REP Article II of the general terms and conditions specifies requirements related to financial reporting. It thereby implements OMB guidance in 2 CFR 200.327 and the portions of 2 CFR 200.301 and 200.343(a) that are specific to financial reporting under grants and cooperative agreements.
(a) OMB guidance. OMB guidance in 2 CFR 200.327 states that Federal awarding agencies may require recipients to use only the standard OMB-approved Governmentwide data elements for collection of financial information, unless OMB approves other forms, formats, or data elements for financial information collection.
(b) DoD implementation. DoD Components must collect financial information from recipients using OMB-approved forms, formats, or data elements.
(1) Unless current approvals expire, approved financial information collections include the Federal Financial Report (SF-425) and Request for Advance or Reimbursement (SF-270). In the future, they would include any additional information collections that OMB approves.
(2) For all but the recipient's final financial report, a DoD Component may rely on financial information the recipient provides on the SF-270 or other OMB-approved payment request form, format, or data elements if that financial information is sufficient to meet the DoD Component's needs. For the final report, the DoD Component must require the recipient to use the SF-425 or other OMB-approved financial information collection.
(3) A DoD Component must obtain approval for any variations from OMB-approved forms or formats, including use of additional or substitute data elements or modification of the associated instructions for recipient entities submitting the information.
(a) Requirement. A DoD Component's general terms and conditions must specify what financial information recipients are required to report and how often, when, where, and how they must report.
(b) Award terms and conditions—(1) General. Appendix B to this part provides a template into which a DoD Component must insert wording to specify the form, format, or data elements recipients must use for financial reporting; the frequency, reporting periods, and due dates for their financial reports (stated as the number of days after the end of the reporting period); and where and how they must submit the information.
(2) Required reporting form, format, or data elements for interim and final financial reports. In Section A of REP Article II, which is reserved in appendix B to this part, a DoD Component must insert wording to specify the OMB-approved form, format, or data elements that recipients must use for financial reporting and the website where they can be found. The section may provide a different requirement for final financial reports than interim reports during the period of performance if the DoD Component needs less information on interim reports than is needed on the final report.
(3) Interim financial reports: Frequency, reporting periods, and due dates. In Section B of REP Article II, which is reserved in appendix B to this part, a DoD Component must insert wording to specify the frequency with which recipients must submit interim financial reports, as well as the reporting period each report must cover and when it is due. However, this section of the article may waive interim reporting requirements if the DoD Component relies on information already provided with payment requests (e.g., on the SF-270).
(i) Consistent with OMB guidance in 2 CFR 200.327, the reporting frequency may be no less often than annually and no more frequently than quarterly except in unusual circumstances (e.g., a need for more frequent reporting for monitoring program performance, in which case financial reporting should be coordinated with performance reporting).
(ii) The reporting frequency, reporting periods, and due dates must conform with any guidance on those aspects of financial reporting in the OMB-approved instructions accompanying the form, format, or data elements used.
(iii) When a DoD Component's general terms and conditions provide for advance payments based on predetermined schedules—which is very rarely if ever appropriate for research awards—the terms and conditions must provide for quarterly reporting. This will enable post-award administrators to closely monitor recipients' balances of cash on hand for compliance with Governmentwide cash management standards.
(4) Final financial report. Appendix B to this part provides wording for Section C of REP Article II to implement OMB guidance in 2 CFR 200.343(a) as it applies to final financial reports. Given that 2 CFR part 200 provides 90 days for subrecipients to liquidate subaward obligations and submit their final financial reports to recipients, the wording in appendix B gives recipients 120 days to submit final financial reports to DoD post-award administration offices. That provides a reasonable amount of time for recipients to incorporate any information they need from final subaward reports. A DoD Component may alter the wording or supplement it if the DoD Component has a basis to do so in a statute or a regulation published in the Code of Federal Regulations.
(5) Extensions of due dates. A DoD Component's general terms and conditions must include the wording for Section D of REP Article II that appendix B to this part provides to authorize recipients to request extensions of due dates for interim or final financial reports.
(6) Where and how to submit financial reports. In Section E of REP Article II, which is reserved in appendix B to this part, a DoD Component must insert wording to specify the DoD official or office to whom a recipient must submit its interim and final financial reports and the method it must use to do so (e.g., email or other electronic submission method).