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Best Practices

There are several things you can do to ensure that your cost share and effort commitment tracking is effective, efficient, and accurate:

Review, utilize, and communicate information from multiple sources.

• Use the systems in conjunction with other systems. Don't rely on one system exclusively; e.g., "Total Institutional Activities" can't be tracked with the Effort Commitment and Cost Share Tracking systems. Regularly review information in DaFIS Decision Support (DS) and Payroll Personnel System (PPS).
• Departments should review "expressions of support" in proposal narratives and ensure that this information is entered in the Effort Commitment system. Auditors will review proposals for commitments that are not reflected in the budget.
• If cost sharing involves faculty members from multiple departments, the "administering department" should be the one that enters information in the Cost Share Tracking systems. Be sure to regularly communicate with the other department(s) involved.
• Keep payroll records accurate and updated as the Cost Share Tracking system relies heavily on this information.
• Keep account records up-to-date. Expire old accounts in DaFIS that are no longer needed.

Think carefully about the information being entered in the Effort Commitment and Cost Share Tracking systems.

• If entering multiple lines on the Manage Tracking Entries screen, be sure that the Description entries are somehow "differentiated." Don't enter the same description each time. Differentiated entries can be easier to identify later.
• When using the Effort Commitment Maintenance screen, be careful with the percentage entered in the Effort field. This commitment is binding and must be certified. Administrative costs will be borne by the department in documenting and tracking those cost shared direct costs.
• When an award is executed, ensure that effort for each individual is not committed more than the appointment allows in relation to all institutional activities.
• Indicating a Cost Share dollar limit for transactions on the Tracking Entry Edit screen can be helpful.

Review the information in the Effort Commitment and Cost Share Tracking systems on a regular basis.

• It is recommended that departments review the information at least monthly.
• Any effort commitment/cost share entries for periods that ended prior to 7/1/05 may be removed from the system. Only those cost sharing and effort commitment entries that are active as of 7/1/05 must be entered.
• Review pending as well as awarded entries. Reviewing pending entries regularly can keep overcommitment from occurring.

Avoid the use of Cost Transfer documents.

• Frequent and/or untimely Cost Transfer documents (Error Correction, Restricted Error Correction, Distribution of Expense) can be an indication of poor internal controls and will impact cost share transactions if used to move expenses out of accounts funding cost share commitments. Before processing any cost transfers, check the funding source for the account first.

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