Research and Cost Accounting Blog

Research and Cost Accounting Blog
Please see this
important announcement
on the Controller’s Office blog regarding upcoming enhancements to the iO Journal Process (the product of an effort led by the Controller’s Office and Finance Systems and Accounting, and in partnership with the Budget Office and Technology Solutions & Services (formerly OIT)).
The enhancements will deliver meaningful improvements to how journals, balance transfers, and budget adjustments are entered, reviewed, approved, and reported.
The redesign includes a structured rollout with testing, training, and support, and is scheduled to go live in May 2026
A Reminder on Pre‑Purchase Requirements
(from Strategic Sourcing & Procurement
(SS&P)
Across campus, we continue to see an increasing number of avoidable import duty charges, some exceeding
tens of thousands of dollars
, simply because Strategic Sourcing and Procurement (SS&P) were not engaged early enough in the purchasing process. These costs directly impact the research budgets and, in many cases, could have been fully prevented.
To support our research community and ensure compliance, it is essential that all import‑related purchases involve SS&P at the time of
purchase consideration
, not after the fact. Engaging the team early enables proper review of the quote, warranty, incoterms, duty exposure, U.S. market availability, and eligibility for federal duty exemptions.
Why Early Engagement Matters
Strategic Sourcing & Procurement’s pre‑purchase review ensures that:
✓ All Incoterms and shipping terms are clarified up front
✓ Correct HTS codes are assigned on quotes and shipping documents
✓ Duty and tariff assessments are completed before any PO is issued
✓ The ITA 338 duty exemption application is submitted on time
✓ Import routing and documentation meet all compliance standards
✓ Departments avoid unnecessary or non‑recoverable costs
What You Should Do
If you are considering purchasing equipment, instrumentation, or materials from an international supplier, or from a U.S. distributor that may be drop‑shipping internationally, please reach out to SS&P
when the purchase is being considered, before the quote is finalized
or requisition filled out. The SS&P team can complete the vetting process and guide the next steps.
By engaging early, SS&P can help you:
✓ Protect your research budgets
✓ Facilitate duty‑free importing when eligible
✓ Ensure compliance and proper documentation is submitted to U.S. Customs
✓ Coordination with the brokers to ensure a smooth import process is facilitated
SS&Ps goal is to make the process smooth, compliant, and cost‑effective for the entire research community. Thank you for helping us ensure that these important steps are followed.
For questions or assistance, please contact:
Susan Correa
, Strategic Sourcing Specialist Operations, Finance & Support – Strategic Sourcing & Procurement Office: 713‑348‑4737 | Email: sc318@rice.edu
Since the launch of the PPM and COA single-form NLCT templates in May 2025, we have greatly appreciated your ongoing feedback. One of the most frequent requests we’ve heard from staff is the need for quicker, more frequent updates to the template lookup data. Until now, updating this reference data to the tool has been a manual process completed every few weeks.
We heard your feedback, and we are pleased to announce a significant improvement to this process.
As of today, the lookup data update is supported by a new Power Automate workflow. This automation ensures that the template reference data for both the COA and PPM templates is now updated
daily
What to Expect When Opening the Template
From the submitter’s point of view, the template will functionally work in exactly the same way as before. However, because the template is now dynamically pulling fresh data every day, you will notice a minor change to the experience when you first open the file.
Here is what you will see:
A Security Warning:
When you access the template, a yellow banner will appear at the top of your screen stating:
“SECURITY WARNING: This workbook includes external data connections…”
Please don’t worry!
The ‘external’ data connection is simply linking to a Rice SharePoint folder. It is only “external” to this specific spreadsheet, but it remains entirely within Rice’s secure environment.
1. Click ‘Edit Anyway’:
If your Excel opens in Protected View, click the button to allow editing.
2. Click ‘Enable Content’:
Click this button on the security warning banner to allow the spreadsheet to communicate with SharePoint.
3. Data Refresh:
After enabling content, you will see a green ‘refreshing data’ loading bar at the bottom right of your screen.
Once this green loading bar has disappeared, you can continue your work as normal.
You should see no differences in how the tool operates, other than the great benefit that newly set up projects will now be included in your lookup data much faster. (Almost always, newly set up projects will be there right away; if not, simply check back the next day).
Resources (SSO login)
Submission Guide for Non Labor Cost Transfers
PPM NCLT Template
COA NLCT Template
There are some updates to the following cost processing templates that can be found in the following
box folder
FedEx Charges
RCA are releasing an updated template for
FedEx charges
. Specifically, it allocates FedEx costs that have been posted to a COA string (General Ledger) but need to be charged to a project (Subledger PPM). This allocation to a project is considered the
primary project allocation
and this process is therefore
not a cost transfer process
It should
only
be prepared and submitted by departments at Rice that hold an account with FedEx and to whose General Ledger, FedEx charges correspondingly post.
After this template has been used to charge the cost to a project, any further reallocations of it
would
be considered cost transfers, and must instead follow the NLCT process (justification for transfer, submission of NLCT via iO ticket etc.)
Service Center Billing
RCA have also updated the
Service Center Billing
template for generating cost and revenue transactions. By being the mechanism by which a cost is generated to post on a project, the template (and supporting ADFdi process) also meets the criteria of being the
primary project allocation
of a new cost and is
not a cost transfer process
It should only be prepared and submitted by service provider administrators who need to record revenue to a COA string while posting costs to a project. Note that this template will mostly be used by Service Center Administrators but it is also the default template for non service center departmental administrators to use when recording
occasional
revenue. See
policy 836
for further details on what the
minimum criteria
are for a service center and note that if those criteria are met, you must approach RCA to discuss the creation of one.
As with FedEx charges, the same understanding also applies that after a new project (PPM) cost transactions have been generated using this process, any further reallocations of those PPM costs
would
be considered cost transfers and must be processed correspondingly.
Download the forms to populate them. Don’t try to edit them online from within the box folder. Each form contains step-by-step instructions on the third tab of the workbook.
Please complete either of these forms through the end of step one (i.e. populating the accounting tab).  The remaining processing steps for these forms (two through four on each template) will be processed by RCA. Please place the populated forms in this
drop off folder
Several staff have reported to RCA that they are unable to ‘create a copy online’ of the NLCT templates within SharePoint/OneDrive.
This is not local to Rice and is a known issue for Microsoft, which is investigating the problem
As a workaround while waiting for a fix, try downloading a copy of the file from the web application and either working with the copy on your local machine or manually uploading the downloaded copy back to OneDrive to work with it there.
Embracing Innovation: AI-Powered Support at Rice
Rice University is leaning into the future of research administration. Staff at Rice have been issued
licensed access to advanced AI tools
“…We’re excited to see how these tools will support the collective work of the campus community and how they might inspire new ways to collaborate and innovate,” said Kelly Fox, executive vice president for operations, finance and support. “This initiative reflects Rice’s commitment to integrating cutting-edge technology to empower our campus with advanced AI capabilities across teaching, research and
administrative work.
Research and Cost Accounting (RCA) has been highly engaged in exploring ways to leverage these exciting new tools to streamline operations and ensure compliance, while also strictly adhering to
Rice’s guidelines for responsible use, data privacy, and attribution
Navigating the rules for Cost Transfers – especially involving federal funds – can be complex. One of the most important parts of ensuring that the justification text within cost transfers is compliant.
Crafting Stronger Justifications
Transactions involving federal funds are subject to strict scrutiny. This AI tool empowers you to evaluate and articulate the pillars of a strong justification – essential for RCA approval:
Root Cause: Accurately identifying why the error occurred.
Prevention: Articulating the corrective actions to stop recurrence.
Allocability: Proving the expense directly benefits the destination project.
Untimeliness: If a cost transfer is untimely, identify the extenuating circumstances and the changes you will make to internal controls.
What AI support is not?
This RCA support tool
is not a final authority,
nor is it a pre-approval of a cost transfer by RCA. It is designed to assist staff at Rice by assessing the narrative completeness of the justification.
How to Access?
These tools are integrated directly into your existing tools.
Via Templates:
You will find a direct access link on the current versions of the Non-Labor Cost Transfer template cover page. There are two links to two different tools. One that can be used to review the completeness of the main justification, and one that can be used to review the completeness of supplementary justifications that are necessary when cost transfers are untimely.
Guidance on how to use the tools can be found
here
Secure and Private
We take security seriously. While the guidance documentation is open to all, access to this tool is strictly controlled via your
Rice NetID
. You can only access these tools if you are logged in to your browser with your Rice NetID.
Your Data is Yours:
Each user has a persistent, private chat history. Your queries and findings are visible only to you; there is no “cross-pollination” of data between users of these tools.
When a fixed price sponsored project wraps up with a residual balance, the transfer process is changing. Previously, we relied on a general, COA-level balance transfer, which lacked the PPM specificity needed for clear management and accounting control. With technical support from FIS, RCA has improved this process.
As of November 2025, when a fixed price sponsored project concludes with a residual balance that residual will be addressed through the generation of a non-billable cost that will post both to the sponsored project (debit) and to the destination location that the residual balance is being transferred to (credit).
What this means for the PI/Project Manager?
When interacting with RCA Grant Specialists during the closeout phase of such a fixed price award, the
destination
for the residual balance needs to be stated in
either
of the following ways to RCA.
Destination: Faculty Fund (PPM Project)
Required Data:
The
Faculty Fund Project Number
and the
Task Number
Conditions:
Department must ensure the Faculty Fund destination (task line) is both
(a) active
AND
(b) has an appropriate classification code
that corresponds with the original award type. For example, if the original award type was research, then the classification segment should be set to 303.
Ensuring that the faculty fund line has this characteristic is an important requirement to support university-level reporting (HERD).
OR
Destination: General Ledger (COA String)
Required Data:
The
full COA string
Condition:
The Account segment (the fifth segment) must be
6800
If the destination for the residual is a Faculty Fund, a negative expense (credit) will be posted there (Expenditure Type: TXF: Transfers – Inter / Intra Departmental)
If the destination for the residual is a COA, a negative expense (credit) will post to account code 6800.
In either destination case, the negative expense will increase the balance there correspondingly. For clarity, the impact to the faculty fund is that cumulative costs (actuals) will be less, and the balance will thus be more.
There is no need for the administrator to increase the budget; the above achieves the same effect upon the Faculty Fund balance as a budget increase would.
