Impact23

Dear Colleagues, 

UC Riverside’s eBuy procurement system will be replaced with the new Oracle Procurement module as part of the Impact23 program in July 2023.   Several procurement related actions are required to assist with the transition to Oracle, minimize disruptions to your department purchasing activities, and facilitate the conversion of eBuy orders to avoid rework.  With the goal of empowering departments and expediting purchases, the Procurement Card (PCard) threshold will be increased to $10K for all cardholders. The PCard is the preferred purchasing method for all low-dollar, unrestricted goods and services. Increased utilization of PCards will reduce the number of open purchase orders to be converted from eBuy to Oracle and improve the overall accuracy of converted data.   
 
Oracle Procurement offers the key elements of the current eBuy platform along with enhancements to better support department procurement needs as the campus procure-to-pay strategy. Additionally, in July 2023, UCR will integrate PCard transactions into Concur for a more streamlined PCard distribution process that will replace the ProCard Cost Transfer (PCT), and the department authorized purchase order (DAPO) threshold will increase to $10K.
 
Please coordinate the following actions within your unit to best prepare your department transition to Oracle: 

1. Increase PCard Utilization 

• Empower department transactors. As discussed in the recent Impact23 User Group and Town Hall Meetings, the PCard transaction limits will automatically increase to $10K for all cardholders effective 2/1/2023; no action is required by the cardholder or department. 
• Identify PCard program personnel. A minimum of two cardholders are recommended in each unit to assist with purchasing unrestricted goods and services.
• Utilize PCard on all department unrestricted purchases under $500 
• Utilize PCard on other unrestricted purchases between $500-$5,000 whenever possible.   

The above actions will ensure business continuity during the transition to Oracle and reduce conversion errors, as well as support the longer-term procurement strategy.  Guidance on the PCard program roles and responsibilities is available here.  A new PCard request process will be deployed soon with guidance issued to department SAAs.

Procurement Card Benefits: 

• Facilitates the purchase most goods and services  
  • Exceptions include purchases requiring a signature on a contract, inventorial equipment, and restricted items 
• Accepted by most suppliers that take Visa, including UCR-preferred suppliers like Amazon Business, Office Depot (ODP), FedEx Shipping, and FedEx Printing 
  • Consider Amazon Business for your unit’s procurement needs
  • Register your PCard for FedEx Shipping and FedEx Printing 
  • Receive UCOP discounted pricing when using the new Office Depot portal
• Ensures prompt payment to supplier 
• Eliminates new supplier requests, purchase orders, and invoice processing while expediting orders and shipping 
• Combines ordering and paying into a single process 

Additionally, as part of the Impact23 implementation, a new and more effective PCard distribution process will be deployed on 7/1 in Concur. The design is being finalized with input from departmental workgroup members and testers. 

2. Department’s use of the PCard instead of a DAPO will greatly assist the campus with the conversion and transition to Oracle.  Valid DAPOs and POs that do not convert automatically must be manually created in Oracle. Please note that encumbrance balances will only transfer to the Oracle ledger if the corresponding eBuy DAPO/PO is converted (automatically or manually).  In addition to using PCard to the maximum extent possible, please take action on the following immediately:   

• Do not add negative lines to any DAPO or PO for any reason.  
• For credits issued for returned items, request a revised invoice from the supplier.  
  • If the original invoice was previously paid, request that the supplier issue a refund check referencing the Purchase Order number. Checks should be sent to: 
    Regents of the University of California, Riverside 
    Student Services Bldg, Room 1111 
    900 University Avenue 
    Riverside, CA 92521 
• Identify credit lines for outstanding credit memos and request a check from the supplier following the guidance above 
• Do not process FAU change orders (this action has caused numerous conversion errors); work with your department financial manager to prepare a cost transfer once the item pays and is reflected in the general ledger. 
• If a DAPO does not automatically convert, the department will be asked to pay the legacy invoice using a PCard when possible. 
• Do not take any action on DAPOs that have not had any activity within the last 6 months. These orders will not convert. If the order is valid and outstanding, future invoices will need to be paid via PCard (preferred) or manually re-created in Oracle. 
• If an open PO should NOT convert because the encumbrance balance is no longer valid and cannot be cleared following a method outlined in the user guide (link provided below), please contact the central Procurement buyer listed on the PO for assistance. 
• Refer to the PO Encumbrance General Information and User Guide for clearing encumbrance balances where appropriate.  Please focus on current POs (within last 2 years) and DAPOs (within last six months) that should NOT be converted. 

Your cooperation and collaboration to ensure a smooth transition to Oracle is appreciated. Please work with your local department buyer to plan for future procurement needs during this transition period. For any issues or concerns that cannot be addressed with your local department staff, our team is here to help. Contact us at Impact23@ucr.edu. 

Sincerely. 

Bobbi McCracken
Associate Vice Chancellor and Controller
Business & Financial Services
http://bfs.ucr.edu/