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Award Management

Direct vs. Facilities and Administrative (Indirect Cost)

Direct costs

Direct costs are those costs that can be identified specifically with a particular sponsored project, an instructional activity, or any other institutional activity, or that can be directly assigned to such activities relatively easily with a high degree of accuracy.

Indirect costs

Indirect costs represent the expenses of doing business that are not readily identified with a particular grant, contract, project function or activity, but are necessary for the general operation of the organization and the conduct of activities it performs.

F&A costs are the “indirect” costs associated with running a sponsored project. Indirect cost rates are used to distribute those costs to benefiting revenue sources.

  • ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ Indirect cost rate: 32.6%; some sponsors require lower or sometimes no indirect cost, all of which will be in your Notice of Award documents.
  • Indirect costs can only be generated by spending.
  • Indirect costs are allocated quarterly to the University (50%), ORSPA (25%), Principle Investigator (10%), College (7.5%), Department (7.5%).

Award Spending

The proper administration of an award, including award spending, is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator (PI) and department. It is important the PIs and departments understand the terms and conditions of the award to fulfill the requirements outlined by the awarding agency.

PIs are responsible for oversight of financial, scientific and compliance aspects of the award. PIs and departments exercise budgetary control and ensure that expenditures incurred are within the authorized budget and period and that only those costs that are allowable, allocable and reasonable are charged.

Sufficient records to support sponsored project transactions must be maintained, available for audit, and demonstrate compliance with contract terms, LU policy, accounting guidance, and federal regulations.

How to Spend

  • Salaries and Wages—EPAFs via Self Service Banner (Include hyperlink to EPAF training)
  • Travel—Chrome River
  • Other (M&O) costs—Cardinal Purch
  • Other ways to spend include paper Request to Pays found on the Procurement Services website

Effort Reporting

The effort certification process at ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ means of providing assurance to sponsors those salaries charged to sponsored projects are reasonable, in relation to the work performed and that faculty and staff have met the effort committed to a project.

An effort report is required for any employee whose salary, or any portion of salary, is charged to a federally sponsored award, including federal flow-through funds, and for any employees with a cost-charging commitment associated with a federal or federal flow-through award. If an effort was committed on a sponsored project charged to a federal or federal flow-through project, the report must be certified.

Effort reporting occurs Quarterly at the beginning of each quarter. Post Award officials will contact each PI at the beginning of the quarter informing them that the effort reporting period has begun.

Allowable/Unallowable Costs

Please see below table for lists of allowable/unallowable cost:

A

Advertising
Only for the recruitment of personnel required for the project

Air Conditioning
Allowable as Indirect

Alcoholic beverages
Unallowable

Alterations, non-construction
Must be budgeted or approved

Animals
Generally allowable

B

Bad debts
Unallowable

Bonding
Generally allowable

Bonus payments
Allowable if part of compensation

Books
Generally allowable

Business meals and meeting costs
Only when specifically permitted by the Sponsored Agreement

C

Civil defense
Allowable as indirect cost

Commencement and convocation
Unallowable

Communication costs
Generally allowable

Computer costs
Allowable if essential to the performance of the work and will be used solely for such project

Conferences
Only when specifically permitted by the Sponsored Agreement

Construction
Unallowable unless authorized by awarding agency

Consultant services
Allowable, some agencies require approval. All Texas State employees must be approved in advance or listed in the approved budget

Contingent reserves
Unallowable except self

Contributions
Unallowable

Custom and import duty
Generally allowable

D

Depreciation
Indirect costs only

Donors
Generally allowable

Drugs
Generally allowable

Dues
Generally allowable

E

Entertainment
Unallowable unless specifically approved

Equipment: general purpose (desks, file cabinets, fax machines)
Usually must be budgeted or approved in advance

Equipment: Scientific
Allowable when necessary and will be used primarily, or exclusively for the project(s) to which the costs will be charged

