What is the GCCR?

Grant and Contract Certification Reports (also known as Payroll Certification Reports) represent the documentation the University of Washington utilizes to certify the reasonableness of salaries and wages charged to sponsored projects.

The report  reflects all UW employees paid on a sponsored budget and their grant and contract compensation with the exception of faculty who certify via the Faculty Effortⁱ Certification (FEC) report.

Included on each report is the name of the employee, payroll classification, the percentage of effort or number of hours paid for the month and the dollar amount paid.

Requirement to Certify Work Performed on Grants and Contracts

Verification of the Grant and Contract Certification report is required by the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 2, Chapter II, section 220 "Cost Principles for Higher Education". (Previously referred to as OMBⁱ Circular A-21ⁱ)

Section J.10.c (2) (c) requires reports to “..reasonably reflect the activities for which employees are compensated by the institution. To confirm that the distribution of activity represents a reasonable estimate of the work performed by the employee during the period, the reports will be signed by the employee, principal investigator, or responsible official(s) using suitable means of verification that the work was performed.”

To provide an efficient process of ensuring grant and contract certification reports are completed timely, there will be ongoing oversight of the download and certification process.

Who Can Certify

Federal guidelines require that the employee, PI or responsible official(s), using a “suitable means of verification that the work was performed,” sign an after the fact certification that the employee has provided effort equal to the percentage that he/she is paid from the budget. The GCCR should be signed in ink by the PI and kept in the department for the time required by UW Records Retention.

It is the responsibility of the PI to certify the report. In rare instances, when the PI is not available to sign in a timely manner, someone other than the PI may certify the report (i.e. the department chair or dean). This verification must be supported by written confirmation from the PI (e.g. in an email or memo) that the work was performed by the individual and retained with the GCCR.

The PI cannot delegate authority to sign the report for reasons of convenience. If circumstances are such that the PI is unable to certify and someone other than the PI is required to certify the report, that person should have and maintain documentation to support the determination that the work was performed. This is generally documentation provided by the PI. Departments are responsible for creating a tracking system to ensure all GCCRs are certified (signed) and dated.

Retention

GCCRs are required to be filed in the department and retained for the time period specified in the UW retention policy. f2.washington.edu/fm/recmgt/retentionschedules/gs/general/uwgs7#G