Monthly Closing Calendars

The May 2021 period in the general ledger has closed. When running your reports, please keep in mind that the reporting environment has a 24-hour delay in displaying data. The current and future month-end processing deadline schedules are located at Monthly Closing Deadlines.

Fiscal Year End

Please note the year-end deadlines below for Account Payable (AP):

All invoices should be submitted to AP by Monday, June 14^th, 2021.

Review all pending deadlines for FYE 2021.

Please complete the receiving in PantherSoft as soon as services are rendered or ordered items are received.  In most circumstances, you should not need to review the invoice to complete the receiving in PantherSoft.  An invoice will only be approved for payment when all the below criteria are met:

• The price of an item(s) equals the price on the PO
• The items billed are ‘received’ in PantherSoft

In other words, the ordering department controls when payments are made by controlling the receiving of the merchandise or service in PantherSoft.

The receiving date in PeopleSoft should always be the date the product was received – not the date that the receiving entry is made.

The job aid for receiving can be found under the Procure to Pay Quick Guide.

Please review transaction reports to make sure that items that have been received have been invoiced.  If the invoice has not been entered, the expense will not be recorded.

Avoid Duplicate Entry – During your year-end review, if you notice that an invoice you previously sent to invoices@fiu.edu has not been entered, please do not resubmit.  E-mail Liza Del Campo for an update on the status of the invoice.

Travel Year End Deadlines

1. June 4, 2021 – Last day for expense reports in the Prepay Auditor (Travel) queue to be processed against FY21. All required documentation must be included to meet this commitment.
2. June 18, 2021 – System access to the Travel & Expense module will be completely removed from the University community. The Travel staff will begin the cleanup process in preparation for the year-end closing.  All Travel Authorizations (TAs) that are not in an approved status, and any expense reports that cannot be paid by June 30, 2021 will be deleted.
3. The Travel staff will continue to approve expense reports for payment after June 4, 2021; however, reports that are not in a paid status by June 30, 2021 will be deleted from the system. Reports that are deleted will need to be recreated in the new fiscal year.
4. Vicinity travel will not be reimbursed if the dates claimed are over ninety (90) days old.

Petty Cash or Participant Payment Fund – Semi-Annual Acknowledgements

The Office of the Controller requests that all custodians of Petty Cash or Participant Payment funds complete the Petty Cash Semi-Annual Acknowledgement or Participant Payment Semi-Annual Acknowledgement form.  Please complete, sign, and upload the form to the OneDrive in the folders we have created for you.  If you have any issues uploading to the OneDrive, please contact Oriana Estevez.  The form must be submitted by June 30^, 2021.  These forms are reviewed by external and/or internal auditors and serve as confirmation that the funds remain under your care and are adequately safeguarded.

Participant Payment Funds (PPF) must have a Custodian Acknowledgement Form completed by the current custodian.  In addition, if the period of the approved PPF has lapsed, then the funds must be either returned, the PPF closed, or an Extension Form must be completed for replenishments to be processed. 

All forms must have proper signatures and activity numbers or projects.  Delays in submitting these forms may result in payments being held until completed forms have been uploaded to the One Drive. 

For your convenience, here is the link to all Controllers’ Office Forms.

Please feel free to contact Oriana Estevez extension 7-2557 if you have any questions regarding Petty Cash or Participant Payment Funds.

Receiving Transaction E-mail Notifications

During June, the receiving notifications will be sent out daily.  If you are receiving this notice, Accounts Payable has already received and entered the invoice in PeopleSoft.  Please DO NOT send the invoice to AP when you have entered the receipt.  PeopleSoft will automatically match the invoice to the receipt.  If you continue to receive the notification that a receipt is pending after the receipt has been entered, please notify Liza Del Campo.  Do not send the invoice to invoices@fiu.edu.  This will cause a duplicate entry of the invoice.

Deliveries Announcement

As the University continues to repopulate our campuses and transition to pre-COVID operations, all packages should be shipped to their final destinations, which should be desktop deliveries.  The only exemption is for hazardous chemicals, which should be sent to the below-mentioned addresses, whichever apply:

Hazardous Chemical Ship to Addresses:

FIU and EH&S have contracted with Fisher Scientific to facilitate the barcoding of hazardous chemicals coming onto the MMC, EC, and BBC sites. Tracking hazardous chemicals at FIU is an internal requirement and is necessary for reporting. Upon arrival at MMC, EC, and BBC sites, all hazardous chemicals are identified and barcoded, including non-Fisher orders. The Fisher Representative will enter chemical information into FIU’s EHS Assist program. When placing any orders that include hazardous chemicals, the order information must consist of the PI’s name, building, room, and contact information so Scientific Receiving can deliver the items to the proper location.