OTBI dashboards (ROBI) developed in 2021 had the capacity to review Faculty Fund balances by task line. For those users who continue to use ROBI because of this view, and worry that this view will be lost to them when the tool is ultimately decommissioned, we have good news.
Faculty Fund balances by task line can be replicated exactly in iO using the SPFF Budget to Actuals Dashboard.
To replicate the view, search for the faculty fund by project number.
Once the results of the analysis load, simply right click on the ‘Expenditure Category’ column and click ‘exclude’.
Processing NLCTs (The Basics)
When processing Non Labor Cost Transfers, the template you use to submit the transfer depends on the origin data.
When the
origin
data is a cost
on a project
, use the
PPM template
When the
origin
data is a cost that is
not on a project
, use the
COA template
Both templates have a similar appearance, and they operate very similarly, but their internal workings are different and are thus not interchangeable. For full step-by-step guidance use this
guide
COA Template. Version 1.12. (An Update)
Several submitters noticed a bug within earlier versions where uploaded lines to the ‘TNC2 data’ tab were not appearing in the ‘TNC2’ tab upon refresh. The cause of this rare issue has been identified and the template has now been fixed in version 1.12.
Cost Transfer Compliance (A Reminder)
Approvals
for NLCTs
MUST ALWAYS
be added to iO tickets prior to submission (unless the submitter is also both the origin and destination approver in which case no approval is needed). The approvals should take the form of the adobe sign PDF, signed by both origin and destination approvers, as indicated in the instructions within in the templates.
As detailed in box 2 of the cover page of each of the templates, and in
Rice policy 302
, there are some clear
compliance
expectations that
MUST ALWAYS
be met by cost transfer submitters when justifying a cost transfer in box 3 of the cover page.
PPM Template (excerpts from cover page):
1) How were the original costs miscategorized, charged to the wrong project(s), or allocated to the wrong task(s)?
2) If type is PPM-PPM, are the costs allowable and allocable to the receiving project(s)? (i.e does each line of the transfer meet cost principles, funder rules, and is within bounds of funder approved budget categories)?
3) What steps will be taken to prevent recurrence?
COA Template
(excerpts from cover page)
1) Why were the original costs mischarged?
2) Are the costs allowable and allocable to the receiving project(s) and/or COA string locations? Does each line of the transfer that has a PPM destination meet corresponding cost principles, funder rules, and remain within bounds of funder approved budget categories)?
3) What steps will be taken to prevent recurrence?
Policy
302
(excerpts from policy page)
“Unallowable or inappropriate charges that appear on a sponsored project fund must be moved promptly to an appropriate fund. Cost transfers must be timely, well-documented and properly approved.”
“Charges to a sponsored project fund should be reviewed periodically by the PI and reconciled regularly by staff within each department or school so that erroneous charges may be identified and corrected promptly.
Timely means that a transfer should be initiated as soon as an error is detected but normally within 90 days following the last day of the month in which the charge first appears on the fund
.”
For those of you that were unable to attend today’s zoom session on this topic, the recording of the introduction to the new methodology for internal cost and revenue accounting for service centers and auxiliaries at Rice is available via this Rice box folder
link
Purchase Order Perspectives
As a
submitter
of a purchase request, you may have found yourself entering
two
different pieces of accounting information. You diligently entered the
Account Number (COA)
you
thought
was correct—say, one for General Operations (Fund Type 101). But because the expense was project-related (a faculty fund), you
also
linked it to a specific
Project
. You may have wondered, “Which one does the system actually use?” The good news is, by including the Project information, you’ve done everything correctly, even if the COA you entered was technically wrong.
As an
approver
viewing the transaction in the
Purchasing and Payments dashboard
, you may notice this confusing dual entry. Perhaps you see both the COA string (Fund Type 101) and the Project information (Faculty Fund – which you know to actually be Fund Type 109) listed…an apparent contradiction. This can lead to the question: Did the system make a mistake? Is there a glitch that will mess up the final reports? Absolutely not! This is a common situation, but it’s actually a sign that your finance system is working
exactly
as it should, following a strict set of data hierarchy rules.
Data Hierarchy
1. The Requisition
When you create a requisition, think of it as if you are making a
request
to where the ‘
address
’ for the cost will be sent to?
You can enter two kinds of addresses:
You might put in both the
COA
string
(ZIP code) and the
Project
(street address) information.
The Dashboard View:
When you look at the transaction in the
Purchasing and Payments dashboard
, you are simply seeing your original input. The system is just showing you what the requester submitted, even if they put in two conflicting addresses.
The Golden Rule:
At this stage, the system doesn’t try to correct you. It just accepts the dual input and focuses on getting the purchase approved.
2. The Data Hierarchy
Once the purchase is approved and the bill is ready to be paid, the system has to decide which “address” to use for the
final
accounting record. This is where the hierarchy kicks in.
In iO, the
Project information always wins
. Why? Because
Project accounting is the most specific (street address is more specific than ZIP code) and has the strictest rules
Your Input
iO’s Decision
Why?
Project Information is Present
IGNORE
the Account String (COA) for final accounting.
The specific
Project Rules
are more important than the general COA string rules. The cost
must
follow the Project.
Project Information is Missing
USE
the Account String
(COA)
There are no special rules, so it defaults to the general address.
The Core Principle:
If you link a cost to a Project, that Project acts like a
powerful magnet
that pulls the cost into its specific set of accounts, completely ignoring the weaker COA string you originally typed.
Finding the Truth: Where the Money Really Goes
The whole purpose of this system is
financial integrity
. We don’t want someone accidentally charging a restricted grant expense to the general operating fund just because they typed the wrong account number on a request form.
The system uses a set of automatic rules, called
Sub-Ledger Accounting (SLA)
, to determine the
correct
and
final
account number based on the Project’s setup.
Your Source of Truth
To stop guessing and see the final, audited truth,
do not rely on the COA you see in the Purchasing and Payments dashboard.
That dashboard only shows the
initial input
Instead, go directly to the
Project Costs Module
(which is part of the Project/Grant system).
Find your transaction within the Project Costs Module.
Look for an option called
“View Accounting.”
When you click this, you will see the final, derived account number. This is the
real
account (Fund 109 in our example) that received the charge—proof that the system correctly followed the specific Project rules and ignored the conflicting number you saw on the requisition dashboard.
Cost Transfers 101 and Net Zero Costs. Summary
A cost transfer is the process of moving a transaction (the financial record) from one funding source (e.g., a specific grant (PPM) or departmental account (COA) to another after the initial transaction has been recorded.
When you initiate a cost transfer, you are creating an offset transaction in the original location (zeroing out the expense) and generating a corresponding, consistent transaction in the destination location, effectively relocating the expense’s financial record.
Before transferring a cost check to see if there’s an equivalent opposite polarity cost (either negative or positive) that has the same Expenditure Type and Item Date. If such a cost exists, it might be a Net Zero transaction and thus not transferrable. See the ‘Identification of Net Zero Costs’ below on how to confirm for sure if it is or is not?
Maintaining Financial Compliance
Administrative staff engaged in project financial management occasionally need to adjust and transfer project costs. However, a specific transaction type—the
Net Zero Cost
—is systematically restricted from further transfers or manipulation.
This restriction is not a system error; it is a critical automated safeguard. The principle of the Net Zero Cost ensures that the Project Portfolio Management (PPM) subledger maintains absolute synchronization and balance with the General Ledger (GL). Identifying the Net Zero Item flag is essential for administrative efficiency, as attempting to adjust these items will result in immediate system rejection, confirming that the transaction’s accounting role has already been fulfilled as a cancellation record
The Three Part Transaction Model
A Net Zero Cost transaction is a specialized, negative accounting entry generated automatically by the system to execute the formal reversal of a prior expenditure item. Its function is cancellation;
it does not represent an actual, allocable expense
Cost corrections in PPM always utilize a three-part transaction model
Original Cost:
The initial expense containing the incorrect allocation.
Reversal Cost (The Net Zero Item):
The negative entry that mathematically and functionally cancels the Original Cost.
New Cost:
The corrected charge applied to the appropriate project elements.
The Net Zero Item attribute is the field that explicitly identifies the Reversal Cost as True. This confirms that the transaction is the necessary offset, designed to create a zero balance for the pair.
Net Zero Costs cannot be transferred because they are defined as reversed expenditure items and are explicitly disallowed from further adjustment.
Protecting the Audit Trail
The Net Zero transaction’s sole purpose is cancellation. If a transfer were permitted on the Net Zero transaction, the original charge would become effectively uncanceled at its source. The transfer is rejected to maintain the integrity of the audit sequence, as the Net Zero entry is the immutable record linking the cancellation back to the original source charge. Disruption of this linkage results in the system issuing a mandatory rejection message stating that
adjustments are not allowed on a reversed expenditure item
Identification of Net Zero Costs
Right now, there’s only one place in iO where you can confirm the status of a transaction relative to it being part of a net zero pair.
Go to Grants Management/Awards
Click on the Page icon on the right of the page
Search for the award that contains the project that contains the cost. Click on the drop down next to the project that contains the cost. Select Manage Project Costs
If this is the first time that you’ve ever looked at this Project Costs view, you may need to ensure that the net zero column is selected.
When examining the row with the cost that you are considering transferring, you can see the net zero column that indicates if it is or isn’t a net zero transaction.
When you see an x, it is not a net zero transaction and is transferrable. If you see a tick mark, it is a net zero transaction and it is not transferrable.
What’s Next?
The Non Labor Cost Transfer method will not process transfers based on net zero transactions at the point of processing.
Currently, SPFF Expense Detail does not contain the net zero field, meaning that the submission template cannot filter these costs out automatically at the start. This means it is possible for people to attempt to instruct transfers that contain net zero transactions even though those transfers cannot and will not ultimately process to iO.
To avoid the frustration, confusion, and misinterpretation that might arise surrounding such submissions that cannot complete, FIS intend to add the net zero field as a column to SPFF Expense Detail (planned implementation is during calendar year 2025).
Once implemented, it will enable all the relevant cost information relating to the potential for a cost to be transferrable to exist in one (SPFF Expense Detail) dashboard, and for the NLCT tool to filter out such costs prior to submission (as it already does with other ineligible costs like F&A and labor).
