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ASRSP Compliance
Wed, 24 Apr 2024 10:51:14 -0500
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ASRSP News & Updates
Single Audit: The FY2023 Single Audit report is complete and available for review on the ASRSP website.
Federal Agencies Withholding Funding for Entire University: At the University of California at San Diego, an investigator’s failure to submit final technical reports for two NIH grants recently led to a university-wide pause on payments for all awards from 3 federal sponsors (NIH, Office of Naval Research, and Department of the Army). In this instance, the PI retired and was under the impression the university
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ASRSP Compliance
Thu, 21 Mar 2024 10:00:02 -0500
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ASRSP News & Updates
Effort Reporting: The first semi-annual effort reporting cycle will begin soon. Please note the following pertinent dates:
The Effort Reporting System (ERS) will be down from March 26 - 28, 2024 while the Fall/Winter 2024 (FW2024) effort reports are initiated.
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ASRSP Compliance
Wed, 6 Mar 2024 13:51:55 -0600
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ASRSP News & Updates
Advance Accounts: Sponsored Research has changed the allowable period for advance accounts (formerly prespend) from 120 days to up to 12 months, effective March 1, 2024. PIs may request advance accounts for new awards through the end of the anticipated budget period (not to exceed 12 months), or the sponsor’s limit, whichever is shorter. This change creates the ability to place charges on the appropriate account and allocate salary correctly, and thus should reduce cost transfers.
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ASRSP Compliance
Mon, 19 Feb 2024 09:55:55 -0600
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ASRSP News & Updates
NIH Unilateral Closeout: Per the NIH Grants Policy Statement, NIH is authorized to initiate unilateral closeouts for award recipients who fail to meet the 120-day deadlines for financial and performance reporting – and report this noncompliance in the institution’s SAM.gov record. In the most recent notice on the topic, NIH Division of Grants Compliance and Oversight stated it will now “strictly enforce its closeout policies.” NIH will retroactively report on unilateral closeouts that have taken place since January 1, 2023, which includes
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ASRSP Compliance
Tue, 23 Jan 2024 15:37:12 -0600
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ASRSP News & Updates
Federal Government Status: An agreement on the overall spending level for fiscal year 2024 was reached on January 7th; this is a positive step but does not eliminate the risk of a government shutdown. Negotiations to finalize the spending plan are ongoing, with the next deadline on January 19th.
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ASRSP Compliance
Tue, 5 Dec 2023 12:17:09 -0600
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ASRSP Listserv Special Edition: All About Effort Reporting
Effort Reporting is Northwestern’s method to fulfill the obligations for sponsored funding of salaries and benefits described in Uniform Guidance, Section 430: Compensation – Personal Services.
Fun fact: labor represents the largest proportion of direct research costs.
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ASRSP Compliance
Thu, 16 Nov 2023 16:27:57 -0600
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ASRSP News & Updates
Federal Government Shutdown: Northwestern continues to monitor the federal budget negotiations in Congress. At this time, the November 17th shutdown looks to have been averted. As a reminder, the most important action for Northwestern’s research activity is to spend federal funds according to plan to ensure funds can be drawn timely.
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ASRSP Compliance
Tue, 7 Nov 2023 10:00:03 -0600
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ASRSP Listserv Special Edition: All About Cash
The ASRSP Cash team applies payments, processes rebates, and collects overdue debts for Northwestern’s sponsored projects. In FY23, the Cash team deposited 6,970 payments in NUFinancials, helping maintain the cash flow for sponsored research activity. Assistant Director Tameka Jackson and Accounting Coordinators Tanya Brown and Paula Wong manage the daily cash operations.
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ASRSP Compliance
Mon, 16 Oct 2023 14:35:34 -0500
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ASRSP News & Updates
Federal Awards: The government shutdown was averted on September 30th due to a stopgap agreement that is in place through November 17th. At that time, the federal government may again face the possibility of a shutdown. We will continue to monitor the situation and share guidance as it is received.
