Category: General

Purchase Order Reminder

The University of Hawai‘i’s FY2020 Internal Control and Business Issues Report included a comment/observation related to the untimely execution of purchase orders (POs). Specifically, eight (8) POs were found to have been executed and approved subsequent to the receipt of goods or services from the vendor. 

An executed and approved PO serves as an indication that a formal agreement between the vendor and RCUH (for the benefit of UH), has been reached.  Failure to complete a PO prior to the receipt of goods or commencement of services from a vendor exposes RCUH/UH to undue risk related to the misuse of federal funds. 

This comment/observation has been identified previously, and efforts must be made to comply with the applicable RCUH and UH policies and procedures.  Please ensure that a PO is properly executed and approved prior to the receipt of goods or services from a vendor.

Should you have any questions, please contact Erin Yoda at [email protected].

Service Dates for Online Payments Processed During July 1 to August 31, 2021

The fiscal year-end cutoff for RCUH online payment transactions is 12:00 noon on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. All online payment transactions processed after Wednesday, June 30, 2021 through Tuesday, August 31, 2021, will require service dates. The service date format is MM/DD/YY.

For payments that will be processed or approved after Friday, July 30, 2021, are $100,000 or greater, and have service dates of June 30, 2021 or earlier, please complete the attached RCUH AP Worksheet. Please include estimates or projections for invoices that have not been received as of July 30. Please email your worksheet to Staci Saito at [email protected] by Monday, August 2, 2021. If there are no payments to report, please email Staci to report that there are no items by Monday, August 2, 2021.

A service date field is provided on all payment forms and is identified with the heading “S/D”. The service date is the date goods are received or services are performed. For certain types of payments including travel completions, petty cash reimbursements, extended services, etc., the service date entered should be the last day of the period covered by the payment. However, if the service period covers multiple fiscal years, allocate costs in each fiscal year incurred. For example, if the service period is from June 1, 2021 to July 31, 2021, record costs incurred from June 1 to June 30 with a 06/30/21 service date and costs incurred from July 1 to July 31 with a 07/31/21 service date.  

This information is needed to ensure that RCUH liabilities are properly reported as of June 30, 2021. Our auditors, N&K CPAs Inc., will be reviewing selected documents processed during this period as part of their audit procedures. Accordingly, please be advised that we may be requesting copies of payment documents for review. Please contact Maile Brooks at 988-8340 or [email protected] if you have any questions. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

RCUH IMPORTANT – Follow-up to RCUH Advisory #9 (May 14, 2021) regarding Return to the Workplace & COVID-19 Vaccinations

MEMORANDUM

TO:                  All Principal Investigators employing RCUH staff

FROM:           Nelson Sakamoto

                       Director of Human Resources

SUBJECT:      Follow-up to RCUH Advisory #9 (May 14, 2021) regarding Return to the Workplace & COVID-19 Vaccinations

We are providing you with additional guidance from our May 14, 2021 RCUH Advisory #9.

Advisory #9 – Applicable to RCUH employees working for a University of Hawaii Principal Investigator in Hawaii:  On May 14, 2021, the RCUH published Advisory #9 regarding the tentative return to workplace schedule for all RCUH employees working for University of Hawaii projects.  These RCUH employees are subject to the University’s return to the workplace guidelines and schedule.  The RCUH will provide updates as needed to this return to the workplace schedule.  RCUH Advisory #9 does not apply to RCUH employees permanently working outside of Hawaii. 

COVID-19 Vaccinations are Encouraged – Not Mandatory:  On February 26, 2021, the RCUH published Advisory #8 regarding the COVID-19 Vaccinations for RCUH employees on all islands.  The RCUH and the University of Hawaii encouraged our employees to get the vaccination.  At that time, the demand for vaccinations were more than the supply of vaccines. This required scheduling and coordination. Today, the vaccine supply is greater than the demand allowing employees to schedule themselves for a vaccination.  The RCUH continues to encourage all employees to get vaccinated and we continue to authorize 2.0 hours of paid time off if their vaccination is on a workday. To date, the University has not mandated vaccinations for its employees.  However, this may change in the future, should this occur the RCUH will provide you with an Advisory guidance. Any Principal Investigator whose project has a job or safety related reason to impose a mandatory vaccination rule for their RCUH employees should contact the RCUH Director of Human Resources for guidance.

Questions or other concerns: Contact me by email ([email protected]) with any questions or concerns.

RCUH Phones Temporarily Down at Mānoa Innovation Center Office

*P.M. UPDATE: The RCUH phones at the Mānoa Innovation Center are back in service.

RCUH phones are currently down at the Mānoa Innovation Center office location, affecting staff in Accounting, Project Administration, and Corporate Services. If you need to communicate with employees from any of these sections, please reach out via email.

If you’re unsure of who to contact, you may refer to the staff listing in the RCUH Financial Portal or Employee Self-Service, or you may contact [email protected] for assistance.

Procurement Policy Updates

In an effort to increase awareness of updates to RCUH’s policies and procedures, the following changes have been made on RCUH’s website:

Should you have any questions, please contact Erin Yoda at [email protected].