The
Research and Cost Accounting (RCA)
office is happy to announce an upcoming upgrade to how we manage personnel roles in sponsored awards within
iO
. If you’ve ever wondered why someone who left three years ago still appears to have access to your grant data, you’ll be happy to hear that we’re giving everyone a structured way to clean up!
The Old Way
When an award is first set up, we determine the key roles: the
PI, Co-PI(s), Project Manager, and Award Participant(s)
are all correctly added to the iO award.
But then things change. People move, responsibilities shift, and suddenly, you need to add someone or, more importantly,
remove
someone. Currently, these adjustments are handled one by one via individual iO tickets (Category =
Access Permissions
).
This process made good
award hygiene
an absolute chore:
It’s inconvenient to audit every single award regularly to see who should stay and who should go.
Department managers responsible for oversight haven’t had an easy way to get a big-picture view of
all
personnel on
all
their awards simultaneously.
The result? We’ve sometimes been operating with a slight (or not-so-slight) disconnect between the data in iO and reality, leaving us asking, “Who exactly
is
supposed to be seeing this data?”
The New Way
To finally make data management manageable, RCA is implementing a new process that takes advantage of a superb FIS-developed tool that enables
organizational-level batch adjustments
for award personnel. Consider it your mandatory, but very helpful, data “spring cleaning” session.
How Will This Work?
Bi-Annual Data Drop:
Twice a year
, the
Cost Center Manager
for your department will receive a comprehensive data table from RCA. This table lists
every award owned by your Organization (Cost Center)
Full Personnel Disclosure:
For each award, the table will clearly list
every person currently assigned an award role
. You’ll have the option right there to
change the status of existing people
(i.e., remove them) or
add new personnel
The One-Month Window:
Your department will have
one month
to coordinate a full review, make the necessary amendments, and return the updated table to RCA.
The Great Cleanup:
RCA will process these
Org-level batch updates
, ensuring your awards are instantly populated with the correct, current personnel.
The Best Part: Pristine Data and Focused Effort
Pristine Data:
You get rid of all the ghost users and make sure everyone who
should
have access actually
doe
s. Your data will reflect the people currently managing the work.
Focused Effort:
By scheduling this process
twice a year
, we create a dedicated, focused time slot for data hygiene. While
you will still be able to use the old iO ticket method for urgent, one-off changes
, this mandatory schedule will keep your award personnel data accurate and compliant.
What’s Next?!
This new process is scheduled to be rolled out during
Calendar Year 2025
, with a likely implementation in
early November
. We’ll share more detailed instructions and dates as we get closer.
If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions about this upcoming process, please let us know! Email RCA directly at
jth6@rice.edu
RCA are rolling out important, mandatory updates to how
service centers
and
auxiliary units
charge costs to sponsored projects and faculty funds, and how the corresponding revenue is recorded. These changes are the result of work by the Service Center Task Force and are designed to prevent transaction errors, eliminate duplicate entries, and significantly simplify your monthly and period-end reconciliation processes.
Please read this communication carefully, as these new protocols are
effective immediately
1. The Core Change: Two Distinct Accounting Paths
The biggest change involves separating transactions into two distinct methods based on where the cost is being charged (the destination).
Scenario A: Cost to a COA (General Ledger) String
Destination:
General Ledger (Chart of Accounts – COA)
Method:
FBDI (File-Based Data Import)
Rule:
The
FBDI
template must
only
be used for
COA-COA
transactions. This includes both cost transfers and the traditional cost/revenue accounting where the cost and the corresponding revenue are recorded as two separate lines within the COA.
Scenario B: Cost to a Project/Task (Sponsored Project or Faculty Fund)
Destination:
Project Portfolio Management (PPM – Project/Task)
Method:
New
ADFdi
(Application Desktop Integrator) Tool
Rule:
This is the
new, all-in-one method
. Using the dedicated
ADFdi
tool will now automatically:
Generate the
cost
to the specified Project/Task.
Simultaneously and automatically record the corresponding
revenue
to your service center or auxiliary unit.
Crucial Note:
FBDI templates can no longer be used to create GL costs or revenue relative to any PPM/Project transactions created (using 1087 account code)
. Any FBDI submission that attempts to record revenue or a cost transfer to a Project/Task (1087 account code) will be rejected by General Accounting.
The ADFdi method ensures that the cost and its corresponding revenue are successfully linked and posted
together
, which is the key to accurate and easy reconciliation.
2. Introducing the Pre-Submission Validation Tool
To ensure a smooth transition to the new
ADFdi
process (Scenario B), we’ve incorporated a powerful
pre-submission validation tool
directly into the template. Before you attempt to post a transaction, the tool will perform critical checks, including:
Period of Performance:
Verifies the transaction date is within the eligible project period.
Task Number Viability:
Confirms the Task number is valid for the selected Project or Faculty Fund.
Project Status:
Checks that the Project is Active and not Closed.
This validation will save your teams significant time by catching common errors
before
a failed posting attempt, allowing you to quickly communicate accurate information to your customers.
3. Training and Next Steps
We understand these are significant procedural changes.
An introductory training session will take place via zoom on
October 15th at 11am
[EDIT – see
video recording
of this session]
This change is going to primarily impact Service Centers (SEA, Chem Stockroom etc.) and Auxiliaries (Housing & Dining, Post Office etc.) but attendance is not limited. All are welcome.
Link
for 27th at 11.30
Following this zoom training, there will also be an in person training session in
Moody 205 (11.30-13.00)
where we will do a walk through of the new
ADFdi
template, submission process, and validation tool. Details on this training will be added to this post, and communicated via the research-l listserve as soon as they are known.
If you have an urgent need to use the new ADFdi template to generate a cost/revenue transaction in the next two weeks, please reach out to James Hayward (jth6) in the Controller’s Office for assistance. Otherwise, please save your questions for the scheduled training session.
Thank you for your cooperation as we implement these necessary controls for more accurate and efficient accounting at Rice.
egistration Link
*Quick Tip
Be sure to use the Search function at the bottom of the Learning landing page to search for your desired course!
The NLCT template has updated from 1.08 to 1.09.
Here’s what changed and why.
A Note on Training
Some people have reached out to to RCA ask if they can get 1-1 training, or if there will be office hours for NLCT?
Most of these queries could have been addressed by applying the
instructions
, or watching the
videos
The ideal scenario is that should there be user need, then a combination of these resources along with colleagues training other colleagues would be the first choice.
This is not always possible of course and please do reach out in either the event that this first choice is not an option, or in the event of encountering any technical issue.
Overview of Changes
Effective
July 1, 2025 (FY26)
, we’re changing how we account for certain research awards to improve tracking. Instead of using the single
012000 (Internal Projects)
fund source, new projects will use specific, dedicated fund sources that better reflect their purpose.
Here are the new fund sources:
012100
for Cost Share projects
012110
for Deficit Projects
012120
for Salary Cap Projects
012130
for Interest Earned Projects
This means that a new Cost Share project, for example, will now be set up with its own fund source: 012100.
Impact on Current Projects
The new fund sources apply only to projects with a start date of July 1, 2025, or later. Projects created before this date cannot be converted.
To ensure consistency, Research and Cost Accounting will take the following steps for all 59 active awards with an existing cost share component:
new project with the 012100 fund source
will be created for each affected award.
The project number for this new project will be communicated to the Project Manager (PM) and the Principal Investigator (PI).
Any costs posted to the old project on or after July 1, 2025, will be transferred to the new project.
The old project will be closed.
It’s important to remember that for reporting purposes, you will need to consider the budgets and costs of both the old and new projects together.
Both projects will be accessible within the same award for easy data retrieval.
Project Transition & Budget Management
The old “Internal” cost share project will remain open until its award closes or until
September 30, 2025
, whichever comes first.
All cost transfers related to the old project must be completed and posted in iO before the project closes.
Once the old project is closed, its budget balance will be calculated. If the balance is negative, the project will be closed, and the PI and department will need to communicate a management plan to Research and Cost Accounting before it can be reopened.
If the balance is positive, the remaining budget will be transferred to the new “Cost Share” project.
For active labor distributions on old projects, Payroll will automatically update them to apply to the new “Cost Share” project starting July 1, 2025.
Project Managers for impacted awards have been contacted directly by e-mail with the above message. If you have any questions, please feel free to respond to that e-mail or to contact Research and Cost Accounting (rchacctg@rice.edu).
EDIT (8/19/25. 3.14PM) While the dashboards have returned and can be used, we are aware that there are issues across SPFF with dashboard prompts not running analyses in the way they should. The cause of this issue has been diagnosed and the team is on it. It will very likely not be before tomorrow (8/20/25) that we are able to say how long this will take to fix. I will update this post with information as it becomes available.
EDIT (8/20/25. 8.59 AM) Dashboards are now operational.
SPFF and Finance Dashboards are down and OIT are currently working on bringing them back up.
Downtime for these resources is estimated through tomorrow morning (8/19/2025)
Please be advised that Rice’s submitted Fringe rates are 25.8% for faculty and staff and 2.6% for students.
These rates are PROPOSED and may be used for FY26 grant applications (with a start date of 7/1/25 or later) but this are subject to change upon negotiation and execution of the official rates.
When more information becomes available, it will be added here.
SPFF has been restored to normal operational status.
Due to an Oracle system update, dashboard data has not refreshed since July 30th.
We’re working to resolve the issue and will restore updates ASAP.
Thanks for your patience!
During the recent cost transfer training, there were a number of unanswered chat questions. The most frequent one of these related to Faculty Funds and how to process cost transfers to them?
Here’s the answer
1) Leave the ‘New Award’ field totally blank (i.e. delete all content from the cell)
2) Select or enter the Faculty Fund project number (must begin with the letter F) in the New Project Number(s) field.
3) Take care to confirm you have added the desired task number (which will default to ‘1’) in the New Task Number field.
In early 2025, a new non-labor cost transfer method (and template) was developed through a collaboration between Research & Cost Accounting (RCA) and Financial Information Systems (FIS).
The new method leverages Oracle’s Project Costs Module, and offers an alternative to the baseline method that has been in use since the iO implementation.
In March/April 2025, the concept behind the new method was proved to be viable, and testers from across the university were subsequently recruited to provide feedback and development guidance throughout April/May 2025. With feedback collected and applied, the new method is now live for general use.
