As UPST continues its journey of improvement, we're thrilled to share some recent enhancements to our procurement processes. Stay in the loop with the latest updates that can streamline the way your department does business. , Enhanced Contract Process , Contracts are getting a makeover, and we're excited to bring you some transformative changes this year. Check out the highlights: , Automated Contract Amendment Process:, Say goodbye to manual work! We've automated the contract amendment process, reducing the need for PDF forms (exceptions for language/scope changes), Dollar Threshold Updates:, The dollar threshold for service contracts (including consultants) has been raised from $50K to $100K (with exceptions). This change ensures flexibility and efficiency., New Request Form Features:, We've added a new question to the request form to align with the new commodity code structure. Plus, updates to the form's language and help text provide additional clarity. Ready to dive in? Register for a training session to kickstart your contract request process on the right foot! , Commodity & Account Code Crosswalk , In December 2023, UPST, in collaboration with the Controller’s Office, introduced the new Commodity & Account code structure. Here’s why it matters:, University-Wide Consistency:, Choose your commodity code first, and based on that, select from a shortlist of applicable account codes. This ensures consistency across the university., Automatic Linking for Efficiency:, The new structure allows for automatic linking of commodity codes for punchout orders/purchases, reducing mismatches., Quality Spend Data:, Campus and UMPO Leaders now have access to quality spend data for better decision-making. , Resources: , Use the, New Commodity & Account Code Crosswalk:, Find the appropriate commodity and account code for your purchases., See It in Action:, Watch our demo video to see how the new structure works for punchout catalog orders! Thank you to everyone who has provided constructive feedback to help make procurement processes smoother. As we move forward, your insights are invaluable. Thank you for being part of the UPST community, and here's to a successful 2024!
Type: Article
New Hires, Name Title Department Lynda Caines IT Service Delivery Director UITS Steven Hachey Senior Boomi Integration Developer UITS Devon Thompson Assistant Counsel Office of General Counsel, Retiring, Name Title Department Jean Maynard Senior IT Business Operations Specialist UITS, Departures, Name Title Department Bryan Klepacki Director UMass Building Authority Gerry Leone General Counsel Office of General Counsel Jason Rowe Senior Application Specialist UITS Sara Rufli Immigration Specialist Office of General Counsel
Type: Article
This talk explores the Black musical forms and songs of artists that have expressed African American freedom-seeking strategies and related political ideologies. Music has always been a major mode of expression for African Americans, connecting the group to their African homeland and deeply rooting them to American soil. These roots birthed foundational African American traditions like blues,…, Listen to the Spotify Playlist, Sounding Freedom: The Black Revolutionary Tradition in Song Spotify Playlist
Type: Event
On Wednesday, January 10, 2024, the UMPO hosted an event to recognize those UMPO employees who received the Commonwealth’s Performance Recognition Citation and staff who celebrated milestone years of service to the University. The Commonwealth Annual Performance Recognition Program has been in place for the past thirty-nine years. This recognition is particularly meaningful because recipients…, Presentation of Awards, , Milestone Years of Service, , ,
Type: Article
Taking inspiration from our 74,000 UMass students, President Meehan pauses to express his optimism for 2024, acknowledging the dedication of faculty, staff, and campus leaders throughout the past year., Read the Full Report
Type: Article
Diversity Calendar, The DEIA Communications team keeps a calendar of upcoming diversity awareness months and days recognized either nationally or internationally due to their cultural, historical, or religious significance. , Month-Long Events:, Black History Month, Date-Specific Events:, Thursday, February 1: National Freedom Day Wednesday, February 7: National Girls and Women in Sports Day Friday, February 9: The Carnival of Brazil Saturday, February 10: Lunar New Year Tuesday, February 13: Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday Wednesday, February 14: Ash Wednesday Thursday, February 15: Parinirvana Day Thursday, February 15: Susan B. Anthony Day Monday, February 19: Day of Remembrance…, Virtual and In-Person Events Happening this Month, The DEIA Communications team will send out individual communications around the following awareness events this month: Wednesday, February 14 at 12:00 p.m. - Lunar New Year Celebration: An in-person event at 50 Washington Street. A presentation about the Lunar New Year by David Cho followed by a Lunar New Year-inspired lunch. Friday, February 16 at 12:00 p.m. – Sounding Freedom: The Black…
Type: Article
New Hires, Name Title Department David Asante Sr. Compliance Auditor Internal Audit Mike Costa Sr. Applications Developer UITS, Retiring, Name Title Department Dawna McIntyre Associate Counsel Office of General Counsel (OGC), Departures, Name Title Department Keith Boisseau IT Operations Manager UITS Joseph Fontecchio Director of Dev Ops & Networking UITS Juanita McKenzie Accounts Payable Clerk UPST
