Enclosure 2: 

NASA Revised Conference Policies

1. July 2012 Interim Policy (Agencywide 

Announcement, Revised Definition, Q&As)

2. January 2013 NASA Interim Directive
July 17, 2012

Office of the Chief Financial Officer

To: Officials in Charge

From: Chief Financial Officer

Subject: Changes to NASA’s Conference Sponsorship and Attendance Policies

Recently, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released new policy guidance on travel and 

conference expenditures. Moreover, the Executive Council decided to implement expanded reporting 

requirements regarding conference sponsorship and attendance to ensure conferences the Agency 

funds are consistent with legal requirements and represent the most efficient use of taxpayer 

funds. Under the leadership of the Administrator, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer will 

implement these new requirements in close coordination with all Offices and the Centers. Some of the 

key changes are as follows:

1. Conference Definition: OMB M-12-12 made the Federal Travel Regulation’s (FTR) definition of 

“conference” applicable for purposes of controlling and reporting conferences for all agencies. 

Additional guidance on this definition and FAQs concerning its application in common situations can be 

found at OCFO’s conference website here.

2. Conference Approval Process: To accommodate NASA’s external requirements relating to 

conferences, we will be moving to a tiered approval process as follows: (a) any conference (sponsored –

as a primary or minor sponsor - or attended) exceeding $500,000 requires a waiver by the 

Administrator; (b) any conference (sponsored as a primary or minor sponsor or attended) exceeding 

$75,000 will be reviewed for approval by the Deputy Administrator and will require a recommendation 

by a Headquarters Official in Charge (OIC) or Center Director; and (c) all conference sponsorships, as well 

as conferences hosted by NASA costing over $20,000, must be approved by an OIC or Center Director. 

Until the new policies can be promulgated and reviewed by OMB, the Deputy Administrator will 

continue to review NASA sponsored conferences under the current NPR 9700 criteria (over $20,000, 

primarily sponsored by NASA), using the current forms and processes. 

3. Strengthening Current Processes, including:

(a) Improved planning: Conference sponsors should update and amend their preliminary estimate as 

the conference date approaches. More timely and realistic estimates (within 25% of approved plans, as 

amended) are needed for NASA sponsored conferences and will now be tracked and reviewed at the 

Agency Baseline Performance Reviews. 

(b) Senior Focus: All OICs and Center Directors are being asked to appoint a senior point of contact 

(POC) to oversee their local conference activities and expenditures. While each Office and Center 
already has a POC to help with technical guidance about conferences, the type of focus needed for 

achieving the intent of OMB M-11-35 and M-12-12, and support of the Deputy Administrator’s reviews, 

requires more senior leadership within each office and Center. 

(c) Restriction on Food: NASA will no longer be directly using its appropriated funds for food at its 

conferences. Similarly, widely attended gathering determinations will no longer be issued for events at, 

or held in conjunction with, NASA sponsored conferences. This does not prohibit individuals from 

paying directly for food, and NASA will be looking at no-cost contracts as a possible vehicle to help 

facilitate meals or refreshments as appropriate. This restriction on food does not apply to nonconference events like training (as defined in the Government Employees Training Act) or awards 

ceremonies that are not part of a conference. 

Interim guidance and changes in forms will be posted on the OCFO conference website and distributed 

to your conference POCs as soon as it becomes available. Some of these changes will require policy and 

system reviews that may take several months before implementation is complete, but we will be 

working closely with the conference POC team to help this process happen as expeditiously and 

smoothly as possible. We will also be forwarding a data call shortly about past conference costs, in 

response to several recent Congressional requests. 

Tomorrow, the Administrator will also send out a high-level, NASA-wide email to alert employees to the 

changing rules and the need for their participation in implementing them correctly. 

During this transition period OCFO will be regularly updating your local office or Center conference POC 

with the status of all these efforts and answering questions about the changed policies and processes, 

so please have interested persons see them (a list of POCs can be found here) for local questions they 

may have. Of course, please feel free to call me or my Director for Policy, Kevin Buford (at 202-358-

0405), directly if you have any questions as we implement these changes.
Revised	Definition	of “Conference”

2.4.1	Definition. For purposes of this policy, the term "conference" means a “meeting,	retreat,

seminar, symposium or event that involves	attendee travel.” See the Federal Travel Regulations

(FTR), 4 CFR 300-3.1.1

2.4.2	Exclusions. This section	identifies the types of	meetings or events that are not considered

conferences	for the purposes	of this policy:

2.4.2.1	Operational Meeting. The term conference does not include Mission (Operational) meetings.

Mission	(Operational) Meeting is a meeting necessary to	perform agency managerial or operational

activities, as part of day-to-day operations. For purposes of this policy, there	are	two types of

Operational Meetings:

2.4.2.1.1	 Formal Operational Meeting. These	are	Operational Meetings required under a

NASA Policy Directive (NPD) or Procedural Requirement (NPR) for governance or project

management purposes.

a. Governance meeting A meeting held for Agency governance by one of the Councils or

Advisory Committees set forth	in	NPD 1000.3.

b. Program and Project Management Meeting A meeting required for	program and

project oversight, planning, review and	approval. Examples of these include meetings

of the oversight bodies and	reviews set forth	in	NASA’s project management NPRs

(NPR 7120.5, NPR 7120.7, and NPR 7120.8), program readiness reviews like NPD

8610.24	(pre-launch readiness reviews). Also	included	are meetings with	the Executive

Office of the President or Congress.

2.4.2.1.2	Other Operational Meetings. These are meetings,	other than Formal Operational

Meetings, held	in	furtherance of NASA’s missions and operations.	 Other Operational	

Meetings include the following (but exclude meetings under one of the Special Cases in	

section 2.4.2.1.3):

a. Other Programmatic and Institutional Meeting: meeting necessary for	NASA

management or operational activities as part of routine Agency business. Included are

activities such as project planning and prioritizations, project development work or

operations, property management, reviews, audits, investigations, and inspections.

b.	 Interagency Meetings A meeting with officials of another governmental agency

(federal, state, local or	international), onsite at	a governmental agency facility, on

mission or operational matters of mutual interest to NASA and the other governmental

agency, such as hearings, technical coordination, joint operations, or programmatic

planning.

2.4.2.1.3	Special Cases. There is an inevitable overlap between the terms “operational

meeting” and “conference” as used	in	the FTR. Notwithstanding the operational focus of

Other Operational Meetings under sections 2.4.2.1.2, they can take	on the	indicia	of a

“conference”	depending	on how the events are structured.2 To the extent an event meets

the following criteria,	it will be considered and reported as conference.

1 This definition is from the Federal Travel Regulations, 41 C.F.R. 300-3.1. The exclusions in section 2 are based

on FTR	sec. 301 App. C. Both	the FTR	and	OMB	M-12-12	recognize there is an overlap between the term

“conference” and terms	like “training,” but unlike the FTR, OMB M-12-12	requires reporting of all conference

costs	regardless	of its	additional purpose as training. In view of this, the	scope of section	2.4.2 has been	

narrowed	to	exclude activities that might be reasonably considered	“conferences” in	terms of usage under the

FTR.

2 While conferences may take on many forms, recognized indicia of a formal conference include (1) participants	

from multiple agencies or	organizations, (2)	discussions involving topical matters of	interest	to the participants,

(3)	scheduled speakers or	discussion panels, (4)	published substantive agenda, and (5)	registration. Note that	
Revised	Definition	of “Conference”

a.	 Open Participation at an Onsite	Meeting –where NASA sponsors a meeting o one of

its facilities with multiple speakers that is open to external participants (i.e., persons

other than	those working directly for or with	NASA	o the missions or programs

being discussed), and	the purpose of the meeting is to	promote general awareness

or to	disseminate or exchange	information about NASA missions or programs with all

of the participants. This does not include news events, such as press conferences

and launch viewings,	coordinated by the Office of Communications to	announce

research results, mission milestones,	annual budget releases,	and the like to

Congress or the media.

b.	 Large Offsite Meetings–where NASA pays for a rented	facility to	host an offsite	

meeting to accommodate more than 30 participants3

. This does not apply to events

held	at the facility of NASA’s contractor, an agreement partner,	or a grantee when

the subject	of	the meeting focuses on the work the entity is performing.

c.	 Another Agency Conference—where NASA is informed by another U.S. Government

agency that meeting that agency is hosting is considered “conference” under

OMB M-12-12, NASA will also treat that agency’s event as “conference.”

2.4.2.2.	 Training. The term "training" is defined in the Government Employees Training Act, U.S.C.

4101, as “planned, prepared, and	coordinated	program, course, curriculum, subject, system, or

routine of	instruction or	education in scientific, professional, technical, mechanical, trade, clerical,

fiscal, administrative, or	other	fields intended to improve individual and organizational performance

and assist in achieving the	Agency's mission and performance	goals.” The implementing regulations

distinguish	between	other forms of training and	training at a conference. See C.F.R. 410.101	et seq.

Examples of non-conference training include “classroom training, on-the-job training, technologybased	training, satellite training, [individual] coaching, mentoring, career development counseling,

details, rotational assignments [and]	cross training.” 5 C.F.R.	410.203.	 These are not reported within

the meaning of	“conference.” In contrast,	where an event otherwise meets the definition of a

conference, it should be reported as	such, regardless of	whether	some portion of the activities

qualifies as “training.”	

2.4.2.3. Special Agency Mission. This includes unique activities outside NASA’s normal	course of dayto-day business. Examples include reimbursable details, security missions, and agency emergency

response/recovery.

most federal agencies lack the authority to charge registration, so this last indicia does not apply to

conferences	they	sponsor.	 But, to the extent there is a substantive agenda with discussions on topical	matters,

with multi-entity participation,	it is more likely that reasonable persons would consider such an event a

conference, notwithstanding strong programmatic	content.

3 Offices are encouraged to carefully review the justification for	renting offsite facilities for	meetings.	 However,

small meetings	typically do not meet the indicia of a formal conference, and a 30-person	event is recognized	in	

the FTR as the threshold for	requiring more formal conference site comparisons and records.
Changes to NASA’s Conference Sponsorship and Attendance Policies

NASA has instituted changes to improve our internal policies concerning conference sponsorship 

and attendance. These changes are motivated primarily by Government-wide controls relating to 

conferences that can be found in OMB memoranda 11-35 and 12-12. 

Here is the basic information you should be aware of about the revised NASA policy. This 

policy is effective immediately, although there will be an implementation period over which 

some details and process changes will be vetted and phased in across the Agency. 

1. What is a “conference”? 

a. OMB M-12-12 broadly defines a conference to be a “meeting, retreat, seminar, 

symposium or event that involves attendee travel. The term “conference” also 

applies to certain training activities that are considered to be conferences under 5 

CFR 410.404,” but not to operational meetings (such as those required pursuant to 

NASA operational policies). We are adopting this definition for all purposes. 

This means more things will be considered a conference than previously under 

NPR 9700. We are developing a revised set of FAQs to give examples of what is 

considered a conference under this new definition, and these will be posted at this 

link as soon as they are ready. 

b. In the meantime, please err on the side of caution and ask your Center’s point of 

contact (POC) for conferences. A comprehensive list of contacts can be found 

here. 

2. What do I have to do when considering attending a conference? 

Later this summer, to help with the new reporting requirements, NASA will revise and 

leverage our NASA Conference Tracking System (NCTS). Until these changes are 

implemented, these interim steps should be followed: 

a. Check the NCTS page here to see if the conference you plan to attend is listed. If 

it is, use this NCTS number in your travel authorization (function code field) and 

select “conference” as the travel purpose. If the conference is not listed, check 

with your conference POC and they can assist getting it listed. 

b. If you are going to a foreign conference, continue to follow the guidance in NPR 

9700 sections. 2.5 and 2.8. 

c. Be aware that NASA will be developing a new process for conferences with 

NASA attendance costs expected to exceed $75,000. A list of the conferences 

needing this additional review and guidance on the steps to follow will be 

published at the conference link here by mid-July, and you should check back 

there to make sure you follow that process if you plan to attend one of those 

conferences. 
3. What do I have to do when considering NASA sponsorship of a conference? 

a. First talk to your Center’s point of contact (POC) for conferences. A 

comprehensive list of contacts can be found here. 

b. Be aware that conferences sponsored by government agencies are subject to 

numerous and significant restrictions, and cannot resemble private-sector 

conferences in many ways. 

c. Acquaint yourself with NASA’s Procedural Requirement 9700, Travel, Chapter 2, 

Requirements Relating to Conference Reporting and Attendance. These rules are 

still in effect with respect to preparing the key approval and reporting forms (NF1784 and NF-1785) and filing them with the NSSC. Please keep in mind the 

additional requirement for pre-approval six months prior to your conference. 

d. Ensure that the conference sponsorship is routed through the appropriate 

approvals. The current process is described at the conference website here. Once 

a full NASA Interim Directive (NID) is promulgated later this summer, however, 

sponsored conferences with total costs under $75,000 will be approved by your 

Center Director or Official in Charge, while all other sponsored conferences and 

monetary sponsorships must be additionally approved by the Deputy 

Administrator. 