Depending on the type of origin data, a slightly different version of the new template is applied to complete the following range of cost transfers
Each of the new templates are functionally very similar to use, and differ only in the following ways.
Origin Data = PPM (POET-AF)
When the origin transaction(s) are in the subledger (POET-AF), use the
PPM template
Export data from iO to an excel spreadsheet from SPFF/
Expense Details
(export/data/excel)
Origin Data = GL (non PPM COA)
When the origin transaction(s) are in the general ledger (non PPM COA), use the
COA template
Export data from iO to an excel spreadsheet from Finance Dashboard/
Transactional Details
(export/data/excel)
What are the benefits to the new method/templates?
+ Single step process for PPM-COA and COA-PPM NLCTs.
+ Source data is from iO. Eliminates transcription errors.
+ Ineligible cost categories filtered out by template.
+ Non-zero transaction transfers prevented.
+ PM/CCMs identified, and authorization step added.
+ Numerous pre-submission validations added. Reduces errors & rework thus improving process accuracy and efficiency.
+ Submission and progress tracking via iO ticket portal.
Ongoing and Upcoming
A training program is underway on a divisional level. Training sessions throughout July 2025 are planned and will be communicated here on the
RCA Blog
To prepare and submit an NLCT, follow the
2-page guide
Video Links
1) Determine the Origin Data. Prepare the Template.
2) Export the Data from iO. Paste it to the Template.
3) Refresh the TNC2 table, Add Destination Data, Check Validation, and Obtain Authorizations
4) Submit the NLCT in iO.
Using the correct category can improve processing times for tickets because it allows us to quickly assign the ticket to the correct RCA staff member.  Please note that the “Controller’s Office Use Only” and “RCA Use Only – Cash” categories should not be used by the departments.
Whenever possible, please include an iO award or project number in the Summary field.
Below are some of the most frequently-used categories.
We have received several inquiries regarding the correct expenditure type to use when paying for undergraduate fellowships.  This situation will be most prevalent on Research Experiences for Undergraduate (REU) projects, but can also arise for other types of projects.  These payments are processed through Payables and should use expenditure type
ODC: Teacher / Trainee Allowance
Please note that graduate fellowships are still processed through Payroll.  Information on graduate fellowship payments can be found on the GPS website:
Many of you have received emails from OnBase regarding old subaward invoices.  These emails are caused by a glitch in the system. The IT department has been notified and is working to solve the problem. Please disregard these emails.
Below are the changes happening with the Encumbrance calculation revamp:
• Encumbrance costs will be relieved when actuals are posted. They used to be relieved based on calendar days. The change addresses the issue of payroll costs being posted before the end of the pay period, which caused the remaining balance to be understated as both actuals and encumbrances were posted for the same pay period.
• The new encumbrance calculation now supports automatic calculation of fringe based on the assignment category. This eliminates the need to maintain a fringe line for all assignments. The Labor Distribution Administrator will be required to create a fringe rule only when the fringe costs do not follow the salaries and wages costing.
• The hourly employee pay period amount will now be correct. It was overstated.
• F&A on Tuition remission costs for the MTDC burden schedule projects will stop being calculated.
• The award overview page will stop duplicating projects with encumbrance costs.
• Added the LD comment field to the labor distribution details
Rice University remains committed to research, scientific discovery and creative works. In light of changing external funding priorities, a long-term sustainability approach is necessary to deliver on our strategic plan and increased impact. As a result, we are pleased to announce that we are launching a Bridge Funding Program for faculty whose federally sponsored research support has been unexpectedly terminated or reduced.
While both sponsored projects and fee-for-service activities involve external funding to the University in exchange for work performed by University personnel, they differ significantly in purpose, scope, and administrative requirements. Proper classification is essential for ensuring compliance with University policy and sponsor expectations.
If you are uncertain about how to classify a specific proposal, project, or agreement, please contact
RchAcctg@Rice.edu
for guidance and final determination.
Sponsored Projects
Sponsored projects are scholarly activities that directly support Rice University’s mission in research, teaching, and public service. These agreements—typically structured as grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements—require substantive intellectual input from Rice personnel and are subject to sponsor terms and conditions.
Sponsored projects
must
be processed through the Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) and submitted via
Cayuse
Common characteristics of sponsored projects include:
The project requires significant intellectual or scholarly contribution by Rice personnel.
A formal proposal or award agreement is submitted and typically requires institutional approval or endorsement.
The budget is itemized and may include sponsor-imposed restrictions on spending or rebudgeting.
Cost-sharing or matching funds may be required.
There is a specified level of effort or commitment from project personnel.
Financial, technical, or progress reports—and sometimes audits—are required by the sponsor.
The agreement outlines ownership or disposition of tangible or intangible property, such as data or inventions.
Any unspent funds may need to be returned to the sponsor at the project’s end.
The agreement includes terms for compliance with federal, state, or institutional policies (e.g., human subjects, export control, conflict of interest).
Fee-for-Service Activities
Fee-for-service activities involve providing routine, defined services using established methods or procedures, often under the direction or specifications of the external entity. These activities do
not
involve research, scholarly inquiry, or significant intellectual contribution and are not expected to generate new knowledge or result in publications.
Fee-for-service activities typically have these characteristics:
The work involves routine, repetitive, or standardized services.
Rice personnel provide minimal intellectual or scholarly input.
No new intellectual property or research findings are expected to result from the work.
There is no scientific uncertainty or hypothesis being tested—the deliverables are clearly defined.
Data collected is provided without interpretation, and there is no expectation for publication or analysis by Rice personnel.
This guidance is intended to assist faculty and staff in appropriately classifying externally funded activities and ensuring that proper administrative and compliance protocols are followed. For case-by-case questions or complex situations, please reach out to
RchAcctg@Rice.edu
Relevant Policies
Policy for the Submission and Administration of Sponsored Projects
Signature and Approval Authority
We often get inquiries from departments about how to fill out the Award Setup Form, particularly with selecting the correct Field of Study (FOS), THECB Category, and Special Interest (SI).  While the form does provide some guidance on these sections, it isn’t easily accessible until the Adobe workflow has been started.  To assist, we’ve provided links to documents that explain what options are available for sections 5, 6, and 7 of the form.  Please note that two of these documents are in Box and will require Rice credentials to access.
HERD Fields of Study (FOS):
THECB Categories:
Special Interest (SI):
Creating a service request through iO’s HR/Finance Help Desk means you need information or support quickly. In order for RCA to route your request to the staff member who can help, we are updating the ticketing categories for RCA effective Monday, April 6, 2025.
Need a quick way to access the right category?
1.  Select the file folder icon to at the right of the category menu to access the “view in hierarchy” menu.
2.  Select the Category Name: Research and Cost Accounting (RCA).
3.  Select the specific drop-down category and item, then select OK at the top right of the screen.
Please remember to include the iO Award/Project number,
invoice number, or other reference information
in the Summary field.
We frequently get questions and requests involving the various roles that are used in the Project Portfolio Management (PPM) system.  Below are the current roles, where they are applicable, and their purpose.
Please note that role changes should be requested via the Help Desk ticket system.  Requests to add roles for personnel not in the Award Org should be approved by the Department Administrator.
Try as we might to stay within the budget provided by the sponsor, sometimes it simply costs more to complete the scope of work, and the award ends up being overspent.  When this happens, you might be tempted to move expenses off the award in order to bring it back within budget.  However, please keep in mind that any expenses associated with the SOW
should remain where they are
, even if it causes a negative balance.  When this happens, RCA will create a Deficit project and move the direct portion of the overage to the new project, using expenditure type ODC: Excess Costs.  The department will need to process a balance transfer in order to fund the expenses on the Deficit project.
Information on balance transfers can be found here:
Information on the correct Fund Types and Fund Sources for these balance transfers can be found here:
As research administrators, you play a vital role in ensuring the smooth management of sponsored projects at Rice University. When a faculty member decides to leave the institution, it is crucial to notify both Research and Cost Accounting (RCA) and the Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) as soon as possible. This early communication allows us to properly manage the relinquishment, closure, or transfer of awards, ensuring compliance with sponsor and university requirements.
Why Early Notification Matters:
Award Transfers or Relinquishments
– Some awards may need to be transferred to the faculty member’s new institution or officially relinquished to the sponsor. This process takes time and requires coordination.
Final Invoicing & Financial Reporting
– RCA must ensure all allowable expenses are recorded, final invoices are submitted, and financial reports are completed in accordance with sponsor deadlines.
Effort Certification & Payroll Adjustments
– Proper documentation and certification of faculty effort must be finalized before departure to ensure compliance with federal and institutional guidelines.
How You Can Help:
If you become aware that a faculty member is planning to leave Rice, please promptly notify both RCA and OSP. This proactive approach allows us to:
Assess the status of existing awards and determine next steps
Coordinate with sponsors on award relinquishment or transfer requirements
Ensure timely and accurate financial reconciliation and reporting
Address any outstanding compliance matters, including effort certification
Your partnership is invaluable in maintaining the integrity of Rice’s research enterprise. By working together, we can ensure a seamless transition for departing faculty and uphold our commitment to responsible research administration.
If you have any questions or need guidance on this process, please reach out to RCA and OSP. We appreciate your diligence and cooperation!
The salary cap worksheets for Summer 2025 and AYT 2025 have been updated.  Please see the links below.
SUM SAL 2025 NIH and CPRIT Sal Caps_Template – updated 013025
AYT SAL 2025 NIH and CPRIT Sal Caps_Template – updated 013025
Please note that three new Fund Sources have been created.  The mapping process between the general ledger and subledger is undergoing testing and will be implemented upon the conclusion of this testing phase. Further information and guidance will follow.
012110 – Deficit
012120 – Salary Cap
012130 – Interest
RCA has established written guidance for Participant Support costs.  Please reach out to rchacctg@rice.edu if you have any question.
Guidance on Participant Support Cost 12.4.24
Search for PI/Co-PI has been combined for comprehensive reporting
What: The PI/Co-PI prompt has replaced the Award PI prompt, and the Co-PI name field has been added to all dashboard views
except
Labor Distribution Details and Labor Encumbrance Details.
Why:  This combined prompt allows faculty and administrators to prepare a comprehensive grants report for a PI whether they serve as PI or Co-PI on a project/award.
