Legal Professional Services Awards – Fiscal Year 2021

Project Title To provide legal services related to employment, to the RCUH Corporate Office.
Selected Consultant Barry W. Marr, Esq. (Marr Jones & Wang)
Contract Amount $50,000.00
Date of Award July 10, 2020
Consultants Considered (ranked candidates only) Richard M. Rand (Marr Jones & Wang); Sarah O. Wang (Marr Jones & Wang); Christopher J. Cole (Marr Jones & Wang); Patrick H. Jones (Marr Jones & Wang); Kristi O’Heron (Marr Jones & Wang); Newton J. Chu (Torkildson Katz Moore Hetherington Harris & Knorek); Christopher S.Y. Yeh (Marr Jones & Wang); Megumi Sakae (Marr Jones & Wang); Eileen C. Zorc (Marr Jones & Wang); Cecily D.M. Kaya (Marr Jones & Wang); Andrea L. Miyashita (Marr Jones & Wang).
Appointing Officer Leonard R. Gouveia, Jr.
Project Title To provide legal services related to maritime/admiralty, to the RCUH Corporate Office.
Selected Consultant Michael J. Nakano, Esq. (Cox Wootton Lerner Griffin & Hansen)
Contract Amount $20,000.00
Date of Award July 13, 2020
Consultants Considered (ranked candidates only) No other submissions.
Appointing Officer Leonard R. Gouveia, Jr.
Project Title To provide legal services related to immigration, to the RCUH Corporate Office.
Selected Consultant Newton J. Chu, Esq. (Torkildson Katz Moore Hetherington Harris & Knorek)
Contract Amount $15,000.00
Date of Award July 10, 2020
Consultants Considered (ranked candidates only) Vaughn G.T. Cook (Torkildson Katz Moore Hetherington Harris & Knorek)
Appointing Officer Leonard R. Gouveia, Jr.
Project Title To provide legal services related to employee benefits/taxes, to the RCUH Corporate Office.
Selected Consultant Joseph D’Amato, Esq. (D’Amato & Maloney)
Contract Amount $40,000.00
Date of Award July 10, 2020
Consultants Considered (ranked candidates only) No other applicants in the specialty area of employee benefits.  Other applicants in the general employment field included:  Barry W. Marr, Esq. (Marr Jones & Wang); Richard M. Rand (Marr Jones & Wang); Sarah O. Wang (Marr Jones & Wang); Christopher J. Cole (Marr Jones & Wang); Patrick H. Jones (Marr Jones & Wang); Kristi O’Heron (Marr Jones & Wang); Newton J. Chu (Torkildson Katz Moore Hetherington Harris & Knorek); Christopher S.Y. Yeh (Marr Jones & Wang); Megumi Sakae (Marr Jones & Wang); Eileen C. Zorc (Marr Jones & Wang); Cecily D.M. Kaya (Marr Jones & Wang); Andrea L. Miyashita (Marr Jones & Wang).
Appointing Officer Leonard R. Gouveia, Jr.
Project Title To provide legal services related to taxes and payroll, to the RCUH Corporate Office.
Selected Consultant Vaughn G.T. Cook (Torkildson Katz Moore Hetherington Harris & Knorek)
Contract Amount $15,000.00
Date of Award July 10, 2020
Consultants Considered (ranked candidates only) John J. D’Amato (D’Amato & Maloney) (employee benefits tax only)
Appointing Officer Leonard R. Gouveia, Jr.

New Finance Online Course: Vendor Records

All transactions in the RCUH Financial Portal begin with a vendor record. Searching for a vendor record, what is needed to create one, why a record is purged, and how to complete U.S. and foreign vendor registration forms are all covered in this new three-module course.

For questions on this training, please contact Charlene Gibo at [email protected] or (808) 956-3208.

FINANCIAL SYSTEM PROCESSING NOW AVAILABLE

The RCUH fiscal year-end processing has been completed. You may now approve online purchase orders, payments, and travel in the Financial Portal. The first check run for Fiscal Year 2021 will be on Monday, July 6, 2020 at 4:00 PM.

UH Project Fiscal Reports may reflect incorrect amounts and balances until KFS is opened for FY 2021. Until KFS is opened for FY 2021, please use the Mass Printing Reports to access the UH Project Fiscal Reports as of June 2020 and earlier.

Reminder: Service dates are required for all payment transactions through Monday, August 31. For payments approved after July 31, $100,000 or greater, and with service dates of June 30 or earlier, please complete the attached RCUH AP Worksheet. Please include estimates or projections for invoices that have not been received as of July 31. Please email your worksheet to Staci Murata at [email protected] by Monday, August 3.

Please refer to the Thursday, June 18 General Announcement on Service Dates for more information.

New Online Courses in RCUH Training Portal

RCUH added 43 new online courses to the Training Portal, including courses such as:

• Presenting Compelling Proposals 2.0,
• Master the Art of Negotiating 2.0,
• Reducing the Spread of Infection 1.0,
• Managing Your Remote Workers 1.0, and
• the Little Life Savers series.

Click here to view a complete list of courses. If you need access to the RCUH Training Portal, please complete the online request form. You may also email [email protected] if you have any questions.

Service Dates for Online Payments Processed July 1 to August 31, 2020

The fiscal year-end cutoff for RCUH online payment transactions is 12:00 noon on Tuesday, June 30, 2020. All online payment transactions processed after Tuesday, June 30, through Monday, August 31, will require service dates. The service date format is MM/DD/YY.

For payments that will be processed or approved after Friday, July 31, 2020, are $100,000 or greater, and have service dates of June 30, 2020 or earlier, please complete the attached RCUH AP Worksheet. Please include estimates or projections for invoices that have not been received as of July 31. Please email your worksheet to Staci Murata at [email protected] by Monday, August 3. If there are no payments to report, please email Staci to report that there are no items by Monday, August 3.