We will be adding additional guidance at OCFO’s conference website here as it is prepared. 

Your local conference POCs are also available to assist with any questions you may have in the 

meantime. 

 
 

NASA Interim Directive 

Effective Date: January 31, 2013 

Expiration Date: January 30, 2014 

NASA Conference Approval and Reporting

Responsible Office: Office of the Chief Financial Officer 

NID 9700-1
1

 

NID 9770.1 NASA Conference Approval and Reporting 

PREFACE ............................................................................................................................................ 3

P.1 PURPOSE.............................................................................................................................. 3

P.2 APPLICABILITY ................................................................................................................. 3

P.3 AUTHORITY ........................................................................................................................ 3

P.4 APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS AND FORMS ..................................................................... 3

P.5 MEASUREMENT/VERIFICATION.................................................................................... 4

P.6 CANCELLATION ................................................................................................................ 4

Chapter 1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 5

1.1 General ................................................................................................................................... 5

1.2 Source of Requirements ......................................................................................................... 5

Chapter 2 Conference Identification .................................................................................................... 7

2.1 Definition ............................................................................................................................... 7

2.2 Exclusions .............................................................................................................................. 7

2.3 Conference Determination Chart ........................................................................................... 9

Chapter 3 Review and Approval of Proposed Conference Sponsorship and Attendance ................. 10

3.1 Conference Advance Review and Approval ........................................................................ 10

3.2 Preparing and Approving the NF 1784 ................................................................................ 12

3.3 Commitment and Obligation of Funds ................................................................................ 12

Chapter 4 Preparing Conference Travel Authorizations, Vouchers, and other purchases ................ 14

4.1 Travel Authorizations .......................................................................................................... 14

4.2 Non-Travel Purchases .......................................................................................................... 15

4.3 Conference Expenses ........................................................................................................... 16

Chapter 5 Foreign Conference Attendance ........................................................................................ 18

5.1 General ................................................................................................................................. 18

5.2 Definition of Foreign Conference ........................................................................................ 18

5.3 Process ................................................................................................................................. 19

Chapter 6 The NASA Conference Tracking System (NCTS). .......................................................... 21

6.1 Overview .............................................................................................................................. 21

6.2 NCTS Roles and Responsibilities for Conferences ............................................................. 21
2

 

Chapter 7 Conference Planning ......................................................................................................... 24

7.1 Cost-Effective NASA-Sponsored Conferences ................................................................... 24

7.2 Limitations on the Cost of NASA Sponsored or Attended Conferences............................. 24

7.3 NASA Conference Sponsorship .......................................................................................... 25

7.4 Conference Funding and Collection of Fees ....................................................................... 26

7.5 Food at NASA Conferences ................................................................................................ 27

7.6 Business Supplies and Promotional Items ........................................................................... 27

7.7 Advertising .......................................................................................................................... 27

7.8 Using Appropriated Funds to Pay Travel Expenses for Non-Federal Participants ............. 28

Chapter 8 Post Conference Reporting ............................................................................................... 29

8.1 Post-Conference Report Forms (Including the NF 1785) .................................................... 29

8.2 Quarterly Report of NASA Sponsored conferences to the NASA OIG .............................. 30

8.3 Annual Posting of NASA Conference Expenditures ........................................................... 30

Chapter 9 Records Management ........................................................................................................ 31

9.1 Records Retention ................................................................................................................ 31

Chapter 10 Roles and Responsibilities. ............................................................................................. 32

10.1 Roles and Responsibilities ................................................................................................. 32

Appendix A. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ............................................................................ 37

Appendix B. Conference Decision Tree ............................................................................................ 48

Appendix C. Conference Cost Form ................................................................................................. 50
3

 

PREFACE 

P.1 PURPOSE 

This National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Interim Directive (NID) provides the 

financial management requirements for conference planning, approval, attendance, and reporting.

P.2 APPLICABILITY 

a. This NID is applicable to NASA Headquarters and all NASA Centers, including Component 

Facilities and Technical and Service Support Centers. This NID also applies to the Jet Propulsion 

Laboratory (JPL), contractors, recipients of grants and cooperative agreements and parties to 

agreements; but only to the extent specified or referenced in the applicable contract, grant, 

cooperative agreement or other agreement type. 

b. In this NID, all document citations are assumed to be the latest version unless otherwise noted. 

c. In this NID, all mandatory actions (i.e., requirements) are denoted by statements containing the 

term "shall.‖ The terms: "may" or "can" denote discretionary privilege or permission, "should" 

denotes a good practice and is recommended, but not required, "will" denotes expected outcome, 

and "are/is" denotes descriptive material. 

P.3 AUTHORITY 

a. 51 U.S.C. § 20101 et seq., National Aeronautics and Space Act 

b. Public Law 112-55, Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012 

c. 5 U.S.C. 4101, Government Employees Training Act 

d. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-11-35, Eliminating Excess 

Conference Spending and Promoting Efficient Government 

e. OMB Memorandum M -12-12, Promoting Efficient Spending to Support Agency Operations 

f. NPD 1000.3, The NASA Organization w/Change 37 (May 25, 2012) 

g. NPD 9010.2, Financial Management 

P.4 APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS AND FORMS 

a. 5 U.S.C. § 3371-3376, Intergovernmental Personnel Act 

b. 41 CFR Part 304, Payment from a Non-Federal Source for Travel Expenses 

c. NPD 8610.24 Launch Services Program Pre-Launch Readiness Reviews (Revalidated May 12, 

2010) 
4

 

d. NPR 9700.1, Travel w/ change 2 2/23/10 

e. NPR 7120.5, NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management Requirements 

f. NPR 7120.7, NASA Information Technology and Institutional Infrastructure Program and Project 

Management Requirements 

g. NPR 7120.8 NASA Research and Technology Program and Project Management Requirements 

(w/change 1 dated 11/24/10) 

h. NF 1784 Conference Approval Form 

i. NF 1785 Conference Expense Report 

j. Administrator’s Memo on Authorize Promotional and Personal Use Items, April 16, 2012 

P.5 MEASUREMENT/VERIFICATION 

Quality assurance reviews and analysis of financial and budgetary reports and data submitted 

through the continuous monitoring program will be used to measure compliance with this NPR.

P.6 CANCELLATION 

NPR 9700.1, Travel, Chapter 2 

/S/

NASA Deputy Chief Financial Officer 
5

 

Chapter 1 Introduction 

1.1 General 

Sponsorship and attendance at a wide range of scientific, technical, and other conferences is 

necessary for NASA to coordinate efforts with various partners, keep abreast of the latest 

technological advances, and disseminate information NASA has acquired during the execution of its 

various programs. In order to ensure the most cost effective use of the resources NASA expends on 

conference sponsorship and attendance, and to satisfy the external requirements relating to 

conferences, NASA has implemented a comprehensive conference approval and reporting process. 

The process covers both conferences sponsored by NASA and attendance at conferences sponsored 

by others, and addresses all external requirements relating to conferences. 

1.2 Source of Requirements 

1.2.1. Prior Review and Approval. 

1.2.1.1. OMB Guidance. OMB has issued two memoranda concerning conferences. Memorandum 

M-11-35 required NASA and other Federal Agencies to review their policies and controls 

associated with conference-related activities, and imposed interim procedures requiring prior 

approval of all conference-related activities by the Agency Deputy Administrator until the Agency 

could certify that appropriate policies and controls are in place. OMB Memorandum M-12-12 

established a permanent requirement for Deputy Secretary prior approval whenever the total agency 

expenses for a single conference exceeds $100,000. This memorandum also generally limits 

Agency spending for a single conference to $500,000, while permitting a case by case waiver by the 

head of each Agency following determination that ―exceptional circumstances exist whereby 

spending on a single conference is the most cost effective option to achieve a compelling purpose.‖ 

1.2.2. Foreign Conference Attendance Limit. Recent appropriations acts governing NASA, 

including the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012, P.L. 112-55, limit 

NASA attendance at any one foreign conference to 50 NASA employees. 

1.2.3. Reporting on Conference Related Expenditures. 

1.2.3.1. Reports on NASA-Sponsored Conferences. P.L. 112-55 also requires NASA to provide 

quarterly reports to NASA's Office of Inspector General (OIG) on conferences held by the Agency 

costing more than $20,000. This requirement has been in NASA’s appropriations or authorization 

acts, or by direction in committee reports thereto, since FY 2008. 

1.2.3.2. Annual Reporting. OMB Memorandum M-12-12 requires Federal Agencies to post on their 

public websites specific information for each conference where the Agency’s total expenditures 

exceed $100,000. In addition, NASA is required to include information about the Agency’s net 

conference expenses for the fiscal year as well as a general report about conference activities 

throughout the year. 
6

 

1.2.4. FY 2009 Funding Cap. NASA’s 2008 Authorization Act, P.L. 110-422, also limited NASA’s 

2009 conference-related expenses to $5 million. This funding limit was not extended and thus 

applies only to any program year (PY) for which PY 2009 funds still remain available for use. 
7

 

Chapter 2 Conference Identification 

2.1 Definition 

2.1.1. For purposes of this directive, the term "conference" means a ―meeting, retreat, seminar, 

symposium, or event that involves attendee travel.‖ See the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR), 41 

CFR 300-3.1.1

2.2 Exclusions 

2.2.1. Operational Meeting. The term conference does not include Mission (Operational) 

meetings2. A Mission (Operational) Meeting is a meeting necessary to perform agency managerial 

or operational activities, as part of day-to-day operations. For purposes of this policy, there are two 

types of Operational Meetings: 

2.2.1.1. Formal Operational Meeting. These are Operational Meetings required under a NASA 

Policy Directive (NPD) or Procedural Requirement (NPR) for project management or agency 

governance purposes, including: 

a. Governance Meeting: A meeting held for Agency governance by one of the Councils or Advisory 

Committees set forth in NPD 1000.3. 

b. Program and Project Management Meeting: A meeting required for program and project 

oversight, planning, review and approval. Examples of these include meetings of the oversight 

bodies and reviews set forth in NASA’s project management NPRs (NPR 7120.5, NPR 7120.7, and 

NPR 7120.8), and program readiness reviews (NPD 8610.24 Pre-launch readiness reviews). Also 

included are all meetings with the Executive Office of the President or Congress. 

2.2.1.2. Other Operational Meetings. These are meetings, other than Formal Operational Meetings, 

held in furtherance of NASA’s missions and operations. Other Operational Meetings include the 

following (but exclude meetings under the Special Cases in section 2.2.1.3):

a. Other Programmatic and Institutional Meeting: A meeting necessary for NASA management or 

operational activities as part of routine Agency business. Included are activities such as project 

planning and prioritizations, project development work or operations, property management, 

reviews, audits, investigations, and inspections. 

 

1

This definition is from the Federal Travel Regulations (―FTR‖), 41 C.F.R. 300-3.1. The exclusions in section 2 are 

based on FTR sec. 301 App. C. Both the FTR and OMB M-12-12 recognize there is an overlap between the term 

―conference‖ and terms like ―training,‖ but unlike the FTR, OMB M-12-12 requires reporting of all conference costs 

regardless of its additional purpose as training. In view of this, the scope of section 2.2.1.2 has been narrowed to 

exclude activities that might be reasonably considered ―conferences‖ in terms of usage under the FTR.

2

 The FTR sec. 301 App. C defines ―Mission (Operational)‖ travel as follows: ―Travel to a particular site in order to 

perform operational or managerial activities. Travel to attend a meeting to discuss general agency operations, review 

status reports, or discuss topics of general interest. Examples: Employee’s day-to-day operational or managerial 

activities, as defined by the agency, to include, but not be limited to: hearings, site visit, information meeting, 

inspections, audits, investigations, and examinations.‖
8

 

b. Interagency Meetings: A meeting with officials of another governmental agency (federal, state, 

local or international) on mission or operational matters of mutual interest to NASA and the other 

governmental agency, such as hearings, technical coordination, joint operations, or programmatic 

planning.