F&A Rates now included on the Award Overview report
What: Project/Award F&A rate will be included as a column on the
Award Overview
page. F&A Rate is also included as a hidden field on the
Balance Details
Award Overview
, and
PI Project Summary
pages.
Dashboard tip: Columns can be hidden or displayed using the right-click feature and selecting include or exclude. View more tips on the
Dashboard Tips and Tools QRG
Why: Displaying the F&A rate on the reports allows faculty and administrators to more easily validate the Project/Award F&A rate while reviewing financial reports.
Hello Research Administrators,
We are pleased to share that registration for the Skills Training for Administrative Research Staff (STARS) program is now open! STARS is a new training program offered to research administrators across Rice University. The program intends to enhance collective expertise, develop new skills, and promote professional growth. Through the duration of ten workshops, a variety of subject matter experts across campus will cover topics encompassing the grant lifecycle, including the pre-award process, sub-award process, personnel, compliance, and much more. The program is an opportunity to create true communities of practice and contribute to the Rice research enterprise.
Registration opens today,
Thursday, August 1st,
via Learning in iO. Please use this
link
if you have any questions on how to register.  It is crucial to attend all ten sessions in person to fully reap the benefits of the program and build connections. Registration will close
Wednesday, August 28th at 5:00 p.m.
or when the cohort is filled. Below you will find the direct link to register and a registration guide.
STARS Registration link:
Click here
Enrollment Guide:
Click here
The STARS program is a great opportunity to learn something new, refresh your understanding of the grant lifecycle and connect with other research administrators across Rice. Please join us!
All the best,
STARS Training Group
Basically everything is pushed back two days due to hurricane Beryl:
July 12   Original entries to be submitted
July 15   First close reports available on dashboards
July 19   Second close – final day for corrections to be submitted
July 29   Final reports available on dashboards after 10 p.m.
Please contact crystald@rice.edu if you have questions.
Effective February 15, 2024, RCA will adjust the accounting process for Cost Share F&A.
Currently F&A is being charged on cost share projects where no specific exclusion was requested in the award cost share agreement.  F&A on cost share charges is being recorded in the Cost Share Project and debited to COA with an expectation for the department to fund.
F&A for the cost share charges will be recorded in the Cost Share Project.  However, there will be no debit to the CoA, effectively forgiving the obligation for the department to fund.
F&A charges on cost share projects made prior to February 15 and that have already debited CoA accounts will be reversed by RCA prior to the end of FY24.
We have received multiple emails and helpdesk tickets regarding the ability to access FY24 dates in SPFF.  The GL Accounting Period filters are not functioning as expected on the Admin and PI SPFF Dashboards.  The iO support team is working to reset the filters.  The target date for a resolution is 02/16/24.  Please check the Known Issues page (
) for updates.
The Finance Dashboard Redesign Committee is excited to share the launch of the
redesigned Finance Dashboard
that will improve your experience and streamline financial reporting. The committee has been testing the dashboard for several weeks and think you will appreciate their favorite new features:
Faster response time
and smoother navigation
Ability to view and filter on the
Full Chart String
or individual segments
Classification
has been added to the table and filter options
Drill-down capabilities
take you directly to details of the expenses
Updated CoA hierarchy
makes it easy to view remaining budget in Supplies and Expenses categories separate from Salaries and Wages.
Training
Crystal Davis will host a webinar to preview the faster and enhanced design on Wednesday, January 31, at 3:00 pm.  After you attend or view the recording of the webinar, which will be posted on the iOEvolutiOn website, sign up for a hands-on workshop February 12 – 16 or in mid-March.  All details can be found on the
iO EvolutiOn events page
Hello, all:
As requested during the most recent Research Administrators Forum, I have uploaded the RCA portion of the presentation from December 14th.  The PowerPoint can be found here:
The expense workflow issue causing reports to not route correctly has been identified and corrected.  With the correction comes a long-awaited feature:  negative expense reports can now be processed.  You no longer have to wait for offsetting charges to process a credit to your p-card.
Emails were sent to Cost Center and Project Managers to announce both the issue and correction
see December 11 email here
and
December 20 email here
).
An Oracle bug was introduced with the November 17th Quarterly Update that has caused all labor costs between 7/1/23 and 12/5/23 to be redistributed multiple times. This is visible in the Wages and Fellow Payments reports in the Finance Dashboard (Payroll Actuals, Gross Pay, and Graduate Student Pay reports).
This issue does NOT impact actual pay to employees.
The detailed email sent to Cost Center Managers, Project Managers and HCM initiators is viewable on the
iO EvolutiOn Communications page
Co-Hosted by Research and Cost Accounting and the Office of Sponsored Projects
Research Administrators Forum is a standing meeting for Rice Research Administrators to discuss various topics related to research on campus.
Next meeting: 10:00am-11:30am, Thursday, December 14th 2023
Location: McMurtry Auditorium in Duncan Hall
There is a bug in the Expense work flow that has caused reports submitted in November/December to not proceed to approvers.
Cost Center and Project Managers have received communications listing impacted reports and providing a temporary approval solution. Please see your department administrator for more details.
We apologize for the inconvenience. The iO Support Team is working closely with Oracle to address the issue as soon as possible. Watch the
Known Issues Page
for updates.
Oracle has made a recent update that allows us to transition to reporting Payroll Accounting Dates/Project Expense Item Dates at the Pay Period End Date as Rice has historically done.  This change aligns with the posting date and will make it easier for you to correlate various payroll charges. For more details, see the
full article here
Why is PTO paid on the grant, rather than charged as a fringe benefit?
Rice’s annual fringe benefit agreement with the Federal government addresses the way Rice charges paid absences versus fringe benefits.  Excerpts below are from our FY24 agreement.
TREATMENT OF FRINGE BENEFITS:
The fringe benefits are charged using the rate(s) listed in the Fringe Benefits Section of this Agreement. The fringe benefits included in the rate(s) are listed below.
TREATMENT OF PAID ABSENCES:
Vacation, holiday, sick leave pay and other paid absences are included in salaries and wages and are claimed on grants, contracts and other agreements as part of the normal cost for salaries and wages. Separate claims are not made for the cost of these paid absences.
FRINGE BENEFITS:
FICA, Retirement, Disability, Life Insurance, Tuition Remission, Worker’s Compensation, Unemployment Insurance, Health Insurance, Sabbaticals, Parking, Employee Assistance, Child Care, Medical Administration, Flu Shots, Financial Planning, Wellness Program.
The rationale for this treatment is that the fringe benefit rate would be much higher if the costs for paid absences were included.
When an employee is paid on a grant and they leave Rice, does their vacation payout go on the award?
Yes, according to Rice Policy 405 Paid Time Off, III.D., “Payout of PTO at Termination”, the payout of unused PTO to a staff member (other than a postdoctoral research associate as described in IIIA above) with at least six months of continuous benefits-eligible service who terminates from Rice for any reason will be no more than one year’s accumulation based on FTE and years of service (e.g., a maximum of 26 days, or 208 hours, for a full-time staff member with fifteen years of service.)
Staff members on research grants are eligible for the payout of unused PTO.
However, if the grants from which they are paid do not allow the payout of terminal PTO, principal investigators and departments must identify another appropriate source of funds for the payout.”
Additional background:
The same applies if a person changes employment types, such as staff becomes faculty.  In this case, different benefits and policies apply, so the prior assignment is terminated in HR and the person is treated as a new hire.  Therefore, accrued PTO is paid out.
Rice’s DS-2 (Cost Accounting Standards Board Disclosure Statement) Part V, 5.1.0 is consistent with Policy 405.  Excerpt below:
Method of Charging Leave Costs.
Do you charge vacation, sick, holiday and sabbatical leave costs to sponsored agreements on the cash
basis
of accounting (i.e., when the leave is taken or paid), or on the accrual basis of accounting (when the leave is earned)?
(Mark
applicable line(s))
A. _
_ Cash
B. ___ Accrual
RCA office hour for the month of September has been cancelled.  However, we will still be holding hands-on SPFF training.
SPFF Dashboard Virtual Hands-on Training
Join Teia Wright and the RCA Team for an on-line walk through of the SPFF Dashboard. Follow along on your own dashboard and ask questions along the way as you learn dashboard navigation and best practices for grants management.
If you would like a demo at your department faculty or staff meeting, please email
iOEvolution@rice.edu
and we will contact you to arrange a time.
Friday, September 29th 10:00 AM – 11:30AM
Zoom Link:
Meeting ID: 9313 358 5535 Passcode: 556994
The label for Faculty Funds on the various SPFF Dashboard views has been changed from “Default” to “Faculty Fund”.  This change allows faculty and administrators to more easily identify this fund.
Based on user requests presented to and approved by the
iO Finance and Research Functional Committee
, we are making a change to the Faculty Fund Types to facilitate department reconciliation.
Starting on September 15, 2023, the General Ledger Fund Type for Faculty Funds will change from Fund Type 101 to Fund Type 109. This impacts Fund Sources 010000, 010010, 010020, 010030, and 010040. Because this is a General Ledger change, it will not impact Faculty Fund reporting in the Projects module or on the SPFF Dashboard.
Why Are We Making This Change?
Currently, both Faculty Funds and other departmental unrestricted designated funds fall within Fund Type 101, making management of both challenging. Adding an independent fund type for Faculty Funds:
facilitates reconciliation between Faculty Fund projects and the associated GL transfers
ensures that Faculty Fund projects are funded appropriately from GL accounts
enables clear insight into tracking transactions between Projects and the General Ledger
Important Details:
This change will not impact the way FF balances and transactions are presented in PPM or on the SPFF dashboard; it only affects general ledger accounting.
Transactions from FY22 and FY23 will remain in Fund Type 101 as they are currently recorded and displayed.
Transactions from FY24 will appear in Fund Type 109.
Transactions between July 1, 2023, and September 15, 2023, will be moved to Fund Type 109 on September 15, 2023. Crystal Davis
will monitor “in-flight” transactions that post the week of September 18-22 and make any necessary corrections.
What Do You Need to Do?
Finance and RCA are working to make all necessary transitions behind the scenes, but it is important for you review your funds for the following:
If you have Faculty Funds pointing to fund sources other than 010000, 010010, 010020, 010030, or 010040, contact Crystal Davis before September 15, 2023, to ensure those transactions are included in the transition.
Between September 15 and September 28, review transactions in Fund Type 101 and Fund Type 109 and work with Crystal to resolve any unexpected results.
