The Budget Season is Almost Here

Dear H&S Finance Colleagues,

It has been great to see you in person as campus gatherings resume.  The Finance Team is preparing for this year’s budgeting cycle in the Budget Planning System (BPS).  From May 18 - June 13 we will be preparing, loading, and testing data in BPS to prepare for the June 14 launch.

Dates for this year’s budget entry are: 

  • Tuesday June 14, 2022:  BPS will be open for entry for all modules except labor
  • Thursday June 23, 2022:  Labor data will be uploaded and all modules available for entry
  • Wednesday July 20, 2022:  Please have your budget complete and submitted to your liaison for review 

To help you prepare for budgeting season, the Finance Team will be presenting a series of trainings.  For those who can’t attend, the live zoom trainings will be recorded and posted on the H&S Finance Team Website. 

BPS Training Dates and Times:

  • Thursday June 16, 2022 from 10:10AM to 11:30AM:  BPS New User Training (Zoom Info):  for those who want a basic introduction to the H&S budgeting tool
  • Friday June 17, 2022 from 10:10AM to 11:30AM:  BPS as a Planning Tool (Zoom Info):  for those who want to learn more about use of BPS for forecasting year-end and future available funding
  • Monday June 27, 2022 from 10:10AM to 11:30AM:  BPS Refresher Training (Zoom Info):  for those who just need a refresher on the use of the tool
  • Thursday July 7, 2022 from 1:30PM to 3:00PM:  BPS Refresher Training (Zoom Info):  a repeat of the June 27 session for those who just need a refresher

Considerations When Building Your 2022/23 Budget:

  • Pandemic Impact: unusual spending trends the past three years particularly due to decreased travel and in person activities have translated for many units to increased one time savings.   
  • Increased Endowment Payout for 2022/23:  Units with local endowments will see a larger payout than previous years.  See Planning Assumptions for Budgeting – FY23 Job Aid on the H&S Finance website.
  • Financial Sustainability: after several unusual financial years how do you know if the annual inflow of funding will cover the annual outflow of expenses?

All these considerations make it an important year to complete a 2021/22 year-end projection when building 2022/23 budget.  We invite you to attend the training on Friday June 17, BPS as a Planning Tool (zoom info above).  This training will focus on how to use BPS data to create a year-end forecast which can help identify opportunities for proactive financial management.

Helpful Hints:

To access BPS (Budget Planning System) you can go to the H&S Finance Website front page quick link section.

To review a task list of the steps involved in the BPS budget entry process see the BPS Task List Job Aid on the H&S Finance Website.

Best,

Blake Grenier

Associate Director of Finance

The School of Humanities and Sciences