Equipment maintenance and repair
Generally allowable as noted above

Equipment rental
Generally allowable as noted above

F

Fines and penalties
Unallowable

Fringe benefits
Generally allowable

Fundraising costs
Unallowable

G

Goods or services for personal use
Unallowable

H

Human subjects
Generally allowable

I

Insurance
Only allowed to the extent required or approved

Interest
Usually allowable. Can be allowed if total cost of purchase including interest does not exceed the cost of rental

Investment management costs
Unallowable

L

Labor relations
Should be charged as indirect costs

Legal costs
Generally allowable

Library costs
Indirect costs

Licenses and permits Losses
Unallowable

M

Maintenance
Generally allowable

Materials
Generally allowable

Meals
Allowable for subjects and participants or employees on trips

Memberships
Business, technical and professional organizations only if specifically approved

Moving costs
Generally allowable

N

News releases
Allowable with approval

O

Overtime
Allowable, with institutional approval

P

Patient costs
Generally allowable

Plant security costs
Indirect Cost

Periodicals
Unallowable unless approved by the funding agency or essential to the daily conduct of the project and not readily available from other sources (such as the library)

Postage: Routine postage
Unallowable except where a project requires specifically identifiable large mailings or the like

Postage: Special mailing or delivery costs
Allowable when necessary for the success or completion of project

Pre-award Costs
Unallowable, except for grants under Federal Demonstration Project grants and cooperative agreements from certain federal agencies with institutional approval

Promotional items and memorabilia, including models, gifts and souvenirs
Unallowable unless specifically requested and approved in proposal

p

Proposal costs
Unallowable as a direct expense

Publication costs
Unallowable unless approved by the funding agency or essential to the daily conduct of the project and not readily available from other sources (such as the library)

R

Registration fees
Generally allowable

Rearrangement costs, refreshments
Not allowable unless specifically approved by contracting officer

Recruiting costs
Generally allowable

Relocation costs
Generally allowable

Rental/lease of facilities or Equipment
Generally allowable

Renovation costs
Allowable if approved by agency

Repairs
Generally allowable

Royalty costs
Generally allowable

S

Salaries and wages: Faculty/Technical
Costs of personnel are allowable on research agreements to the extent supported by actual effort performed on the project and approved in the award budget. An individual's base salary must be used to compute the cost charged to a sponsored agreement

Salaries and wages: Administrative and Clerical
Generally recovered through indirect costs; therefore, they are usually unallowable as direct costs on federal agreements

Scholarships and student aid
Allowable costs for training grants only

Service charges
Generally allowable

Specialized service center costs
Generally allowable

Student activity costs
Unallowable

Subject costs
Generally allowable

Supplies: Project Supplies
Allowable if identified as being exclusively for the support of a sponsored agreement. Chemicals, laboratory supplies, pens, pencils, folders, notebooks and the like

Supplies: Office Supplies
Unallowable if items commonly found in any office such as wall clocks, calendars, waste cans, letterhead, staples, etc. that would likely be used for other purposes except in specific circumstances

T

Taxes
Generally allowable

Telephone: Local
Generally unallowable as direct cost

Telephone: Long Distance
Allowable when specifically identified with an individual project

Transportation costs
Generally allowable

Travel costs
Allowable within the approved budget limits and university policy. Foreign travel requires program approval

Examples of Unallowable Costs

Coffee Mugs for Administrative Staff; Bus Chartered for Administrative Staff; Reunion for Former Participants; Selling and Marketing; T-shirts; Engraved key chains; Texas State banners (unless specifically requested and approved in proposal)

Note

Unallowable costs are costs that cannot be paid by a sponsored program. Such costs may be expressly prohibited by Uniform Guidance 2CFR 200. Charging an unallowable expense to a sponsored award is prohibited, i.e., at no time should unallowable costs be charged to the sponsored project.

However, if an error does occur and unallowable cost is identified, the following process should be followed:

  • Post Award will notify the PI/Department of the unallowable cost that should be moved to a department-specific account or the PI/Department/College Designated Returned Indirect Cost Account.

If PI/Department is non-responsive to the request, ORSPA has the authority to move unallowable costs to the PI/Department/College Designated Returned Indirect Cost Account.