We appreciate your cooperation during this system update, which will help streamline your financial processes and reporting. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to Crystal Davis or the finance team.
Thursday, August 24 from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Wednesday, September 6 from 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Registration is required using this link
due to limited space. You will receive additional information about the location after registration. If these times don’t work in your schedule, add your name to the Waiting List tab.
If you would like a demo at your department faculty or staff meeting, please email
ioEvolution@rice.edu
and we will contact you to arrange a time.
Co-Hosted by Research and Cost Accounting and the Office of Sponsored Projects
Wednesday, August 23 at 9:30 am
Farnsworth Pavilion in the RMC
Refreshments served at 9:00 am
Zoom Link:
Passcode:
665418
The
new
Faculty/PI SPFF Dashboard and
new
Administrator SPFF Dashboard will be moved to production starting at 5:00 pm on Thursday, June 1 and will be available on Monday, June 5.  In order to ensure sufficient time for the transition and testing, the SPFF dashboard will not be available during this time.
SPFF Dashboard Training
Via Zoom
Thursday, May 18  2:00 – 3 pm
– Intro to Enhanced Sponsored Projects and Faculty Funds Dashboard
In-Person, Hands-on Guided Workshops
@ COB 4th floor OIT Office Suite
Friday, May 19  1:00 – 2:30 pm
Monday, May 22  1:00 – 2:30 pm
Monday, May 22  3:00 – 4:30 pm
Tuesday, May 23  1:00 – 2:30 pm
Tuesday, May 23  3:00 – 4:30 pm
Register for an in-person guided workshop
using this link
Hands-on training will be conducted in a Test environment with data as of 5/8/23.
This is a handy guide to employee and student payments that covers which office pays, which tax forms the payee completes, and what type of IRS reporting (if any) happens afterwards.  The guide is a joint effort of Payroll and Procure to Pay that can be found on both websites and is also downloadable here:
Rice Payment Reference Guide
If you would like to do further reading about payments to employees and students, you might like IRS Publication 525 on taxable and non-taxable income, which you can review here:
We had hoped to discuss the new Faculty/PI SPFF Dashboard during our next office hours.  However, the launch of the new dashboard has been delayed while some technical issues are worked out.  Therefore, the topic for the March 22
nd
office hour will be Cost Transfers.  Office hour this time around will be at 10:00 am.
For those of you who had signed up for the in-person guided workshops on the new dashboard, please be aware that they have also been postponed.  The registration link has been deactivated and will go live again once we have new dates available.
RCA office hour series continues with the following topics:
Thursday, March 2nd from 2:00-3:00 – Cost Share
Wednesday, March 22nd from 10:00-11:00 – Intro to Faculty/PI SPFF Dashboard
The link to the
Zoom meeting
can be found in the
iO website
We will also offer in-person SPFF guided workshops in the Cambridge Office Building 4th floor.
Monday, March 27th from 2:30-3:30
Tuesday, March 28th from 2:30-3:30
Thursday, March 30th from 9:00-10:00
Register for an in-person guided workshop here!
As promised, the recording and transcript of the RCA webinar on 01/26/2023 have been uploaded to the iO Training Catalogue. Please search for the phrase RCA Webinar.
They can also be found here:
Recording –
Transcript –
Research and Cost Accounting will be hosting a Webinar on January 26
th
to discuss research management.  We encourage all faculty and staff who are involved with research awards or projects to attend.  Please share with any faculty members who may benefit from this information.
The Zoom link can be found on the
iO Training Calendar
.  Hope to see you there!
By popular request, the Payroll Office is hosting a special topics office hours focused on Encumbrance Calculations and Management.
Materials were prepared in conjunction with the RCA, Finance, Enterprise Systems and HR teams who will also be in attendance.
Payroll Office Hours: Encumbrance Calculations and Management
Wednesday, January 18, 2023
11 am – noon
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 993 5697 2751
Passcode: 140274
Office hours materials will be made available in the
iO Training Catalog
by January 27, 2023.
Most of you have been using the SPFF for over a year in order to see expenses and commitments on your sponsored awards, University awards, and faculty fund projects.  I would like to point out another useful feature that was created in order to assist the departments with closeout preparations.
In the Awards Overview tab, there are two tiles at the far right indicating how many awards will be ending in the next 30 – 90 days.
Clicking on the tiles will take you to a list of the respective awards.  Please use this list to determine which awards require your prompt attention.   Any missing expenses or other corrections should be made quickly in order to assure they are captured in the final report or invoice.
Please note that any expenses not included in the final invoice are at risk of not being reimbursed by the sponsor and will have to be covered by departmental funding
New Feature: Award Setup Form added to SPARC award notification emails
iO has the capacity to store information about awards that is not captured in the Cayuse documents, but is significant for reporting and analytics.  Until now, RCA has been collecting this information through informal communications.  In order to streamline the process, we have designed a simple, one-page Adobe Sign form that allows departments and PIs to provide all this data before setup begins.
As of this week, the SPARC award notice email will contain a link to the form in the Comments section (see below).
4. ***NEW*** Please complete the Award Setup form
so RCA has the information necessary to create the award in iO.  For best results, log in to your Adobe Sign account before clicking the link.  You only need an Adobe Sign account if you will be initiating these forms. If you do not currently have a Rice Adobe Sign, send a request to
mailto:helpdesk@rice.edu
.  More information about Adobe Sign can be found here:
The Department Administrator, Project Manager, or PI who receives the SPARC notification and has a Rice Adobe Sign account can initiate the form and add others to the routing as needed. There are no required approvals, and the form is configured to include RCA as the final stop.
Please note the brief instructions for how to fill out the workflow at the top of the page.
For more information about Adobe Sign, please visit
Detailed information on how to fill out the form itself can be found in the
Award Information Help Document
We’ve had several inquiries lately about what Fund Types and Fund Sources should be used in order to fund projects via Balance Transfer.  Please use the information below for funding Cost-share, Deficit, Salary Cap, and Faculty Fund projects, as well as University Awards.
We’d like to share some information on the different Non-Billable projects that are available to the departments in iO.  Some of these are created based on information contained in SPARC notices, while others require a help desk ticket to the RCA queue in order to be created.
Advance Spending award
Used when
initial agreement
has not been received from sponsor
Processed thru SPARC
RCA will create award and associated project
Award and project names will include “Adv Spndg”
Duration will be
six months
Project will have
external
funding source
F&A rate will be MTDC
Budget will be set up for
$1
Once agreement is received through SPARC, RCA will update PPM
Award and project names will be changed to reflect sponsor information
Duration will be extended per agreement
Budget will be amended per agreement
Cost Share project
Used when a proposal includes Rice cost-share
Signed cost-share form should be included in SPARC award notification packet
RCA will create a new project while setting up a new award
Project name will include “C/S”
Duration will be the same as award
Project will have
Internal
funding source (balance transfer required)
F&A rate will be same as signed cost-share form
Budget will be set up for
amount on cost-share form
Department will use project number on LD submissions for cost-shared salary
All travel and ODC expenses which are to be cost-shared should be coded to this project
Salary Cap project
Used when a faculty’s salary is above the limit set by NIH or CPRIT
Department will submit help desk ticket (non-billable projects)
RCA will create a new project within the existing award
Project name will include “Salary Cap”
Duration will be the same as award
Project will have
Internal
funding source (balance transfer required)
F&A rate will be 0%
Budget will be set up for
$1
until one is provided by the department
Department will use project number on LD submissions
Pending Amendment project
Used when existing award period is ending, but we are
expecting an amendment
for more time
Department will submit help desk ticket (non-billable projects)
Department will attach
request form
found on RCA website
RCA will create a new project within the award
Project name will include “Pending Amd”
Project will begin the day after the award end date, and will have a duration of
six months
Project will have same
external
funding source as Base project
F&A rate will be same as current project(s)
Budget will be set up for
$1
Department revise LDs to reflect new project number
All new travel and ODC expenses are coded to the new project
When amendment is received, RCA will process it under this new project
Project name will be changed to “Year 2” or other applicable identifier
Deficit project
Used when project expenses are more than allowed by the sponsor
Department will submit help desk ticket (non-billable projects)
RCA will create a new project within the award
Project name will include “Deficit”
Duration will be the same as award
Project will have
Internal
funding source
Department will process balance transfer
F&A rate will be 0%
Budget will be set up for
direct portion of overage amount
RCA will process cost transfer to move direct portion of overage to new project, using expenditure type ODC: Excess Costs
In order to make the structure more consistent and easier for users, we’re restructuring some of the sub-folders in Box.
Currently, you see:
We are going to move all of the drop off locations to “drop off here” and all of the processed / in progress files to “processed”.
Within “drop off here” you will now see these choices:
The template for each folder is listed, and all of these are available under templates, which will look like this:
The FBDI box folder will continue to host the Labor Distribution template and instructions and the budget transfer memo job aid, but both of these are submitted through AdobeSign processes and completed templates should not be dropped off in Box.
Please name your general ledger entries with your name and date.  Please name your sponsored project cost transfers using the following naming convention:
These naming conventions will make it easier for RCA to answer questions when people inquire about progress (i.e. “did my entry post?” or “did my cost transfer for project XYZ get processed?”).
Hello, everyone:
We have received several inquiries lately regarding expenses that posted incorrectly to a department’s Central Operating Fund (100.000000) instead of posting to the appropriate Fund Type and Fund Source for a sponsored project (e.g. 104.040000 or 104.047000).
The Fund Source value is derived with a mapping set based on the Award Type for Rice Sponsored Projects.  PPM has a version of the mapping set, and it contains 23 Award Type values.  Payables also has a version of the mapping set, but it only contained 9 Award Type values.  When the system can’t find a match, it maps to an employee’s Default Expense Account.  Typically it would be the Central Operating Fund, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be the case.
The Payables mapping set has been updated and should now include all Award Types for Sponsored Projects.  In order to correct any existing error on your GL, please create an GL entry to credit expenses on the incorrect COA string and debit expenses on correct COA string.
Hello,
When entering expenditure types on a cost transfer, please use an expenditure type that is on this list in box. Please enter exactly as written to ensure prompt, accurate processing.
Hello,
Below are a few things to keep in mind when managing your sponsored projects.
