Effort Certification and Reporting Technology (ECRT) System Training J. Lilia Treviño Project Effort Reporting Specialist Office of Research Administration

ECRT Roles / Rights Assigned to each user: Supporting Individuals: All users  View effort card (report discrepancies) Secondary (College) Effort Coordinators: Selected by PI’s  Review, Enter and Save the Certified Effort %’s for PI’s to certify Primary Individuals (Principal Investigator, project director, co-investigator, or co-project director on a sponsored proposal):  Edit/Review certified effort to ensure accuracy and Certify their own effort and the effort of any supporting individuals that work on their projects Office of Research Administration

ECRT Roles / Rights Continue: Primary Effort Coordinator: Myself (J. Lilia Trevino)  Process Effort Cards  Reopen Effort Cards (post payroll adjustments) Central Administrators: Dr. Wendy A. Lawrence- Fowler, Vice Provost for Research and Sponsored Projects and myself (J. Lilia Trevino)  Responsible for Managing the Users, Departments, Adding/Changing Roles and Rights System Administrators: Dr. Wendy A. Lawrence- Fowler, Vice Provost for Research and Sponsored Projects and Roy Rodriguez (IT)  Responsible for Monitoring the system Office of Research Administration

Purpose The purpose of this course is to familiarize Primary Individuals (PI’s), Secondary Effort Coordinators (SEC), and Supporting Individuals (SI’s) with the University’s new Effort Certification and Reporting Technology (ECRT) system, in order to comply with federal regulations and UTPA’s policies and procedures that govern effort on sponsored projects. Office of Research Administration

Objectives After Completing this course, you will be able to: Understand the concept of time and effort Appreciate the importance of time and effort reporting and certification Understand the process by which time and effort is reported and certified at UTPA Office of Research Administration

Time and Effort Certification Office of Research Administration DescriptionBefore: Paper Time and Effort Interim/Certification After: ECRT Method of distributionPaper – basedWeb – based Frequency of distribution Interims – Monthly Certifications- Semester basis View – Monthly Certify – Semi-annually Supporting Individualsn/aView effort card only Pre-Review Periodn/a10 days prior to certification CertifyPI’s Certification Period30 days

ECRT Activities Schedule Office of Research Administration Payroll Reporting PeriodPre-Review PeriodCertification Period 1-Sep-0828-Feb-0930-Mar-0910-Apr-0915-Apr-0915-May-09 1-Mar-0931-Aug-0928-Sep-099-Oct-0914-Oct-0913-Nov-09 1-Sep-0928-Feb-1029-Mar-109-Apr-1014-Apr-1014-May-10 1-Mar-1031-Aug-1027-Sep-108-Oct-1013-Oct-1012-Nov-10 1-Sep-1028-Feb-1128-Mar-118-Apr-1113-Apr-1113-May-11 1-Mar-1131-Aug-113-Oct-1114-Oct-0119-Oct-1118-Nov-11 1-Sep-1129-Feb-122-Apr-1213-Apr-1218-Apr-1218-May-12 1-Mar-1231-Aug-121-Oct-1212-Oct-1217-Oct-1216-Nov-12

Requirements for Time & Effort Reporting & Certification

Compliance External funding for sponsored projects often times comes with strings attached  Accepting federal funds means compliance with applicable cost principles (OMB A-21, OMB A-110)  Universities receiving sponsored research dollars should have appropriate systems, policies and procedures in place to properly document all commitments, including effort Research & Sponsored Projects (HOP ) University Payroll Distribution Confirmation for Grants, Contracts and Other Agreements (HOP ) (under review) Cost Sharing Policy (HOP ) (new) Cost Transfer Policy on Sponsored Research (HOP ) (new) Office of Research Administration

Government focus…… Areas government focus in audits/investigations related to effort reporting:  Salary charges  Over-commitments  Salary cost transfers and cost sharing  Integration with systems that report time and effort  Roles and Responsibilities Who ensures appropriate salary is charged? Who ensures level of commitment is reasonable? Who certifies the time and effort reports? Office of Research Administration

Why is there so much emphasis on time and effort reporting? Office of Research Administration

So what is effort? Effort is the amount of time spent on any activity expressed as a percentage of Total Institutional Activities for which an Individual is compensated by UTPA. Effort includes:  Sponsored Programs (e.g. grants and contracts)  Non-Sponsored Research  Teaching  Administrative Duties  Other Institutional Activities Office of Research Administration

