questionnaire pertaining to foreign influence and other travel risks, as well as acknowledge their understanding of FIU foreign travel guidance. Contingent on the traveler’s responses and where the destination is a Foreign Country of Concern (FCC), which includes China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, and Venezuela, a compliance reviewer will promptly communicate any risk mitigation measures, if necessary, to the traveler. Once the compliance reviewer is satisfied that risks have been addressed, the TAR will follow the regular process towards approval by the supervisor. This process was already embedded in the TAR workflow since Summer 2021, and travelers have navigated it successfully.

Upon return from an international trip, all employee travelers must report any payments or honoraria made directly to the traveler or on behalf of the traveler (i.e., to cover some or all expenses) by an entity or person, including for travel, food, or lodging at any time related to the trip. Payments on the traveler’s behalf may include some or all expenses, or other complimentary items provided, that are not promotional items customarily given at conferences, such as pens, plaques, etc. Should one or more international destination(s) be an FCC, additional information will be required. It will be the proxy’s responsibility to obtain this information from the traveler and to enter it together with all other expense records in the ER. The traveler will be asked to certify the accuracy and completeness of the information by signing the ER. This post-trip process will be effective in PantherSoft as of July 1, 2022. Travelers who went abroad between January 1 and July 1, 2022, have already or will receive an email request to report this information via a Qualtrics survey.

Guidance on How to Navigate the New Processes
Detailed information on international travel, foreign influence, and compliance concerns are available on our Guidance for International Travel website.