Diane,
At Duke, the type of fund that the money is deposited into determines the
expenses that are allowed.  Most of our fixed-fee receipts have no strings
attached.  If the individual receiving the fees has their own discretionary
account to deposit the funds into, this new money follows the same rules as
all other money in that account.  So, if the owner of the account wants to
spend the money on a pizza party, so be it.  I guess everyone needs to
reach their own understanding about this.
Sue

>First let me thank all of you who have given me help in the past with your
>responses. Here is my newest dilemna.
>
>We are involved in several fixed-fee arrangements with universities or
>private organizations in which we receive a fixed amount of money per
>patient enrolled in a clinical trial or per form completed for patients
>enrolled in a trial.  The university or private organization receives
>their original award for these trials from a federal agency, usually an
>institute within the National Institutes of Health.  While these dollars
>appear (based on contract language) to be free of federal regulatory
>restrictions, we struggle with the need for to maintain consistency
>between these types of projects and federally-funded projects.  For
>example, we wouldn't allow an investigator with federal funding to charge
>to the project an expense that was not necessary for the performance of
>the award (e.g., a staff pizza party).  Should we be more flexible with
>ivestigator's who do not have these restrictions dictated by federal
>regulation.  If the investigator on a non-federal fixed-fee contract !
> wants to throw a quarterly pizza party for the staff on the project,
>should we allow him to charge it to the contract?  What are others doing?
>
>Thanks in advance for your advice.
>
>Diane Austin, CRA
>Mgr., Research Review/Reg. Affairs
>Marshfield Clinic
>Division of Research
>1000 N. Oak Avenue
>Marshfield, WI 54449
>Phone:  715-387-9134
>Fax:  715-389-3131
>Email:  xxxxxx@mfldclin.edu