OMB Uniform Guidance
OMB Uniform Administrative Requirements – Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards
OMB Uniform Guidance
The Office of Management and Budget’s “Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards” was released in the Federal Register on December 26, 2013 (2 CFR Chapter I, Chapter II, Part 200, et al.) Per the OMB webpage, this guidance “will supersede requirements from OMB Circulars A-21, A-87, A-110, and A-122 (which have been placed in 2 C.F.R. Parts 220, 225, 215, and 230); Circulars A-89, A-102, and A-133; and the guidance in Circular A-50 on Single Audit Act follow-up.”The effective date is December 26th, 2014 for all federal awards or funding increments provided on or after this date and FY2016 for audit. Existing federal awards received prior to December 26, 2014 will continue to be governed by the terms and conditions under which they were awarded.
Final Guidance
Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards
The Uniform Guidance is broken down into Subparts. It also contains a preamble that provides the purpose and background as to how certain guidelines were ultimately determined.
- Preamble – Major Policy Reforms
- Subpart A – Acronyms and Definitions
- Subpart B – General Provisions
- Subpart C – Pre Award Requirements
- Subpart D – Post Award Requirements
- Subpart E – Cost Principles
- Subpart F – Audit Requirements
- Appendices – Some of the rules were not incorporated into the consolidated set of guidance, but rather remained applicable only to a specific type of entity. These rules are incorporated into the appendices. Appendix III is applicable to Institutions of Higher Education.
Additional Information & Resources
Agency Updates
NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide
Clarifications
COFAR’s FAQs on Uniform Guidance
Additional Resources
- Chief Financial Officers Council (CFO – formerly COFAR) website
- COGR Guide to OMB Uniform Guidance (September 2024)
- FDP/COGR White Paper on the Uniform Guidance
- NCURA Uniform Guidance Presentation: Changes and Strategies for Implementation
- Gil Tran’s Presentation at NCURA AM56
- Uniform Guidance Crosswalk