2. Budget, Contracting, and Fiscal Reports
Introduction
Chapter 2
Budget, Contracting, and Fiscal Reports
Grantees are required as a Condition of Award to provide certain program budget and fiscal reports and detailed contractor/provider budget packages each year. Below is a description of these reports, their purpose, and reporting deadlines for each. The latter part of this chapter provides detailed instructions on how to prepare each individual report or report package, using the standard forms and reporting formats provided by HRSA.
Required Program and Contractor Budget/Fiscal Reports TOP
1. Part A: Final Title II Program Budget
This report is a revision of the planned Title II budget submitted by the grantee with the grant application, before Congress has appropriated funds for the Title II program that fiscal year. The actual grant amount awarded to each State depends upon the appropriation level each year. Therefore, it is necessary for grantees to revise their planned budget to reflect the actual amount of funds awarded and the program priorities established by the planning body for that fiscal year.
2. Part B: Consolidated List of Contracts (CLC)
The CLC identifies each Title II-funded contract provider, the contract amount, and the service/activity to be provided under that contract. This summary information helps HRSA monitor and track the use of grant funds for compliance with program and grants policies and requirements.
3. Part C: Contract/Provider Budget Package
Contract/provider budget packages include a Contract Review Certification and a categorical budget with a narrative justification for each contract and subcontract. In addition, the attached Summary of Other AIDS Funding Sources must be included for each contractor/provider (not each individual contract).
4. Part D: Financial Status Report (FSR)
The standard form (SF) 269 is used by grantees to report their actual expenditures for a budget period (after the end of the fiscal year).
Purpose and History of Reports TOP
HRSA monitors and tracks:
HRSA requirements for submitting Title II program and contractor budgets and expenditure reports are guided by grants policies established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Public Health Service (PHS), and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars.
Budget and contractor information is also used by HRSA to address:
Budget and Fiscal Report Deadlines
| Report | Due Date | |
|---|---|---|
| Final Title II Planned Budget (Final Budget on SF 424A) | 30 days after Notice of Grant Award (NGA) | |
| Consolidated List of Contractors (CLC) | 120 days after NGA | |
Contractor/Provider Budget Packages
| 120 days after NGA | |
| Final Financial Status Report (FSR on SF 269) | 90 days after the end of the fiscal year | |
To assist grantees in submitting these reports on time, the HRSA/HAB Grants Management Branch (GMB) includes copies of the standard forms and reporting formats with instructions when the Notice of Grant Award (NGA) and Conditions of Award (CoA) are mailed to grantees each fiscal year. Also included is a diskette containing the report formats developed specifically by HAB (e.g., the Consolidated List of Contractors [CLC]).
A. Final Title II Program Budget TOP
A categorical Final Program Budget must be submitted for each Title II award. It must be based on priorities established by the planning body, reflect the amount of Title II funds awarded to the State for that fiscal year (FY) only, and be prepared using applicable Cost Principles and HAB/DSS program policies.
There are two components in a Final Program Budget:
Categorical budgets for services to be provided to clients are not required with the Program Budget, since in most States the contracting process will still be under way.
The budget narrative is the descriptive information used to explain and justify the amounts budgeted within each program budget category. It must include specific information about who, what, where, when, and why. All costs identified in Section B of SF 424-A of the budget must be described and justified, including those listed in the “other” category.
Instructions for Preparing SF 424-A and Narrative Justification
This information supplements instructions that accompany the SF 424-A: Budget Information—Non-construction Programs. It provides guidance on preparing the categorical budget and narrative justification for each program budget category, and guidance on the types of cost (called “Object Class Categories”) within each budget category.
1. SF 424-A.
This form has two sections, which must be completed for a one-year budget period.
a. Section A is used to report summary budget information.
b. Section B is used to provide a detailed breakdown of budget costs in “Object Class Categories” for each program budget category. Allowable costs and how those costs may be allocated by States and local governments receiving PHS grants is set forth in 45 CFR Part 92. Cost principles prescribed for grant recipients are contained in Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-87 for State and local governments.
c. Because there are five major program budget categories, grantees will need to complete two pages of the SF 424-A. Page one should be used to report the amounts budgeted for Grantee Administration and Quality Management, ADAP, and Planning and Evaluation activities in the four columns listed in Section B. Page two should be used to report in Section B the amounts budgeted for consortia, home- and community-based care, health insurance continuity, ADAP from Title II Base, and State Direct Services that will be provided to clients and program budget totals in column 5.