2.2.1.3. Special Cases. There is an inevitable overlap between the terms ―operational meeting‖ and 

―conference‖ as used in the FTR. Notwithstanding the operational focus of Other Operational 

Meetings under sections 2.2.1.2, one can become a ―conference‖ depending on how the event is

structured. In view of this, to the extent an ―other operational meeting‖ also meets the following 

criteria it will be considered a conference for purposes of this directive. 

a. Open Participation at an Onsite Meeting—where NASA sponsors a meeting on one of its 

facilities with multiple speakers that is open to external participants (i.e., persons other than those 

working directly for or with NASA on the missions or programs being discussed), and the purpose 

of the meeting is to promote general awareness or to disseminate or exchange information about 

NASA missions or programs with the participants. This does not include news events, such as press 

conferences and launch viewings, coordinated by the Office of Communications to announce 

research results, mission milestones, annual budget releases, and the like to Congress or the media. 

b. Large Offsite Meetings - where NASA pays for a rented facility to host an offsite meeting to 

accommodate 30 or more participants3. 

c. Conference Determinations by Other Agency - where another U.S. Government agency is hosting 

the meeting, NASA will adopt the other agency’s determination and only report those events 

considered a ―conference‖ by the host agency under OMB M-12-12. Where the event is hosted by a 

non-federal governmental agency, conference determinations will be made using this section 

applied from the perspective of the host of the event - for example, applying section 2.2.1.3.a. to 

meetings held onsite at a facility of the host agency, and section 2.2.1.3.b. to meetings not held at a 

host agency’s facility. 

2.2.2. Training. The term "training" is defined in the Government Employees Training Act, 

5 U.S.C. 4101, as a ―planned, prepared, and coordinated program, course, curriculum, subject, 

system, or routine of instruction or education in scientific, professional, technical, mechanical, 

trade, clerical, fiscal, administrative, or other fields intended to improve individual and 

organizational performance and assist in achieving the Agency's mission and performance goals.‖ 

The implementing regulations distinguish between other forms of training and training at a 

conference. See 5 C.F.R. 410.101 et seq. Examples of non-conference training include ―classroom 

training, on-the-job training, technology-based training, satellite training, [individual] coaching, 

mentoring, career development counseling, details, rotational assignments [and] cross training,‖ 

5 C.F.R. 410.203. These are not within the meaning of ―conference.‖ However, where the training 

 

3

As a general matter, offices are encouraged to carefully review the justification for renting offsite facilities for 

meetings. However, small meetings typically do not meet the indicia of a formal conference and would cause overreporting of non-conference meetings. By contrast, a 30-person event is recognized in FTR sec. 301-74.19 as the 

threshold for requiring more formal conference site comparisons and records. 
9

 

is imbedded within a broader event that otherwise meets the definition of a conference4, it should be 

reported as such, regardless of whether some portion of the activities qualifies as ―training.‖ 

2.2.3. Special Agency Mission. This includes unique activities outside NASA’s normal course of 

day-to-day business. Examples include reimbursable details, security missions, and agency 

emergency preparedness/response/recovery. 

2.3 Conference Determination Chart 

2.3.1. Appendix B of this directive provides a decision tree for aiding in the determination of 

whether an event is a conference and required approvals. If unsure whether an event is a conference, 

consult your Center/Office Conference Reporting POC. The POC may ask you to submit a 

Conference Determination Request Form (CDRF) to facilitate the decision. A list of POCs and the 

CDRF form are available at the Conference resource Web site, www1.nasa.gov/conferences. 

 

4

 While conferences may take on many forms, it is helpful to consider recognized indicia of a formal conference when 

determining whether a uniquely structured event that includes training is also a ―conference.‖ These indicia include (1) 

participants from multiple agencies or organizations, (2) discussions involving topical matters of interest to the 

participants, (3) scheduled speakers or discussion panels, (4) published substantive agenda, and (5) registration. Since 

most federal agencies lack the authority to charge registration, this last indicia would not apply to conferences they 

sponsor. But, to the extent there is a substantive agenda with discussions on topical matters, with multi-entity 

participation, it is more likely that reasonable persons would consider such an event a conference, notwithstanding 

special training or strong programmatic focus. 
10

 

Chapter 3 Review and Approval of Proposed Conference Sponsorship and 

Attendance 

3.1 Conference Advance Review and Approval 

3.1.1. NASA uses a four tiered advance review and approval process that is based on NASA’s 

estimated total expenditures for both sponsorship and attendance. Tier 1 includes those conferences 

estimated to exceed $500,000. Tier 2 includes all conferences with total costs greater than 

$100,000 and less than $500,000. Tier 3 includes both conferences primarily sponsored by NASA 

with total costs between $20,000 and $100,000, as well as conferences not primarily sponsored by 

NASA with estimated costs between $75,000 and $100,000. Tier 4 includes all other conferences 

with total costs less than $75,000, including those with no or only minor sponsorship costs. The 

justification and approval requirements are summarized in Table 3-1. 

3.1.2. All Tier 3, 2 and 1conferences (―Reportable Conferences‖) require approval by an Officialin-Charge (OIC) of all of NASA’s planned costs using an NF 1784, Conference Approval Form. 

Tier 2 conferences additionally require approval by the Deputy Administrator, and Tier 1 

conferences also require a waiver by the Administrator per OMB M-12-12. All other approved 

sponsorship costs, not otherwise documented on a NF 1784, shall be documented using a local 

Conference Cost Form or CCF (see Appendix C). 

3.1.3. All NF 1784s and sponsorship costs shall be fully approved at least 6 months prior to the start 

date of the conference, or as soon thereafter as practicable (e.g., when the conference is organized 

with less than 6 months notice). Once approved, the Conference Reporting POC shall promptly 

input all estimated costs in NCTS. 

3.1.4. The NSSC shall maintain an up to date listing of all approved Reportable Conferences at its 

conference resources site, www.nssc.nasa.gov/conferences. 

3.1.5. Responsibility for preparation and submission of an NF 1784 shall be assigned to a single 

Center or HQ Office as the responsible lead office. 

a. When NASA is the primary sponsor of a Tier 3 conference, absent other agreement the NASA 

Center or HQ Office that is providing the largest portion of the sponsorship funding shall be the 

sponsoring office responsible for the NF 1784. 

b. For Tier 1 or 2 Conferences, and Tier 3 Conferences not primarily sponsored by NASA, absent 

other agreement, the NASA Center/Office with the largest amount of planned costs shall be 

responsible for coordinating preparation and approval of the NF 1784. 

c. All OICs and their Senior POCs share responsibility for controlling their respective Center/Office 

costs to stay within overall approved limits for a conference, but the OIC signing an NF 1784 has 

lead responsibility for monitoring and controlling overall costs. 

d. In the absence of a fully approved NF 1784, no one may incur any conference cost that will cause 

the total Agency costs to exceed $75,000. 
11

 

Table 3-1 Justification and Approval Thresholds 

Approval Tiers Total NASA Cost 

NF 1784

and 

NF 1785 

Required?

Additional Justification

(Format and Submitting 

Office(s)) Approved By

Tier 4 $0 - $75,000

(NASA is not a 

primary sponsor)

No

 Each sponsorship must have 

prior OIC approval; reported via 

Conference Cost Form to local 

Conference Reporting POC

No approval of the 

conference is required, but 

OIC approval is needed for 

all sponsorship costs

Tier 3

(a) $20,000 -

$100,000, and 

NASA is a primary 

sponsor

OR (b) $75,000 -

$100,000 

Yes

 An NF 1784 is required and the 

Approving OIC must ensure 

that total costs are maintained 

at less than $100,000 and 

within 25% of the approved 

amount.

Center or HQ Office OIC

Tier 2 $100,000 -

$500,000

Yes

 An NF 1784 is required and the 

Approving OIC must ensure that 

total costs are maintained at 

less than $500,000 and within 

25% of the approved amount.

 The approving OIC shall also (a) 

include with the NF 1784 a 

justification / recommendation 

for the Agency’s proposed level 

of participation and costs, and 

(b) obtain concurrence on the 

justification from each OIC with 

a Center/Office having 

estimated costs over $50,000.

Center or HQ Office OIC

AND

Deputy Administrator

Tier 1 >$500,000 Yes

 Requirements for Tier 2 AND

 The approving OIC includes a 

formal memo requesting the 

Administrator’s waiver per OMB 

M-12-12, stating why 

exceptional circumstances exist, 

such that spending over 

$500,000 is warranted as the 

“most cost-effective option to 

achieve a compelling purpose.”

Center or HQ Office OIC, 

Deputy Administrator

AND

Administrator
12

 

3.2 Preparing and Approving the NF 1784 

3.2.1. Forms and Instructions. The NF 1784, detailed instructions, and further guidance are 

available at http://www.nssc.nasa.gov/conferences. 

3.2.1.1. The Event POC shall prepare and review the NF 1784 for completeness and accuracy, sign 

it, and be prepared to substantiate the cost estimates and any supporting documentation to the 

satisfaction of the approving official. Other Center/Office Conference Reporting and Senior POCs 

shall assist the Event POC as needed in preparing the NF 1784. 

3.2.1.2. The responsible Center/Office OIC shall sign an NF 1784 as the approving official for any 

Reportable Conferences (i.e., Tier 3, 2 and 1 conferences). Promptly following approval by the 

OIC, the Conference Reporting POC shall submit the approved NF 1784 to the NSSC (at 

NSSC@NASA.gov, cc to the Agency Conference Reporting Coordinator) in PDF form, with a 

subject line containing ―NF 1784:‖ followed by the event’s official Conference Code and name. The 

POC shall also input the approved total overall and travel costs in NCTS. 

a. All recommendations for Tier 2 and 1 conferences must include the OIC’s justification for NASA 

spending over $100,000, including a brief explanation how the conference advances NASA’s 

mission. The OIC shall also confirm that conference attendance and expenses are limited to levels 

required to carry out the mission of the conference, and applicable FTR and FAR provisions were 

followed. In addition, the OIC must also obtain concurrence from each OIC whose Center/Office 

has estimated costs exceeding $50,000. 

b. All recommendations for Tier 1 conferences must also include the OIC’s justification for why 

exceptional circumstances exist, such that spending over $500,000 is warranted as the ―most costeffective option to achieve a compelling purpose,‖ along with a request for waiver by the 

Administrator. 

3.2.1.3. The Agency Conference Reporting Coordinator will coordinate further review and approval 

by the Deputy Administrator for Tier 2 conferences, and both the Deputy Administrator and 

Administrator for Tier 1 conferences. Following approval, the Agency Conference Reporting 

Coordinator shall promptly submit confirmation of approval to the NSSC (at NSSC@NASA.gov, cc 

to the submitting Conference Reporting POC), noting any special limitations with the approval. 

3.3 Commitment and Obligation of Funds 

3.3.1. Non-refundable funds shall not be committed or obligated for Tier 3, NASA sponsored 

conferences, or sponsorships of any other conference prior to approval by an OIC and assignment of 

an NCTS conference Code by NSSC. For Tier 3 conferences, the event POC shall ensure that the 

signed NF 1784 has been submitted to Conference Reporting POC and NSSC, before they request 

any contracting officer to execute funding documents, or otherwise incur purchase card expenses, 

with conference facilities or anyone providing conference support services to the Agency. 

3.3.2. Non-refundable funds shall not be committed or obligated in excess of the amount approved 

(and $100,000 if no approved amount) for Tier 1 or 2 conferences. All OICs and their Senior POCs 

shall implement controls necessary to ensure that proposed costs and attendance from their 
13

 

Center/Office are consistent with levels approved by the Deputy Administrator for Tier 2 

conferences, and by the Administrator for Tier 1 conferences, before any agreements or contracts 

are executed, or non-refundable purchase card transactions incurred, with conference facilities or 

anyone else providing conference-related services to the Agency. 

3.3.3. An OIC may approve limited conference support contractor costs reasonably required for 

preparations leading up to and including event site selection and preparing the NF 1784 for 

approval. If the conference is approved, these costs are included as part of the reported costs of the 

conference. 

3.3.4. Amending an NF 1784. Because of the importance of early approval for Reportable 

Conferences, reasonable changes in planning can be managed without requiring formal re-approval 

of the planned total costs. However, as soon as conference plans change such that anticipated costs 

increase more than 25% over the total cost of an approved NF 1784 the NF 1784 shall be revised 

and resubmitted to the OIC for approval as an amended NF 1784. If the revised cost now exceeds a 

higher approval threshold (i.e., $100,000 or $500,000, or any other limit imposed in a prior 

approval), the amended NF 1784 shall be submitted for the additional approvals required (e.g., for 

Deputy Administrator approval if now a Tier 2 conference). The Conference Reporting POC shall 

promptly submit the amended NF 1784 to the NSSC (at NSSC@NASA.gov, cc to the Agency 

Conference Reporting Coordinator), and input the amended total overall and travel costs in NCTS. 