Type: Article
UMass has tax obligations when making certain payments to Foreign Nationals. The University recently transitioned to Sprintax Calculus to assist with this. Sprintax Calculus (Sprintax) is a cloud-based solution used to ensure U.S. tax compliance when making payments to Foreign Nationals. This includes students, employees, independent contractors, researchers, and teachers. This can be confusing…, The determination of U.S. tax withholding depends on several factors:, U.S. Tax Residency Status:, The tax residency status of individuals is a crucial aspect in determining how the individual is treated., Nature of Income:, Whether the income is deemed U.S. or foreign-sourced holds significant weight in the tax calculation process., Type of Income:, Taking into account the various types of income will ensure accurate and compliant tax calculations., Eligibility for Tax Treaty Benefits:, Individuals may be eligible for tax treaty benefits, and these benefits can be assessed and applied where applicable., Key features that contribute substantial value to both central and campus operations include:, Tax Residency Determination:, Sprintax aids in determining the tax residency status of foreign nationals., Income Tax Treaty Eligibility:, The platform evaluates eligibility for income tax treaty benefits, streamlining the compliance process., Nonresident Tax Withholding:, Sprintax calculates nonresident tax withholding, ensuring compliance with IRS regulations., Tax Form Generation and Filing Assistance:, The platform assists in generating and filing tax forms and returns, simplifying a typically intricate process., Integration Capabilities:, Sprintax can integrate tax status determination with tax return preparation software, creating an efficient and streamlined workflow. Moving forward, the next steps involve leveraging Sprintax technology to enhance effectiveness through process improvement and integration. This forward-looking approach ensures that the University community benefits from a robust and compliant tax reporting…
Type: Article
Gift Swap, Our gift swap was a laughter-filled spectacle of surprises and joy!, The Great UMass Dessert Contest, Pam Giordano delighted taste buds and took home the crown for the yummiest dessert!, Holiday Trivia , Drumroll, please! Jazmine Belkin from UPST claimed the title of the smartest UMPO employee., Most Creative Attire Contest , We sure were creative this year! Congratulations to Eden Medaglia for the most festive holiday attire and to Sam Herren for the most creative holiday attire! , Annual UMPO Holiday Donation Drive, Thanks to all who donated! , The Guild of St. Agnes Gift Drive, The Guild of St. Agnes is a long-standing, educational, private, non-profit childcare agency that provides families with quality, affordable, early childhood education, and school-age programs for children from 4 weeks to age 12. This year, we adopted two of the guild’s programs in Worcester for a total of 50 children! , Veteran’s Drive, To help provide Veteran patients with many things to make their period of hospitalization and outpatient treatment more pleasant, our employees collected many items for the VA Hospital in West Roxbury! Your festive spirit and generosity made this holiday season extra special. Here's to spreading more cheer and goodwill in the new year!
Type: Article
Exciting news is on the horizon as we gear up for the launch of Project MET 3.0 on, January 29th, 2024, ! Over the past year, we have been hard at work refining our contract processes in response to valuable feedback from users across the UMass system, and are thrilled to share the upcoming enhancements that will simplify and elevate our workflow., What is Changing?, Project MET 3.0 is set to revolutionize the way we handle contract amendments and requests in BuyWays. Here is a sneak peek at the key updates:, Automation Advantage, : We are automating the contract amendment process to enhance organization and accuracy. This means smoother workflows and reduced manual effort., Dollar Threshold Adjustments, : The dollar threshold for service contracts (with certain exceptions) is increasing from $50k to $100k., Commodity Code Structure Addition:, We are adding in the recently updated commodity code structure as a question to further refine and categorize our contracts., Enhanced User Experience and Language:, Intuitive updates to the Contract Request form language and general improvements for a seamless interaction with BuyWays. , Get Ready with Information and Training Sessions!, To ensure a smooth transition, we invite you to join us at the January Coffee with UPST session on Thursday, January 18th, 2024, from 10 am to 11 am. Additionally, register for our upcoming training sessions to dive deep into the changes and discover how Project MET 3.0 will benefit you. Register for Coffee with UPST | Thursday, January 18, 2024; 11 am – 12 pm Register for a Training Session |…, Have Questions? We are Here to Help!, If you have any questions or need support during this transition, the UPST team is here for you. Connect with us through multiple channels: Access the Project MET 3.0 Webpage Join our weekly office hour every Tuesday at 11 am | Register for Office Hours here Call UPST at (774) 545-8778 from 10 am – 4 pm Email UPST at upst@umassp.edu with the subject “Project MET 3.0 Question” As we embark on this…
Type: Article
