Activity Determination: Process by which authorized personnel review an activity on its eligibility as a service activity according to the campus.
Capital Equipment (AKA Tagged Equipment): A tangible item that is durable, non-expendable, meets the University capitalization rules and is by itself functionally complete for its intended purpose is considered Capital Equipment. Capital equipment can include both Standalone Equipment and Fabrications. Capital Equipment may be referred to as either Permanent Equipment or Fixed Assets. Capital Equipment requires a university or sponsor tag.
Contingency Allowance: Contingency of no more than 20% is encouraged to be included in sponsored service project budgets for firm fixed price agreements.
Cost Reimbursable Contract (Glossary: Funding: Cost reimbursable)*: A contract/agreement for which the sponsor pays for costs incurred in the conduct of the work up to an agreed-upon amount.
Cost Share: Cost Share is that portion of the costs of research, training, public service or equipment projects that the University or a third party pays for or documents as its portion of a project's costs.
Customer: Sponsor for service activities. Identified as Customer within the contract/agreement.
Departmental Administrative Indirect Cost Recovery (DA-ICR): Used for the allocation of generated F&A to associated campus units involved in the project.
Equipment Use Verification: Review of tagged equipment anticipated to be used in providing a service activity to determine potential restrictions and eligibility of use.
External Service Activity (ESA): Service activities are other sponsored activities performed by university personnel and utilizing university facilities and/or equipment that have excess capacity to perform work for external entities similar to tasks done on sponsored research projects but without the scientific investigation and conclusions. Services are either rate-based or sponsored service projects.
Facilities & Administrative Costs (F&A): Indirect costs means those costs incurred for a common or joint purpose benefitting more than one cost objective, and not readily assignable to the cost objectives specifically benefitted, without effort disproportionate to the results achieved. To facilitate equitable distribution of indirect expenses to the cost objectives served, it may be necessary to establish a number of pools of indirect (F&A) costs. Indirect (F&A) cost pools must be distributed to benefitted cost objectives on bases that will produce an equitable result in consideration of relative benefits derived. Used as Indirect Costs on Restricted Fund Projects (Fund 3X) such as Sponsored Research, Other Sponsored Activities, etc.
Federal Assistance Grant Programs: In the United States, federal grants are economic aid issued by the United States government out of the general federal revenue. A federal grant is an award of financial assistance from a federal agency to a recipient to carry out a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by a law of the United States.
Firm Fixed Price Contract (Glossary: Funding: Fixed Price)*: A contract/agreement for which one party pays the other party a predetermined price, regardless of actual costs, for services rendered. Quite often this is a fee-for-service agreement. University accepts additional risk. Imperative to accurately project costs during pre-award phase. Generally, a final cost is provided to outside party instead of a detailed budget.
GAIR: The General Administrative and Infrastructure Recharge (GAIR) is a combination of the General Administrative Recharge (GAR) and the General Infrastructure Recharge (GIR). GAR & GIR are overhead charges that the university levies on self-supporting operations, primarily Auxiliary fund groups, which benefit from central campus services and support. The two rates are distinct and are calculated separately, but are commonly referred to in combination as GAIR. Charging self-supporting operations for central support and services is common practice in Higher Education since this overhead charge supports the notion that an auxiliary is to be self-supporting.
The GAR portion is calculated using the federally defined general and administrative (G&A) cost pool divided by total campus operating expenditures per the annual audited campus financial statements. G&A expenditures are commonly found in the General Fund. Examples include accounting, human resources, budget office, a portion of OIT, and CU-system services (e.g. purchasing, payroll, IT functions). GAIR proceeds come into the general fund and are used to cover these general administrative costs.
The GIR portion is calculated by determining the auxiliary share of common infrastructure costs and then dividing that amount by total auxiliary operating expenses excluding GAIR expenses. Examples of common infrastructure costs include sidewalks, roads, garbage cans and bike racks.
GAIR is a cost recovery model. The GAIR rate is calculated annually using data from two years in arrears. For example, the FY2015 GAIR rate is calculated during FY2014 using FY2012 actuals. In general, if the G&A cost pool grows more slowly than the total operating expenditure base, the rate will go down; if the reverse is true, the rate will go up.
