You may want to do some research with the OIG or Federal Audit Clearing House.  While DHHS and ONR are the two major cognizant agencies they are by no means the only ones (DoED has many and there are several other agencies too).  If the majority of your funding has come from one agency then they could be considered your cognizant agency.  Have you talked to anyone at HRSA and asked them if they have recommendations on how to fill out their form based on your situation (the form may not really important since they are only going to pay the 8% anyway--having useless forms in a package wouldn't be a first).

Fran Stephens, CRA
Proposal Development Specialist

The University of Oklahoma
Proposal Services
731 Elm Ave., Robertson Hall Rm.214
Norman, OK  73019
Tel:  (405)325-3904
Fax:  (405) 325-7750
E-Mail:  xxxxxx@ou.edu
Proposal Services Homepage:  http://research.ou.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: Research Administration List [mailto:xxxxxx@hrinet.org] On Behalf Of PD Lipscomb
Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 2:06 PM
To: xxxxxx@hrinet.org
Subject: [RESADM-L] Post Award help with IDC rate agreements

For anyone with patience, I have an IDC question.

I am new to my institution, and we do not have a negotiated IDC rate with
HHS. I have been asked to certify our IDC rate with a simple form provided to
the project director for an ED grant that was awarded. They have received
the grant for the past several years, but this is the first time they have been
asked for this type of information.

For the past several years we have been using 17.5%, which we negotiated
with the National Park Service. This was before my time, so I don't know
if "negotiated" is the right word. However, they did use that same
rate "agreement" on a HRSA application that was recently funded ($818,000),
and it was accepted? So, since HRSA accepted the 17.5%, does that mean
HRSA can be considered a cognizant agency, or is it only HHS and ONR? If so,
can I now use the HRSA grant as my new "agreement" since they have
accepted the rate?

The HRSA award is capped at 8%, and the Dept. of Ed/Student Support
Services award is capped at 8% - so which response is most appropriate?

Should I just put no - since we don't have the agreement and the 8% will be
awarded anyway?

Or, should I put pending and request a provisional rate from HHS? The trouble
here is the certification form has to be returned by 10/1/07.

The verification form that I need to sign says:

1)      Do you have an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement approved by the Federal
government? __________Yes ____________ No

Since it doesn't say "cognizant agency", what would be appropriate?

2)      If yes, please provide the following information:

Period Covered by the Indirect Cost Rate Agreement:

From: ___________                To:______________

Approving Federal agency:        _________ED         ____________Other
(Please Specify)

Am I off track on this? What do you think?

Thanks so much for any input you might have!

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