3.3.5. Reportable Conferences should be approved by an OIC at least six months prior to the date of 

the conference, and each OIC shall manage their approved conference to stay within approved 

limits (e.g., no more than 25% of the estimated cost per Section 3.3.4). When approving a NASA 

Sponsored Conference, or other Reportable Conference that is a continuation of a series of earlier 

Reportable Conferences, less than six months before the conference date, the NF 1784 shall also 

include a justification for the delay. Similarly, when final costs exceed approved limits, the NF 

1785 shall include a justification why. In order to help improve timeliness and accuracy throughout 

the agency, a discussion about the justification, together with lessons learned and recommended 

approaches to mitigate the causes of the delay or spending above approved limits, shall be shared at 

the Agency Baseline Performance Review. 
14

 

Chapter 4 Preparing Conference Travel Authorizations, Vouchers, and other 

purchases 

4.1 Travel Authorizations 

4.1.1. "Conference" as Trip Purpose. 

4.1.1.1. Persons preparing travel authorizations involving any conference attendance shall select 

"conference" in the FedTraveler Trip Purpose field. 

4.1.1.2. Users (travelers or their preparers) shall select the "conference" purpose only for trips that 

include events meeting the definition of "conference" in Chapter 2. "Conference" shall be selected, 

even if that trip includes conference attendance, but has other purposes that are not conferencerelated. 

4.1.2. NCTS Conference Code as Function Code. Users shall select the conference's NCTS 

Conference Code when preparing travel authorizations by using the drop-down menu in the 

FedTraveler's function code field. 

a. If the conference they are planning to attend is not in the dropdown list the user shall search 

NCTS for the conference code. If the conference has not been loaded into NCTS, the user will 

contact their Center/Office conference Reporting POC (or other local procedure published for their 

Center/Office) and request that the conference be added to NCTS and a Conference Code assigned. 

The NCTS Moderator will review the add request and add the conference to NCTS. The requester 

will receive an email notification containing the official conference name and NCTS Conference 

Code when the conference has been loaded. 

b. The travel authorization cannot be completed until the proper NCTS Conference Code has been 

entered in the function code field on the authorization. If the Conference Code was not entered in 

the traveler's initial authorization, it is the traveler's responsibility to ensure that before creating the 

voucher an amended authorization is entered replacing the incorrect function code with the correct 

NCTS Conference Code. This code facilitates accurate, immediate tracking of conference attendee 

numbers via Business Warehouse (BW), as well as cost and attendance reports for preparing NF 

1785s, and quarterly and annual conference reports.

4.1.3. Attendance Description. In order to facilitate the review and approval process, additional 

information is required when requesting to attend a Reportable Conference. This information 

includes the conference name, the attendee’s position title, the purpose of attendance (i.e., presenter, 

attendee, display team), and estimated registration fees (if any). 

4.1.4. Travel Approval. As part of the normal travel approval process, all travel approvers are 

required to ensure that all conference attendance is identified with the correct trip purpose and 

function code, so the attendance associated costs of a conference can be retrieved directly from the 

Agency’s financial system. 

4.1.5. Travelers shall also ensure that all requests for non-travel charges (e.g. conference fees, site 

rental, booth expenses, copying services, etc.) are clearly identified as being related to a conference 
15

 

and be accompanied by the NCTS Conference Code so the costs can be recorded in the financial 

system with the appropriate order field number (Conference Code) 

4.1.6. NASA Travel Offices Entering Attendee Data into NCTS for Reportable Conferences. The 

Center/Office CTO Processor(s) shall maintain a current list of Reportable Conferences (i.e., a Tier 

1, 2 or 3 conference). When approving authorizations to travel to a Reportable Conference, the 

CTO Processor(s) of the Center/Headquarters NASA travel offices shall update NCTS under the 

Conference Attendees table for the requested conference by adding the traveler’s name and all other 

required attendee information. 

4.1.7. Timely Submission. In order to facilitate agencywide planning, all travel to conferences 

should be submitted and approved well in advance of the conference, preferably at least three 

months prior. Any person’s travel request which has not been approved by two months prior to a 

Reportable Conference may be considered lower priority than those already approved or pending in 

NCTS, when attendance is restricted to stay within an approved cost or attendance level. 

4.2 Non-Travel Purchases 

4.2.1. Non-Travel Costs. To ensure that accurate estimates of non-travel costs are tracked in NCTS, 

and automated reporting can be done from NASA’s financial system, persons requesting or 

incurring non-travel costs connected with a conference shall use the applicable NCTS Conference 

Code in connection with all non-travel charges. As much as practicable, the transactions should be 

structured so the NCTS Conference Code can be used in the order field to permit accurate reporting 

from the financial systems. In order to allow up to date tracking of estimated costs in NCTS, all 

non-travel transactions (excluding registration fees) shall also be reported as early as practicable, 

and in no event later than funds obligation, to a Center/Office CTO Processor using a Conference 

Cost Form (CCF)(see App. C).

4.2.1.1. P-Card Transactions. Whenever a Government purchase card is used for costs associated 

with a conference, the transaction shall be promptly recorded using the applicable NCTS 

Conference Code in the internal order field of the Order Log entry. For all non-registration fee 

transactions, a CCF for the conference transaction(s) and their associated charges shall be prepared 

and forwarded at the same time to the Center/Office CTO Processor for entry into NCTS. 

4.2.1.2. SATERN Training Requests. All SATERN external training requests for attendance at a 

conference shall identify the conference using the NCTS Conference Code and name. When the 

external training request is processed by NSSC to pay approved registration fees, the Conference 

Code will be entered in internal order field of the P-Card Order Log entry. 

4.2.1.3. Purchase Requisitions (solely conference costs). When a purchase requisition (PR) is used 

solely for costs associated with a conference, the PR shall use the applicable NCTS Conference 

Code in the order field when all PR costs are to be reported as conference costs. A CCF for all 

conference transaction(s) and their estimated costs shall be prepared and forwarded by the PR 

originator to the Center/Office CTO Processor for entry into NCTS as soon as the PR is approved. 

4.2.1.4. Purchase Requisitions (non-conference costs included). When a PR is used for a transaction 

including both conference and non-conference costs, all conference costs shall be separately tracked 
16

 

by the PR originator or the responsible COTR, and a CCF prepared and forwarded to the 

Center/Office CTO Processor with the approved amount of conference costs as soon as the PR is 

approved. If the estimate for conference costs subsequently changes by a significant amount (i.e., 

the lesser of 10% or $2,000), an amended CCF shall be promptly forwarded to the Center/Office 

CTO Processor for updating NCTS. A final CCF shall also be prepared and forwarded to the 

Center/Office CTO Processor when all costs are incurred, and in any event no later than 30 days 

after the end of the quarter in which the conference occurred. The Center/Office CTO Processor 

shall ensure all such CCFs showing final costs are also timely forwarded to the Center/Office 

Conference Reporting POC for use in quarterly reporting. 

4.2.2. Timely Submission. In order to facilitate agencywide planning, all non-travel costs for 

conferences should be approved well in advance of the conference. All non-travel costs for 

Reportable Conferences shall be coordinated with the Event POC prior to conference approval as 

much as possible, and if later, prior to commitment to ensure the proposed costs are consistent with 

the conference as currently approved. Registration fees for Reportable Conferences should be paid 

in time to take advantage of early discounts when available, but only for attendees shown as 

approved in NCTS. For other conferences, non-travel costs should be processed so they can be 

entered into NCTS at least two months prior to the conference as much as practicable. 

4.3 Conference Expenses 

4.3.1. Reportable Expenses. The following conference expenses are reportable and must be 

identified with the appropriate Conference Code: 

a. Travel costs. These include transportation, lodging, per diem, and other travel expenses 

authorized and paid using NASA’s travel system. 

b. Registration fees. These are always tracked as conference costs, and are typically reported as 

non-travel costs. However, when a registration fee is paid by a traveler and reimbursed under a 

travel voucher, it will be reported together with other travel costs 

c. Non-travel costs. These include all other costs, including registration fees paid other than 

through the travel system, costs of developing conference materials such as handouts, exhibit costs, 

and all other costs associated with supporting or sponsoring a conference, such as facility rental, 

sponsorship fees and support service contractor costs. 

4.3.2. Non-Reportable Expenses. The following expenses are not reportable as conference 

expenses: 

a. Pay and Benefits. Civil Service Employee Salaries and contractor labor are generally excluded, 

in view of system limitations and the expense of such reporting. An exception is for conference 

support service contractors; all their costs shall be reported, including labor and burden, in 

connection with support contractor services for NASA sponsored conferences. 

b. Conference costs paid by a recipient of financial assistance, i.e., using grant or cooperative 

agreement funds from NASA. To ensure proper use, cooperative agreements should limit the use of 

funds for conference activities directed at a public purpose like technical assistance to presenters. 

To the extent a proposed grant or cooperative agreement also supports NASA mission needs and 
17

 

objectives related to hosting or assisting another to host a conference, the proposed use shall be 

reviewed with procurement and legal to determine whether a procurement contract should be used 

in lieu of all or part of the proposed grant or cooperative agreement. 

4.3.3. Other Information on Reportable Costs. The frequently asked questions (FAQs) in Appendix

A, of this directive provides further information on conference reporting requirements. In addition, 

the NASA Conference Resource Web site, http://www.nssc.nasa.gov/conferences, provides more 

information on reporting, including instructions and sample reports, and a list of the Center/Office 

conference reporting POCs. 
18

 

Chapter 5 Foreign Conference Attendance 

5.1 General 

5.1.1. The requirements of this NPR do not replace, but are in addition to, other Agency or Center 

foreign travel approval requirements. 

5.1.2. Attendance Limit. In recent years, NASA's annual Appropriations Acts, most recently the 

Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012, have stated that no more than 50 

NASA employees may be funded to attend a conference held outside the U.S. This limitation 

includes employees whose travel is fully reimbursable. 

5.2 Definition of Foreign Conference 

5.2.1. United States. "United States," as defined in the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR), means 

the 48 contiguous states, the District of Columbia, and the states and areas defined under the term 

"Non-Foreign Area.‖ Non-Foreign Area includes Alaska and Hawaii, the Commonwealths of 

Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories and possessions of the 

U.S. (excluding the Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands). (See FTR § 300-3.1) 

5.2.2. NASA Facilities Outside the U.S. For purposes of this attendance limit, an event that would 

normally not be considered a "conference" because it is held entirely at a NASA facility shall be 

considered a "foreign conference" if the facility is outside the U.S., provided all other elements of 

the "conference" definition are met. 

5.2.3. Non-Program Travel. Foreign conferences are "non-program" foreign travel. (See Appendix 

A.) If a trip combines travel to a foreign conference with other purposes, the procedures for "nonprogram" travel shall be followed. 

5.2.4. Foreign Conference POCs. 

5.2.4.1. To better coordinate NASA's foreign conference-related travel, each Center and HQ Office 

shall designate a single POC to coordinate and monitor such travel. 

5.2.4.2. All foreign travel and foreign conference POCs shall be identified to OIIR. 

5.2.5. NCTS and Foreign Conferences. NCTS is an automated Web-based system that assigns each 

foreign conference a unique Conference Code to facilitate cost and attendance tracking. NCTS also 

enables foreign conference travel approvers to register the name of a prospective attendee and 

receive automated verification that the attendance limit has not been reached prior to approving that 

attendee's travel. NCTS automatically accepts requests up to an Agency moderator-established first 

threshold, permitting NCTS to automatically designate requests as tentatively approved for the 

substantial majority of conferences that only a small number of NASA employees are expected to 

attend. For conferences for which a larger NASA attendance appears likely, once the initial 

threshold has been reached, the moderator manually accepts registration for the remaining spaces 

and amends NCTS as approved by OIIR, working with other offices and Centers to determine 

Agency-wide allotments, never exceeding 50 total. 
19

 

5.3 Process 

5.3.1. NCTS Conference Code. All persons preparing travel documents for foreign conference 

attendance shall include the NCTS Conference Code on all associated travel documents, and all 

approvers should only approve travel authorizations that include the NCTS Conference Code and 

other required information. 

5.3.2. Travel Approvers. In the case of travel to foreign conferences, travel authorizations shall 

only be finally approved if the traveler is listed as an ―approved‖ attendee in NCTS. This helps 

insure that NASA remains within the threshold of 50 employee attendees (NASA-wide) to any one 

foreign conference. 

a. The Center Travel Office (or other final approver, for Centers without a Travel Office) shall 

ensure entry of the traveler’s name into NCTS and wait until the foreign conference travel approval 

is shown in NCTS before approving the travel. The approver shall work with the CTO Processor to 

ensure prompt entry into NCTS’ attendee information. There are less than five conferences per year 

where travel exceeds the automatic approval threshold (typically set at 35 attendees), and for all 

others NCTS automatically enters the travel as approved. 

b. Whenever foreign travel requests exceed the automatic approval threshold or total costs exceed 

$75,000 (i.e., for a Tier 3, 2 or 1 foreign conference), OIIR shall facilitate the final approval process 

and may, at its discretion, be the approving office for any NF 1784. OIIR, the Center Foreign Travel 

Coordinators, together with Senior POCs as needed, shall work together to facilitate prompt 

decisions confirming which travelers are approved to attend. OIIR shall work together with the 

Center Foreign Travel Coordinators to oversee NCTS entries and insure NCTS is timely updated 

with any change in attendee approval status. When attendee approval status is changed, the Center 

Foreign Travel Coordinators and Center Travel Offices shall work together to make any timely 

changes in travel authorizations (e.g., from pending to approved, or approved to denied status) and 

promptly notify the traveler of the same. 

