The Facilities and Administrative (F&A) rate proposal is developed and submitted to the federal government every four to six years. We have now initiated work towards renewing our Facilities and Administrative (F&A) rate, which is due to the federal government in December 2023. Developing the F&A rate proposal spans two fiscal years and the process includes the following major phases:
Major Phases
Mock Proposal/Practice Year (FY2021 data)
Dry run of the F&A calculation using a previously closed fiscal year (FY2021). This phase starts in July FY2023 and ends in February FY2023.
Campus preparation for space survey
Notify campus leadership and departments of the F&A rate renewal process and upcoming space survey. Departments with significant sponsored award activity were selected and divisional kickoff meetings held. This phase starts in September FY2023 and ends in February FY2023.
Training and survey roll-out
Provide training on the space survey tool (WebSpace). Discuss policies, and procedures and explain how to complete the survey. Understand university-defined room function definitions and recommend the best approaches to functionalize space. Roll out the survey to all participating departments. This phase starts in February FY2023 and ends in June FY2023.
Review and confirm space survey results
Provide feedback to departments based on survey responses. Clarify and clean up data and continue to advise and recommend the best approaches to functionalize space. This phase starts in June FY2023 and ends in September FY2024.
Develop and submit proposal (FY2023 data)
Collect data sets from campus and external stakeholders (UCOP). Run the F&A calculation, troubleshoot errors, and finalize allocations. The proposal is a write-up with explanations provided on the treatment of costs and includes tables. This phase starts in July FY2024 and ends in December FY2024.
Rate negotiation and site visits
Question and response period between UC Berkeley and the federal government based on the proposal submitted. Site visits include walking spaces and confirming the survey results. This phase starts right after proposal submission and may not end until many years later.