United States Department of Agriculture
Research, Education and Economics

ARS * CSREES * ERS * NASS

Bulletin

CUTOFF DATES

September 7, 2001

• At the end of August business, NFC Payroll will de-obligate all CAPS open obligations. ARS locations should review the August CAPS listing and should submit a Period End Estimate (PEE) for the open document(s) as of September 30, 2001. NFC-RS #4 will enter the open documents in FFIS in FY 2002 as a hard obligation.

September 10, 2001

• This is the last day NFC RS No. 4 to receive and process obligating documents as FY 2001 business. These obligating documents, which are processed through the Miscellaneous Payments System (MISC), include research support agreements (RSA's), outgoing interagency agreements, specific agreements, contracts, grants, etc.
  
  
• Last day to enter Letter of Credit Authorizations in the HHS PMS system. Authorizations occurring after this date should be held in the originating office and entered in PMS after October 1, 2001, and in CAS as a Period End Estimate. The authorizing documents should not be sent to NFC RS#4 between September 11, 2001 and October 1, 2001.

September 14 , 2001

• Invoices chargeable to FY 1996 should be forwarded to NFC to ensure that they will be received and scheduled for payment by 4 p.m. (CDT). Public Law 101- 510 states that payments for FY 1996 must be cleared and released by Treasury before the close of FY 2001. Any invoices not received in time to clear Treasury will be processed as FY 2002 business and charged to FY 2002 funds in accordance with Public Law 101-510.
  
  
• This is the last day NFC RS No. 4 to receive and process disbursing documents as FY 2001 business. These disbursing documents, include both payments and previously obligated transactions and also those transactions that are obligated and paid simultaneously, i.e. honorariums, tort claims, etc.
  
  
• This is the last day to submit MASC updates to FMD-FFISOB for automatic inclusion in FFIS application. Any new FY 2001 codes added after this date must be added manually into MASC and the FFIS tables in the FFIS production and conversion databases..

September 17, 2001

• This is the last day for RS No. 4 to receive written inquiries to request corrections/adjustments, etc.
  
  
• Budget and Fiscal Office personnel should enter zero dollar FFIS Allocation documents for all FY 2002 accounting codes. The documents should be edited and held until beginning of business on October 1, 2001.

September 21, 2001

• This is the last day for NFC to receive and process updates or corrections to Stored Master files via Forms AD-474 (Telephone/Utilities), AD-643 (Motor Pool), AD-633 (FEDSTRIP) or AD-955 (Federal Telephone System Payments).
  
  
• This is the last day to receive hard copy obligating documents for all administrative processing systems, i.e., travel vouchers, purchase orders, blanket purchase agreements (BPA's), etc., processed directly by NFC.
  
  
• This is the last day for MISC vouchers that are prepared in the field in order to process corrections/adjustments to be received at NFC.
  
  NOTE:    Hard copy documents received by this date by NFC will be scheduled as September's business.

September 24, 2001

• This is the last day to enter online or electronically transmit to NFC TRVL documents to ensure inclusion in FY 2001 activity.
  
  
• This is the last day to electronically transmit PC-AMPS documents to ensure inclusion in FY 2001 activity. NOTE: The MISC feeder system will reject all transmissions after today.
  
  
• All unliquidated obligations on 601 and 608 accounting codes will be deobligated as of COB today, September, 24, 2001, for all contracts and agreements obligated by MISCPAY,.
  
  NOTE:    Any open FY 1996 documents in PRCH, FEDS and CAPS will be deobligated as of COB today.

September 25, 2001

• The final run of NFC's Disbursing System (DISB) is executed to disburse all FY 2001 payments remaining in CAS. No further payments will be processed by NFC until each feeder (TRAV, PRCH, UVTN, TELE, etc.) is certified for conversion to FFIS on or before October 12, 2001.

September 26, 2001

• The hard copy Financial Plan documents (SF-1151 - Nonexpenditure Transfer Authorization, SF-132 - Apportionment and Reapportionment Schedule, AD- 703 - Operating Plan, AD-704 - Allotment Advice, and AD-705 - Advice of Allocation of Funds) should be sent in time to reach NFC by 4 p.m. (CDT) on this date.
  
  
• This is the last day to reconcile PCMS transactions for FY 2001. ARS cardholders must not reconcile PCMS transactions until 10/5/01.
  
  
• TRVL documents will be put on hold in the feeder until TRVL is converted.

September 27, 2001

• Any new MISC transactions prepared and submitted will be rejected by NFC starting today.

September 28, 2001

• This is the last day to enter online accounting codes for FY 2001 into NFC's Management Accounting Structure Code (MASC) File. Transmissions must be received at NFC by 5 p.m. (CDT). On September 28, the table used for processing FY 2001 accounting codes (AD-729C) will be frozen.

October 1, 2001

• This is the last day to electronically transmit ARS-437 (Financial Plan) documents to ensure processing for FY 2001. Corrections to PLAN documents must be done on-line by 5 p.m. CDT on October 2, 2001.
  
  
• Budget and Fiscal Office personnel should release held FFIS Allotment Documents (BL) for FY 2002 business.

October 2, 2001

• Period End Estimates must be received by 5 PM CDT for inclusion in FY 2001 preliminary reports. ARS recommends that all PEE documents be prepared after the preliminary reports have been reviewed.
  
  
• All adjustments or updates to the PRCH online system at NFC must be completed by 5 p.m. (CDT) on October 2, to be included in the final September reports for FY 2001.
  
  Please note: Access to the PRCH online system beginning on October 3 will be solely for the entry of FY 2002 business.
  
  Reporting Section No. 4 will NOT prepare ANY period end estimates, as done in past years, for unpaid training documents. Accounting personnel must include all unposted items in LOTS as estimates.
  
  
• All adjustments or updates to PLAN (including financial plans and allocations) and PMIS online systems at NFC must be competed by 5 p.m. (CDT) on October 2, 2001.
  
  Please note: PLAN access will be terminated for ARS users as of this date.
  

October 4, 2001

• PCMS profile accounting codes will be rolled to FY 2002 accounting codes.

October 5, 2001

• PCMS cardholders will resume reconciling transactions.
  
  
• Preliminary CAS reports will be available for viewing or downloading via CADI.

October 6, 2001

• Resume electronic transmissions for FY 2002.

October 9, 2001

• Preliminary reports will be mailed to reach agencies not later than October 9.

October 17, 2001

• Final period-end estimates for the final Budget Cost reports must be at NFC by 5 p.m. CDT.
  
  IMPORTANT: CAS will not produce estimates for FY 2001. It will be the responsibility of the ARS location to prepare year end estimates for PACS, TELE, UVTN, MPOL, and FTSP.
  
  PLEASE NOTE: Suspended items from October 17 (and earlier) transmissions will be corrected and included in the final reports. To ensure that all data is included in
  the final September reports, you are encouraged to transmit before October 17.
  ************************************************************* ****************
  

October 23, 2001

• Final reports will be mailed to reach the agencies by October 23.
  

S. M. HELMRICH
Director
Financial Management Division