Comments  interspersed:

At 10:58 AM 5/19/99 -0500, you wrote:
>Friends,
>
>I need to make a decision on appropriate F&A rates for a proposal given the
>following scenario, and I would appreciate your feedback:
>A researcher (plant systematics) is proposing a project (2 years) in which
>he will spend a considerable amount of time (aggregate 5 months in periods
>as long as 2 months and as short as 2 days) in the field collecting
>specimens and data.  These specimens and data are brought back to campus and
>worked with in the laboratory.
>What is the appropriate F&A rate to charge for the field expenses?  Should
>it be the on-campus rate (since the work is based on campus and the trip
>planning and analyses are done on campus), or should it be the off-campus
>rate?

This work is ON CAMPUS.  Off campus does not use institutional facilities,
whereas your researcher is only "out there" because his lab has no walls.
Incidentally, our rate agrement has "off campus" defined as both in spaces
not owned by the U AND rent is paid for the spaces used.  Check if that is
in yours.

>
>If the off-campus rate is deemed appropriate, how does this differ from the
>situation where a researcher travels to a meeting for a week, and presents a
>paper on their research?  Would this activity also fall under the off-campus
>rate?

NO -- see above

>
>I understand that under the federal guidance, we must properly apportion
>rates between on and off campus activities, even within a single project,
>but I am not certain where to draw the line.

AGAIN, refer to your rate negotiation.  in ours, we must make it all off
campus or all on campus, depending on where the majority of the work is
done.  (At a previous insititution, we apportioned IF the split was between
20% and 80%.)  The question is, how to measure proportion.  It is
unspecified in our rate agreement; I have always used % of total salaries
budgeted (remember, decision is made no later than award time, and you
can't go back!)

Good Luck!!

Chuck

I am interested in any
>references to a regulation pertaining to this issue, institutional policies
>that you may have developed, or opinions that you may wish to convey.
>
>Thank you for any and all responses.
>
>
>Michael J. Warnock, Director
>Sponsored Program Administration
>University of Missouri - Columbia
>310 Jesse Hall
>Columbia, MO  65211
>ph. 573-882-4329       fax 573-884-4078
>
>
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Virginia Commonwealth University
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