The most important action for Northwestern’s research activity is to spend federal funds according to plan to ensure funds can be drawn timely. The current pace of expenditures has drawn the attention
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ASRSP Compliance
Thu, 28 Sep 2023 16:35:15 -0500
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Dear colleagues,
Northwestern is closely monitoring developments regarding the possibility of a government shutdown on October 1, 2023. To date, we have not received guidance regarding procedures but expect agencies to communicate specific instructions if Congress is unable to resolve the issue. Based on activity during previous government shutdowns, operations should continue as normally as possible until further guidance is provided.
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ASRSP Compliance
Fri, 22 Sep 2023 16:35:02 -0500
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ASRSP Notes & Updates
NEW NSF Project Reporting Enforcement Pilot: Per an email received from NSF Project Reporting Compliance on September 18, NSF will soon pilot a process to “encourage more timely submission of annual project reports.”
From October 2, 2023 through January 31, 2024, Principal Investigators with overdue annual project reports will receive notifications requesting submission. First and second notices are on a monthly interval. If the report remains overdue after 2 notices (60 days) a final notice will be sent informing recipients of a
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ASRSP Compliance
Wed, 30 Aug 2023 09:08:58 -0500
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ASRSP Notes & Updates
Space Survey: The university’s FY 2023 Annual Validation Survey is now open. ASRSP partners with Facilities to conduct and analyze this report, which directly impacts the F&A rate. Training resources are available for those responsible for reporting, and questions on functional codes can be directed to Pooja Thakkar. The survey is open until October 6th though units may have earlier internal deadlines.
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ASRSP Compliance
Tue, 15 Aug 2023 12:30:00 -0500
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Newsletter
|  | | | | Start of FY24 and Blackout Period: ASRSP will observe a blackout period from Tuesday, September 5th through Friday, September 8th to focus on resolving backlogs and preparation for the new fiscal year. Staff will be on site, however, we will defer non-urgent inquiries and meeting request during this period. Subcontract Transaction Approval Deadline: Requisitions, purchase order changes, and invoice vouchers that are not fully approved by Friday, September 8th will be closed per the FYE schedule. Extension of F&A Rate: Northwestern has received a 3-year extension of the current F&A rate of 60%. This rate will remain in effect for FY24-FY26 (effective dates are 9/1/23 to 8/31/26). The complete rate agreement is available on the ASRSP website.
Equipment: Please review the following key tasks shared on behalf of Accounting Services – Equipment Inventory:
Disposal: Equipment that has been, or will be, physically disposed (e.g., scrapped, sold, or donated) requires completion of an Asset Request via NUFinancials to update accounting records. Submission deadline for FY2023 is Wednesday, September 13th. Comprehensive information on the disposal or transfer of capital equipment is found here. Disposal and transfer of equipment from sponsored funds will require ASRSP review after the department approval. Tags: Capital equipment must have a Northwestern University Capital Equipment property tag affixed to it ( example). If your capital equipment is not tagged, please contact Equipment Inventory staff. Parking Account Codes: According to the FinOps Account Code Guide, all domestic travel on sponsored projects must be charged to 76765 – including parking. The parking account code 73050 is typically used by Parking Services only. | | | | | | Fiscal Year End: Key dates for sponsored projects are available on the Controller’s Fiscal Year End webpage. Effort Reporting: FY 2023 Quarter 3 effort reports were issued on August 3rd and are due on Friday, August 31st. Please contact Tina Mete or Virginia Hartley with questions. | | | | | |
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ASRSP Compliance
Wed, 26 Jul 2023 14:06:50 -0500
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ASRSP Notes & Updates
Fiscal Year End: Be sure to review the Controller’s Fiscal Year End webpage for resources, including key dates for sponsored awards.
Effort Reporting: Reports for FY23 Q3 will be generated next week and due back on August 25th.
In addition, Effort 102, the live hands-on course for ERS, will be offered next month. (exact dates will be provided soon). Effort 101 is a prerequisite for this course. Register for both in MyHRLearn (course IDs ERS101 & ERS102).
