When the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) rolled out its major federal grants reforms a couple years ago, it sought to consolidate and harmonize multiple sets of diverse administrative and cost requirements applicable to different kinds of performers. In particular, policymakers wanted to balance recognition of legitimate recipient and subrecipient indirect costs while limiting the workload necessary to arrive at negotiated rates.
However, when it came to general purpose local governments (like cities and counties) and special purpose ones (like school districts and regional organizations), lots of troublesome issues remain. Many revolve around the fact that, unless a governmental unit receives more than $35 million in federal awards annually, it need not submit an indirect cost rate proposal to a federal cognizant agency unless instructed to do so.
Most federal cognizant agencies aren’t looking to do more indirect cost-related work, so local governments are left with no one to review their plans. Meanwhile, lots of pass-through entities have taken the problematic and incorrect position that they won’t honor a rate unless it’s federally negotiated. Still other pass-through entities have tried to force their subrecipients to accept the so-called de minimis indirect cost rate. Situations like these have left lots of local government units between a rock and a hard place.
This webinar has been designed to drill down on the details of the key sections of the OMB Uniform Guidance that address this complex subject. During this session, you’ll learn about:
- Engaging cognizant and awarding agencies in indirect cost review
- Determining the flow of central services that benefit grant-funded activities
- Assigning central services costs, and screening them for allowability
- Assessing available methodologies to meet organizational needs
- Determining whether multiple indirect cost rates are warranted
- Creating a narrative “Cost Policy Statement”
- Choosing cost allocation bases that reflect “benefits received”
- Using effective display templates for indirect cost allocation
- Presenting indirect costs that are billed through internal service funds
- Understanding and executing the required certification on indirect costs
- Providing convincing documentary support for your calculations
- Using the single audit process as a resource for indirect cost recovery
WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
Staff members and their professional advisors from these entities should attend:
- Cities and towns
- Counties
- Councils of governments
- Regional planning districts
- School districts
- Public utility agencies
- Transit authorities
- Water and sewer commissions
- Park and recreation districts
Join Bob Lloyd, principal of Federal Fund Management Advisor TM, for this informative and timely session. Bob has decades of direct experience in development and negotiation of indirect cost rates for governments. He was also the principal author of the Department of Health and Human Services’ publication, A Guide for State and local Governments (OASMB C-10), which for two decades has served as the federal government’s recommended “cookbook” for how to formulate cost allocation plans and indirect cost rate proposals.
Hand-out Materials:
Attendees will receive presentation slides as well as access to background materials.
Allowable Charges
The costs of webinars sponsored by Federal Fund Management Advisor™ are allowable charges to your federal grants and subgrants. The cost principles issued by OMB under its uniform guidance (and applicable to all types of awardees) state, “The cost of training and education for employee development is allowable” (2 CFR 200.472).
Attend this Live Webinar and Earn up to 2 CPE Credits