What are common audit recommendations on Research?
Award Management
- Ensure signature authority forms are complete and accurate. (GIM 14)
- Obtain prior approval from the sponsor for certain activities and expenditures excluded from expanded authorities.
Cost Sharing
- Document and monitor all cost sharing each quarter to ensure that commitments are being met.
- Submit non-salary cost sharing to Grant and Contract Accounting each quarter.
- Review the budget system (BGT) for accuracy of cost sharing pledged and reported.
Effort Reporting
- Ensure the Grant and Contract Certification Reports (GCCRs) and Faculty Effort Certification Reports (FECs) are reviewed, signed, and dated by the due date.
- Ensure that FECs are returned to Management Accounting and Analysis by the due date.
- Person reviewing and signing the GCCRs should be the principal investigator or someone with suitable means of verifying the work performed.
- Salary transfers should be promptly noted on the GCCRs and FECs. (GIM 15)
- Salary transfers documentation should include justification as to how the project being charged benefits. (GIM 15)
Fiscal Management
- Use a reasonable basis for allocating costs benefiting more than one project. (GIM 23)
- Ensure federal funds are not used for interim funding by obtaining an advance budget number, or temporarily charging costs to a non-federal, non-sponsored budget. (GIM 15)Documentation should show that expenditures are approved by the principal investigator or someone with delegated authority.
- Ensure that costs incurred for the same purpose, in like circumstances, are consistently charged as either direct or indirect costs. (GIM 23)
References
Office of Management and Budget Circulars:
A-21 – Cost Principles for Higher Education
Grant Information Memorandum (GIM)