Professional Staff Rate and Service Activities Advisory Group
Chair:
- Kelly Ratliff
Budget Director, Office of Resource Management and Planning
Campus Representatives
- Diane Davies-Conley
Office of Resource Management and Planning - Bob Agee
Office of Resource Management and Planning - Cheryl Coats
College of Biological Sciences - Annette Davis
Office of Research - Nancy Flagg
Student Affairs - Kathy Hass
Extramural Accounting-Accounting & Financial Services - Manju Kaul
College of Engineering Dean's Office - Joan Learned
VM: Molecular Biosciences - Janette Lee
UCDHS Budget Office - UCDHS - Rosemary Martin-Ocampo
Development Office - Nilo Mia
Costing Policy & Analysis - Accounting & Financial Services - Susan Moore
General Accounting - Accounting & Financial Services - Kathy Olsen
Mathematics & Physical Sciences - Kim Rhodes
Office of Administration - Robert Scharf
College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences - John Spurr
Information & Educational Technology
Justification
Rates, and to a lesser extent fines and fees, have important budgetary and operational implications both in financing the activities which charge for such services and to their clientele who have a need for services. Proper establishment of rates has become especially important in the management of Federal Contracts and Grants. Systemwide Direct costing Policy ( Business and Finance Bulletin A-47) defines the role of service activities and speaks to the legitimacy of direct costing practices for these services as governed by sound budgetary and accounting principles. The campus is charged with establishment of service activities and subsequent review of operations for conformance with policy as outlined in Policy and Procedure Manual Section 340-10. The charge entails approval of rate and price schedules as they are developed as well as an annual cost review incumbent to the budget process. Such reviews include consideration of: a) competitive pricing; b) expansion or contraction of the service unit; c) working capital requirements; and d) use of outside vendors. Campus policy for rates (Policy and Procedure Manual Section 340-15) and fines and fees (Policy and Procedure Manual Section 330-85) set forth the procedures for review on behalf of the campus administration.
Responsibilities
The group serves in an advisory capacity to individual Vice Chancellors on establishment of charges for services rendered y campus departments. All rates, fines and fees, and establishment of service activity proposals will be referred to this body for recommendation, preferably as a part of the budget process.
- Rate Review should focus on identified cost components as they relate to competitive pricing, expansion or contraction of the service unit, working capital requirements, use of outside vendors, assurance of a break-even operation, and applications of federal costing principles (OMB Circular A-21) as appropriate.
- The group will act on fines and fees by judging the basic rationale and reasonableness of assessments to ensure conformance with policy.
- Proposals for origination of service activities on campus will be appraised for their ability to:
- Meet an identifiable need that cannot be effectively met by non-University sources;
- Fulfill educational, research, or public service functions; and
- Achieve cost effective savings through use of the service.
After reviewing proposals and additional analyses by the budget staff, the group will transmit its recommendation to the appropriate vice Chancellor for action.