Please note that full text versions of policies and cost accounting information is only accessible through Harvard Medical School's Intranet eCommons website at: http://ecommons.med.harvard.edu/

The Cost Analysis Group (CAG) has the responsibility of being the interface between HMS Finance (FOA), Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA) and the Office for Sponsored Reserach (OSR). The SPA Roles and Responsibility Matrix identifies the expectations for SPA, OSR, FOA, PI's, and the Department.

Specific responsibilities of the CAG include:

Sponsored Coding Mismatches
There are no cross-validation rules between and among combinations of sponsored Fund, Activity, and Subactivity chart values. The University made this decision out of concern that numerous rules would significantly slow down general ledger processing speeds. As a result, the financial systems will allow code combinations having a valid sponsored Fund number and a valid sponsored Activity number - even if they do not match. Departments are expected to identify the correct code combination and make the correcting journal entry within the next monthly accounting cycle.

Cost Sharing Forms
Awards that identify cost sharing in the proposal must have a completed Cost Sharing Form, signed by the Manager of Cost Analysis, prior to account activation. Please refer to the Cost Analysis: Cost Sharing section of this site for more information.

Cost Transfers
All Cost Transfers greater than 90 days require approval by the Manager of Cost Analysis. Please refer to the Cost Analysis: Cost Transfers section of this site for more information.

Consolidated Report
The Consolidated Report is distributed monthly by the CAG to HMS departments with outstanding issues related to sponsored activity. Departments are responsible for working with OSR to clean up the outstanding items. In the event that other funding must cover an overspent account, the CAG will work with the department to approve a funding source and complete the transaction.

Annual & Monthly Effort Reporting and Salary Certification
HMS is required by federal regulations to certify all salary and wages charged to federal grants, and to collect date relating to fauclty effor. Please refer to the Cost Analysis: Effort Reporting and Salary Certification section of this site for more information.

A-133 Audit
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-133 requires an annual external audit of non-profits receiving federal funds. A sample of federal awards and their direct cost transactions are selected for testing (auditing) to determine that expenditures and procedures were appropriate, allowable, and allocable to the award. Specifically, that they were:
  • In accordance with sponsor terms and conditions
  • In accordance with OMB A-21 (Cost Principles)
  • In accordance with OMB A-110 (Administrative Requirements and University Policies)
Sarah Axelrod, Manager of Cost Analysis in the Office of Financial Operations and Analysis, is the liaison for HMS in the A-133 audit process. Contact information: Phone - 617-432-3284, email: sarah_axelrod@hms.harvard.edu.

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Harvard Medical School. Last Updated: Aug 2004. Send feedback to: foa@hms.harvard.edu