2. Guidance on Program Budget Categories.
A budget and narrative must be included for funds allocated to Grantee Administration, Quality Management, ADAP, and Planning and Evaluation, including a line-item breakout of the budget detailing the amount of funds budgeted for each item or activity within the category.
Important: Grantees are reminded that the amount available in the aggregate for first-line entities to spend on administrative costs is subject to a 10 percent cap. This cap is calculated by subtracting the following from the total grant amount, and multiplying the difference by 10 percent(for examples, see the chapter on Administrative Costs): grantee administrative costs (up to 10 percent), planning and evaluation costs (up to 10 percent) (with both administrative and planning evaluation costs together not to exceed 15 percent), and grantee Quality Management costs (up to five percent or $3 million, whichever is less).
a. Grantee Administrative Costs. These are funds to be used by the grantee for routine grant administration and monitoring activities. Such activities include development of the Title II application, receipt and disbursal of program funds, the development and establishment of reimbursement and accounting systems, preparation of routine programmatic and financial reports, and costs associated with assuring compliance with grant conditions and audit requirements.
Grantee administrative costs may include activities associated with the grantee’s contract award procedures, including the development of requests for proposals, contract proposal review activities, and negotiation and award of contracts, as well as the development and implementation of grievance procedures.
In addition, grantee administrative funds may be used for post-award activities such as monitoring of contracts, written documentation of on-site visits, reporting on contracts, and funding reallocation activities.
Finally, grantee administrative costs should address expenses related to participation in the CARE Act Statewide Coordinated Statement of Need (SCSN). Grantee administrative costs cannot exceed 10 percent of the grantee’s award, as mandated by the CARE Act. [See Section 2604 (e)(2)].
b. Planning and Evaluation Costs. These costs may not exceed 10 percent of the grantee’s award. (See note, above.)
c. Grantee Quality Management Activities. The grantee may allocate a portion of Title II funds awarded to the State to support Quality Management programs that assist direct-service medical providers in assuring that funded services adhere to established HIV clinical practice standards and Public Health Services (PHS) Guidelines.
Quality Management programs must ensure that strategies for improvements to quality medical care include health-related supportive services and that available demographic, clinical, and health care utilization information is used to monitor HIV-related illnesses and trends in the local epidemic.
Grantees are allowed to allocate up to 5 percent of the total grant award or $3 million (whichever is less) for quality management activities.
d. Service Costs. Service costs are the proposed expenditures for services to be provided to clients based upon the priorities established by the State planning body. The total amount to be awarded for services through grants, contracts, and any memoranda of understanding or other agreements should be entered on line 6f of column 1 on page 2 of the SF 424-A. Further contract information is not needed with the Final Program Budget, but will be submitted later with the Consolidated List of Contractors and Contractor Budget Packages described in Parts B and C of this chapter.
e. ADAP. Costs associated with the ADAP program.
3. Funding Restrictions
Title II funds are subject to certain requirements, restrictions, and limitations based on specific CARE Act provisions. This includes, for example, the requirement to use a proportion of Title II funds to provide services to women, infants, children and youth, and a prohibition on the use of funds to purchase land.
4. Object Class Categories (Section B, lines 6a through 6k)
Below are guidelines for budgeting costs associated with each Object Class for each program budget category on the SF 424-A, and for preparing the narrative justification.
If the position is vacant, state that and provide an estimated date when it will be filled. Do not assume that the job title (e.g., nurse, caseworker) adequately describes the job responsibilities, but do not submit job descriptions or qualifications for the position; complete the same information as for positions that are filled.
A purchase versus lease analysis should be done for large dollar items. Cost sharing must be applied if equipment will be used for other than Title II activities.