5.3.3. OICs and Foreign Travel Coordinators shall ensure that: 

a. Foreign travel authorizations are submitted at least eight weeks before the planned departure date. 

b. Foreign travel reports are submitted weekly to OIIR. 

c. The NCTS is used consistently. 

5.3.4. Center or Office Foreign Travel Procedures. Once approved in NCTS, travel authorizations 

associated with foreign conferences shall be processed for approval in accordance with other 

established Center or HQ procedures for foreign travel. 

5.3.5. Supervisor Approval Required. NCTS approval pertains only to the 50-person limit; it in no 

way removes the need for travelers to secure their supervisor's approval to attend a given conference 

nor supersedes a supervisor's disapproval of a request to attend a given conference. 
20

 

5.3.6. Any traveler who attends, or any travel approver who approves a travel request for a foreign 

conference without first getting official approval through NCTS, may be responsible for committing 

an Anti-Deficiency Act (ADA) violation if more than 50 NASA employees attend the conference. 
21

 

Chapter 6 The NASA Conference Tracking System (NCTS). 

6.1 Overview 

6.1.1. Purpose. NCTS is an automated web-based system that facilitates cost reporting for NASAfunded conference expenses and tracking of Agency-wide attendance. Tracking estimated total cost 

is required in order for NASA to comply with its new conference approval requirements and cost 

limitations from OMB. The attendance tracking is required for foreign conferences to ensure that 

NASA does not exceed the Congressionally established ceiling of 50 NASA attendees at any one 

foreign conference. Also, domestic conference attendance tracking supports NASA’s policy of 

limiting conference attendance to the minimum number of attendees required to accomplish its 

various missions. 

6.1.2. Usage. NCTS assigns a unique identification (Conference Code/name) to each NASAsponsored conference as well as each non-NASA sponsored conference attended by at least one 

NASA employee. All NASA employees and NASA conference support contractors can access 

NCTS's searchable list of these conferences and their Conference Codes at http://ncts.nasa.gov. 

Directions for its use are provided in detail at the NASA Conference Resource Web site, 

www1.nasa.gov/conferences. All travel authorizations and all travel vouchers (i.e., expense reports) 

for conference attendance shall include the NCTS Conference Code. 

6.2 NCTS Roles and Responsibilities for Conferences 

6.2.1. Reportable Conferences. An Event POC shall be designated for each Reportable Conference. 

The Event POC will assist the approving OIC in preparing the required NF 1784 and NF 1785 for 

the conference, as well as ensuring the conference is maintained within approved attendance and 

cost levels. The Senior POC of any NASA organization proposing to provide conference 

sponsorship funding shall assist the Event POC in coordinating with other Centers/Offices in 

obtaining necessary input from other Centers/Offices in planning for a Reportable Conference and 

timely preparation of an NF 1784. The Conference Reporting POCs and CTO/Processors shall 

assist the Event POC as needed, including by keeping NCTS attendance and other cost data up to 

date, and promptly forwarding any final cost reports (CCFs) to the Event POC for their Reportable 

Conference(s). 

6.2.2. NCTS Moderator. Upon receiving a request for a new conference, the NCTS moderator 

shall: 

a. Confirm the request is proper and complete, and input the conference to NCTS. 

b. Notify the requesting POC of the conference's NCTS Conference Code. 

c. When an NF 1784 is first filed, change the conference status to ―Reportable,‖ update the listing of 

Reportable Conferences on the NSSC conference page (www.nssc.nasa.gov/conferences), and 

notify all Center/Office POCs and alternates that the event has been added to the list of approved 

Reportable Conferences. 
22

 

6.2.3. Entry of a new conference into NCTS. If a prospective attendee thinks that an event may be a 

conference as defined in Chapter 2 of this directive, the prospective attendee (or their travel 

preparer) shall search NCTS for the conference. 

a. If the conference is in NCTS, the prospective attendee (or their travel preparer) shall include its 

NCTS Conference Code on the travel authorization. Any travel authorization processed without the 

NCTS Conference Code must be amended to include it prior to submitting the travel voucher. 

b. If the event is not in NCTS, the prospective attendee (or their travel preparer) shall notify the 

Center/Office conference reporting POC (listing can be found at www1.nasa.gov/conferences). The 

Center/Office conference reporting POC may request that the traveler prepare a NASA Conference 

Determination Form if it is unclear whether the event is a reportable conference. The POC shall 

submit the request to NSSC for entry into NCTS. The traveler should check NCTS again three 

business days later for the assigned NCTS Conference Code. Note: three business days is the target 

for entry of a conference into NCTS and subsequent uploading of the NCTS Conference Code into 

the travel system. Check your local center guidance for any additional processing required at your 

Center. A week or more additional time can be anticipated if a conference determination is required. 

6.2.4. Center/Office conference reporting POCs. Upon receiving notification that an event that may 

be a conference has not been entered into NCTS, Center or Office conference reporting POCs shall 

determine whether the event is a conference and if it is, request entry in NCTS. In the case of a 

potentially Reportable Conference not yet in NCTS, the POC shall attempt to identify which NASA 

Center/Office is most likely the lead for the event (i.e., most likely sponsor) as follows: 

a. If the sponsoring Center/Office is the conference reporting POC's own Center or office, the 

conference reporting POC shall ensure the sponsor organization timely prepares and submits a NF 

1784 as required. 

b. If the Center/Office conference reporting POC believes that the conference is being sponsored by 

an organization within a Center/Office other than his or her own, the Center/Office conference 

reporting POC shall notify the sponsoring organization's Center/Office conference reporting POC 

for further processing 

6.2.5. Conference Determinations. Prospective attendees of conferences and NASA organizations 

sponsoring events can usually determine, without assistance, whether an event is a conference per 

the criteria in this directive. However, in instances where it is unclear whether an event is a 

conference or not, users or their preparers or supervisors shall fill out and send to their Center 

conference reporting POC a Conference Determination Request Form (CDRF). The list of POCs 

and the CDRF are available at www1.nasa.gov/conferences. Where there is a disagreement 

between Conference Reporting POCs about whether an event is a conference, a CDRF may be 

submitted to the Agency Conference Reporting Coordinator for a determination by the 

Headquarters Team. The Agency Conference Reporting Coordinator may refer special cases to the 

OCFO Director for Policy who, in consultation with the Office of General Counsel and one or more 

Mission Directorate representatives, shall make the final determination. 

6.2.6. Local Procedures. Most Centers have additional local procedures relating to conference 

approval. Prospective attendees shall follow their local Center process. General agency procedures 

are described at the Conference Resource Web site, http://conference.nasa.gov; Center-specific 
23

 

procedures are available from Center foreign travel coordinators and Center conference reporting 

POCs. 
24

 

Chapter 7 Conference Planning 

7.1 Cost-Effective NASA-Sponsored Conferences 

7.1.1. Use of NASA or other Federal Sites. 

7.1.1.1. For both conference and non-conference events sponsored by NASA, NASA sponsor 

organizations shall take reasonable efforts to determine if there is a NASA or other Federal facility 

available for the event on a more cost-effective basis that satisfies the event objectives. 

7.1.1.2. If a NASA conference sponsor organization selects a non-Federal facility as the conference 

site, the NASA sponsor shall clearly explain on the NF 1784 the reason for this choice. 

7.1.2. Additional Considerations Regarding Cost and Appropriateness. 

7.1.2.1. NASA sponsors shall comply with Government-wide regulations on conference planning. 

(See FTR, 41 CFR 301-74). 

7.1.2.2. Being mindful of cost considerations, planners shall give precedence first to hold events 

onsite, and second to sites within the proximity of a NASA Center meeting "local" travel 

requirements for local attendees, whenever such sites would meet the event objectives and to reduce 

the number of attendees requiring TDY travel and lodging accommodations. 

7.1.2.3. In addition to cost considerations, NASA organizations planning to sponsor an event shall 

be conscious of appearances in selecting the event site. Planners shall take care to select event 

locations that are cost-justified and appropriate to the purpose of the event and that minimize, to the 

greatest extent possible, any appearance of impropriety. 

7.1.2.4. NASA event sponsor organizations shall also be cognizant of and take steps to minimize 

the appearance concerns inherent in some forms of entertainment at potential sites, such as golf 

tournaments, hospitality suites, and onsite gambling facilities. Also, collateral activities should not 

be reflected on the agenda and should be scheduled only during off-duty hours and clarify that they 

are voluntary and that participants are responsible for their own associated costs. 

7.2 Limitations on the Cost of NASA Sponsored or Attended Conferences 

7.2.1. NASA shall limit the total cost it incurs for an individual conference to the minimum amount 

necessary to reasonably meet NASA’s overall mission requirements for holding the conference. 

NASA shall also not incur costs in excess of $500,000 for an individual conference except in 

compelling circumstances. The total cost of an individual conference includes all sponsorship, 

exhibit and travel/attendance costs funded by NASA. This limitation is applicable to both NASA 

sponsored conferences and conferences sponsored by others. 

7.2.2. All conference costs shall be identified using the NASA Conference Tracking System 

(NCTS) Conference Code assigned to the conference. 
25

 

7.3 NASA Conference Sponsorship 

7.3.1. Sponsorship Costs. NASA sponsorship of a conference may range from hosting and solelysponsoring a conference to minor sponsorship support for another entity’s conference. NASA is 

considered a "sponsor" if it funds costs for hosting (e.g., facility rental) or underwriting (e.g., 

supporting the host of the conference, or sponsoring for brand awareness). Examples of 

sponsorship costs include: 

b. Hosting costs such as conference space rental (excluding exhibit booth rental fees), and facilities 

services costs incurred for generally supporting all conference sessions such as audio visual and 

information technology services, 

a. Conference planning and support costs, including support services contractor costs, and 

b. Sponsorship fees paid by NASA. 

7.3.2. Exhibition and Presentation Costs. Exhibit and presentation costs are reportable conference 

costs. Also, absent an agreement or other sponsorship criteria such as the costs identified in Section 

7.3.1, these do not represent sponsorship costs. However, if the primary sponsor(s) structure it so 

exhibitors are "sponsors" by agreement and gives more than just booth rental/space to the exhibitor, 

NASA is considered a sponsor and these costs are treated as sponsorship costs. 

7.3.3. Attendance Costs. Attendance Costs such as registration fees for employees are reportable, 

but do not represent sponsorship costs. 

7.3.4. Grants and Cooperative Agreements. Conferences that are independently proposed and 

sponsored solely by a recipient of NASA financial assistance (i.e., grants and cooperative 

agreements) are not considered to be funded using NASA sponsorship costs. However, to validate 

and ensure proper compliance and reporting, if the proposed research or project effort and the 

related budget under a grant or cooperative agreement proposal supports, directly or indirectly, 

NASA mission needs and objectives related to hosting (or assisting another entity) to host a 

conference, this proposed use shall be reviewed and approved by the appropriate NASA Office of 

Procurement and legal office prior to award. As part of this review, the Office of Procurement with 

the concurrence of the legal office, will issue a determination as to whether a procurement contract 

should be used as the appropriate instrument in lieu of all or part of the proposed grant or 

cooperative agreement. This review shall also ensure that all costs for conferences are properly 

approved and reported pursuant to this NID. Under no circumstances shall NASA personnel use a 

grant or cooperative agreement to solicit or direct an existing or prospective grant or cooperative 

agreement recipient to host a conference for the direct benefit, need, or requirement of NASA in 

order to circumvent or avoid compliance with the reporting and approval requirements prescribed 

by this NID. 

7.3.5. Primary Sponsor. NASA is considered a ―primary sponsor‖ only if it is the sole sponsor of 

the event or one of the principal cosponsors if there are multiple sponsors. In comparing cosponsors' costs to determine whether NASA is a primary sponsor versus a minor sponsor, only 

sponsorship costs, not travel or exhibit costs, shall be considered. NASA is not considered a 

primary sponsor if its sponsorship contribution is significantly less (e.g., half or less) than the 
26

 

leading co-sponsor or if its relative contribution is minor (e.g., less than 25 percent of the total 

contributed). 

