Re: Time and Effort Policy Lori Johnson 14 Jun 2007 13:07 EST
Hi Kim, We are investigating the same issues when it comes to a tolerance threshold. We currently use a 10% variance as our academic period is 9 month and the circular says a fluctuation of 1 to 2 months is allowable. 1/9 equals 11 %, so we went with the 10% variance. I am very interested in what other institutions are allowing! We ask the faculty member to certify actual effort, then compare that to actual payroll. If it is within the 10% variance for the entire time period, we leave it alone. Our internal audit teams is asking us to consider the academic period as one semester and cut the tolerance to 5%. Any ideas from anyone on that? We don't (at this time) have a policy on how much effort can be charged. We have some research faculty at 100% effort on sponsored projects. We apply our T & E policy to federal and non-federal sponsored projects alike. We do allow re-certification, but only with permission and documentation of extenuating circumstances or error. Hope this helps. Lori Johnson Kim Dunbrook-Babbie wrote: >I have the following policy questions related to time and effort. > >1. OMB Circular A-21 allows for a degree of tolerance for allocation of >costs and effort > > a. What tolerance thresholds does your Institution use for time and >effort? I have seen many that use 5%. > > b. How is the tolerance threshold trained to staff? For example if >a time end effort report lists the PI effort at 25% and the PI believes >their effort is 25-30% would you have the PI change the effort listed or >leave it unchanged as it is within a 5% tolerance? > > c. If a time and effort report for a research tech or a PI has >payroll at 100% charged to a grant but the research tech/PI knows that >their effort for the time period was only 97% to the grant and 3% was >administrative time is it your policy to correct the payroll charged to >97% or is the 3% variance within the threshold and therefore no >correction is made? > > >2. Do you have a policy regarding the maximum amount of effort that can >be charged to a sponsored project for faculty members or any group of >employees? > >3. Does your effort reporting apply to both Federal, (including federal >pass through) and non-federal sponsored projects or only Federal? > >4. Under what circumstances do you allow changes to be made to the >certification of effort form after it has been certified? > >Thank you for your help > >Kim Babbie >(518) 262-5496 > > >----------------------------------------- >CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This email and any attachments may contain >confidential information that is protected by law and is for the >sole use of the individuals or entities to which it is addressed. >If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender by >replying to this email and destroying all copies of the >communication and attachments. Further use, disclosure, copying, >distribution of, or reliance upon the contents of this email and >attachments is strictly prohibited. To contact Albany Medical >Center, or for a copy of our privacy practices, please visit us on >the Internet at www.amc.edu. > > >====================================================================== > Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including > subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available > via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists") >====================================================================== > > -- Lori Johnson Fiscal Officer Grants & Contracts Accounting Campus Box 8219 Idaho State University 282-3899 ====================================================================== Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists") ======================================================================