The total amount budgeted for all contract arrangements under each budget category, on page 2 of the SF 424-A (line 6f in column 5).
B. Consolidated List of Contractors Report TOP
Title II grantees must submit a Consolidated List of Contracts (CLC) using the format provided by HRSA each fiscal year as a Condition of Award. The diskette containing the CLC format in both Microsoft Excel and Word is sent to all grantees with their Notice of Grant Award and must be used to prepare and submit an electronic copy of the CLC. Insert additional lines in the Excel spreadsheet or Word document as needed.
The CLC is submitted together with the budget packages for all contracts and subcontracts awarded by the grantee that year. This includes contracts awarded for grantee administration or quality management activities, ADAP, planning and evaluation, as well as contracts/subcontracts for Services to be provided to clients.
The CLC must include the following information for each contractor/subcontractor.
1. The full name of the contractor/subcontractor as it appears on the Contract Review Certification and as reported on the CARE Act Data Report (CADR).
2. The full address of the contractor/subcontractor (no post office box numbers).
3. The tax identification number (EIN number) of the contractor/subcontractor.
4. Whether or not the contractor/subcontractor is a minority provider. For the purposes of the CLC, a minority provider is defined as having more than:
5. Whether or not the contractor/subcontractor received any Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative (MAI) funds.
6. Whether or not the contractor/subcontractor is a faith-based organization.
7. Whether or not clients are/will be served directly under this contract/subcontract.
8. The name of the service to be provided under the contract/subcontract. Use the service categories provided in the Appendix. If the provider had four contracts for the provision of four services, the provider would be listed four times, once for each contracted service.
9. The amount of Title II funds only awarded under the contract/subcontract.
10. The overall total of ALL contractor/subcontractor budgets included on the CLC list.
Consolidated List of Title II Contracts/Subcontracts
(sample form)
C. Title II Contractor Budget Packages TOP
Grantees must submit a budget package for each Title II contract/subcontract awarded by the grantee to provide a service to clients or to perform some other program activity-for example, activities related to Grantee Administration or Quality Management.
Complete budget packages must be received on time, as specified each year in the Condition of Award. However, "on-time" points will be awarded only for budget package submissions that obligate all funds. "Obligated" means all funds are accounted for by the receipt of the Grants Management Office in HAB by the due date of a:
The grantee will incur cost at its own risk until this condition is satisfied and removed. Extensions for late submissions will not be approved.
Contract Review Certification
The Contract Review Certification (CRC) serves as the cover page for each budget package. Only one CRC is required for each entity receiving Title II funds that year (i.e., not for each individual contracted service/activity to be provided by that entity).
A sample format is included. A paper copy of the format along with a diskette containing a Microsoft Word electronic copy of the CRC is provided to grantees each year. Grantees must submit signed originals of the CRCs when they submit their budget packages. Below are instructions for completing the CRC.
1. Line 1 in Section B1 of the CRC refers to the administrative requirements for the entity (grantee or administrative agent) who conducted the Request for Proposals (RFP) process to award the contracts/subcontracts, negotiated the budgets, and awarded the contracts. It requires the signature of the Grantee Program Director.
2. Enter the name of the State on the first line, and the grantee agency's name on line 2.
3. Enter the name of the contractor on line 3; do not use acronyms. In the space below, indicate whether or not the contractor is a minority provider as defined by HRSA/HAB.
4. Enter the total amount of Title II funds awarded for that fiscal year on line 4a and the amount of any Title II funds awarded under the Minority AIDS Initiative on line 4b.
5. Use the spaces provided under line 5 to describe the purpose and scope of the contract (i.e., all services or activities to be provided).
6. Indicate in the spaces next to line 6 whether these activities are services to be provided to clients, or activities being undertaken with respect to Grantee Administration or Quality Management, ADAP, or Planning and Evaluation.