What is effort certification? A means of confirming: The percentages of Effort spent in support of each sponsored project and all other institutional activities for a given period of time. Requires that both effort paid by the sponsor and effort paid by the institution be confirmed. Each Individual’s Effort Certification must account for total certified effort of 100% Payroll distribution and Effort Certification are not the same thing. (Payroll – allocation of individual’s salary & Effort – allocation of individual’s effort) Office of Research Administration

Keep in mind… Effort is NOT defined as a percent of a 40 hour workweek or any other standard workweek, nor is it defined by the percent FTE of an academic or staff appointment. An individual’s total Effort must equal 100%. For example, if an individual averages 60 hours per week during the reporting period and spends an average of 15 hours on a Sponsored Program that represents 25% Effort and the other 45 hours, allocated to other institutional activities, represents 75% Effort. Office of Research Administration

How do we calculate effort? Certified Effort % for Sponsored Activity + Certified Effort % for Non Sponsored Activity Sum of UTPA Activities (100% total effort) Office of Research Administration

Why do we report effort? Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-21, Section J.10 (Compensation for Personal Services)  Time and Effort reporting requirements The system must be incorporated into the official records of the institution Certification which encompasses both sponsored and all other activities on an integrated basis (i.e. 100% effort) After-the-fact confirmation of or determination so that costs distributed represent actual costs Certification by an individual with suitable means of verification that the work was performed Office of Research Administration

Who certifies effort? It is the responsibility of every Primary Individual (PI) to certify his/her own Effort Certification report as well as reports for all Supporting Individuals who have expended Effort on his/her Sponsored Programs. (UTS163 Guidance on Effort Reporting and Certification Policies) Office of Research Administration

What happens if a PI does not certify? Failure to certify during the certification period is failure to comply with UT Pan American, UT System, and federal policy. This can result in having all sponsored projects frozen until the certification is complete. (HOP University Payroll Distribution Confirmation for Grants, Contracts and Other Agreements – under review) Office of Research Administration

ECRT Version 2.3.3

Effort Card Functionality  The ability or option to……………. display the payroll reporting period in the title of the effort card view certification frequency above the demographic data on effort card display a due date above the demographic data on the effort card Office of Research Administration

Additional Effort Card Functionality Office of Research Administration  The ability or option to……………. display an icon to identify a closed Grant / Award on the effort card show the institution’s name at the top of the effort card PDF highlight the category totals on the effort card Instead of Save, Certify and Cancel buttons  Save to Complete Later (Save Effort Card)  Certify (Certify Effort Card)  Do Nothing (Cancel Changes)

ECRT cycle begins

10 day Pre-Review Period Subject: Effort cards are now available for the 10 day Pre-Review Period The Time and Effort Certification reports for the first 6-month cycle are now available for preparation and review in the online Effort Certification and Reporting Technology (ECRT) system. You are receiving this because you have been identified as the Secondary (College) Effort Coordinator for your department/area. In order to access ECRT you must have successfully completed these preliminary steps:  The Special ECRT hands-on Training Session and  Cleared by the ECRT Primary Effort Coordinator If you have met these requirements, please access ECRT through the Office of Research Administration’s website at: and then from the Menu Bar select “Time & Effort”. After you select our home institution, “The University of Texas-Pan American”, you can log on by entering your username and password. You may now begin the pre-review of effort cards for individuals in your department/area. The 10 day Pre-Review Period will be from March 29, 2010 through April 9, The Primary Individuals (PI’s) will be able to access the effort cards for their review and certification for 30 days beginning on April 14, If you have any questions or need extra assistance, please send an to or contact your ECRT Primary Effort Coordinator at Office of Research Administration College Effort Coordinators

T&E Certification Reports 6-month cycle now available The Time and Effort Certification reports for the first 6-month cycle are now available for review and certification in the Effort Certification and Reporting Technology (ECRT) system. You are receiving this notice because you are a: Supporting Individual (SI): Expended Effort on Sponsored Programs, you can only view your effort card and report any discrepancies Primary Individual (PI): Required to certify your own time and effort certification report as well as the reports for all Supporting Individuals who have expended Effort on your Sponsored Programs. Certifications must be completed within 30 days of today, to meet University of Texas System regulations. Time and Effort Certification reports will be available April 14, 2010 – May 14, Your certification(s) may be completed by logging into ECRT through the Office of Research Administration’s website at: and then from the Menu Bar select “Time & Effort”. After you select our home institution, “The University of Texas-Pan American”, you can log on by entering your username and password. Time and Effort Certification occurs semi-annually at UTPA, for the months of September – February and March – August. If you have any questions or issues logging into the system or regarding your Time and Effort Certification Reports, please send an to or contact your ECRT Primary Effort Coordinator at Office of Research Administration PI’s & SI’s

ECRT Navigation – Login Screens Office of Research Administration In order to access the ECRT Login Page, go to our UTPA home page at and click on Research Administration.

