Year-End Closing for University Disbursement and Property Services, including Certified Forwards, Fiscal Year 1996-1997

John P. Kruczek, University Comptroller

It is time to begin planning for June 30, 1997, year-end closing. Departments are encouraged to submit invoices for payment as early as possible to ensure payment from current year funds. Outstanding encumbrances should be reviewed and any which are not needed should be closed. A useful tool for reviewing encumbrances is the Outstanding Encumbrance Report that is attached to your monthly Departmental Ledgers. We will begin sending out special Outstanding Encumbrance Reports in May. These reports should alert you to problems that need to be resolved before year-end. I would like to emphasize that it is your department’s responsibility to manage funds through the certification process.

On July 1, 1997, we will distribute Encumbrance reports to each department. The report will list all of the open Encumbrances at June 30, 1997, for each organization code in funds that require certification forward. The only encumbrances remaining open at this date should be those which are to be certified forward. You will need to verify that these encumbrances should be certified forward and provide information regarding any goods or services that have been received but not paid for as of June 30. The completed reports must be returned to University Disbursement Services, 114 Elmore Hall, Post Office Box 115350, no later than July 8, 1997 in order to have these encumbrances certified forward. A preliminary run of this Encumbrance report will be distributed to each department by June 13. This will allow you to review all encumbrances and begin to prepare your information to be entered on the final version.

Please note that the report will provide a space for you to enter a receipt date for any goods or services that have been received, but not paid for, by June 30, 1997. The receipt date is essential since the amounts due for goods or services that are received will be recorded as Accounts Payable by the University of Florida at June 30, 1997.

As in previous years, blanket encumbrances (with the exception of maintenance contracts, encumbrances on sponsored contracts and grants, and recurring charges) will be closed at the end of May. Please remember to make arrangements for the timely establishment of any Regular encumbrances that you might need for goods or services purchased during the month of June. In addition, be sure to encumber sufficient current year funds to certify all charges through June 30 for such items as NERDC, Working Capital, maintenance and repair jobs, utilities, Suncom, toll calls, Bookstore, Printing, Motor Pool, copying charges, postage, etc. In cases where estimates are required because services have been rendered, but not billed, by June 30, you will need to use the best historical information you have from prior months’ activity. Postage, Bookstore, and Printing will be processing invoices for the first two weeks in June; thus you will only need to certify forward the last half of June’s charges to these auxiliaries. Charges for basic telephone services and telephone maintenance for June will be paid early in June; please do not certify. However, Suncom charges for May and June should be certified forward. Toll calls should be certified for May and June due to the change from MCI to AT&T .

Travel advances on State funds cannot be granted during the month of June, as travel advances must be settled prior to June 30.

The following deadlines have been established to assist you in the year-end process. Please note that these deadlines are tentative since we have not received the official dates from Tallahassee.

Thursday, May 1, 4:30 p.m.

• As of this date, in order to receive an Avis Rent-A-Car ACTO on a State account, Regular travel encumbrances are required.

Monday, June 2, 4:30 p.m.

• The following blanket encumbrances on all State, AEF, Auxiliary, Agency, Student Government, and MG&G funds will be closed:
  1. Outside vendor blankets. Except maintenance agreements and standard monthly operating charges.
  2. Travel blankets. Travel Reimbursement Vouchers submitted after this date on closed travel blankets, for travel occurring in May, will be processed for payment. However, please make arrangements for the establishment of any Regular encumbrances for travel, including ACTO’s (see May 1 above) and TR’s you might need during the month of June.
  3. I. D. Blankets. Except for PPD (working capital, telecommunications, utilities, etc.), OIR, campus postal, Health Center postal and NERDC. Please set-up Regular encumbrances for purchases from auxiliaries in June.
  4. Last day to submit Non-Resident Alien payment requests to be paid from FY 96/97 funds.

Thursday, June 5, 4:30 p.m.

• Submit the following to University Disbursement Services to ensure payment from 1996-97 funds:
  1. Non-automated Inter-departmental (“I.D.”) invoices
  2. I. D. expense refunds.
  3. Invoices from other State agencies.
• Last day to submit Cash Expense Refunds to Disbursements to meet UFS deadline.

Friday, June 6, 12:00 NOON

• Cash Expense Refunds should be remitted to the Cashier, S-113 Criser Hall, as early as possible to ensure that refunds to State accounts will not be lost. In any event, all refunds should be deposited timely.
• Regular Auxiliary I. D. encumbrances should be submitted to University Disbursement Services, P. O. Box 115350, 114 Elmore Hall, for certification purposes. This does not apply to Sponsored Research Contracts and Grants that end after June 30, 1997.

Friday, June 6, 4:30 p.m.

• Deadline for submitting invoices for all purchases from State Surplus Property Division to University Property Services, P. O. Box 115300, 116 Elmore Hall, to ensure payment before the State Comptroller’s deadlines. Please contact Randall Staples at 2-2556 by this date.

Thursday, June 12, 12:00 NOON

• Revenue Refund requests should be submitted to the Bank Area, S-113 Criser Hall.

Friday, June 13, 4:30 p.m.

• Deadline for submitting to University Disbursement Services, P. O. Box 115350, 114 Elmore Hall, to ensure payment during the month of June.
  1. Limited Purchase Orders (LPO).
  2. Payment Authorizations (PA) including CIC equipment coverage.
  3. Approved outside vendor invoices for all funds including Agency funds and freight invoices.
  4. Travel reimbursement vouchers.

  Note:- Unencumbered LPO’s, PA’s, etc. cannot be certified forward.

Friday, June 20, 4:30 p.m.

• Deadline for submitting Class “C” meals reimbursement vouchers to be paid from 1996-97 funds to University Travel Services, P. O. Box 115350, 114 Elmore Hall.
• Deadline for submitting grant invoices to University Disbursement Services, P. O. Box 115350, 114 Elmore Hall, to ensure processing during the month of June.
• Deadline for submitting Change Orders to outstanding encumbrances to be certified forward.

Tuesday, July 8, 4:30 p.m.

• Deadline for returning Encumbrance Reports for certified forwards to University Disbursement Services.

If any changes occur concerning year-end closing deadlines or the procedures for “Certified Forwards”, we will promptly convey them to you. Please note that we will continue to accept invoices after the “ensure” dates, but cannot guarantee that they will be processed before June 30.

If you have any questions concerning these procedures and cutoff dates, please call Dorothy Dykes at 2-1241, ext. 307 on ID’s; Susan Bertie at 2-1245, ext. 204, on Travel; Debbie Anderson at 2-1241, ext. 309, on outside vendor; Linda Shreve at 2-0185 on cash expense refunds; Patti Perkins at 2-0181 on revenue refunds. Health Center units should call Bonnie Pomeroy at 2-2772. IFAS units should call Libby Williams at 392-1741 for outside vendor and Judy Futch at 392-2797 for Travel. Engineering units should call Susan Luther at 392-5891.