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The OBFS Informer

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  • Better to Serve YOU... UPB Phone Solution

    UPB is introducing an interactive phone system to better answer your questions.

  • Collaborate with Us on the UPB Training Initiative

    University Payroll & Benefits needs your help! Read about UPB's new training initiative and how you can help develop training programs to reach you and your colleague's learning needs on different topics.

  • Did You Know About iBuy Icons?

    Learn about the icons in iBuy to make the most of your procurement searches!

  • Do you use vendors? #GetThemPaid

    If you do Purchase Orders or other types of invoices, you need to visit the OBFS University Payables website and its new Vendor Invoice Payment Process page.

    The changes were made based upon your feedback in the OBFS Transparency Survey and the Purchasing and Payment Training Needs Assessment.

     

  • Employee Benefits - Discounts & Perks!

    As an employee of the University of Illinois, there are many discounts and perks available beyond that fabulous paycheck. Learn about a few perks you can take advantage of as a University of Illinois employee!

  • Giving the Contract Services Office an Identity

    Understand what the Contract Services Office does and how they have used the Transparency Commitment to set and accomplish new goals in creating their identity.

  • How to Reduce Rejected TEM Expense Reports

    University Payables staff processes approximately 900 TEM expense reports (ER) each day. Read tips for reducing the possibility of rejection and increase the speed of reimbursement payments here.

  • iAction Success - Giving the Contract Services Office an Identity

  • iAction Success - OBFS Sounding Board

  • iAction Success - Strategic Procurement

  • iAction Success - UIC Budget Office

  • iAction Success - UIC Purchasing: Transparency in iBuy

  • iAction Success - UIS Business Services

  • iAction Success - UIUC Budget Office

  • iAction Success - University Office of Capital Programs and Real Estate Services (UOCP&RES)

  • iAction Success - University Payables

  • Important Changes to Online Earnings Statements

    Changes are coming to deduction descriptions that appear on your NESSIE Earnings Statement. The following information is provided to help you understand your Earnings Statement, and no action is required.

  • Important Upcoming Conferences - We want to hear from you!

    OBFS takes our transparency initiative very seriously and we are continuously working on ways to better serve our customers to deliver clear and consistent solutions. Check out these conferences where there will be a transparency table to answer your questions.

  • It's that time again!... Benefit Choice

    Learn about FY 2017 Benefit Choice Information and when you can attend Q & A Sessions presented by University Payroll and Benefits (UPB).

  • Learn more about Payables!

    Updated University Payable Training Materials - NOW AVAILABLE!!

  • Leverage the University’s Purchasing Power – Use Strategic Contracts & Awards

    The University has over 100 established strategic contracts and awards for use across the University System.  These contracts and awards leverage the University’s collective spend, provide quantity discounts, and total cost savings for the purchase of goods and services.  Established contracts and awards contain prompt shipping requirements, have defined return/warranty policies and include process efficiencies in purchase order creation and invoice processing.

  • Need to know who manages your Grant?

    If you need assistance with a grant but do not know who in OBFS to contact, go to the Grant Manager Search! 

    The Grants and Contracts Offices in Urbana-Champaign and Chicago now have this this search feature right on their OBFS Homepages for ease of use.

  • New P-Cards use chip and pin technology

    The new P-Card mailed in early 2016 to active Cardholders will have chip and pin technology. Read the full blog entry to learn more about what the chip and pin technology will require.

  • OBFS Transparency Commitment – A Response to the University Administration Review

    In response to the University Administration Review in 2012, the Office of Business and Financial Services (OBFS) created the OBFS Transparency Commitment initiative. To better gauge the effectiveness of this new initiative, a survey was commissioned by OBFS in January of 2015. The results of that survey have been summarized and are available for your review, along with additional methods for customers to interact with and provide feedback to OBFS departments.

  • Paying a Foreign National? Use This Tool!

    UPB Foreign National Service Center released a new tool to assist those making payments to foreign nationals.

  • P-CARD Training/Certification Deadline is Feb 29th! Have you completed your training?

    All employees who are assigned as Cardholders, Reconcilers, Approvers, Department Card Managers (DCMs) or as a Delegate must complete the Web-based P-Card Training and pass the certification quiz in order to retain active use of a Purchasing Card (P-Card) and/or maintain a role in the P-Card program.

    The Web-based P-Card Training/certification quiz must be completed between the dates of November 1, 2015, and February 29, 2016, to satisfy the certification requirement.

  • Strategic Procurement: Keeping Customers Informed

    Learn about Strategic Procurement's role at the University, their goals and iACTion plans as part of the Transparency Commitment!

  • Strategic Procurements: The Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

    Understand strategic procurements at the University of Illinois by reading about how the Strategic Procurement Department meets Illinois Procurement Code (30 ILCS 500/) requirements, providing contracts for a large number of commonly purchased supplies and services.

  • Taxability of Graduate Level Tuition Waivers

    Graduate level tuition and service fee waivers that are a benefit of employement are considered taxable income by the IRS.  As a result, you may see a reduction in your take-home pay for the months of October, November and possibly December of the fall semester, and March, April and possibly May of the spring semester.

    The following information includes a collection of resources to help you plan for this potential loss of income.

  • The University’s iTravel online booking tool saves time and money!

    iTravel is hosted by Corporate Travel Planners (CTP), the University’s only contracted full service travel agency. This post provides many reasons why departments should use iTravel or a full service CTP agent to make all their University travel arrangements.

  • UISAVES 2016 - Save For Your Dreams

    University of Illinois: Save. Compete. Win!

    The University savings competition, “University of Illinois Saves”, part of the “America Saves” national campaign will run from America Saves Week (Feb. 22) to National Financial Literacy Month (April 8). Participate in this voluntary program and Save. Compete. Win!

  • University of Illinois Saves!

     “University of Illinois Saves”, part of the “America Saves” national campaign, will run from February 1 through March 4. Students & employees at the University of Illinois can make their dreams a reality just by setting a savings goal. Research shows that people who write down their goals are more likely to achieve them. Participate in this voluntary program and save for your dreams!

  • University Payroll & Benefits New Phone System

    University Payroll and Benefits (UPB) is implementing a new phone system to improve the quality of the customer experience.

  • Use Account Code Favorites!

    Let Account Code Search keep track of the account codes you use with Favorites!

     

    Avoid the need to spend time looking account codes up by using Account Code Search Favorites. The new Account Code Search website will let you search for account codes and tag them as a favorite. Once setup you can just log into the Account Code Search website any time to view your personal favorites. Learn how easy it is with this quick tutorial.

  • USFSCO's Agile Review Groups Infographic

    At the end of 2016, the success team wanted to visually portray FY 15 successes through infographics.  The first one for display was the USFSCO Agile Review Group (ARG) infographic!

    FY15 Plan: Create Agile Review groups (ARGs) which are small two or three front line staff teams formed ad hoc that can quickly resolve customer inquiries or training needs without escalating them to the manager or director level

  • Using the OBFS BSS High-Level Capacity Forecast

    OBFS units can use the OBFS BSS High-Level Capacity Forecast to see what projects Business Solutions & Support is working on so users can have a better expectation of when new projects might be able to start. Project priority is set by the Finance Subcommittee (FSC) so it is possible that a new project could be made a higher priority than something already scheduled in the tool.

  • WEBINAR: Cash at College - Spending, Saving & Student Loans

    USFSCO Student Money Management Center's summer webinar schedule, Cash at College: Spending, Saving & Student Loans, is now available. Please share with any students, parents or other staff that you think may benefit.