7.3.6. Multiple NASA Organizations Co-Sponsoring One Conference. If multiple NASA Offices or 

Centers fund an event, the Office or Center responsible for the event's overall planning and 

sponsorship shall be responsible for determining whether it is a conference, and as applicable, 

approving the site selection, contracting for facilities and services, and preparing and submitting 

required approvals and post-conference reports, including the NF 1784 and NF 1785. 

7.4 Conference Funding and Collection of Fees 

7.4.1. NASA does not have authority to collect registration fees for conferences or other events they 

sponsor. 

7.4.2. NASA shall not supplement its appropriated funding for an event by collecting conference 

fees, exhibitor fees, attendance fees, or sponsorship fees from other persons or entities. 

7.4.3. Accordingly, NASA shall not use contractors to accomplish what the Agency is prohibited 

from doing, in this regard. 

a. Conference planners shall not collect fees to offset the Agency's costs of hosting a conference. 

b. Before retaining a professional conference planner, the Agency shall ascertain that enough 

appropriated funds are available to pay the contractor's costs. 

c. Even if a Space Act Agreement allows the partner to collect registration fees, doing so may raise 

other fiscal concerns, such as augmentation of Agency appropriations; in such situations, planners 

shall consult with their appropriate local counsel before proceeding. 

d. NASA shall not solicit NASA contractors or other non-NASA entities to contribute to NASA 

events without prior consultation with their local CFO's and counsel's offices. 

7.4.4. Outside sponsorship does not become allowable simply because there are no or insufficient 

appropriated funds for an event. 

7.4.5. Corporate sponsorship may raise appearance or gift issues. NASA event planners shall 

refrain from making arrangements involving corporate sponsorship until local counsel has fully 

reviewed and approved the sponsorship and associated arrangements. 

7.4.6. Certain circumstances may afford cost-sharing opportunities or complimentary activities in 

connection with NASA conference. For instance, in some cases, NASA and a co-sponsor or 

organizer may sign a no-cost agreement under which each party bears its own costs in connection 

with their agreed areas of responsibility; in these circumstances the co-sponsor may be able to 

collect fees to offset its costs and NASA bears no liability for the partner’s costs. Similarly, in 

some cases NASA may chose to limit the scope of its support to certain core aspects needed for the 

success of its conference (for example, the presentations and meetings); it may be permissible to 

enter into a full or partial no-cost contract with another entity to provide some complimentary 

activities (e.g., exhibit halls, meal packages). However, no NASA sponsor organization shall enter 
27

 

into any such agreements or structure an event to permit acceptance of fees or services before 

providing a full description of the circumstances, and proposed agreements, and seeking 

concurrence from their local CFO's and counsel's office. 

7.5 Food at NASA Conferences 

7.5.1. NASA shall no longer provide food at its conferences, or otherwise use its direct appropriated 

funds to pay for food or light refreshments at conferences it is sponsoring. This does not prohibit 

individuals from paying directly for food outside of a support contract (see Section 7.4.6). This 

restriction on food does not apply to non-conference events like training (as narrowly defined under 

Section 2.2.2) or awards ceremonies that are separate from a conference primarily sponsored by 

NASA.

7.5.2. Widely Attended Gatherings (WAGs). The Agency will no longer issue widely attended 

gathering (WAG) determinations for events at or held in conjunction with conferences primarily 

sponsored by NASA. 

7.6 Business Supplies and Promotional Items 

7.6.1. Appropriated funds may be used to purchase appropriate business items for attendees that are 

necessary for the proper functioning of a conference, such as nametags, notepads, and pens. 

7.6.2. Promotional materials (branded items, clothing, mementos, toys, bags, etc., also known as 

―swag‖) shall not be distributed except as authorized by Agency Promotional and Personal Use 

Items policy. 

7.6.3. NASA may provide NASA employees appropriate recognition, including official awards for 

performance of their official duties, as determined by their supervisors in accordance with NPR 

3451.1, NASA Awards and Recognition Program. 

7.6.4. Gifts for speakers or guests shall not be purchased using normal appropriations. Official 

representation funds may be used for presentation items to non-NASA speakers or guests if the 

requirements of NPD and NPR 9050.1, Official Representation Fund, are met. 

7.7 Advertising 

7.7.1. NASA necessarily uses various methods to publicize an event. In so doing: 

7.7.1.1. NASA employees shall avoid giving the appearance that the Agency is endorsing an outside 

entity, such as posting corporate logos on a NASA Web site. 

7.7.1.2. The NASA Insignia (including "the Meatball"), initials, or name may be used only in 

accordance with Federal law and regulations and with the approval of the Associate Administrator 

for the NASA Office of Communications. 

7.7.1.3. No NASA employee shall permit an outside entity to use the NASA Insignia without first 

obtaining permission from the NASA Office of Communications to do so. 
28

 

7.8 Using Appropriated Funds to Pay Travel Expenses for Non-Federal 

Participants 

7.8.1.1. General Prohibition. NASA is prohibited by law from using appropriated funds to pay for 

the travel, transportation, and/or subsistence of non-Federal attendees at meetings. "Meetings" in 

this context includes NASA-sponsored events, such as conferences. 

7.8.1.2. Exception: NASA may pay for travel, transportation, and subsistence of persons who meet 

the definition of "employee" under FTR Section 301-1.2 (for example, invitational travelers and 

special Government employees) that perform a direct benefit for NASA. In such cases, an official 

NASA travel authorization shall be required. 
29

 

Chapter 8 Post Conference Reporting 

8.1 Post-Conference Report Forms (Including the NF 1785) 

8.1.1. Purpose. The Post-Conference Report records a conference's actual costs, attendance data, 

contract features, and other related information. It is used for internal management reviews and 

made available as appropriate for external reviews. The NF 1785 is a key summary document that 

forms part of this report and is signed by the sponsor organization POC and the approving official 

as described below. It is not the entire report, but rather summarizes estimates developed in other 

parts of the report. 

8.1.2. Required Use. A Conference Expense Report, NF 1785 is required whenever a NF 1784 is

required and the NF 1785 must be signed by the same approving official that signed the NF 1784. 

8.1.3. Preparing the Conference Expense Report/NF 1785. 

8.1.3.1. Forms and Instructions. Detailed instructions, samples, and templates (where practicable) 

for the Post-Conference Report, including the NF 1785 and other required displays, are available at 

http://www.nssc.nasa.gov/conferences. 

8.1.3.2. A searchable database of NF 1784s and Post-Conference Reports (including NF 1785s) of 

previous conferences is available as examples to Conference Reporting POCs at 

https://search.nssc.nasa.gov/search/general.html. Documents for a conference can be found by 

using the first "Text" search field and inputting between asterisks the NCTS Conference Code of the 

conference for which you wish to search, e.g. *13544-09.* 

8.1.4. NF 1785 Required Signatures. 

8.1.4.1. Event POC. The event POC within the sponsoring office shall prepare the NF 1785, 

attaching all required backup documentation, review it for completeness and accuracy, sign the NF 

1785, and be prepared to fully explain the report's contents to the satisfaction of the approving 

official. 

8.1.4.2. Approving Official. The Center Director or OIC of the HQ office who signed the event's 

NF 1784, shall review the NF 1785 and the required backup documentation and when satisfied with 

its accuracy and completeness, sign the NF 1785. 

8.1.5. Conferences costing less than $20,000. If the final cost to NASA of the conference is 

determined to be less than $20,000, an NF 1785 must still be submitted, but should only include the 

conference title, Conference Code, the estimated cost to NASA clearly showing such is less than 

$20,000, and must be signed by either the Event POC or approving official that signed the NF 1784. 

8.1.6. Submitting the Post-Conference Report. The Event POC shall submit a complete and final 

Conference Expense Report, including the signed NF 1785 to the NSSC (NSSC@NASA.gov) and 

the sponsoring organization's Center or Office conference reporting POC in PDF form, with the email subject line "Post-Conference Report" followed by the event's NCTS Conference Code 
30

 

(number and name). The final post-conference report, including the signed NF 1785, shall be 

submitted no later than 45 days after the end of the event. The event POC may submit a draft PostConference Report, or portions thereof, before this deadline to the Agency Conference Reporting 

Coordinator (but not to the NSSC) to discuss progress on the report and obtain guidance. 

8.2 Quarterly Report of NASA Sponsored conferences to the NASA OIG 

8.2.1. The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012, P.L. 112-55, required 

that NASA provide quarterly reports to NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) for NASASponsored Conferences costing more than $20,000. 

8.2.2. NASA Centers or Headquarters Offices that primarily sponsor or host a conference shall 

ensure their Event POCs submit the NF 1785 and supporting documentation to the NSSC, with 

notification to the Agency Conference Reporting Coordinator. Each Center/Office Conference 

Reporting POC shall also gather all conference costs at their Center/Office not otherwise entered in 

NASA’s financial system with associated Conference Codes as function or order codes, and submit 

these costs to the Agency Conference Reporting Coordinator. The Agency Conference Reporting 

Coordinator shall review the NF 1785s and report the summary information and costs on a quarterly 

basis to OIG. 

8.3 Annual Posting of NASA Conference Expenditures 

8.3.1. In accordance with OMB Memo 12-12, the Agency Conference Reporting Coordinator shall 

coordinate the approval and posting by January 31 on its public web site the following information 

concerning NASA’s conference expenditures for the prior fiscal year: 

a. Identification of each conference with total NASA costs in excess of $100,000, using the 

approved NF 1784s and NF 1785s, including : 

(1) Total conference expenses incurred by the agency for the conference; 

(2) The location and date of the conference; 

(3) A brief explanation how the conference advanced the mission of the agency; and 

(4) The total number of individuals whose travel or other conference expenses were paid by NASA. 

b. The NASA Administrator’s waiver, identifying the exceptional circumstances that necessitated 

exceeding $500,000, for any conferences that exceeded that threshold. 

c. Information about NASA’s net conference expenses for the fiscal year as well as a general report 

about conference activities throughout the year. 
31

 

Chapter 9 Records Management 

9.1 Records Retention 

9.1.1. Sponsoring Organization. The sponsoring organization shall maintain copies of the NF 1784, 

the NF 1785, the Conference Expense Report, and any other materials that might be necessary to 

substantiate them and make them available for inspection as requested by appropriate oversight 

organizations. 

9.1.2. NSSC. The NSSC shall maintain searchable electronic records (e.g., PDFs) of all submitted 

NF 1784s and NF 1785s and a PDF archive of complete Post-Conference reports and quarterly 

summaries. 
32

 

Chapter 10 Roles and Responsibilities. 

10.1 Roles and Responsibilities 

10.1.1. The NASA Administrator shall: 

a. Serve as the approving official on all requests for waivers when NASA reportable funding of a 

single conference is estimated to exceed $500,000. 

10.1.2. The NASA Deputy Administrator shall: 

a. Serve as the final approving official on all requests for NASA funding of a single conference 

when NASA’s reportable funding is estimated to exceed $100,000.

10.1.3. Each Official-in-Charge (OIC) of a NASA Center or Headquarters Office shall: 

a. Serve as the approving official on all NF 1784s, Conference Approval Form, and NF 1785s, 

Conference Expense Report, for conferences sponsored by their Center or HQ Office, or 

recommended for Deputy Administrator approval by their Center or HQ Office. 

b. Implement local policies and procedures to ensure that conference attendance, sponsorships and 

other expenditures represent cost effective means of meeting NASA’s scientific, technical, 

educational, and operational mission requirements. 

c. Appoint a Senior Conference point of contact (POC) from their senior staff to oversee their 

Center’s or HQ Office’s local conference activities and expenditures.

d. Ensure the designation of: (1) a Conference Reporting POC, to provide guidance and assistance 

to the local Event POCs and managers at their Center or HQ Office on conference approval and 

reporting; (2) an Event POC for each conference requiring an NF 1784 that the OIC approves; and 

(3) CTO Processors (Charge Card and Travel Office Processors), to input estimated costs and other 

data in the NASA Conference Tracking System (NCTS) for conference costs originating at their 

Center or HQ Office. 

e. Ensure that all NF 1784s originating at their Center or HQ Office are approved and submitted to 

NASA Shared Services Center (NSSC) at least 6 months in advance of the event, or if 6 months 

advance approval is not practicable, as soon thereafter as possible. 

f. Ensure that all NF 1785s are timely approved and filed with the NSSC. 

10.1.4. The Office of the Agency Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) shall: 

a. Maintain policies and procedures for conference-related data collection and reporting. 

b. Coordinate the final review of agency conference reports, including the quarterly report of NASA 

sponsored conferences to the Office of Inspector General and the annual website report required 

under OMB M-12-12. 
33

 

c. Designate an Agency Conference Reporting Coordinator to oversee the conference reporting 

process and, in the event of conflicting conference determinations by Conference Reporting POCs, 

to issue final conference determinations under this directive. 

