
Effort certification represents the process mandated by the federal government to verify that direct labor charges, committed effort, and cost-sharing effort to federally-sponsored agreements represent a reasonable reflection of actual effort. It provides the principal means for certifying that the salaries and wages charged to sponsored projects are consistent with the effort contributed.
As a condition to receive federal funding, institutions must maintain an accurate system for reporting the percentage of time (i.e., effort) that employees devote to federally-sponsored projects. Milletech has developed an Effort Certification Application System (ECAS) that is feature-rich and guaranteed to address all requirements for effort certification.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-21, OMB A-122, and OASC-3 contain the regulatory requirements for reporting and certifying faculty effort associated with federally sponsored agreements. The effort on the sponsored project must be certified by a responsible party with the means to verify that work was performed. Erroneous certification can lead to sanctions and fines against the institution.
