Author: Gayle Hamasaki

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, 2019, 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 Wednesday, May 1, 2019, to be eligible for consideration. An SOQ received after May 1, 2019 will be considered a “late submittal” for the balance of the fiscal year as follows: a late submittal received between May 2, 2019 and June 3, 2019, will be considered beginning October 1, 2019.

SOQ forms are available here, or may be requested by telephone at (808) 956-3969.

RCUH Financial Portal – Release 1.44

The RCUH Financial Portal has been updated with the following new features:

• Security updates, including password expiration and automated lockout.

• User Profile Updates, including a new field for FA Email in the Send Invoice In Duplicate To section, and an enhanced Delegate Account Access section.

• Form Enhancements, including the ability to add file attachments to a document after final approval, and a hidden Audit Information section.

• Report Enhancement for My Current User Assignments.

Please refer to the release notes for further details.

If you have any questions, please contact Ricky Fujioka at (808) 988-8346 or [email protected].

Financial Forecast Reports Now Available

The much anticipated Financial Forecast Reports are now available. Projects can now perform budget projections and view pending documents on the Financial Portal. Refer to the Financial Forecast Reports User Guide for more details.

We wish to acknowledge the assistance of the survey participants and review team who provided us with exceptional feedback during the development and production phases. We are grateful for their time and thoughtful comments.

Please contact Sumi Wong at [email protected] or (808) 956-4948 with any questions.

PHISHING ALERT

PIs, FAs, RCUH Employees and Project Staff:

It was just brought to our attention that a scam email may be circulating regarding an RCUH survey (e.g., employee satisfaction, improving technical support, etc.).  PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND to any such surveys as it is not legitimate and was not sent by RCUH. The perpetrators are trying to gain access to your credentials so please do not click any links.

Thank you.

RCUH Financial Portal Down: Wednesday, August 22, 4:00 pm until further notice

The RCUH Financial Portal will be shut down starting from Wednesday, August 22, 4:00 pm as a precautionary measure due to pending adverse weather conditions from Hurricane Lane.  We expect the Financial Portal to be back in operation on Monday, August 27, 4:00 am, but will provide an update if this changes.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.

Legal Professional Services Awards – Fiscal Year 2019 – Payroll and Taxes

Project Title To provide legal services related to payroll and taxes, to the RCUH Corporate Office.
Selected Consultant Vaughn G.T. Cook, Esq. (Torkildson Katz Moore Hetherington Harris & Knorek)
Contract Amount $10,000.00
Date of Award August 1, 2018
Consultants Considered (ranked candidates) John J. D’Amato (D’Amato & Maloney)
Appointing Officer Sylvia Yuen