Re: F&A rates for field work Herbert B. Chermside 19 May 1999 15:35 EST
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 > > >====================================================================== > 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") >====================================================================== > Herbert B. Chermside, CRA Director, Sponsored Programs Administration Virginia Commonwealth University PO BOX 980568 Richmond, VA 23298-0568 Express Delivery Only: Sanger Hall, Rm. 1-073 11th & Marshall Streets Richmond, VA 23219 Voice: 804-828-6772 Fax 804-828-2521 OFFICE e-mail xxxxxx@VCU.EDU Personal e-mail xxxxxx@vcu.edu http://views.vcu.edu/views/ospa/ ====================================================================== 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") ======================================================================