Given the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation and to safeguard against the spread of the coronavirus, RCUH is postponing its April 7, 2020 forum. Because of its importance, the topic of Foreign Intrusion into Academic Research and Training will continue to be the focus of the forum when it is rescheduled. Thank you for your understanding of the action we are taking.

When questions regarding travel arise as the COVID-19 situation plays out, Principal Investigators (PIs) with grant-funded or extramurally-funded travel should check with their sponsoring agency program/contracts officer and follow the directives issued by the agency.  PIs should also consult the following for additional information:

• State Department’s Travel Advisories website for guidance about foreign travel;
• the University of Hawai‘i for UH-sponsored travel by employees and students; and/or
• the state agency/private organization to which they belong.

Join us for the 2020 RCUH Annual Forum: Foreign Intrusion into Academic Research & Training. Learn about undue foreign influences and what universities are doing to protect their technology, talent, and intellectual property.  This annual forum is recommended for faculty engaged in research and/or training with foreign colleagues/students.

Creating a purchase order just got easier when using SuperQUOTE™’s RCUH account!

In the RCUH Financial Portal, the Purchase Requisition (PO) form has been updated with the ability to automatically import SuperQUOTE™ award information into the PO. You no longer need to manually enter the award information. These release notes will guide you through the process.

Should you have any questions, please contact RCUH Procurement at [email protected].

The Hawai‘i State Ethics Commission will be offering three ethics training classes in March on Hawai‘i Island, O‘ahu, and Kaua‘i. The classes are open to all state employees and online registration is now open. See details below:

HAWAI‘I ISLAND
Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Location: UH Hilo, UCB 100
Address: 200 W Kawili Street, Hilo, HI 96720
Click here to register

O‘AHU
Date: Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Location: Mission Memorial Auditorium (food/drinks prohibited)
Address: 550 S King Street, Honolulu, HI 96813
Click here to register

KAUA‘I
Date: Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Location: Pu‘uhonua Kaulike Building, Courthouse Multipurpose Room
Address: 3970 Ka‘ana Street, Lihue, HI 96766
Click here to register

Questions? Please contact the Hawai‘i State Ethics Commission at (808) 587-0460 or [email protected].

If you’re unable to attend these sessions, RCUH also offers the online course “Hawaii State Ethics Code” in the RCUH Training Portal. Click here to register for an account, or click here to sign in.

Yesterday, February 06, 2020, we encountered a system error which affected our check printing and end of business day processing.   The issue has been resolved and the Financial Portal is back in operation.  Online purchasing and payment transactions can now be approved.

We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and thank you for your understanding.

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Yesterday, February 6, 2020, we encountered a system error in the afternoon and consequently checks could not be printed.   We are working to resolve the issue, and we will post a message when the RCUH Financial Portal is back in operation.  Until the problem is resolved, purchasing and payment transactions cannot be approved at this time.  We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience. Thank you.

RCUH recently added 17 new courses and updated 13 current courses in the RCUH Training Portal. Click here to view a complete list of courses.

RCUH also updated the Course Library giving learners the ability to search for courses by topic. Courses have been categorized into the following topics:

• *RCUH Courses
• Communication & Social Skills
• Conflict Management
• Customer Service
• Cybersecurity, Privacy, & Social Media
• Decision Making
• Diversity & Inclusion
• Health, Safety, & Well-being
• Leadership & Management
• Motivating Employees
• Office Applications
• Organizational Culture
• Personal Development
• Strategic Planning & Project Management
• Time Management
• Training Employees
• Work Teams

Learners can find these topics by clicking on “Course Library” and clicking on the desired topic in the white sidebar under “Topics” (below the Filters and Languages dropdowns).

If you don’t have access to the RCUH Training Portal, please complete this online form to register for an account. You may also email [email protected] if you have any questions.

Obtaining competitive quotations is always a good business practice and under certain circumstances it may be required for an RCUH purchase (refer to Policy 2.103). RCUH has access to SuperQUOTE™, an electronic solicitation solution for obtaining quotations, proposals, information, and competitive sealed bids.

If you’d like to learn more about SuperQUOTE™ or need a refresher, CommercePoint is offering training at UH Mānoa’s Financial Management Office Training Room, 1406 Lower Campus Road, Building 171, Room 59 on:

• Tuesday, February 4, 2020, 10-11 a.m.
• Tuesday, March 3, 2020, 10-11 a.m.

You only need to attend one (1) session. Classes are limited to 25 attendees and you must register to attend.

You’ll learn about the SuperQUOTE™ buying process and how to create a new request; create a sealed bid request; award, cancel, or copy a request; write an effective request; and qualify your vendors.

To sign up for an RCUH Buyer account, click here for instructions.

Questions about the training can be directed to CommercePoint at [email protected].

Questions about the use of SuperQUOTE™ in RCUH procurement may be directed to Erin Yoda, Procurement and Disbursing Manager, at (808) 956-3969 or [email protected].

The following policy and attachments relating to vendor records have been updated:

• Policy 2.301 Vendor Records
  Updated to include more details regarding the information displayed and stored for an RCUH vendor record (see policy Section VI).

• RCUH Vendor Record Frequently Asked Questions – NEW!
  List of commonly asked questions about RCUH vendor records.

• Attachment 50 Foreign Vendor Registration Form
  Updated to a new format which includes new vendor name and address fields.

• Attachment 60 Statement by a Foreign Vendor for a Foreign Source Income Payment
  Updated to include U.S. Territory in the address field.

• Sample Letter Requesting Vendor Form
  Updated to a form fillable PDF format and includes an explanation of the Attachment 60 (if applicable to the vendor).

Questions may be directed to Charlene Gibo at 808-956-3208 or [email protected].

Here are two important updates that took effect on January 1, 2020.

• UH WH-1 Form – The University of Hawaii Statement of Citizenship and Federal Tax Status form has been updated for 2020. The new form may be found in the RCUH Procurement and Disbursing Document Library. Previous versions of the UH WH-1 Form will no longer be valid.
• Standard mileage rates – The Internal Revenue Service has updated the standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile (includes cars, vans, pickups, and panel trucks) for business or charitable purposes. The 2020 rates are as follows:
  

  $0.575	per mile driven for business purposes, decreased from $0.58 in 2019
  $0.14	per mile driven in service of charitable organizations (rate for volunteers)

  The standard mileage rate for business miles is based on an annual study of the fixed and variable costs of operating an automobile. The charitable mileage rate is set by statute. See IR-2019-215, December 31, 2019.

  Attachment 12, Current RCUH Travel Rates, has been updated with the mileage rate changes. UH employees may refer to www.hawaii.edu/etravel/rates.html.