ECRT Navigation – Login Screens Office of Research Administration This will take you to the ORA web page and then from the Menu Bar select “Time & Effort”.

Time and Effort Home (under construction) Office of Research Administration

ECRT Navigation – Login Screens Office of Research Administration Choose ”The University of Texas-Pan American” from the Institution drop-down list and click.

ECRT Navigation – Login Screens Office of Research Administration Enter your and in the User name and Password fields. Then click

Time and Effort Certification Process Primary Individuals

ECRT Navigation – Welcome to ECRT Office of Research Administration Check this area for useful internal and external links as well as training material. Read important information. Click Continue to access ECRT

The Effort Certification Process Office of Research Administration Data is loaded into ECRT from UTPA’s payroll, cost sharing, and commitments. To begin the effort certification process from the Home Page, the PI will select “Certify / View My Effort”. Either from the drop down menu under the “Certification” menu box or by clicking on the link that is located below the Certification section of “The Effort Lifecycle” wheel.

Certify My Effort Office of Research Administration Edit/review certified effort to ensure accuracy. Once you have verified that the information is correct, click to ensure the checkboxes are marked and then to certify the information.

Certify My Effort Office of Research Administration Once you certify, you have to read the certification statement and click to electronically sign the effort card. The status will change to Certified, Not Processed

Certify My Supporting Staff Office of Research Administration To certify your Supporting Individuals/Staff select from the drop down menu under the “Certification” menu box or by clicking on the link that is located below the Certification section of “The Effort Lifecycle” wheel.

Certify My Supporting Staff Office of Research Administration Edit/review certified effort to ensure accuracy. Check off the Certify Checkboxes for Sponsored and/or Non sponsored Sections. The button will save all changes and you can certify later. Effort cards that have not been certified will remain in your Group View until certified. The button will certify all supporting individuals that have a Certified Effort % entered and have the Certify Checkboxes checked off.

Certify My Supporting Staff Office of Research Administration Then verify “Message from webpage” and click. Logout and you are done!

Other Examples

Examples 2 different PI’s to Certify Whomever logs in first will get to certify his/her own projects and save the effort card. You can only certify the project that you are the manager off and the other projects will be grayed out. The PI that logs in second, will get to view what the first PI entered and he/she will complete the certification cycle by entering the certified effort % for his/her project that will total the 100%. Office of Research Administration

Reminders……………… Reminder 1 - Set to go out 10 days before certification is due: The Time and Effort Certification deadline is two weeks from today. This is a reminder that you are required to complete the Time and Effort Certification for yourself and/or your supporting individuals who worked on your projects during the last six months. Reminder 2 - Set to go out 5 days before certification is due: This is a reminder that you have one week to complete…………The names of people who have not completed their certifications by the deadline may be reported to your Department Head and Dean/Director. Reminder 3 - Set to go out 0 days of certification deadline: This is a reminder that the Time and Effort Certification for yourself and/or your supporting individuals who have worked on your projects during the last six months is due today. ………….The names of people who have not completed their certifications by the end of day today will be reported to your Department Head, Dean/Director and Respective VP’s. Reminder 4 - Set to go out 1 day after certification date: The Time and Effort Certification deadline has passed. …………The names of people who have not completed their certifications have been reported to your Department Head, Dean/Director and Respective VP’s. Office of Research Administration

My role as ECRT Primary Effort Coordinator Is my responsibility to review what has been submitted to resolve discrepancies between the Computed Effort and the Certified Effort. Processing Certification – status will change from  Certified, Not Processed to  Certified, Processed After close of Certification Period To reopen card – status will change to  Not Certified, Not Processed, Re-Opened  Not Certified, Not Processed, Re-Opened by Payroll Adjustment Office of Research Administration

For more information… Questions or issues logging into the system or regarding your Time and Effort Certification, please send an to J. Lilia Treviño, Project Effort Reporting Specialist Office of Research Administration, REIN 1.106J Office: 956/ Fax: 956/ Remember – Time and Effort website is coming soon!!  Training  Resources  FAQ’s  Tools Office of Research Administration

Are there any Questions??