User Profile Service Account AD Access

This is all the AD guy's need to do to grant the account access to AD to sync.

Use this procedure to grant Replicate Directory Changes permission on a domain to an account.

The Replicate Directory Changes permission enables the synchronization account to read AD DS objects and to discover AD DS objects that have been changed in the domain. The Grant Replicate Directory Changes permission does not enable an account to create, modify or delete AD DS objects.

To grant Replicate Directory Changes permission on a domain

1. On the domain controller, click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Users and Computers.
2. In Active Directory Users and Computers, right-click the domain, and then click Delegate Control.
3. On the first page of the Delegation of Control Wizard, click Next.
4. On the Users or Groups page, click Add.
5. Type the name of the synchronization account, and then click OK.
6. Click Next.
7. On the Tasks to Delegate page, select Create a custom task to delegate, and then click Next.
8. On the Active Directory Object Type page, select This folder, existing objects in this folder, and creation of new objects in this folder, and then click Next.
9. On the Permissions page, in the Permissions box, select Replicating Directory Changes (select Replicate Directory Changes on Windows Server 2003), and then click Next.
10. Click Finish.

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh296982(v=office.14).aspx#RDCdomain