During the Remote Work Program, the Surplus and Receiving Team received and delivered packages for the University.  Over the last year, we identified the following issues that can affect the receiving and delivery of packages:

1. Wrong or missing information on the shipping address.
   • The use of “Florida International University” as recipient name without any contact information in the “Attn:” field
   • The use of departments and project names in the “Attn:” field without room number, Ex. “Lila,” or “CIARA,” and many others
   • The use of the “Billing address” as “Shipping address.”
2. Wrong or missing information of recipients in the FIU faculty and staff phonebook directory.
   1. Recipients should update their contact information on the FIU phonebook. For more information on how to do it, please visit http://phonebookapi.fiu.edu/inc/usersguide/
3. Misuse or switch between “Shipping address,” “Billing address,” and “Return address.”
   1. Shipping address: is the address where you will send the order.
   2. Billing address: is the address connected to the customer’s payment method.
   3. Return address: an address that shows where the envelope or package should be returned if it cannot be delivered.
   4. Departments account holders for USPS, UPS, FedEx, or any other carriers should maintain the addresses mentioned above up to date.

Disbursement Announcement

As the University returns to pre-pandemic processes, starting June 22, 2021, the Disbursement window located at CSC332 will be open for check pick-up for those exception payments that require this option in their payment instructions.  Please e-mail the Disbursement Team to schedule your pick-up time with our staff.

In addition, if your department requires a check to be mailed overnight to a vendor, make sure to e-mail a prepaid UPS or Fed Ex label to Disbursement Team.  

The Team will continue to run pay cycles to support the University and the DSO’s three days a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Finally, please continue to remind your vendors to sign up for direct deposit by contacting vendors@fiu.edu. It is the quickest way to get paid and is the most cost-effective payment method for the University.

UPS Shipments

We have seen an increase in the frequency of UPS deliveries being charged to the FIU master account.  Whenever possible, the P-card should be used when scheduling the pick-up.  Please make sure that the P-card is the default payment method.

To make your P-card default please follow the steps below:

If you cannot use the P-card, you must include your activity or project number in the reference field.  This will ensure that the correct department is charged once we receive the invoice.

Also, when creating the label, make sure that the return address is correct.  We have seen an increase in shipments being returned to the wrong department.

If you need to have a username and password assigned – please contact Judith Gonzalez or via phone at 800.550.4184 ext. 114-2324.

New International Travel Requirements

As of April 10, 2021, FIU requires that all international travelers complete a 5-question pre-departure Export Controls questionnaire, which can be accessed from the “Summary and Submit” page and must be completed by the traveler prior to supervisor approval. For questions, please contact Gitta Montoto.

Invoices Pending Receipt

Please review the list of vouchers in PeopleSoft that are pending a receipt to be paid.  This report is as of May 31, 2021.  Please review and create a receipt if the item has been received or the services have been rendered.  Please disregard if a receipt was made on or after May 31^, 2021.

Any voucher not approved and posted by June 28, 2021 will be deleted.  Each unit will be responsible for resubmitting the invoices. 

Mandatory Retraining of All Program Participants

As part of our audit corrective actions, all card program participants (Cardholders, Approvers, and Reconcilers) are required to complete periodic retraining of program processes and procedures.  We have developed an online “self-training” experience to meet this essential audit requirement for your convenience.

• You must complete both courses for those who have both a Departmental Card and a T&E Card.
• All cardholders will be required to submit an updated cardholder agreement eForm.
• Departmental Cardholders and Approvers/Reconcilers must also complete a subordinate approver review.
• All participants must pass a brief assessment with a minimum of 80% accuracy.

 You should have received an email containing additional information on how to access and complete your refresher training. All training must be completed no later than June 22, 2021, to avoid any disruption in program participation.

If you have any questions, please reach out to The Credit Card Solutions Team or the FSSS Help Desk at 305-348-7200. 

Delivery of Invoices

Please remember that invoices attached to requisitions are not forwarded to Accounts Payable.  If the vendor does not send the invoice directly to Accounts Payable, the department must do so.

Card Cancellation Process

When a card needs to be canceled due to a cardholder transferring to another department or termination of employment, the approver or Department MUST notify the CCS team in an e-mail immediately before any Card Cancellation Form being sent. Departments that fail to follow the correct and timely card cancellation protocols will risk losing the card privileges for their entire unit.