10.1.5. Agency Conference Reporting Coordinator shall: 

a. Oversee and coordinate the conference reporting processes. 

b. Provide clarification and policy guidance to the Center and HQ Office conference POCs 

concerning conference approval requests, and conference reporting, and assist in determining 

whether specific events are ―conferences‖ under this policy.

c. Oversee the preparation and submission to the OIG of the quarterly sponsored conference reports 

based on submitted NF 1785s. 

d. Coordinate the annual posting of NASA’s conference reports on NASA’s public website.

e. For internal consistency, periodically review the NF 1784’s and NF 1785s. 

10.1.6. Each Center/Office Conference Reporting POC shall: 

a. Assist travelers, travel preparers, event POCs, and other Center/Office conference reporting 

POCs and managers to determine whether a given event meets this directive’s definition of

"conference" (see Chapter 2). 

b. Assist the NASA Conference Tracking System (NCTS) Moderator and Agency Conference 

Reporting Coordinator resolve conference determination questions. 

c. Provide guidance to local Event POCs concerning the completion and submission of the NF 

1784s, NF 1785s, and associated report forms, and CTOs concerning the input of estimated cost 

data to NCTS. 

d. Oversee the review and correction of their Center/Office's data and other conference report 

information. 

e. Provide other assistance as requested by the NCTS Moderator and Agency Conference Reporting 

Coordinator regarding the Center's/Office's conference-related matters. 

f. Assist with local Center or Office training and awareness efforts pertaining to this directive. 

10.1.7. NASA Conference Sponsor Organizations. Each NASA organization that plans to host a 

conference or provide sponsorship funding for a conference shall appoint an Event POC before 

making substantive plans and notify the cognizant Center/Office Conference Reporting POC of the 

name of the Event POC for the event. 

10.1.8. Event POC shall: 

a. Assist the sponsoring organization and their Center/Office OIC in conference planning and 

reporting for a particular conference. 
34

 

b. Coordinate with the cognizant Center/Office conference reporting POC(s), beginning with the 

first stages of planning, to ensure they are aware of the event and to obtain their help with policy 

and conference determination questions. 

c. Prepare NF 1784, and required backup information for assigned conferences receiving NASA 

sponsorship funding and: 

(1) Ensure the timely preparation, 

(2) Substantiate and document the event’s cost estimates,

(3) Submit the NF 1784 to the approving official for signature, and 

(4) Submit the signed form at least 6 months in advance of the event to the NASA Shared Service 

Center (NSSC), or if 6 months advance approval is not practicable, as soon thereafter as possible. 

d. Ensure that NASA attendees and P-Card users are instructed to use the NCTS Conference Code 

on travel and charge documents. 

e. Prepare the NF 1785, Conference Expense Report including: 

(1) Preparing an accurate final attendee list (FAL) recording who actually attended the event; 

(2) Obtaining BW reports of all travel and charge card costs associated with the NCTS Conference 

Code, and for all other costs, maintaining a copy of all invoices, receipts, purchase orders, task 

orders, and other financial documents associated with the conference; 

(3) Submitting the NF 1785 to the approving official for signature; 

(4) Timely forwarding the NF 1785 and supporting data to the NSSC; and 

(5) Maintaining a copy of the report and supporting documentation on behalf of the sponsoring 

organization in accordance with NPR 1440.6. and making these materials available upon request to 

appropriate reviewers. 

f. Provide other assistance as requested by the NCTS moderator and Agency Conference Reporting 

coordinator with regard to the conference and its associated forms and reports. 

10.1.9. Traveler and Travel Preparers shall: 

a. Determine whether the event they are planning to attend is a conference using the definition 

contained in this directive. 

b. Obtain the NCTS Conference Code if the event meets the definition of a conference, and (1) 

enter the Conference Code in the function code field, (2) select ―conference‖ as the trip purpose; 

and (3) enter conference name in the Comments field in their travel authorization. 

c. If there is a registration fee associated with the conference, enter in the travel authorization either 

(1) when the fee is paid by the traveler, enter the amount under ―Other‖ expenses and under 

justification enter ―Reg. Fee‖; or (2) enter in the Comments field, following the conference name, 

the term ―Reg. Fee $.‖ 
35

 

d. Ensure that the Conference Code is appropriately entered in the function code before finalizing 

the travel voucher upon completion of the travel; if it is not, amend the travel authorization to use 

the appropriate Conference Code. 

10.1.10. Travel Approvers shall: 

a. Ensure there is a valid business need for the traveler to attend the requested conference. 

b. Ensure the traveler has selected ―Conference‖ as the trip purpose in the Agency electronic travel 

system for all conference-related travel, and entered the Conference Code and additional 

information required. 

c. Travel Approvers who are also CTO Processors shall register travelers requesting authorization to 

travel to a conference in NCTS, entering their name and estimated costs, and shall also ensure 

approval status in NCTS prior to approving travel plans or paying registration fees for all foreign 

conferences. 

d. Ensure all non-travel expenses (e.g. conference fees, site rental, booth expenses, copying 

services) are recorded in the appropriate system with an annotation that includes the NCTS 

Conference Code. 

10.1.11. Charge Card Users shall: 

a. Ensure there is a valid business need for the requested charge in connection with the conference. 

b. Ensure the prompt entry of the Conference Code and name line from NCTS in the comments 

field and the Conference Code in the internal order field of the P-Card order log for each P-Card 

purchase relating to the conference. 

10.1.12. CTO (Charge Card and Travel Office) Processors shall: 

a. Ensure the prompt entry in NCTS of estimated conference costs in the appropriate travel and nontravel tables for Travelers, Charge Card and PR users at their Center/Office. 

10.1.13. Office of International and Interagency Relations (OIIR) shall: 

a. Provide policy guidance regarding foreign travel and related attendance thresholds. 

b. Review and coordinate conference-related foreign travel by NASA personnel. 

c. Oversee the process to determine appropriate allocations are made in a timely manner for 

international conferences involving more than 50 NASA employees who seek to attend. 

10.1.14. NSSC shall: 

a. Assign an NCTS Moderator to process requests for new conferences to be added to the NCTS 

database. 

b. Maintain the NCTS system. 

10.1.15. The NCTS Moderator shall: 
36

 

a. Maintain and monitor the Agency conference reporting mailbox. 

b. Coordinate with the POCs and Agency Conference Reporting coordinator to resolve any requests 

for conference determination and to update NCTS. 

c. Assist the OCFO in maintaining reporting information received from conference sponsors and 

providing quarterly summaries to management. 

d. Notify all Center/Office conference reporting POCs and alternates when conferences are added to 

NCTS. 

e. Monitor weekly Conference commitment and obligation report and notify the OCFO whenever 

the cost for an individual conference reaches $60,000. 

10.1.16. NASA Enterprise Applications Competency Center (NEACC) shall maintain and 

update regularly a list of NCTS Conference codes available for selection in the Agency financial 

systems, available for use in the electronic travel, charge card and purchase requisition system, for 

use by travelers and travel preparers when preparing travel authorizations, and charge card holders 

and procurement staff when preparing charge card and purchase requisition transactions, involving 

foreign and NASA-sponsored conferences. 
37

 

Appendix A. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 

A.1. The following FAQs provide more detailed guidance for determining whether an event is a 

conference and whether a conference is NASA-sponsored or foreign and must, therefore, be entered 

into NCTS. 

1. Conference Definition (Section 2.1.): Is the event a “meeting, retreat, seminar, symposium, 

or event that involves attendee travel?”

FAQ 1-1 (Name includes "conference"). For reporting purposes, should events whose name 

includes the word "conference" always be assumed to be conferences? 

Answer: Generally yes, and absent information to the contrary, events called a conference, 

seminar or symposium should be presumed to meet the criteria for ―conference.‖ But titles can 

be misdescriptive, and the nature of the event, including its purpose, subject matter, and 

presence of attendee travel, can be used in determining whether it is a ―conference‖

notwithstanding what its organizers called it. 

FAQ. 1-2 (Local Travel). Does a workshop that just requires local travel by employees meet 

the definition of a conference? 

Answer: Generally yes. Some ―attendee travel‖ is required for a meeting to be considered a 

conference, and OMB has interpreted this to include local travel. Thus, the definition only 

requires one attendee to be in official travel status or have reimbursable local travel. However, 

where the only travel by attendees to a meeting is de minimis (e.g., walking distance offsite) or 

commuting (including to assigned alternative duty stations), the meeting is not considered a 

―conference.‖ 

2. Exclusions - Events that are not a “conference” (section 2.2). 

FAQ 2-1. The FTR definition of “conference” seems very broad—are there any exclusions or 

types of events that are not considered “conferences” for reporting purposes? 

Answer: Yes, those events that are specifically excluded in Section 2.2.1 through 2.2.3 are not 

considered ―conferences.‖ But there are special cases where the general exclusion may not 

apply and the meeting or event is reported as a conference; these special cases include certain 

larger offsite meetings and onsite events open to external participants (see FAQs 3.1–3.4 and 

Section 2.2.1.3). 

FAQ 2-2 (Operational Meetings). Are “operational meetings” always excluded from being a 

conference? 

Answer: No. Formal operational meetings (i.e., required under an NPR or NPD) are always 

excluded. Other operational meetings are generally excluded, but there are special cases where 

this exclusion may not apply and the meeting or event is reportable as a conference under 

NASA policy (e.g., certain larger offsite meetings and onsite events open to external 

participants; see Section 2.2.1.3 and FAQs 3.1–3.4).
38

 

FAQ 2-3 (Management/Governance meetings). Are governance meetings excluded from being 

considered conferences? 

Answer: Generally, yes. Agency governance meetings required under NPD 1000.3 are 

excluded; examples include the NASA Advisory Council (NAC) and the Program Management 

Council (PMC). Most other governance meetings are excluded, since they are held onsite and, 

to the extent external parties participate, are invitational only. However, a larger governance 

meeting, such as an organizational strategy meeting held offsite, may be reportable if held at a 

hotel with 30 or more attendees (see Section 2.2.1.3.b).

FAQ 2-4 (Program-specific events versus operational meetings). Is an event whose purpose is 

discussion of a specific program considered a conference? 

Answer: It depends. Under prior policies NASA recognized a distinction between programspecific meetings and those of a more general nature when determining what was ―reportable‖ 

as a conference. This distinction was based in part on criteria from Congress and GAO’s 

criteria for a ―formal conference.‖ Under the FTR definition that NASA is now required to use, 

the definition for ―conference‖ is broader than these other definitions, so the ―programmatic‖ 

nature of an event is no longer sufficient as a criteria by itself. However, the FTR does 

distinguish between travel to conferences and travel to operational meetings. 

In order to minimize ambiguity and confusion and facilitate efficient reporting, NASA has 

adopted two reasonable bright-line rules for distinguishing ―operational meetings‖ from 

conference meetings. First, meetings that are formally required by NPD 1000.3, or by NPRs 

mandating program and project management requirements, are always considered ―operational 

meetings‖ and not ―conferences.‖ Second, other governance or programmatic meetings are 

generally excluded in view of their operational content. However, to the extent they are held in 

one of the two settings that are commonly viewed as conference meetings, those meetings will 

be tracked as ―conferences‖ notwithstanding the fact they may be predominantly ―operational‖ 

meetings. These two settings are (a) onsite meetings where open to external participants (see 

FAQs 3.1-3.3) and (b) offsite meetings at a rented facility with 30 or more attendees (see FAQ 

3.4). 

FAQ 2-5 (Internal organizational meetings). Is my team's offsite meeting considered a 

conference? 

Answer : It depends. Most such events usually qualify as ―other operational meetings‖ due to 

the nature of both the attendees and the subject matter. Onsite meetings are almost always 

excluded, since they do not have open participation and often involve no travel. The presence 

of an invited outside facilitator or speaker does not turn an onsite meeting into a conference. On 

the other hand, an offsite meeting that satisfies the criteria of Section 2.2.1.3.b (i.e., 30 or more 

attendees at a rented facility) will be reported as a conference. 

FAQ 2-6 (JPL and other NASA contractors). If JPL or other NASA contractor employees 

attend an event, can it still qualify as a NASA Operational Meeting? 

Answer : Yes. The presence of NASA contractors at events where the subject matter focuses on 

NASA programs or operations does not in itself cause the event to become a conference. All of 

the other criteria must be considered. If all invited attendees are either NASA civil service 
39

 

employees or NASA contractors and the subject matter focuses on NASA programs or 

operations that the contractors are supporting, then an event is not a conference unless it meets 

the criteria of Section 2.2.1.3.b (i.e., 30 or more attendees at a rented facility). 

FAQ 2-7 (Training). Are training events considered conferences? 

