270 R.I. Code R. 270-RICR-10-00-5.5

Current through November 7, 2024

Section 270-RICR-10-00-5.5 - General Responsibilities

A. Files

1. Computer

a. All grant documents are to be filed on the G-shared network drive. Copies may be retained on individual administrators' hard drives.

b. There should be one main folder for each grant program, i.e. Byrne, JJDP, VOCA, VAWA, etc. Within that main folder, there should be sub folders with each grant year. All documents pertaining to that particular grant year are to be filed within. There may be any number of sub folders that the grant administrator deems necessary to accurately file documents. For example, a typical Byrne grant year folder contains the following sub folders: awards, cooperative agreements, plan, letters, conference, and minutes.

2. Awards

a. Grant award files from any one grant year should occupy one drawer in the grant administrator's file cabinet and be stored in alphabetical or numerical order. The drawer is to be labeled with the grant name and federal year. All grants are to be returned to the drawer when not in use.

b. Grant files should only be removed from the office for purposes of an on-site subgrantee monitoring visit.

B. Conference Planning

1. Conferences, workshops, seminars or other types of training sessions are critical PSGAO endeavors. Strict planning and PSGAO staff cooperation and coordination are absolutely essential to ensure that an PSGAO function is successfully implemented.

2. Conferences may be proposed by advisory committees, grant administrators or the Administrative Manager.

3. Timing

a. Normally, conferences are planned anywhere from 4-12 months in advance. All conferences must be approved by the Administrative Manager before any substantive planning takes place or major decisions made.

4. Dates and Venue

a. Select the date and venue at the soonest possible opportunity.

b. The selection of a date should be given careful consideration. The conference planner should check extensively to determine if there will be any significant event or meeting conflicts with the target date. Further, the date may be affected by the availability of a particularly desired venue.

c. Depending on the project's anticipated budget and the prospective number of attendees, free venues such as the Community College of Rhode Island for larger functions and the Departments of Administration, Health or BHDDH for smaller functions should be considered. Parking is another major consideration.

5. Budget

a. It is critical to determine the event budget and source of funding at the outset of the planning process. The most significant event expenses include room rental, food/refreshments, and printing. If grant funds are to be used, the specific advisory committee must approve the project and anticipated budget expenditures.

6. Other Tasks

a. Notify all PSGAO staff of conference and date

b. Compose and send a "save the date" card to all targeted conference participants once the date and venue have been selected and confirmed.

c. Develop the program agenda.

d. Contact all potential workshop speakers and presenters then confirm participation in writing.

e. Enlist the support of PSGAO staff for event preparation and implementation, i.e. creating brochure/registration mailer, staffing registration table, etc.

f. Mail/fax registration brochure/flyer no later than one month in advance of function. Note: Registrations should be designed to be one page faxable.

g. Create a registration database. Consult with office manager on appropriate format.

h. Prepare art for: name badges, agenda, signage, and table tent name panels.

C. Travel - Out of State

1. There are many conferences, workshops, training sessions, seminars that target PSGAO staff. Some are sponsored by the federal granting agencies but many others are hosted by state, regional or national organizations/associations. Some grant awards (JJDPA, VAWA) may stipulate in special conditions that certain conferences/events are to be attended by the grant administrator or SAA representative.

2. Approval

a. The grant administrator must seek approval from the Administrative Manager to attend an out of state function.

3. Arrangements

a. The traveler must coordinate his/her travel request with the executive assistant and provide all requisite information including: event brochure, agenda, preferred travel times, etc. Arrangements will be made pursuant to approved procedures in use at the time.

4. Reimbursement

a. In order to facilitate the processing of Travel Expense Vouchers submitted for payment by the State of Rhode Island, the following conditions must be followed in order to receive reimbursement:

(1) If traveler is not a state employee, a W-9 for will need to be completed prior to traveling;

(2) Retain original boarding passes, tickets, original hotel receipts, and any original receipts for parking or ground transportation (i.e. taxis, shuttles);

(3) Retain a copy of the conference agenda;

(4) Hotel and flight (or rail, bus) arrangements will be pre-paid by the State of Rhode Island through a Master Price Agreement with an approved travel agency vendor;

(5) If for any reason a traveler checks out of hotel early, any refund given by the hotel must be returned to the approved vendor upon return or mailed directly by the hotel;

(6) If it is necessary to cancel a trip, the approved vendor must be notified as soon as possible prior to trip departure date to avoid jeopardizing the refund process.

(7) Meals will be reimbursed at the currently approved rate as determined by state policy. Reimbursement above that rate will not be allowed.

D. Travel - In-State

1. Grant administrators may have need to travel in-state to perform site visits or attend meetings.

2. Daily Log

a. If a PSGAO employee expects to be reimbursed for in-state mileage, he/she must fill in the date, time, destination and expected return time in the daily log book that resides in the office. This log was established at the recommendation of the Bureau of Audits to provide a back-up to employees' requests for travel reimbursements.

3. Calendar

a. All out-of-the-office meeting are to be posted on the planning calendar

4. Reimbursement

a. All in-state travel reimbursement is the responsibility of the traveler. Travel reimbursement forms are to be filled out for the Administrative Manager's approval and then forwarded to the Central Business Office for processing.

5. Time and Attendance Records

a. Pursuant to OMB Circular A-87, employees paid with Federal grant funds will complete personal activity reports (Time sheets) to document the amount of time spent on grants. The standard time sheet, adopted by the former RI Justice Commission, will be utilized and should reflect an after the fact distribution of the actual activity of the employee on a weekly basis, signed by the employee.

270 R.I. Code R. 270-RICR-10-00-5.5