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National Science Foundation A New Approach to Award Payments NCURA Region II Spring Meeting April 24, 2012 Ilene Caruso, Denise Robinson & Alisha Williams Grantee Cash Management Section Division of Financial Management National Science Foundation Slide 2 Learning Objectives 2 We are here to help. Slide 3 Where you fit Number of GrantsInstitution CountPercent 168037.44% 2-343023.68% 4-51578.65% 6-1522912.61% 16-30925.07% 31-50522.86% 51-100532.92% 101-200442.42% 201-300261.43% 301-500291.60% 501+241.32% Grand Total1816100.00% *as of 01/2011 3 Institution Grant Distribution Slide 4 4 Slide 5 Portal to NSF Financial Functions Select NSF User from the dropdown menu then click ------ Research.gov uses the same credentials as FastLane Enter your Last Name, NSF User ID, and Password 5 Slide 6 Accessing NSF Financial Functions Financial Functions such as Cash Request and EFT Update can be accessed via Single Sign-On by selecting the link located under NSF FastLane Services 6 Slide 7 Cash Request 7 Slide 8 Cash Request History Slide 9 FFR Attachment 9 The columns outlined in orange are updated by the grantee. The cumulative amount reported cannot exceed the Total Federal Funds Authorized. Slide 10 FFR Adjustments to Financially Closed Awards 10 Enter the NSF Award ID, New Cumulative Amount, and a Justification in order to increase or decrease previously reported expenditures. Adjustments of less than $300 are not accepted. Slide 11 FFR Certification (Preparer) 11 Users also have the option to print the full report to PDF from the Certification page The FFR preparer will forward the report to the FFR certifier for certification once it has been completed by selecting Slide 12 FFR Certification (Certifier) The FFR certifier will be notified via email once the FFR preparer has forwarded the report. The FFR certifier will then need to review and approve the submission. Certify the data by checking the box next to I Certify, and select the Save and Submit to NSF button. 12 Slide 13 Award Payment Process A new approach: Award Cash Management $ystem Cash pooling Award level detail 13 Slide 14 The New Approach The Award Cash Management System (ACM$) will be based on awardees providing award level detail at the time of the payment request. Enhance access to award financial data Eliminate the need for the quarterly Federal Financial Report 14 Slide 15 Decision Drivers Increased focus on transparency and accountability Congress, OMB and other stakeholders are requiring information faster OMB is developing standardized reporting requirements 15 Slide 16 Comparison FastLane (Pooling Payment Request) 1.Institutional level records 2.Payment requests provide total of all institutional grant fund needs 3.Quarterly reconciliation 4.Distribution of payment received may not match records that produced the payment request ACM$ (Award Level Detail Payment Request) 1.Award level records 2.Payment requests provide detail that matches awardee records 3.Real-time reconciliation 4.Payment file detail can be used to eliminate distribution discrepancies 16 Slide 17 ACM$: Transition Model NSF is currently in the design and development phase Target implementation date: 2013 Timeline selected to minimize interference with awardee fiscal year end tasks Reconciliation process: Insure all awardee balances match NSF award balances Bring Cash on Hand (COH) balances to zero ($0) at the award level and institution level 17 Slide 18 Our Vision Retain certain Current system benefits Add New benefits Implement multiple input options: Manual Web Entry appropriate for smaller organizations Excel Spreadsheet Download/Upload Entry appropriate for medium and large sized organizations Bulk XML Data File Upload appropriate for those large organizations who desire further automation Complete system pilot and reconciliation 18 Slide 19 Post Implementation FFR Reconciliation 19 Standard FFR Due 10/30/2012 Cash ShutdownReconciliation FFR Due 01/31/2013 System Implementation Institutions will be given access to the new system when they have: Completed filing their 12/31/2012 FFR (due by 01/31/2013) A $0 COH from the pooling method Completion of Reconciliation Process Reconciliation will occur post implementation 09/30/201212/24/201212/31/201201/02/2013TBD Slide 20 Communication/Training Plans Communication Plan Phase I: Targeted Outreach/Collect Feedback Phase II: General Outreach/Mass Communication Phase III: Reconciliation/Getting Started Guides/ General Preparation for Transition Training Plan Pilot Group: Reconciliation/Pilot Implementation Webinars: Live/Recorded Online Help/Additional Training Documents 20 Slide 21 Preparing for the Change What can you do now to prepare? Reconcile the Cash on Hand (COH) balance reported on your quarterly FFR to the COH balance on your financial records Identify any manual reconciliation items Submit FFR each quarter by the due date Bring operating COH balances as close to zero as possible 21 Slide 22 Cash on Hand Reconciliations Common issues institutions have: Refunds credited to canceled appropriations dont appear on the FFR this becomes a manual reconciliation item Lingering difference that lasts until the final award expires leaving a balance at the end with no active awards Reported expenditure or cash draw errors that are not caught during the institution reconciliations Crediting refund errors Tax debt offset credit withholdings either to/from NSF 22 Slide 23 ACM$ Use Case Demonstration Disclaimer: The information and screen designs presented in the following use case scenario(s) represent preliminary designs and should not be considered final. This demo is intended for informational purposes only. Slide 24 Awardee Organization Summary 24 (G1) Slide 25 Submit New Transaction: Payment Request (Open Awards) 25 (T1) Slide 26 Submit New Transaction: Adjustment Request (Closed Award) 26 Optional Slide (T5) Slide 27 Submit New Transaction: Adjustment Request (Closed Award) 27 Optional Slide (T6) Slide 28 Submit New Transaction: Certifier Review 28 (T8) Slide 29 Reconciliation: Award Amendment Details 29 (A5) Slide 30 Items to Remember Until Implementation Single-Sign On technology implemented 06/03/2011 As of January 2012, all financial functions** are only accessible through Research.gov. In addition to the quarterly FFR, these functions include: Cash Requests EFT Update **Note: The non-FFR functions will still operate in a FastLane environment accessible via link from Research.gov 30 Slide 31 ARRA Update OMB Memo M-11-34 What does the memo require? Accelerate Spending By 09/30/2013 Reclaim Unspent Funds Exceptions? Limited Waivers 31 Slide 32 ARRA Expenditure Projections 9/30/13 ARRA Appropriation ~ $1 Billion Slide 33 ARRA Update: OMB M-11-34 NSF Implementation Strategy Interagency Coordination Aggressive Stratification Waiver Application Award Modifications Aggressive Communication What YOU need to know? Slide 34 Canceling Appropriations 34 Public Law 101-510 requires that all federal agencies financially close fixed year appropriation accounts and cancel any remaining balances by September 30th of the 5th year after the period of availability. How does this affect you? Slide 35 Contact Information Mike Howe (Section Head) mhowe@nsf.govmhowe@nsf.gov or (703) 292-8285 Dorothy Battle dbattle@nsf.govdbattle@nsf.gov or (703) 292-4440 Ilene Caruso icaruso@nsf.govicaruso@nsf.gov or (703) 292-8334 Karen Cavanaugh kcavanau@nsf.govkcavanau@nsf.gov or (703) 292-2411 Justin Poll jpoll@nsf.govjpoll@nsf.gov or (703) 292-4663 Denise Robinson drobinso@nsf.govdrobinso@nsf.gov or (703) 292-8293 Alisha Williams aliwilli@nsf.govaliwilli@nsf.gov or (703) 292-4539 35 Slide 36 Additional Information Additional information can be found at http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dfm/cmeab.jsp http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dfm/cmeab.jsp 36