GAR is charged on a monthly basis to auxiliary and self-funded operations (20, 26, 28, 29) and their renewal and replacement plant fund (78) and to agency funds (80). GAIR is only applied against expenses, not cash transfers or revenue.
GIR is charged on a monthly basis to auxiliary and self-funded operations (20, 26, 28, 29) and their renewal and replacement plant fund (78).
General Auxiliary Activities: activities operated in Fund 29s that may include t-shirt sales, locker rentals, copy centers, room rentals, etc.
Grant Subawards: A document written under the authority of, and consistent with the terms and conditions of, a grant or cooperative agreement that transfers a portion of the research or substantive effort of the prime award to another institution or organization.
Indirect Cost (IDC) Waiver (F&A Reduction): F&A reduction or waiver request to reduce the current, applicable F&A to a sponsored project to be handled within a Restricted Fund (30, 31, 33)
Large Auxiliaries: TABOR designated enterprieses authorized to issue their own revenue bonds and receive less than 10 percent of their annual revenue in grants from all state and local governments. For included auxiliaries, visit Campus Controller’s Office Back to Basic: Auxiliary Funds.
One-Sixth Rule: At times, faculty may take on compensated, professional responsibilities in addition to their full-time appointment. Examples of additional jobs include overload teaching, administrative service, consulting duties, etc. However, faculty salary supplementation is limited and regulated by both Federal and University administrative policies. All units are responsible for ensuring that any additional faculty jobs adhere to the policies governing additional compensation and follow the Boulder Campus Policy.
Offer: Completed university generated service agreement that is submitted to Sponsor. The offer is part of the pre-award phase of the award lifecycle.
Overhead (IDC): Both F&A and GAIR are types of overhead otherwise known as indirect costs.
Points of Sale Activities: Retail activities
Pooled Investment Earnings (PIE): The PIE program keeps the vast majority of the university’s cash reserves invested. The PIE income is accounted for at the system level and a designated portion of the earnings on these investments is returned to the campus via the PIE cash transfer accounts. Some of the PIE is returned to specific programs according to law. PIE is applied for an Auxiliary Fund SpeedType (2X) in deficit over a certain period of time. It is assessed based on the average daily balance in deficit over a quarter. PIE cannot be included in the internal rate-based service activity calculations; however, PIE may be included in rate calculations if it is anticipated for external activities. PIE is assessed based on the average daily balance in deficit over a quarter. The payment schedule for services should be developed to avoid application of PIE.
Private Grant Programs: a legal instrument of financial assistance issued by a non-federal entity used to transfer money, property, or anything of value to a recipient in order to accomplish a particular purpose, without substantial involvement from the sponsor, in the direction of the project.
Proposal: An application or submission for funding that contains all information necessary to describe project plans, staff capabilities, and funds requested. Formal proposals are officially approved and submitted by an organization of a principal investigator and by an authorized official of the university with proposal submission authority.
Quotation: campus approved quotation template used to generate a formal statement setting out the estimated cost and commitments for a particular service.
Rate-BasedService Activity (RBSA): Rate(s) built based on bundled expenses that are distributed across multiple projects. AKA: Average Rate, Catalog Pricing. Sold to external or internal customers.
Rate-Based Service Activity Setup Process: Determined rate-based service activities are required to complete the campus setup process including rate setting, risk assessment, compliance reviews, and quotation template generation.
Research Collaborator on SBIR/STTR: Listed research collaboration organization on awarded Small Business Innovation Research or Small Business Technology Transfer Program award.
Research Operations Support: Budget inclusion that accounts for the difference between the sum of the total direct costs, contingency, and F&A and the amount to be charged / funded.
Residuals: Unobligated, unspent balance remaining in a fixed price sponsored project at the close of the award.
Service Team: Coordinated team that manages aspects of external service activity process management.
Sponsor: Customer for service activities within infoEd.
Sponsored Service Project Activity (SSP): Budget built to scope of work.
Tagged Equipment: See Capital Equipment