Service Level Agreement

The successful operation of recharges is the responsibility of numerous individuals and organizations within UCSD. However, the ultimate accountability is on the institution. When compliance requirements and cost analysis require input from all parties, coordination, communication and partnership is essential for successful oversight of SSAs.

Business & Financial Services (BFS) is continuously striving to provide high quality support and services to campus departments related to direct cost analysis and management of Recharges while also strengthening partnership and collaboration.

Please contact us freely with any Recharge related questions. Find answers, request services, or get help from our team by emailing Recharge@ucsd.edu.

• Rate Proposal Review
  • Review and approve Recharge and External Sales and Service Activities (SSAs) rate proposals: new, renewal, rate change, discontinuation and transfer of ownership requests submitted by campus departments
  • Ensure that UCSD complies with federal regulations governing allowable costs charged to federal sponsored agreements
  • Assist departments in succeeding their business needs and meeting compliance requirements
• Recharge Policy and Guidance Manual
  • Maintain and update Campus Recharge Policy and Policy Guidance and Procedures Manual in order to adhere to university and federal policies and minimize the risk of disallowed charges on federal awards
  • Acts as the institutional reviewer and approver of any exceptions to policy
• Recharge Rate Development and Submission
  • Provide assistance to originating departments during rate proposal development
  • Establish submission guidelines in the annual Recharge Call Letter
• Annual SSA Monitoring Report
  • Prepare and distribute an annual monitoring report summary to department managers and VC Office's comparing existing SSA with approval status and various transactions recorded in the General Ledger (e.g., Depreciation transfers, surplus/deficit balances, unallowable expenses, percent of federal funds recharged, etc.)
  • Analyze financial data to determine if departments are operating SSAs without a formal approval and notify department managers and VC Offices
• Training and Job Aids
  • Offer online Recharge Basics e-Course
  • Provide job aids and FAQs on the Self-Supporting Activities website
  • Provide in-person or phone consultations, as requested
  • Facilitate Brown Bag lunch discussions
  • Conduct classroom trainings

BFS provides review and final approval to all UCSD SSAs and rates prior to charging out for the services provided. Some approvals are delegated to the establishing originating department's Vice Chancellor's Office.

BFS works closely with originating departments to assist in complete submission of SSA proposals  in a timely manner. Incomplete proposals or requests can cause delays in the review process. In order to meet originating department's business needs, the BFS - Financial Analysis Office (BFS-FAO) manager and/or executive director may contact management service officers of the originating department and if needed, designated VC office reviewer for assistance in resolving outstanding issues.

Originating departments depend on BFS to review and approve rates prior to recharging. If service commitments such as response time are not met by BFS, originating departments may contact the BFS manager or executive director for assistance in resolving outstanding issues. 

Incomplete SSEA proposals may be returned to originating departments or Control Points for completion.

Benefit of Service Level Agreement:

• Improve compliance by reducing number of activities with expired or unapproved rates
• Establish clearly defined roles and responsibilities to improve understanding of the services provided and the interdependencies between BFS, originating departments and VC offices involved in the Recharge review process
• Facilitate improved service delivery with more timely SSEA proposal submission, review and approval
• Strengthen partnership between originating department and BFS
• Provide a clear framework to monitor performance and service quality to support continuous improvement

A Recharge is an internal charging mechanism used to redistribute expenses for products or services provided by organizational units within the University. The type of SSA being conducted will determine the action (i.e., establishment, modification, discontinuation, and approval) process.

• Recharge Review Process

A risk level will be assigned based on the level of institutional risk for all Recharges except for Common Cost Allocations (CCAs).  Institutional risk will be determined based on the total annual plan and anticipated percentage of federal participation (i.e. – anticipated revenue from federal fund sources) as shown in the table below:

* This category includes rate modifications within budget planning guidelines for activities in compliance.

• Recharge Review and Approval Process consists of 3 types of reviews:

* 2 year approvals may be granted to high risk activities that meet compliance standards

• Multi-Year Approval Duration

The duration of rate approval is tied directly to the Recharge’s risk level as shown in the table below.  These approval periods assume there has been no change in rate calculation methodology.

• SSA Proposal Submission Dates and Procedures

Note:

* This does not include proposals with effective dates starting at the beginning of the fiscal year. A call is sent out in early January requiring any proposal with an effective date on or after the fiscal year to be submitted no later than the end of February. BFS will not guarantee final approval by the request date for any proposal submitted after the end of February.

Early submission of proposals are accepted before the submission due date.