(a) Payment methods shall minimize the time elapsing between the transfer of funds from the United States Treasury and the issuance or redemption of checks, warrants, or payment by other means by the recipients. Payment methods of State agencies or instrumentalities shall be consistent with Treasury-State CMIA agreements or default procedures codified at 31 CFR part 205.
(b) Recipients will be paid in advance, provided they maintain or demonstrate the willingness to maintain:
(1) Written procedures that minimize the time elapsing between the transfer of funds and disbursement by the recipient, and
(2) Financial management systems that meet the standards for fund control and accountability as established in § 600.121. Cash advances to a recipient organization shall be limited to the minimum amounts needed and be timed to be in accordance with the actual, immediate cash requirements of the recipient organization in carrying out the purpose of the approved program or project. The timing and amount of cash advances shall be as close as is administratively feasible to the actual disbursements by the recipient organization for direct program or project costs and the proportionate share of any allowable indirect costs.
(c) Whenever possible, advances shall be consolidated to cover anticipated cash needs for all awards made by the DOE to the recipient.
(1) Advance payment mechanisms include, but are not limited to, Treasury check and electronic funds transfer.
(2) Advance payment mechanisms are subject to 31 CFR part 205.
(3) Recipients may submit requests for advances and reimbursements at least monthly when electronic fund transfers are not used.
(d) Requests for Treasury check advance payment shall be submitted on SF-270, “Request for Advance or Reimbursement,” or other forms as may be authorized by OMB. This form is not to be used when Treasury check advance payments are made to the recipient automatically through the use of a predetermined payment schedule or if precluded by special DOE instructions for electronic funds transfer.
(e) Reimbursement is the preferred method when the requirements in paragraph (b) of this section cannot be met. DOE may also use this method on any construction agreement, or if the major portion of the construction project is accomplished through private market financing or Federal loans, and the Federal assistance constitutes a minor portion of the project.
(1) When the reimbursement method is used, DOE shall make payment within 30 days after receipt of the billing, unless the billing is improper.
(2) Recipients are authorized to submit requests for reimbursement at least monthly when electronic funds transfers are not used.
(f) If a recipient cannot meet the criteria for advance payments and DOE has determined that reimbursement is not feasible because the recipient lacks sufficient working capital, DOE may provide cash on a working capital advance basis. Under this procedure, DOE advances cash to the recipient to cover its estimated disbursement needs for an initial period generally geared to the recipient's disbursing cycle. Thereafter, DOE reimburses the recipient for its actual cash disbursements. The working capital advance method of payment will not be used for recipients unwilling or unable to provide timely advances to their subrecipient to meet the subrecipient's actual cash disbursements.
(g) To the extent available, recipients shall disburse funds available from repayments to and interest earned on a revolving fund, program income, rebates, refunds, contract settlements, audit recoveries and interest earned on such funds before requesting additional cash payments.
(h) Unless otherwise required by statute, DOE will not withhold payments for proper charges made by recipients at any time during the project period unless paragraph (h)(1) or (h)(2) of this section apply.
(1) A recipient has failed to comply with the project objectives, the terms and conditions of the award, or DOE reporting requirements.
(2) The recipient or subrecipient is delinquent in a debt to the United States. Under such conditions, the Federal awarding agency may, upon reasonable notice, inform the recipient that payments shall not be made for obligations incurred after a specified date until the conditions are corrected or the indebtedness to the Federal Government is liquidated. Before withholding any payment, DOE shall notify the recipient that payments shall not be made for obligations incurred after a specified date, which shall ordinarily be no sooner than 30 days from the date of the notice, until the recipient corrects the noncompliance or pays the indebtedness to the Federal government.
(i) Standards governing the use of banks and other institutions as depositories of funds advanced under awards are as follows.
(1) Except for situations described in paragraph (i)(2) of this section, DOE shall not require separate depository accounts for funds provided to a recipient or establish any eligibility requirements for depositories for funds provided to a recipient. However, recipients must be able to account for the receipt, obligation and expenditure of funds.
(2) Advances of Federal funds shall be deposited and maintained in insured accounts whenever possible.
(j) Consistent with the national goal of expanding the opportunities for women-owned and minority-owned business enterprises, recipients are encouraged to use women-owned and minority-owned banks (a bank which is owned at least 50 percent by women or minority group members).
(k) Recipients shall maintain advances of Federal funds in interest bearing accounts, unless paragraph (k) (1), (2) or (3) of this section apply.
(1) The recipient receives less than $120,000 in Federal awards per year.
(2) The best reasonably available interest bearing account would not be expected to earn interest in excess of $250 per year on Federal cash balances.
(3) The depository would require an average or minimum balance so high that it would not be feasible within the expected Federal and non-Federal cash resources.
(l) For those entities where CMIA and its implementing regulations do not apply, interest earned on Federal advances deposited in interest bearing accounts shall be remitted annually to the HHS Payment Management System through an electronic medium such as the FEDWIRE Deposit system. Recipients which do not have this capability should use a check. The address is the Department of Health and Human Services, Payment Management System, P.O. Box 6021, Rockville, MD 20852. Interest amounts up to $250 per year may be retained by the recipient for administrative expense. State universities and hospitals shall comply with CMIA, as it pertains to interest. If an entity subject to CMIA uses its own funds to pay pre-award costs for discretionary awards without prior written approval from the Federal awarding agency, it waives its right to recover the interest under CMIA.
(m) Except as noted elsewhere in this subpart, only the following forms shall be authorized for the recipients in requesting advances and reimbursements. Federal agencies shall not require more than an original and two copies of these forms.
(1) SF-270, Request for Advance or Reimbursement. Each Federal awarding agency shall adopt the SF-270 as a standard form for all nonconstruction programs when electronic funds transfer or predetermined advance methods are not used. Federal awarding agencies, however, have the option of using this form for construction programs in lieu of the SF-271, “Outlay Report and Request for Reimbursement for Construction Programs.”
(2) SF-271, Outlay Report and Request for Reimbursement for Construction Programs. Each Federal awarding agency shall adopt the SF-271 as the standard form to be used for requesting reimbursement for construction programs. However, a Federal awarding agency may substitute the SF-270 when the Federal awarding agency determines that it provides adequate information to meet Federal needs.
(n) The DOE may convert a recipient from advance payment to reimbursement whenever the recipient no longer meets the criteria for advance payment specified in paragraph (b) of this section. Any such conversion may be accomplished only after the DOE has advised the recipient in writing of the reasons for the proposed action and has provided a period of at least 30 days within which the recipient may take corrective action or provide satisfactory assurances of its intention to take such action.
(o) With prior DOE approval and in accordance with written DOE instructions, a recipient may assign to a bank, trust company or other financing institution, including any Federal lending agency, reimbursement by Treasury check due from DOE under the following conditions:
(1) The award provides for reimbursement totaling $1,000 or more;
(2) The assignment covers all amounts payable under the award that have not already been paid;
(3) Reassignment is prohibited; and
(4) The assignee files a written notice of award payment assignment and a true copy of the instrument of assignment with DOE. Any interest costs resulting from a loan obtained on the basis of an assignment are unallowable charges to DOE award funds or any required cost sharing.
(p) Recipients shall observe the requirements of this section in making or withholding payments to subrecipients except that the forms used by recipients are not required to be used by subrecipients when requesting advances or reimbursement.