TEST YOUR
KNOWLEDGE
34 CAPTURE. COSTTREE 2016 Q4 ISSUE
CASE STUDY: City of Boston, Massachusetts
"The file upload feature is an enormous time saver. The file
attachment feature will be a time saver during the audit process."
Kelli Lazar
Assistant City Auditor
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CHALLENGE: For years, the City of Boston created their cost allocation plan using an outdated local application. This application was time consuming, only allowed one user on the system at a time, and was not transparent or easy to follow.
SOLUTION: By switching to our Web-based platform, the City of Boston was able to solve the challenges of using this application.
RESULT: The City of Boston was able to spend less time inputting numbers and more time on the methodology of their plan, leading to the city finding tens of millions of dollars in missed overhead reimbursements.
CITY NAME: City of Boston, Massachusetts
The City of Boston is the capital and the largest city in Massachusetts in the United States. The city proper covers 48 square miles with an estimated population of over 655,000 people in 2014, making it the largest city in New England and the 24th largest city in the United States.
CHALLENGE: Outdated local application
The City of Boston had been preparing their cost plans in-house for years using what became an outdated local application with many limitations. These included a lack of transparency within their plan, the inability to have multiple users on the platform at the same time, and required manual inputting of all data, which made their cost plan preparation lengthy and hard to follow. This application also did not posses the ability for uniform, all-in-one reporting, so the city had to manually compile a finished cost plan before submitting it.
SOLUTION: Switch to Web-based platform with robust features
By partnering with CostTree, the City of Boston was able to quickly and seamlessly transition to our Web-based cost allocation plan software, and was able to start benefiting from the robust features and transparency they were long missing. “The file upload feature is an enormous time saver,” said Lazar. By utilizing our Excel upload feature, the city was able to upload Excel files directly into our platform instead of manually inputting data. “The file attachment feature will be a time saver during the audit process,” continued Lazar, referring to CostTree’s document repository which keeps track of all associated files with your cost plan in the system. The arrangement of departments within the report to match the organization layout, uniform, all-in-one reporting, and the abilities to export into Excel and have multiple users on the platform at once, were also time savers for the city.
RESULT: Greater transparency and millions of dollars more in reimbursements
With the support of CostTree experts, the City of Boston submitted a plan that enabled them to recoup tens of millions of dollars in missed reimbursements. “We were able to easily follow how the costs were allocated from the central service departments to the receiving departments. The 2nd step of allocation from the central service departments is much clearer,” said Lazar. This clarity has made it easier and faster than ever for the City of Boston to recoup the highest allowable indirect costs while adhering to and remaining fully complaint to OMB guidelines. With less time spent inputting and more time spent where it mattered–maximizing reimbursements.
ONE. All obligations must be liquidated within 90 days after the end of the grant award funding period.
TWO. Grantees and subgrantees must remit to ED any interest earned on cash advances over $500.
THREE. Expenditures on services performed by an employee of a grantee/subgrantee are obligated to the Federal award on the date that the services are performed.
FOUR. An airplane ticket for a conference obligates to the Federal grant award on the date the traveler takes the flight to their destination.
FIVE. Costs are allocable to the grant if the cost of the goods or services is proportionate to the benefits received by the grant.
SIX. If equipment is missing upon inventory review, the grantee or subgrantee must investigate.
SEVEN. Pursuant to EDGAR an inventory of equipment purchased in whole or in part with federal funds must be conducted once every two years.
EIGHT. In some cases, administrative expenses associated with a particular project can be reported as direct, rather than indirect, costs.
NINE. The performance cycle of a grant includes inputs, process, outputs, and outcomes.
TEN. There are more than 1,000 government grant programs.
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