RESOURCESStaff Resources

Molecular Foundry Procurement Overview

Staff are encouraged to use eBuy, our online catalog, for prompt and efficient purchasing. The eBuy training guide can be found here. If an item is not available on eBuy, the Berkeley Lab purchasing guide will indicate which buying method is most appropriate.

If an ePro requisition is needed, please complete the Foundry’s online purchase request form.

For any questions regarding the purchase request form or purchase requests < $10K, please contact Suksham Barun, 510.486.6716.

For service contracts, IUTs, or purchase requests > $10K, please contact David Hom, 510.486.4224.

The Foundry assists traveling staff with understanding and navigating Berkeley Lab travel policies and procedures. Please check Molecular Foundry’s Travel Overview before making any business travel plans.

All travel to conferences that are being paid on a DOE funded project require additional DOE approval. You can request DOE approval HERE.

All business travel (In-person or Virtual) with or without costs need to be submitted using the Foundry’s Conference Reporting and Travel Authorization Request Form. You will get a notification email from Suksham when it is approved.  Do not register or make any travel plans until you get the conference attendance approval email. After getting the conference attendance approval, Bianca Garcia (for domestic) and Suksham (domestic or international) will create the TA, reach out to you for any missing or additional information and book your preferred flights accordingly.

If you are planning to drive your personal vehicle or use any personal days during your business travel please check with us as we may have to calculate max. allowable airfare for the trip.

If you are new to the Lab, you will need to submit a request create a travel profile. To receive travel reimbursements, follow these instructions to set up direct deposit.

Complete the Travel Expense Report Form and upload all the receipts needed to process the reimbursements.

For more information, contact Suksham Barun, 510.486.6716

Anything purchased on Berkeley Lab funding is owned by Berkeley Lab on behalf of the Department of Energy. It is the responsibility of the custodian for LBNL property to ensure it is accounted for and maintained. Berkeley Lab applies unique barcode tags to Equipment items costing $10K or more (Controlled) and items that are Attractive by definition, highly portable, easily converted to personal use and more susceptible to theft than other property regardless of cost.  

The Molecular Foundry Property Management team ensures effective and efficient management of government assets within the division. Before moving, modifying, or retiring property, please contact them.

For more information, contact the Division Property Representative David Hom, 510.486.4224 and the Division Propery Coordinator Perry Lao, 510.495.2702

The finance team is a dynamic and flexible group whose time and attention may shift depending on time of year and activities of the Division. In order to get you the best support, please start all requests (Pre- or Post- Award) with this Finance Team Request Form.  

Finance Facility Training Slides

Pre-Award Guidelines

Please see the high-level guidelines below. A more detailed document can be found here along with a slidedeck here. Please note, these links are LDAP protected, you must be signed into your Berkeley Lab account to view.

PIs must complete the Finance Team Request Form as soon as they decide to participate in a proposal submission and provide the Funding Opportunity Announcement so that the RA can begin review of the guidelines and required documents. Internal deadlines vary by funding sponsor with non-DOE proposals needing longer lead times. These are laid out in the form.

The minimum requirements for all SPP proposals include:

• Uniqueness Statement (RA will provide template)
• Public Statement of Work (RA will provide template)
• Financial Disclosure form (RA will provide correct Disclosure form to complete and sign)
• Budget
• Budget Justification
• Scope of Work (if submitting a subcontract RA will provide template)

All LBNL employees (including GSRAs) must enter their own time into LETS (Lab Employee Time System) and release it for approval prior to the sweep date for the employee type.

Instructions on how to enter your time into LETS can be found here.
Instructions on approving employees’ time in LETS can be found here.

Bi-weekly paid employee time cards are swept on each Monday at 10am.  If a new month begins mid-week, there will also be an additional sweep on the 1st of the month for the last few days of the prior month.

Monthly paid employee time cards are swept a few days prior to the end of the month at 10am.  This date is not consistent from month to month based on what day the end of the month falls on and where it is in relation to the weekend.

For more information, contact David Hom, 510.486.4224 

Please contact Carleton Falzone, 510.486.7679, with any questions or concerns about:

• Ergonomics
• Furniture
• Waste Handling and Management
• Building Management
• Sample Shipping
• Bringing equipment to the Foundry/New equipment inspections 

Annual Performance Review

Berkeley Lab’s annual Performance and Career Management Process (PMP) provides a valuable opportunity for staff to talk with their supervisor about their goals and how they relate to the Foundry’s broader Division goals, and to reflect on their performance and development.

To help facilitate this discussion and to provide guidance through the process, the Foundry’s Division Staff Committee (DSC), which is made up of the FDs, has developed the following document to assist Foundry staff.

Additionally, this document contains a list of components and activities that generally contribute to being successful at the Foundry.

The Foundry’s Career Development Committee generated this list of questions to remind you of career development accomplishments and potential development needs when completing your PMP self-assessment, and also created a planning guide/template to help you keep track of accomplishments throughout the year.

Finally, Berkeley Lab’s IDEA office has a list of sample IDEA Goals and Accomplishments that may be helpful as well.

If you have HR related questions, such as questions about drafting and delivering performance reviews, contact Debbie Tan, HR Division Partner, 510.486.6492

We all have times when we need to put family responsibilities first. If you need to take time off from work to care for a family member who needs your help—or because of a serious health condition of your own—then you may be eligible to take a period of leave per Berkeley Lab policy or collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for represented employees. This leave can provide a respite from work obligations so you can focus on what you and your family need. The Molecular Foundry encourages and assists all members of its workforce to take full advantage of Berkeley Lab policies or CBAs that accommodate extended absences from work, including family and parental leave.

The Molecular Foundry has also developed a set of internal procedures and practices that apply to our staff to ensure employees are made aware of their rights, to ease the transition into and back from family and medical leave, and to adjust performance goals and responsibilities to accommodate staff needs during these challenging times.

The Energy Sciences Area has developed this guide which lays out best practices for minimizing bias in hiring and helping to recruit top talent to the Energy Sciences Area, consistent with recommendations from Human Resources: Talent and Acquisition. This document also aims to outline practices that, when implemented, have been shown to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in hiring. The guide should be the basis for any recruited career or career-track position, including scientific staff and operations staff. Additional information about LBNL-level hiring processes can be found here.