Close Date-
iO utilizes the close dates to control spending on projects. The close dates are typically set to 45-60 days after the award ends to allow departments adequate time to post adjustments. Note that the expenditure item date of the expense must be within the project period. Expenses must be posted on or before the close date to report the expense via invoice and/or financial report to your sponsor.
Advance Spending-
New advance spending awards will be setup initially in iO as an award, and not a Faculty Fund Project task anymore. Once the award has been executed, RCA will update the award budget and project end dates and allow iO to process invoicing.
Deficit/Overspent Projects-
Costs in excess of the award amount will be moved to another project on the award. RCA will create the deficit project and move the expense. Essentially, the excess costs will be accounted for and reported as uncommitted cost share. Funding for these costs are managed the same way as your cost share expenses.
Project Tasks and Subtasks
– For sponsored projects, all tasks are “Task 1”. For Faculty Funds, there can be multiple tasks and subtasks. Note: When you add subtasks to a task, it makes the original, primary task nonchargeable. If you have expenses, including labor distributions charging to a primary task, but you created subtasks, that expense will not be processed since the expending must occur at the subtask. A new labor distribution schedule will need to be created and sent to Payroll for processing.
Subaward Requisitions-
Beginning in January, subawards requisitions are now split into two lines. One line for the amount up to $25K, and the second line for the amount over $25k. This way, when you do your receiving, you can select the first line on the requisition to be paid first, then the remainder on line 2. This will correct the F&A calculation challenges some departments were having on subawards. Correcting F&A on subawards prior to January require submission of a cost transfer form.
Communication
– When contacting RCA via the helpdesk, please include the award/project number and your Org number so we can route the request to your accountant for a prompt reply.
We have made some changes to the Expenditure Type list for use on Sponsored Projects.  Please use this new list going forward.
Expenditure Types 11.01.21
There’s a lot of new terminology that we’re all having to learn with the iO system.  Three of the more important terms are Award, Project, and Task.  Let’s take a quick look at what each one means and what it’s used for.
Sponsored Projects
Award
is only used for sponsored projects.
Award number for externally-funded sponsored projects start with 1
Award number for University-funded sponsored projects start with 9
The award contains the
demographic information
, such as sponsor name, start and end dates, PI, Co-PI, terms & conditions, etc.
Each sponsored project gets one award number for the duration of the research being done
Expenses do not post to awards
Project
is what you should enter when charging to sponsored projects.
Project numbers for sponsored projects start with G.
There can be multiple projects associated with a single award.
Task
is where budget and expenses live.
Sponsored projects are not managed by task, thus the task for sponsored projects is always Task 1.
Faculty Funds
Project
number for Faculty Funds start with F.
In addition to budget and expenses, FF projects contain the demographic information since there is no award associated with them.
Task
is where budgets and expenses for faculty funds live.
When a FF project is created, it automatically has four tasks, but the departments can set up more as they see fit.
In situations requiring work to begin before an award’s official
start date
, you have two mechanisms for incurring costs early:
Advance Spending
and
Pre-Award Spending
Advance Spending
Use when:
The sponsor has
not yet issued the official award
(it is still being negotiated).
This mechanism creates an early award fund to allow work to begin and prevent the need for cost transfers. It is also used for awards with restricted carry-forward that receive an annual Purchase Order (PO) from the sponsor.
How to Request:
Work with the Office of Sponsored Programs
(OSP)
to submit a
Pre-Award/Early Setup Request
via Cayuse.
You will need to specify the exact amount of direct and F&A costs needed and provide a rationale.
Risk Note:
If the award is not granted, is for a lower amount, or has a start date outside the
90-day pre-award window
(for federal funds), the responsible
Dean’s office
will work with the department and PI to identify an alternate fund to cover any unallowable charges.
Pre-Award Spending
Use when:
The sponsor has
already issued the official award
Most
federal sponsors
allow recipients of grants and cooperative agreements under
Uniform Guidance
to incur costs up to
90 calendar days
before the official start date without prior approval. For
non-federal sponsors
, you must provide
written approval
from the sponsor.
If your OSP-received federal award has allowable costs that fall within this 90-day window, you may request Pre-Award Spending.
How to Request:
Work with OSP to submit a
Pre-Award/Early Setup Request
via Cayuse to adjust the award’s official start date.
Note on Travel Expenses
Rice/Oracle (iO) posts actual travel costs
after
a travel expense report is completed.
Therefore, if travel is booked before the award start date but the travel itself occurs
during the period of performance
, the final cost (posted when the expense report clears) will be
allocable to the project
Should this rare scenario occur, the cost must be initially posted to a departmental COA. Once the award period begins, the cost can be transferred to the sponsored project and must be
clearly documented
to confirm its allocability.
[Post Updated on 10.16.25]
Hello,
Several people have contacted RCA and P2P concerning issues when charging a sponsored project. Most of the issues have been corrected by doing the following tasks:
For requisitions, configure your
Favorite Charge to Account.
Enter an expenditure item date and budget date that is within the project period and task finish date.
For Faculty Funds, ensure there is an active budget created on the project.
For Faculty Funds Discretionary Task, charge to Task 2.2
Tasks are not chargeable if there is a subtask (i.e task 2 is not chargeable because task 2.2 is the chargeable task)
For Sponsored Projects, the following funding sources are used to map the iO projects to the COA. The fund source mapping is based on the Award/Project Type and Task of the Project. Navigating on the Finance Dashboard and selecting the Award/Project Org and Fund Source to see the transactions.
Below are the Funding Sources for PPM Projects:
The Fund Source for
Sponsored Projects
are:
040000 Federal-Direct
041000 State & Local Gov – Fed Prime
042000 Industry-Fed Prime
043000 Other-Federal Prime
045000 State & Local Gov – Direct
046000 Industry-Direct
047000 Other-Direct
048000 Federal Pass Through
For Cost Share and University Award Projects, the Fund Source defaults to the values below. For Faculty Funds, the funding source is derived from each task on the Faculty Fund. To see the expenses that need to be funded for University Awards, Cost Share, and Faculty Fund projects, navigate to the fund balance report on the dashboard to see the expense and funding activity.
For
Cost Share Projects, Deficit Projects, and Salary Cap Projects
, the Fund Source is:
012100 Cost Share
For
University Awards
, the Fund Source is
012000 Internal Projects
For
Faculty Funds
, the Funding Sources are:
010000 Faculty Discretionary
010010 Faculty Start-Up
010020 Faculty Non-Sponsored Research Funds
010030 Faculty Retention
Navigating in the Finance Dashboard- Budget to Actuals
Enter the Period Name, Organization, and Fund Source to see the Budget to Actuals information. You can see the beginning fund balance on the fund balance report.
Fund Balance Report
This report shows the beginning balance by Fund Source for a particular Org. The Period Net shows the expense activity in the Period (September 2021) $2,305.50 for an Internal Award.
FAQ 1: What is the process for managing overspent awards in iO?
Once the award has ended, any expenses that are in excess of the award budget are transferred to a Deficit project. RCA will create the Deficit project as needed and move the total deficit amount there.  Please create a help desk ticket for this request.
FAQ 2: What is the process in iO to manage the residual balances of fixed price awards?
Research and Cost Accounting (RCA) will confirm the final expenditure amounts with the PI / department administrator (DA). The DA will alert RCA when the sponsor confirms satisfactory completion of all deliverables.
Full Facilities and Administrative costs (F&A) will be applied to the award prior to transferring the residual funds in order to ensure all F&A costs associated with the award are fully funded.
The award project end date will be extended by 1 year to allow time for the funding to be spent by the department. F&A charging will also be turned off by RCA to ensure new expenses do not incur F&A.
The funding remainder may be moved to the faculty’s faculty fund research task if there are no further expenses related to the project’s scope of work.
The procedure for residual funds has been updated on the RCA website. https://controller.rice.edu/rca-fixed-price-funds
These FAQs, and others, can be found at https://controller.rice.edu/rca-faqs
Nick
Hello,
We made a few changes to the form to better explain the data needs. Also included is an example of how to enter data for the converted labor costs. Another tab was added to the spreadsheet to aid in understand where to gather the data for the spreadsheet.
Please use the new form on your next cost transfers.
Nick
By
crystald
Published
August 19, 2021
This is the final conversion crosswalk for historical data conversion through June 30, 2021.
Crosswalk for all Banner FOAPAL 8122021 A to D76999
Crosswalk for all Banner FOAPAL 8122021 D77000 to G
Crosswalk for all Banner FOAPAL 8122021 H to Z
Many of you have reached out to RCA with questions about what COA information you should enter when charging expenses to a project.  We discussed it with the experts, and we have an easy answer for you: the COA information is there as a pass-through only, so you don’t need to worry about it.
While the current
Procurement: Order by Quantity or Amount
job aid does indicate that a COA string is required to be entered for every purchase, including project-funded purchases, it fails to mention that the COA information will be overridden by any POETAF information entered.  P2P will work on getting the job aid updated to explain this aspect of the process.
So if you enter POET information for your purchases and a COA pops up, please leave it with whatever information defaults in there.
If you edit the COA information for any reason afterwards, it will override the POET information and your charge will not post to PPM.
University Awards
Rice‐funded awards that are made to faculty or staff through a competitive process (such as: Faculty Initiative Fund; Enhancing Rice Through Information Technology program; Shell Center; and similar seed funding programs managed by different units) will be established in iO as University Awards.
Each Rice‐funded award will have a unique Award number and be established in iO in the organization of the recipient. RCA establishes the award in iO. The recipient of the Award is responsible for ensuring the funding is transferred to their Org’s funding source. At the closing of the award, unspent funds will need to be returned to the funder of the award.
Setup of University Awards
For RCA to establish the University Award in iO, please provide the following information in a helpdesk ticket in iO:
PI Name
Project Manager
Award Participants
Award Title
Award Amount
Award Org
Start and End Date
Award Purpose (Research or Instruction)
Award Category (Basic, Applied, or Experimental research)
Field of Study
Award Agreement
Good Morning,
The procedure for performing cost transfers in iO has been updated on RCA’s website. The information below can be found at this link
Cost Transfer Process in iO
The process for cost transfers in iO is dependent on the transaction source (converted or iO created) and the transaction type (labor and non-labor).