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ASRSP Compliance
Tue, 11 Jul 2023 10:14:15 -0500
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Newsletter
| | | ASRSP Listserv Special Edition: All About Expense Transactions | | | | …reviews and approves sponsored project expense transactions in ASRSP? Jami Arceneaux, Expenditure Audit Coordinator
Rosanna Sian, Expenditure Audit Coordinator Team supervisor is Pooja Thakkar, Costing Manager. | | | | …types of expense transactions are routed to ASRSP for review and approval? - Expense reports
- PRQ (payment requests)
- REQ (requisition to become purchase order)
- POC (purchase order change)
- Petty cash
- Wire transfers
- Asset requests
- Human subject payments
Expense transactions using sponsored project chart strings must be reviewed and approved by ASRSP. …documentation is required? - Common documentation requirements:
- Budget justification
- Proof of attendance (e.g. conference badge)
- Written approval or signature
- Map for mileage
- Per diem rate sheet
- Airfare showing flight class & dates of travel
- 90-day memo when applicable
- Receipts (legible, in the order they appear on expense report)
All documentation should be submitted in a single Adobe PDF. | | | | |
...should these sponsored expenses be submitted to ASRSP for review and approval?
- As soon as possible, but not beyond 90 days of the expense being incurred, or date of services rendered per 90-day policy
…should I follow up?
- No sooner than three (3) business days from the time of submission (Please note: Expenditure Audit Coordinators are unavailable for campus support on Wednesdays from 12pm-5pm)
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…can I find additional information about cost allowability, applicable policies, and other guidance?
- Uniform Guidance provides the foundation for the administration of federal funding. Subpart E: Cost Principles defines criteria for, and examples of, allowable costs
- The ASRSP website is undergoing review, and materials will be published and announced via the ASRSP listserv as they are revised
(To join the ASRSP listserv, follow the email commands here and use listname RESEARCHFINANCE)
- Inquiries can be sent to [log in to unmask] (please note that Expenditure Audit Coordinators are unavailable for campus support on Wednesdays from 12pm-5pm)
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…is it necessary for ASRSP to review sponsored project expense transactions?
- Costs for sponsored projects must be allowable, documented, and timely. Failure to comply with regulations for sponsored charges puts the University at risk for audit findings and corresponding financial consequences. Audit findings are reported publicly and may affect Northwestern’s reputation with sponsors. In addition, they increase the administrative burden of award management.
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...can I determine allowability?
- A charge must be allowable according to the:
1) award’s terms and conditions
2) program-specific requirements
3) sponsor guidelines
4) federal regulations (if federal funding), and institutional rules and public law
NU guidance on allowability is undergoing review and will be shared when finalized.
…do I check approval status?
- To see the approval status of a submitted expense report, follow these instructions to view in NUFinancials
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ASRSP Compliance
Tue, 20 Jun 2023 15:49:49 -0500
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Sponsor Updates
Federal Debt Ceiling Update: The government shutdown has been averted, but funding for scientific research is expected to remain flat for FY24.
Other Updates
Fellowship/Training Grant Reporting: Now through August, annual financial reports will be processed for fellowships and training grants. Please note the budget period end date and accurately apply all charges, including stipends and tuition, for the period. Costs not posted for the budget period cannot be recovered.
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ASRSP Compliance
Fri, 19 May 2023 11:53:01 -0500
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Sponsor Updates
<b>NIH Clarification on 120-day Liquidation Period</b>: NIH recently clarified that the 120-day liquidation period is firm; awards in Closed status cannot be drawn down except in cases of a public health emergency, natural disaster, or similar event. After 120 days, PMS will automatically reject requests to withdraw funds.
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Beth D Rankin
Mon, 1 May 2023 14:53:01 -0500
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Newsletter
Welcome to the ASRSP Listserv! | | | Accounting Services for Research and Sponsored Programs (ASRSP) is pleased to launch our new listserv. We intend to use this method to share financial and compliance news that is relevant to our campus partners in sponsored research administration. You can expect to hear about policy changes, annual updates, training opportunities, and other resources as needed.
We hope you will find this a valuable resource and look forward to continued collaboration.
| | | | | | Note: If you received this from a colleague and would like to subscribe, please send a plain-text email to [log in to unmask] without any subject line. In the body, type ADD RESEARCHFINANCE followed by your email address and first and last name.
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