U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

 Fact Sheet www.cops.usdoj.gov

Consultant/Contractor Rate 

Information for FY 2017 Awards

"Compensation for individual consultant 

services procured under a COPS Office award 

must be reasonable, allocable, and consistent 

with that paid for similar services in the 

marketplace. The recipient must provide 

justification for any consultant rate in excess of 

$650 per day and receive COPS Office approval 

of that rate before drawing award funds."

Recipient Guidelines on Consultant Rate 

Approval Requests 

Compensation for individual consultant services procured under a 

COPS Office award must be reasonable and allocable in accordance 

with 2 C.F.R. Part 200, Subpart E—Cost Principles1 and consistent 

with that paid for similar services in the marketplace.

Unless otherwise approved by the COPS Office, approved consultant 

rates will be based on the salary a consultant receives from his or her 

primary employer, as applicable, up to $650 per day. If individuals 

receive fringe benefits from their primary employer, such fringe benefit 

costs should not be included in the calculation of consultant rates. For 

consultant or contractor rates which exceed $650 per day, the COPS 

Office requires written justification if the consultants or contractors are 

hired through a noncompetitive bidding process. The recipient must 

provide justification for any consultant rate in excess of $650 per day 

and receive COPS Office approval of that rate before drawing down 

award funds. Any organization that does not provide sufficient written 

justification will be limited to $650 per day for each consultant 

or contractor. Please note that this does not mean that the rate can or 

should be $650 for all consultants. 

Note: Consultant and contractor daily rates do not include travel 

or subsistence costs, but may include preparation, evaluation, and 

travel time.

1 2 C.F.R. Part 200, Subpart E—Cost Principles applies to awards made after December 26, 2014. 

For awards made prior to December 26, 2014, the following Cost Principles apply: 2 C.F.R. Part 225 (OMB Circular A-87), 

Cost Principles for State, Local, and Indian Tribal Governments); 2 C.F.R. Part 220 (OMB Circular A-21), Cost Principles for 

Educational Institutions; 2 C.F.R. Part 230 (OMB Circular A-122), Cost Principles for Non-Profit Organizations; and 48 C.F.R. 

Part 31 .000, et seq. (FAR 31.2), Cost Principles for Contracts with Commercial Organizations.

Guidance for requesting a consultant rate based 

on employment

a. Consultants Associated with Institutions of Higher Education 

(including state-run educational institutions). If representing 

the academic institution, the maximum rate of compensation 
that will be allowed is the consultant’s academic salary 

projected for 12 months, divided by 260. These 

individuals normally receive fringe benefits which 

include sick leave for a full 12-month period, even 

though they may only work 9 months per year in their 

academic positions. This does not apply to individuals 

providing consultant work outside of their academic 

commitments. In such cases, the rate of compensation 

will be based on reasonable cost principles and requires 

documentation supporting the requested rate.

b. Consultants Employed by State and Local Government. 

Compensation for these consultants will be allowed only 

when the unit of government will not provide these 

services without cost. If a state or local government 

employee is providing services under a federal award and 

is representing his or her agency without pay from the 

respective unit of government, the rate of compensation 

is not to exceed the daily salary rate for the employee 

paid by the unit of government. If the state or local 

government employee is providing services under a federal 

award and is not representing his or her agency, the rate 

of compensation is based on the necessary and reasonable 

cost principles. Please note that under the nonsupplanting 

requirement of the COPS Office statute, COPS Office 

grant funds may not be used to supplant (replace) local 

funding which otherwise would have been spent on 

consultants employed by state and/or local government. 

The statute bars federal funding of existing consultants and 

of newly hired consultants that a community is committed 

to fund in the absence of a COPS Office grant.

c. Consultants Employed by Commercial and NotFor-Profit Organizations. These organizations are 

normally subject to competitive bidding procedures. 

Thus, if consultants have been selected through 

competitive bidding, they are not subject to the per day 

maximum compensation threshold. Otherwise, the rate 

of compensation will be approved based on the salary a 

consultant recieves from his or her primary employer, as 

applicable, up to $650 a day.

To request approval of a consultant rate in excess of $650 per 

day, please submit the signed request on recipient department 

letterhead and include the agency ORI number and the 

award number for which the approval is being sought.

Please include the following:

 Description of the services to be provided by the 

consultant(s) or contractor(s), including the following:

» The number of days and hours to be worked by each 

consultant/contractor.

» The daily rate of each consultant/contractor that exceeds 

$650/day (indicate fringe benefits, if applicable). 

 A resume or curriculum vitae (CV) for each consultant 

or contracted individual whose rate exceeds $650 per day. 

 Documented prior instances when a similar rate has been 

charged by or paid to the consultant/contractor.

 If the consultant is not self-employed and has a primary 

employer, documentation showing that the requested 

daily rate is proportionate to the consultant’s regular 

salary (e.g. pay stubs, letter from employer, etc.).

 Optional: You may submit other important information 

about the consultant(s) or contractor(s) at this time, such 

as letters of reference; lists of any relevant publications, 

papers, or honors; advanced experience as a practitioner 

or academic in the subject area; advanced training 

relating to the focus of your project; and/or any unique 

circumstances which you feel should be considered as 

the COPS Office reviews your proposed consultant/

contractor rates.

To request approval of a consultant/contractor rate in excess 

of $650 per day, please return this information to your grant 

program specialist or program manager as soon as possible to 

expedite the consultant/contractor rate review process. 

Contact the COPS Office

For more information about COPS Office programs and 

resources, please call the COPS Office Response Center 

at 800-421-6770 or visit the COPS Office online at 

www.cops.usdoj.gov.

Updated April 2017