I wouldn't recommend it. Using the federal per diem rates would pass the reasonability test, but if your institution (as my former employer did) has different rates from the federal ones, to be consistent with other work done there, you should use  your institutional rates.

Michael Spires
Proposal Development Specialist
Office of Sponsored Projects
Smithsonian Institution
Mail: MRC 1205, P. O. Box 37012
Washington, DC 20013-7012
Voice: (202) 633-7436
Mobile: (202) 251-4317
Main office: (202) 633-7110
Fax: (202) 633-7119
http://prism.si.edu/osp/FundingSources/ProposalDevelopment/PropDev.html

-----Original Message-----
From: Research Administration List [mailto:xxxxxx@lists.healthresearch.org] On Behalf Of Arlene Heredia
Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2013 16:53
To: xxxxxx@lists.healthresearch.org
Subject: Re: [RESADM-L] Use of federal per diems for travel reimbursement

How about an institution with policies establishing LOWER per diem rates than federal?  Would it be ok to write it up in a proposal as "federally approved per diem rates will be used" (or something to that effect)?

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