7. The Grantee Program Director must sign and date this portion of the CRC.
8. Section B2 refers to the cost principles applicable for the type of organization receiving Title II funds to provide services. It requires the signature of the grantee's fiscal representative and date signed.
a. Procedures used to advertise and award funds. To certify that the grantee met the minimum standards required by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the fiscal representative must select and check either Circular A-102 or Circular A-110, whichever applies to this contractor/subcontractor entity.
b. Cost principles and standards. To certify that funds contracted for services/activities with this contractor/subcontractor were determined allowable according to OMB-established principles and standards, the fiscal representative must check the one Circular that applies in this case (i.e., A-122 Cost Principles for Non-Profit Organizations; A-87 Cost Principles for State, local and Indian Tribe governments; A-21 Cost Principles for Educational Institutions; or 48 CFR Part 31 Cost Principles for For-Profit Organizations).
c. Accuracy of budget information. In signing the CRC, the fiscal agent attests that there are no math errors in the budget contract(s) awarded to this contractor/subcontractor.
9. The CRC is to be signed by the grantee, NOT a contracted administrative agent; it must include the signatures of two different individuals in sections B1 and B2.
Contractor Budgets and Narrative Justification
1. Grantees must submit a categorical budget and narrative justification for each service/activity to be provided by a contractor/subcontractor. Budgets must be prepared using the applicable Cost Principles and HAB/DSS program policies.
2. All budget narratives must be consistent in format and level of detail, and must explain and justify the amounts budgeted.
3. Include the name of the contractor/subcontractor on the budget, as it appears on the CRC.
4. Keep budgets for subcontracts with the primary contract and CRC, making certain they are identified as subcontracts.
5. Indirect charges on contracts are allowable only with a Federally approved indirect cost rate agreement.
6. Object Class Categories: Guidelines for budgeting costs associated with each Object Class within each contract/subcontract budget and the accompanying narrative justification are the same as those provided for the Title II Program Budget as described in this chapter (i.e., personnel, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, "other," and contractual, which is used to report subcontracts, and indirect costs).
7. Unit cost reimbursement contracts must report the total amount of the contract, the precise unit cost, and the proportion of the unit cost represented by each of the object classes (as noted above). The narrative justification must explain and define how the unit cost was established, and the rationale for the number of clients to be served.
8. Each contract/subcontract budget and narrative justification must be prepared using the guidance provided above in Part A of this chapter regarding the SF 424-A and Narrative Justification.
D. Financial Status Report TOP
The annual final FSR submitted by grantees must report on grant expenditures during that completed one-year budget period. It may not include any unliquidated obligations. In addition, it must agree with grantee reports filed with the Payment Management System using the SF 272 Report of Disbursements.
The deadline for submitting the annual final FSR is usually 90 days after the end of the fiscal year. For the exact deadline each year, check the Conditions of Award attached to your Title II Notice of Grant Award. An extension may be obtained provided the grantee submits a written request to the HAB Grants Management Officer before the deadline that explains briefly why an extension is needed. However, requests for extensions beyond six months after the end of the fiscal year will not be approved.
For instructions on how to prepare the annual final FSR using SF-269, see the next page.
Financial Status Report Instructions
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 30 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.
SEND YOUR COMPLETED FORM TO
THE HRSA GRANTS MANAGEMENT OFFICER.
Please type or print legibly. The following general instructions explain how to use the form itself. You may need additional information to complete certain items correctly, or to decide whether a specific item is applicable to this award. Usually, such information will be found in the Public Health Service Agency's grant regulations or in the terms and conditions of the award (e.g., how to calculate the Federal share, the permissible uses of program income, the value of in-kind contributions). You may also contact HRSA directly.
For reports prepared on a cash basis, outlays are the sum of actual cash disbursements for direct costs for goods and services, the amount of indirect expenses charged, the value of in-kind contributions applied, and the amount of cash advances and payments made to sub-recipients. For reports prepared on an accrual basis, outlays are the sum of actual cash disbursements for direct charges for goods and services, the amount of indirect expenses incurred, the value of in-kind contributions applied, and the net increase or decrease in the amounts owed by the recipient for goods and other property received, for services performed by employees, contractors, subgrantees, and other payees, and other amounts becoming owed under programs for which no current services or performances are required, such as annuities, insurance claims, and other benefit payments.
Do not include any amounts on line 10k that have been included on lines 10a and 10j. On the final report, line 10k must be zero.