Cost Transfers for Costs Incurred Prior to July 1, 2021 (Both Labor and Non-Labor
Converted Costs
Converted costs will be managed in iO using the
NON-LABOR COST TRANSFER FORM
. For the costs to be transferred, a description of the cost transfer as well as the invoice information must be entered, as well as the current and new COA and POET accounting information. RCA will enter the information into the PPM Project Costs ADFDI template and upload into iO.
Converted costs cost transfers are to be requested by the Department Administrator and uploaded to BOX for processing.
Cost Transfers for
Non-Labor Costs
Incurred After July 1, 2021
Cost transfers for non-labor costs will be managed in iO using the
NON-LABOR COST TRANSFER FORM
. For the costs to be transferred, a description of the cost transfer as well as the invoice information must be entered, as well as the current and new COA and POET accounting information. RCA will enter the information into the PPM Project Costs ADFDI template and upload into iO.
Non labor cost transfers are to be requested by the Department Administrator and uploaded to BOX for processing.
Labor Cost
Transfers for Costs Posted Beginning July 1, 2021
Labor cost transfers will follow the general iO process for Labor Distribution changes. For changes to sponsored projects entered 90 days after the end date of the original labor distribution, the following is required:
The field “Includes sponsored projects over 90 days:” must be marked “Yes” on the Labor Distribution form.
A comment must be entered on the form explaining the reason for the cost transfers.
Include the Department Chair as an Optional Approver on the LD template so the required department chair approval is obtained.
Labor cost transfers are to be requested by the Department Administrator and forwarded to Payroll for processing via Adobe Sign.
For those who missed it, last week the Budget Office sent out the following information  about how to process balance transfers in the new system:
There is now a new interim transfer process for handling fund balance transfers, formerly called budget transfers.  This process entails completing an AdobeSign form that is routed for workflow approvals (see attached job aid) and posts in iO.  This process is for temporary (operating year) balance transfers between fund types or between departments.  You will need to contact the Budget Office for base (permanent) budget adjustments as they will not be processed using this interim process.
Important things to note:
All transfers will be processed as Year-to-Date entries in iO, using the Transfers – Inter/Intra Departmental account code (6800).
Because of the end-of-year carryover process for the Unrestricted General Operating fund (000000) and because unspent fringe benefits budgets do not carryover, the Budget Office will need to capture fund balance transfers associated with salary and fringe benefits accounts (including Faculty Academic Year Time transfers).
To capture the fringe benefits, the Adobe Sign form will contain a drop-down list of valid accounts (including faculty, staff, student, and fringe accounts) that will be written to a database file for use during the year-end analysis of carryover funds.
Use of Salary and Fringe accounts is only permitted on the Unrestricted General Operating fund (000000).
Faculty Academic Year Time transfers will require a separate action by the Project Administrators to update the PPM faculty/task budgets of any faculty receiving AYT funds.
Faculty fund transfers will be a two-step process.
First, there will need to be a transfer to the receiving department’s designated fund with the appropriate fund source code (Faculty Discretionary – 010000, Faculty Start-up – 010010, Faculty Non-Sponsored Research Funds – 010020, or Faculty Retention – 010030).  Second, a separate action by the Project Administrators will need to be performed to update the PPM faculty/task budgets for the faculty receiving the additional funds.
Job Aid:
AdobeSign iO Balance Transfer
We’ve had several departmental folks reach out to us asking what “account code” to use for their Sponsored Projects expenses in PPM.  I know we’re all used to having to enter an account code number as part of the FOAPAL in Banner.  However, in the iO system, we use expenditure types instead of account codes, and we no longer need to memorize the corresponding numbers.  Yay!
In PPM, Sponsored Projects expenditure types are broken down into 8 expenditure categories:  Salaries & Wages (S&W), Fringe Benefits (FRB), Tuition Remission (TUR), Other Direct Costs (ODC), Travel (TRV), Subawards (SUB), Equipment (EQP), and Facilities & Administrative Cost (F&A).  Each of those expenditure categories has multiple expenditure types associated with it.
So for example, if you want to charge lab supplies to a sponsored project, you would search for “supplies” in the expenditure type field and it will give you a list of all the ones that have the word supplies in them.  Then you just pick the one called ODC: Supplies Laboratory.
Please see the attached list for expenditure types allowed on Sponsored Projects.
ET List:
Expenditure Types
Expenditures associated with Sponsored Projects, Faculty Funds and Capital Projects created and managed via
PPM
in iO have multiple associated dates.  These dates allow for tracking of costs from both a compliance and financial reporting perspective.
Expenditure Item Date
The
Expenditure Item Date
is the date that a transaction occurs.  For sponsored projects, the
Expenditure Item Date of a transaction must be within the period of the grant in order to comply with the terms of the award.
Expenses with an expenditure item date outside of the project period will fail to post on the project in iO.
Creation Date and Accounting Date
A transaction’s
Creation Date
is the date the transaction is loaded into
PPM
, while the
Accounting Date
is the date the transaction is recorded in the
General Ledger (GL)
.  These dates are used for financial management and reporting purposes.  These dates may differ depending on the timing of the accounting process for each module.
Example:
Assume that following completion of a business trip, a staff member has created and submitted an expense report, and all of the approvals (departmental and central) are completed as of June 15.  Assume also that the related accounting processes for both PPM and the GL are run on June 15.
If this report contains an expense of $300 for an airline ticket that was paid via credit card on May 15, then the
Expenditure Item Date
for that $300 in travel expense will be May 15.  However, the
Creation Date
and
Accounting Date
for that $300 travel expense will be June 15, as that is the date the accounting process for the expense was completed.
Because there’s so much new terminology and information we’re all having to learn, I thought it would help if we had one place to list some of the basic concepts of Project Portfolio Management (PPM).  Please keep in mind that this presentation is not all-inclusive and is only meant to be an overview of PPM for departmental research administrators.  The presentation will most likely be updated from time to time as we determine what information is most helpful for PPM users.
Presentation:
PPM basics
iO Frequently Asked Questions
Crosswalk from Banner to IO codes
Faculty funds – relationship to Banner, how tasks work
Faculty Funds project numbers
Shared per request of iO Change Management Team
The
Financial Management Guidebook
and Chart of Accounts (CoA)
Quick Reference Guides (QRGs)
are now available to you on the imagineOne website under the Chart of Accounts Redesign menu. These resources will provide you with an opportunity to support your learning and think about the way we do business as we approach go-live July 1, 2021.
The Financial Management Guidebook is intended to serve as a reference document for financial administrators across campus as we transition from the Banner FOAPAL to the Oracle CoA. The Guidebook contains an overview of and instruction on use of the CoA and will provide direction on key concepts of fund and program management along with transaction level description and examples. The QRGs, on the other hand, highlight a handful of key concepts from the Guidebook in a simple, summarized format for quick reference.
You can also find recordings of the
imagineOne Roadshows
and that will provide you with an opportunity to see how the new CoA works in practice and help prepare you for training. If you have questions surrounding the Guidebook or QRGs, please reach out to the imagineOne Project Team at
imagineOne@rice.edu
Hello,
On the eve of iO go live, I wanted to take this opportunity to provide information regarding many changes that may impact your organization.
RCA accountant responsibilities are now managed by Org (Dept). Attached is the new assignment list. The new assignment list is also on
our website
Please use the new iO HR/Finance helpdesk for
all
your correspondence with RCA. Navigate to
this page
for instructions on how to use the helpdesk. The configured RCA categories in the helpdesk are:
New Faculty Fund Projects
Cash Management Questions
Budget Revisions
University Awards (U funds)
General Questions
Advanced Spending procedures
have been updated on RCA’s website.
PLEASE READ
Faculty Fund procedures
have been created and posted on RCA’s website.
PLEASE READ
June activities
will begin to be entered in iO on July 5
th
, in this order:
New Awards
Date Extensions
Other Amendments
Budget Revisions
Patience- Please be patient with us as we catch up on June activities while also learning iO. We will continue to provide the same excellent customer service that you have come to expect from RCA.
Hello,
We are pleased to announce the new subaward process. RCA will now be creating requisitions (reqs) and P2P will be creating the purchase orders to manage subawards in iO. New subawards issued by SPARC after 05/31/21 will need a requisition and purchase order created, but unlike Banner, they will not be set up as separate projects in iO.
All existing subawards were converted from Banner as separate projects, and we are working diligently to create requisitions for them.  The available balance of the subaward subfund in Banner will be the new requisition budget amount in iO.  We are prioritizing the creation of reqs for invoices that are ready to be paid.  If you get a notification to approve a requisition, please do so, otherwise a purchase order will
not
be created, and you will not be able to pay your invoice.
Refer to this job aid on how to process your invoices.
For the approval of new subaward invoices in iO, a subaward workflow has been set up in AdobeSign to quickly route a subaward invoice from RCA to the Project Manager for review and the PI for approval.
The following steps outline the subaward process (
):
SPARC sends draft subaward agreement to RCA
If necessary, RCA requests that P2P create a new supplier
RCA creates and submits requisition based on draft agreement, which is routed to the Cost Center Manager. The Project Manager is entered as the requestor.
Cost Center Manager approves requisition
P2P creates PO based on approved requisition
RCA provides PO number to SPARC to be included in final subaward agreement
Subawardees are instructed to submit invoices to
subinvoices@rice.edu
, which is monitored by RCA
Invoices are logged and entered into AdobeSign by RCA, which sends the invoice to the appropriate approvers (including PI)
Project Managers are responsible for getting PI signature/approval on the invoice
Project Manager will complete receiving process in iO
P2P will process invoice for payment
Marissa Gonzalez, Research Accountant III, is departing Rice University to work at Stanford University. Marissa’s last day is this Friday, July 30th.
Marissa began working in the Controller’s office, in RCA. in 2017. Since then, Marissa has continued to grow and develop into a very strong sponsored projects accountant. She was often relied upon by the departments and her peers in RCA for her extensive knowledge and experience in sponsored projects. Marissa could always be counted on to complete her work responsibilities without fail. Marissa’s calm demeanor, hard work ethic, and positive attitude will certainly be missed as well.
We are sincerely grateful in Marissa’s dedication and hard work she has given to our office and the University. We wish Marissa good luck in her new role!
Hello,
RCA is created this blog to keep campus informed on all things post award. Changes to RCA’s website, policy changes, announcements, training opportunities, staffing changes, etc will be communicated on this blog.
Recent Posts
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