To: Department Administrators and SOMBA Users
From: Jeffrey Eberly
Date: 3/14/05
Re: Fiscal Year 2006 Budget Cycle

It’s that time again.  On March 21st we will initiate the Fiscal Year 2006 budget cycle by releasing SOMBA, the School of Medicine Budget Application.  (Instructions for accessing SOMBA are found below.)

Accordingly, we ask that you submit (via SOMBA) a budget following the guidelines presented below, by May 2nd. 

OPERATING (FUND 11): The multi-year financial plan of the school that is reviewed annually with the University Board projects tight control of operating fund spending.  In order to stay within these projections, we ask that you budget no increase to your operating fund spending except that which was approved in the ’05 budget or any subsequent authorized increase.  If you believe that you have significant unmet needs that you feel are absolutely necessary to submit, a detailed justification must accompany your budget submission.  Also, the 10-year plan initiatives for FY06 have been implemented into each department budget (detail schedule outlines these adjustments which have been signed off on by each department).  The salary increase programs for the September 2004 and December 2004 have been applied to the budget.  You should not budget the salary increase program for FY06.  This is done centrally.

DISCRETIONARY (FUND 51), CLINICAL TRIALS (FUND 27) AND ENDOWMENT (FUND 48): Programs with significant activity (more than $25,000 of annual anticipated revenue or expense) must be budgeted.  You must also submit a budget for any fund that is currently in deficit and a detailed plan to eliminate the deficit.  There should be no deficit spending planned for ‘06.    Please ensure that that there is either a sufficient fund balance or new revenue to support planned spending.  The Budget Office based on the current endowment forecasts will add revenue for fund 48.

SERVICE CENTERS (FUND 17): All service centers should be budgeted to break even in ‘06.  Pricing structures may need to be re-examined, or decisions about viability made.

FGP (FUND 18): The FGP Office will develop and submit the budget in cooperation with the Departments.  They should be contacting you shortly.  Salary information must be known, in order to have the complete picture for your employee, but we will be taking the salary data for this fund directly from the FGP.

AFFILIATION (FUND 50): The Affiliation Office will develop and submit the budget in cooperation with the Departments.  Salary information must be known, in order to have the complete picture for your employee, but we will be taking the salary data for this fund directly from the Affiliation Office.

GRANTS (FUNDS 15, 26, 28): The Finance and Sponsored Program Administration offices will project the value of anticipated new grant awards as well as spending and revenue of grant accounts.  These projections will be reviewed with you in the meetings with the Budget Office prior to your budget hearings with the Dean.  Departments must budget salary supported by grants.  These should be available by the time of the initial department meeting.  This year we are requesting that the Departments do their own estimate of grant revenue and spending at the time of the initial meeting with the budget analyst.

FPO (FUND 13): No sheets are provided for Fund 13, though employees paid on Fund 13 are on your salary sheet.  They will default to their current payroll.  If you have other information, please update the salary.  If your Department is not involved in the Private Practices, do not be concerned about an update.   Budget will project OTPS based on the current year.

CAPITAL (FUND 55): Capital requests should include an indication of whether the item is replacement or new, and a justification for the purchase.  There are no SOMBA sheets for Fund 55, please provide a separate schedule to your analyst with this information by the submission date.

FRINGE BENEFIT RATES (subject to change)

• Operating – 30.92%
• Grants/Endowment/Discretionary – 33% - We will notify you as soon as we submit the fringe proposal to the federal government
• FGP – 25%
• Affiliation – 24.8%
• FPO – 31%

SOMBA is similar to last year.   Some enhancements have been made, and new reports have been added.    There is only one user per (Academic) Department or Administrative Unit in order to preserve data integrity.  Files must be downloaded, and then shared, if desired.   We cannot allow multiple users access to the same files on the Web.

To begin, go to the following web page: http://tools.med.nyu.edu/SOMBA/ You will need your Kerberos ID and email password.   Navigation within the application is the same as last year.  A user manual is also available on the web site and hard copy at training sessions.  When completed you should upload to the same web page.

If your sign on does not work, or if you have any other application issues, please address them with SOM-IT.

Training has been split out into two groups – new and old users.  We request that you attend these sessions if you are a new user, or want a refresher course, training has been set up at the following times in the Carlisle Computer Classroom – MSB 198(Library):

Friday, March 18th; 10:00 – 12:00pm (New Users of SOMBA)

Thursday, March 31st; 10:00 – 12:00pm (Old Users of SOMBA)

If you would like you can also schedule individualized training with your analyst.

Please call Natalie Webb at x32884 to sign up for a session.

The Finance Office will be contacting Departments to set up the Dean/Chair review meetings for late June through August.  (Guidelines for the Chairs’ programmatic review will be distributed.  In that memo, the Chair should address programmatic issues and need for expansion.) 

We will have prep meetings between you and the Budget Office, starting mid-May, and will call to set that up once we have your data QA’d and reported.

Don’t hesitate to call Doug Merkle, the Asst. Budget Director, at x33501, or me if you have any concerns x32910.

Thank you for your cooperation and assistance in advance in completing the packages in the required timeframe.