Dear Procurement Users,

BFS has received recent faculty escalations regarding Principal Investigator (PI) approvals in Oracle Procurement Requisitions (RSSP). To better understand the campus impact, we are requesting feedback from departments on how the process has been working.

Background
When PI approvals for requisitions in RSSP were first discussed, two options were presented to department representatives, including CFAOs, Financial Managers, and faculty/PI representatives.

• Option 1 – Require PI approval for all requisitions, regardless of dollar amount. This received both strong support and strong opposition.
• Option 2 (adopted) – PIs are not automatically included in the workflow for all requisitions. Instead, they are only included when requisitions are over $10,000. For requisitions below this threshold, departmental transactors may add PIs as approvers when needed.

Because RSSP requires a single approach for all users, UCR adopted Option 2, which met policy requirements while allowing departmental flexibility [see current process announcement here]. Recent escalations suggest this approach may need to be re-evaluated

How to provide feedback
Please route feedback through your Financial Manager, who will share it with your organization’s CFAO. CFAOs will then consolidate input and provide it to BFS leadership, ensuring consistent, campuswide perspectives.

BFS will coordinate a meeting after Friday, September 19, so we encourage you to work with your departmental team and share feedback ahead of that deadline.

Next steps
While Oracle markets RSSP as an “upgrade,” we recognize there are trade-offs compared to the classic version. Because RSSP requires a single, consistent approach across all units, our campus must decide on one path forward. Feedback will be reviewed with CFAOs before a final determination is made, and we are hopeful that Oracle’s future enhancements will help address some of the current limitations.

Thank you for your partnership as we work toward a consistent approach for PI approvals.

Sincerely,