At the end of Feb. I asked the questions related to fee/rate charges for
NMR use.
I received 14 replies. The replies are surprisingly all over the map.
Whereas a couple of facilities
charge according to field strength, others in keeping with da FED
guidelines, charge the same fee per hour on all systems, some have reduced
rates for nighttime or weekend. The conclusion I get from my first
QUESTION is that although there seems to be an attempt to conform to
Federal Guidelines, and a few respondents know about them chapter and
verse, when the inevitiable internal audit comes, "we" should all be aware
of the consequences.. The following is a fictionalized version of what
could happen to your facility
>>Not completely unexpectedly, Internal Audit has nabbed us on the
>>carry forward surplus that we are carrying in the NMR recharge
>>facility. We are beyond the 3-year limit allowed to carry
>>forward a surplus and since we have done nothing to adjust the
>>rates, we must now refund the overcharges to all of the Federal funds.
>>Some PI's have grants that are still active and in those
>>cases they will be credited for approximately 60% of what they have
>>paid over the past 3 years. In the cases where the grants are
>>closed, we must cut a check to the US Government for the refund
>>amount.
As to QUESTION2: funds in reserve to cover catastrophic repairs average
from about $3000.00 to Zero.
It's all in the creativity of the people involved.
Understanably, I am purposely vague on much of this, but to compensate
I've attached the 1997 and
1998 Rate Surveys alluded to in my original post.
Jim Loo
NMR Facilities Manager
>QUESTION:
>Has your NMR facility enacted policies to conform to Federal Guidelines? Is
>the multitiered rate structure still used at your facility?
>
>QUESTION2:
>As I understand it, fees charged to NMR users cannot be kept in reserve,
>and if not "spent" down are returned to the PI's grant or to the Fed's if
>the grant has lapsed. How does your facility cope with catastrophic
>expenditures. ie. RF Amplifier costing $10,000 from the vendor ( I know,
>you can get if for $3000 from the manufacturer)? Does your Facility have
>monies in reserve for such purposes? If so, is this fund a result of the
>fees charged to users? Can you really keep fees for three years before
>Judge Judy pays you a visit?
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As Zeus said to Narcissus, "Watch Yourself."
loo_at_chemistry.ucsc.edu
http://www.nmr.ucsc.edu
(831) 459-2485 Office
(831) 459-4923 Lab
(831) 459-2935 FAX
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Received on Tue Mar 27 2001 - 19:14:59 MST