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 (i.e., if the service period is from June 1, 2020 to July 31, 2020, record costs incurred from June 1 to June 30 with a 06/30/20 service date and costs incurred from July 1 to July 31 with a 07/31/20 service date).

This information is needed to ensure that RCUH liabilities are properly reported as of June 30, 2020. 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.

NOTICE TO ATTORNEYS INTERESTED IN PROVIDING LEGAL SERVICES TO THE RESEARCH CORPORATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I

Licensed attorneys who wish to provide specialized legal services to the Research Corporation of the University of Hawai‘i (RCUH) for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2020, are invited to submit a Statement of Qualifications and Expression of Interest (SOQ) to RCUH pursuant to HRS § 103D-304.

RCUH is currently looking to contract for legal services in the following areas:

1. Employment: Employment, employee benefits, disciplinary, termination, and discrimination/retaliation issues. Services shall include but not be limited to:
a. Drafting, reviewing, and providing advice and recommendations relating thereto;
b. Providing advice and recommendations regarding responses to claims asserted by current and former employees;
c. Participating in negotiations regarding items (a) and (b); and
d. Providing guidance on applicable statutes, regulations, and other legal requirements.

Previous experience advising employers is essential, and previous experience advising government agencies is preferred.

2. Immigration: Temporary visas and/or permanent residency applications. Services shall include but not be limited to:
a. Drafting, reviewing, and providing advice and recommendations relating thereto;
b. Completing and filing permanent residency applications (previous experience representing both employers and employees in the permanent residency application process is essential);
c. Completing and filing temporary visa applications and related documentation; and
d. Providing guidance on applicable statutes, regulations, and other legal requirements.

3. Tax: Payroll, IRS compliance, foreign payroll and/or nonresident alien and foreign entity contractor payments (crossover immigration experience preferred), IRS compliance. Services shall include but not be limited to:
a. Providing guidance on applicable statutes, regulations, internal policies, and other legal requirements.

4. Maritime: Charter, third-party vessel, and other marine-related agreements; marine insurance terms and policies. Services shall include but not be limited to:
a. Drafting, reviewing, and providing advice and recommendations relating thereto; and
b. Providing guidance on applicable statutes, regulations, insurance policies/terms, internal policies, and other legal requirements.

Please email your SOQ to: [email protected] by Friday, June 5, 2020, to be eligible for consideration. An SOQ received after June 5, 2020 will be considered a “late submittal” for the balance of the fiscal year as follows: a late submittal received June 6, 2020 through July 6, 2020, will be considered beginning October 1, 2020.

SOQ forms are available here.

Leonard R. Gouveia, Jr. appointed new RCUH Executive Director

The Board of Directors of the Research Corporation of the University of Hawai‘i is pleased to announce the appointment of Leonard R. Gouveia, Jr., JD, as RCUH’s new Executive Director, effective July 1, 2020.

Leonard R. Gouveia, Jr.

Mr. Gouveia has been affiliated with the University of Hawai‘i for over 15 years, where he began his career as a contracts specialist in the Office of Research Services.  He then served in an RCUH position as a Technical Partnership and Development Specialist at the Hawai‘i Space Flight Laboratory, a program of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, where he gained valuable experience managing a complex $40+ million project with unique administrative, contractual and legal issues.  Mr. Gouveia was then engaged by the Vice President for Research to establish the University’s first Office of Export Controls in addition to assuming the role of Facility Security Officer, a position held previously by President David Lassner. He subsequently served as the Interim Assistant VP/Director of Research Compliance and currently serves as the Director of the Office of Research Services.

He received his B.S. degree from Chaminade University and Juris Doctorate from Gonzaga University School of Law.  Prior to his University career, Mr. Gouveia was a practicing attorney with an emphasis on insurance defense litigation.

RCUH Board Chair Donna Ikeda commented:

We believe Lenny’s familiarity with the University of Hawai‘i, RCUH, state government, and the federal government will allow him to hit the ground running. He understands the critical role RCUH plays in supporting the research enterprise. We look forward to working with him as he leads RCUH to greater success in the future.

The Board also extends its thanks and appreciation to Dr. Sylvia Yuen, the current Executive Director, for her five years of dedicated service.  Our best wishes on her retirement at the end of June!

Fiscal Year-End June 30, 2020

Important Dates:

June 30, 2020 Last check run for FY 2020 (payments must be approved by 12 noon)
July 6, 2020 RCUH Financial System scheduled to reopen
July 6, 2020 First check run for FY 2021 (4:00 PM)

Online payment and purchasing transactions must be approved by Fiscal Administrators by 12:00 noon on Tuesday, June 30, 2020, to be included in FY 2020. The last check run for the fiscal year will be on Tuesday, June 30, 2020. Pending transactions will remain in the RCUH financial system and will not be automatically deleted or disapproved.

From July 1 through July 5 online payment and purchasing transactions can be initiated, but Fiscal Administrators will not have the ability to approve transactions. Transactions will not be posted to project accounts until the financial system is reopened for FY 2021. The RCUH financial system is scheduled to reopen on Monday, July 6, 2020. The first check run for FY 2021 is scheduled for Monday, July 6, 2020, at 4:00 PM.

On an emergency basis only, manual checks can be issued during this period. Fiscal Administrators should contact RCUH Disbursing at [email protected].

Project reports will be accessible on the RCUH website. However, report balances will only reflect transactions posted through June 30, 2020 until processing resumes on July 6.

Please contact Maile Brooks at 988-8340 or [email protected] if you have any questions.