National Science Foundation A New Approach to Award Payments

1. National Science FoundationA 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

2. Learning Objectives We are here to help.

3. Where you fit… Institution Grant Distribution *as of 01/2011

4. Research.gov

5. Portal to NSF Financial Functions Select NSF User from the dropdown menu then click ------ Enter your Last Name, NSF User ID, and Password Research.gov uses the same credentials as FastLane

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

7. Cash Request

8. Cash Request History

9. FFR Attachment The columns outlined in orange are updated by the grantee. The cumulative amount reported cannot exceed the Total Federal Funds Authorized.

10. FFR Adjustments to Financially Closed Awards 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.

11. FFR Certification (Preparer) The FFR preparer will forward the report to the FFR certifier for certification once it has been completed by selecting Users also have the option to print the full report to PDF from the Certification page

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.

13. Award Payment Process A new approach: Award Cash Management $ystem • Cash pooling • Award level detailP

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

15. Decision Drivers • Increased focus on transparency and accountability • Congress, OMB and other stakeholders are requiring information faster • OMB is developing standardized reporting requirements

16. Comparison FastLane (Pooling Payment Request) ACM$ (Award Level Detail Payment Request) Award level records Payment requests provide detail that matches awardee records Real-time reconciliation Payment file detail can be used to eliminate distribution discrepancies • Institutional level records • Payment requests provide total of all institutional grant fund needs • Quarterly reconciliation • Distribution of payment received may not match records that produced the payment request

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

18. Our Vision • Retain certain “Current” system benefits • Add “New” benefits • Implement multiple input options: • Manual Web Entryappropriate for smaller organizations • Excel Spreadsheet Download/Upload Entryappropriate for medium and large sized organizations • Bulk XML Data File Uploadappropriate for those large organizations who desire further automation • Complete system pilot and reconciliation

19. Post Implementation FFR Reconciliation 09/30/2012 12/24/2012 12/31/2012 01/02/2013 TBD

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

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

22. Cash on Hand Reconciliations • Common issues institutions have: • Refunds credited to canceled appropriations don’t 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 notcaught during the institution reconciliations • Crediting refund errors • Tax debt offset creditwithholdings either to/from NSF

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.

24. Awardee Organization Summary (G1)

25. Submit New Transaction: Payment Request (Open Awards) (T1)

26. Submit New Transaction: Adjustment Request (Closed Award) Optional Slide (T5)

27. Submit New Transaction: Adjustment Request (Closed Award) Optional Slide (T6)

28. Submit New Transaction: Certifier Review (T8)

29. Reconciliation: Award Amendment Details (A5)

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

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

32. ARRA Expenditure Projections ARRA Appropriation ~$1 Billion 9/30/13

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?

34. Canceling Appropriations 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?

35. Contact Information • Mike Howe (Section Head) mhowe@nsf.gov or (703) 292-8285 • Dorothy Battle dbattle@nsf.gov or (703) 292-4440 • Ilene Caruso icaruso@nsf.gov or (703) 292-8334 • Karen Cavanaugh kcavanau@nsf.gov or (703) 292-2411 • Justin Poll jpoll@nsf.gov or (703) 292-4663 • Denise Robinson drobinso@nsf.gov or (703) 292-8293 • Alisha Williams aliwilli@nsf.gov or (703) 292-4539

36. Additional Information • Additional information can be found at http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dfm/cmeab.jsp