Procedure # : 600.090                                                                     Date: 20 April 1999
 

 Written By:             Ralph Earhart

                                Director, Financial Services
 
 

1.0 Introduction

1. Federal regulations list several general requirements that pertain to all federal funds. The college must insure that the Principal Investigators are aware of these requirements prior to conducting activities on a grant.
2. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has published a "compliance supplement" to let auditors and institutions be aware of the general grant requirements.

2.0 Policy

1. The grant accountant will send a memo to the grant principal investigator each time a federal award is established on the accounting system. That memo will include a summary of the general grant requirements.
2. Each principal investigator will be required to read the requirements and sign and return the memo so that the investigator’s knowledge of the requirements will be documented in the grant folder.
3. A summarized version of the general grant requirements will be on the Grant web page.

Purpose: The civil rights requirements, taken as a whole, prohibit discrimination against persons based on race, color, national origin, age, sex, or disability in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

Labor Standards

Purpose: The laws and regulations ensure that the labor practices of recipients of federal funds are both equitable and safe for employees of the recipient organizations.

Hazardous Materials

Purpose: The requirements for the handling and disposing of hazardous materials protect laborers and mechanics from unsafe exposure to such materials.

Debarment and Suspension

Purpose: The regulations protect public and private institutions from fraud, waste, and abuse by debarring or suspending those persons that deal in an irresponsible manner with the federal government. The enforcement actions are intended to protect the public interest, and are not used solely for the purposes of punishment.

Drug-Free/Smoke-Free Workplace

Purpose: The drug-free requirements promote the national goal of reducing the use of illicit drugs by requiring federal recipients and contractors to certify that they maintain a drug-free workplace. The requirements for a smoke-free workplace were enacted to protect children from second-hand smoke in indoor facilities.

General Restrictions on Lobbying

Purpose: The laws and regulations are intended to eliminate the use of federal funds to influence specific legislation or administrative rules.

Procurement Procedures

Purpose: The regulations require that procurement activities be performed in an equitable and competitive manner in an effort to promote equal treatment, efficiency, and economy in federal grant activities.

Conservation in Procurement

Purpose: The laws and implementing regulations ensure the conservation of selected resources by creating guidelines for their procurement.

Crimes and Prohibited Activities

Purpose: The laws and regulations preserve the integrity of the federal government and the public-at-large by holding federal contractors, recipients, and agency employees accountable for any criminal or prohibited activities they engage in under federal program.

Domestic Protection

Purpose: These provisions are meant to ensure that federal funds are expended to benefit American companies.

Utilization of Underserved Business and Surplus Labor

Purpose: The requirements help ensure the full participation of underserved businesses concerns, e.g., small/small disadvantaged and women-owned businesses, in the free enterprise system.