Answer : It depends. Training is not considered a conference if it involves ―classroom training, 

on-the-job training, technology-based training, satellite training, coaching, mentoring, career 

development counseling, details, rotational assignments,‖ and other single topic meetings (e.g., 

lunch and learn gatherings). Thus, an established course or set of courses in a classroom setting 

is not considered a conference, nor does holding such a course at a rented facility, (e.g., if 

attendance exceeds planned limits, necessitating rental of a local facility) make it a conference. 

Similarly, attendance at a university or professional school is not considered a conference. 

However, a widely attended event featuring a variety of topical meetings held at a hotel or other 

conference facility is typically a conference, even if some or all of its content can be seen as 

educational. It does not matter that a participant’s only reason to attend a meeting is to update 

training in a specific area or maintain a certification. 

For example, events that would be considered conferences include the U.S. Office of 

Government Ethics' annual Government Ethics Conference, the Annual Federal Dispute 

Resolution Conference, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics' (AIAA) Annual 

Conference on Small Satellites, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 

Workshop on Network Security, the High Tech Small Business Conference, and the Flight Test 

Safety Workshop (providing an open forum on flight test safety issues). Examples of events not 

considered a conference include a semester-long university course and a two-week professional 

school class. Remember to apply the other criteria for determining whether an event is a 

conference, such as whether travel is involved. 

FAQ 2-8 (Outreach events). Is there a general exclusion for outreach events? 

Answer: Outreach events sponsored by NASA are considered ―other operational meetings.‖ As 

such, they are typically excluded unless the Special Cases of Section 2.2.1.3 apply. Note that 

certain onsite outreach events are never considered conferences, including news events, such as 

press conferences and launch viewings, coordinated by the Office of Communications to 

announce research results, mission milestones, annual budget releases, and the like to Congress 

or the media. 

In general, outreach events in which the Agency has announced discussions with any interested 

participant about the status of programs generally, future direction of the Agency and programs, 

and potential opportunities for collaboration, are conferences under the Special Cases. But 

onsite events and are intended for limited audiences, such as industry day meetings required to 

inform potential contractors about how to participate in specific upcoming procurement 

opportunities, are not considered ―open participation,‖ so are not reported as conferences. 

Outreach at another agency’s event is analyzed based on the nature of the event, from the 

perspective of the other agency, not the nature of NASA’s participation (i.e., outreach). For 

federal agencies subject to OMB M-12-12, NASA will adopt the host agency’s determination of 

whether or not the event is a conference. 
40

 

FAQ 2-9 (Speakers, presenters, or judges). If a NASA employee serves as a speaker (including 

via the speakers' bureau), presenter, or judge at a non-NASA event, does that constitute 

conference attendance? 

Answer: It depends. It is the nature of the event, not the purpose for the appearances (e.g., 

outreach or dissemination) that is determinative. Many presentations are at classroom training 

settings (e.g., local schools), awards ceremonies, and festivals or state fairs; none of these by 

themselves would be considered conferences. But a speaker at a STEM event or recruiting 

exhibitor would still report costs if the event they are attending is a conference. 

FAQ 2-10 (Awards ceremonies). Are award ceremonies considered to be conferences? 

Answer: Generally, no. Most awards ceremonies are considered to be Other Operational 

Meetings because they are programmatic or institutional events taking place as part of routine 

NASA business, which includes recognizing employee performance. However, award 

ceremonies that have the characteristics of events described in Section 2.2.1.3, Special Cases, 

are reported as conferences. For example, if NASA hosts an award ceremony at an offsite 

rented facility with more than 30 attendees, it would be reported as a conference. 

FAQ 2-11 (Exhibits at shows). Are exhibits at air and trade shows (such as Joint Services 

Open House, Oshkosh Airventure, and the Paris Air Show), county fairs, and open houses 

reported as a conference cost? 

Answer: It depends on the nature of the event. Gatherings where the exhibits or activity booths 

are the purpose for attendance—such as county or job fairs, air shows and the like, are not 

generally considered conferences, notwithstanding the large number of attendees at the event. 

However, if such an event is structured to include a conference integral to the event (e.g., with a 

substantive agenda, discussions on topical matters, multi-entity participation, particularly where 

a registration fee is charged), all exhibit and attendance costs should be reported as conference 

costs. 

FAQ 2-12 (Recruiting events). Are recruiting events included as reportable conferences? 

Answer: Generally not. NASA-specific recruiting events are usually considered an operational 

meeting, while general recruiting events hosted by others such as job fairs are not typically 

structured as conferences. However, as with training, to the extent recruiting takes place at a 

conference, costs for exhibits and attendance are still tracked as conference costs 

3. Special Cases—operational meetings at a setting reported as “conferences” 

(Section 2.2.1.3): 

FAQ 3-1 (Onsite meetings). Does holding all of the event sessions on a NASA facility 

automatically exempt the event from being a conference? 

Answer: No. Under OMB’s guidance, an event held onsite at a NASA facility might still 

qualify as a conference. Most onsite meetings are ―operational‖ in nature, so are generally 

excluded. However, onsite meetings that are open to external participants are not excluded, to 

the extent they otherwise meet the criteria for ―conference‖ (e.g., involve attendee travel). 
41

 

FAQ 3-2 (Limited participation). If all participants have to be badged to get onsite, can there 

still be “open participation”? 

Answer: Yes. If the invitation was publicly issued and generally open to anyone responding 

(e.g., all interested scientists in the topic), it is considered ―open participation‖ notwithstanding 

special requirements like advanced registration for badging or restricting attendance due to 

facility size limits. On the other hand, invitation-only operational meetings to cooperate on a 

specific program, project, or team or to hold recognition events are not ―open‖; examples 

include interagency working groups with attendance limited to other agency designees, 

meetings to collaborate on a mission with selectively invited scientists and engineers, and most 

on-site award ceremonies. 

FAQ 3-3 (Communications events open to the public). If an onsite event is open to anyone, is 

it always considered “open participation” and thus a conference? 

Answer: No. News events are generally open to the general public, yet the nature of most is 

narrowly focused and structured primarily to have a one-way presentation of information to the 

audience, thus not what most would consider a ―conference.‖ Thus, news events such as press 

conferences and launch viewings, coordinated by the Office of Communications to announce 

research results, mission milestones, annual budget releases and the like to the media and others 

are not considered conferences. 

FAQ 3-4 (Offsite meetings). Does holding an operational meeting offsite of a NASA facility 

make it a conference? 

Answer: It depends: (1) Formal operational meetings (sec. 2.2.1.1) are never considered 

―conferences,‖ even if the size requires it to be held at an offsite rented facility. (2) Other 

operational meetings primarily hosted or sponsored by NASA are only considered conferences 

when held at a rented facility selected as large enough to accommodate 30 or more attendees; 

meetings at contractor or partner facility are excluded when focused on work being performed 

with NASA. (3) For operational meetings primarily hosted by another federal agency, NASA 

will adopt that agency’s determination on whether the event is a conference. 

4. Sponsorship 

FAQ 4-1 (Nature of NASA support). If NASA pays for an exhibit booth or provides funding in 

support of a conference, is the conference considered "held by" NASA—i.e., is NASA a 

"sponsor"? What if the event is paid for partly by NASA grant or cooperative agreement 

funds, or uses a NASA logo? 

Answer: Attendance costs (travel and registrations), support costs for speakers (paper fees or 

presentation costs), and exhibit costs are not considered sponsorship costs. Similarly excluded 

from sponsorship costs are the non-reportable expenses listed in Section 4.3.2, such as 

conference costs when properly paid by a recipient of NASA financial assistance using grant or 

cooperative agreement funding. 

For NASA to be considered a sponsor, it must use NASA funds in support of the hosting of the 

conference, such as paying for facility or event support (audio visual or networking) costs. 
42

 

NASA is typically considered a sponsor of conferences held at a NASA facility, unless the 

event organizer hosts the conference under a fully reimbursable agreement. 

Finally, use of NASA's logo at a conference is not presumed to mean that NASA is a sponsor of 

the conference; there are other circumstances under which NASA's logo may be legitimately 

used without creating a sponsorship (See 14 CFR Part 1221). However, NASA is considered a 

sponsor where an agreement with the event organizer states that NASA is a sponsor, even if the 

funding under the agreement is predominantly for non-sponsorship purposes (e.g., exhibit 

space). 

FAQ 4-2 (Primary sponsor). When is NASA the “primary” sponsor for quarterly reporting 

purposes? 

Answer: The question of whether NASA is a primary sponsor depends on comparing NASA's 

sponsorship contribution to that of any other sponsors. For example, NASA is not considered a 

primary sponsor if its sponsorship contribution is significantly less (e.g., half or less) than the 

leading sponsors or, even if contributing the second-highest funding of any co-sponsor, its 

relative contribution is minor (e.g., less than 25 percent of the total contributed). NASA is only 

a primary sponsor if it was the conference's only sponsor, including events hosted onsite, or one 

of the conference’s principal contributors.

5. What costs should be reported? 

FAQ 5-1 (Grants and cooperative agreements). Should the conference-related costs of 

recipients of NASA grants and cooperative agreements be reported? 

Answer: Grants and cooperative agreements are generally excluded from consideration for 

conference approval and, reporting purposes since the principal purpose of the relationship and 

the related costs are to carry out a public purpose of support or stimulation (e.g., technical 

assistance to presenters or the attendance of students at scientific conferences). However, to 

validate and ensure proper compliance and reporting, if the proposed research or project effort 

and the related budget under a grant or cooperative agreement proposal supports, directly or 

indirectly, NASA mission needs and objectives related to hosting (or assisting another entity) to 

host a conference, this proposed use shall be reviewed and approved by the appropriate NASA 

Office of Procurement and legal office prior to award. As part of this review, Office of 

Procurement, with the concurrence of the legal office, will issue a determination as to whether a 

procurement contract should be used as the appropriate instrument in lieu of all or part of the 

proposed grant or cooperative agreement. This review shall also ensure that all costs for 

conferences are properly approved and reported pursuant to this NID. 

FAQ 5-2 (Non-NASA costs). Should NASA-sponsored conference costs incurred by other 

Federal agencies be reported? 

Answer: No. Do not report costs of a NASA-sponsored conference that another Government 

agency ultimately paid. For example, if NASA incurred conference costs but charged them 

back to another agency via a reimbursable agreement, do not report those costs, since they are 

not actually NASA costs. Only report those net realized costs shown by NASA's records. For 
43

 

example, do not report fully reimbursable conference travel arrangements; do report the 

unreimbursed portion of partially reimbursable arrangements. 

FAQ 5-3 (Costs—estimates versus disbursements). For conference travel costs, should one 

report the recorded or estimated cost or the actual amount disbursed? 

Answer: When submitting the NF 1784, report the estimated cost. When submitting the NF 

1785, report the amount shown in BW. If disbursements are available, use them. However, 

since typically reports are required soon after the conference ends, if disbursements are not 

available, use costs, and if costs are not available, use obligations. In all cases, indicate on the 

report whether you are reporting using costs or obligations since full amounts of disbursements 

are not yet available. 

FAQ 5-4 (Contractor costs). Should NASA contractors' costs of participating in NASAsponsored conferences be reported? 

Answer: Usually not. However, all costs of conference support contractors supporting NASAsponsored conferences are reportable. 

FAQ 5-5 (Conference support contractor costs). When reporting costs of NASA-sponsored 

conferences, should all costs connected with the event's conference support contracts or work 

orders be included, such as award fees and burden or other indirect charges? 

Answer: Yes. If a contractor is helping the NASA sponsor organization plan and/or run the 

conference under a specific work order, task order, or other contract vehicle and is not simply 

present at the event as an attendee, the contractor's total conference-related costs are reportable. 

6. Is the conference a "foreign conference?" 

Note: Congress has prohibited NASA from sending more than 50 NASA employees to any one 

conference outside the U.S. 

FAQ 6-1 (Limit applies regardless of funding availability). If funds are still available, does the 

50-person limit on foreign conferences apply? 

Answer: Yes. The limit is on how many civil service employees NASA sends, not their costs. 

Even if NASA's only costs are indirect (e.g., NASA pays employee's salary, but conference 

sponsor pays his/her travel costs), the attendee still counts against the 50-person limit. 

Moreover, even if the employee is on leave and pays for all costs in connection with attendance 

at the conference, the attendee still counts against the 50-person limit if representing NASA 

(e.g., presenting a paper). 

FAQ 6-2 (NASA employees). For purposes of the 50-person limit, are JPL employees 

considered NASA employees? 

Answer: No. Only those persons considered employees for purposes of 5 U.S.C., such as 

NASA civil service employees and detailees to NASA (for whom NASA is paying costs 

directly or by reimbursement to the detailing agency) are considered employees. 
44

 

FAQ 6-3 (Foreign). What is considered "outside the United States?" 

Answer: "United States" has the same meaning here as in the FTR, which defines the United 

States to include the 48 contiguous states, the District of Columbia, and the states and areas 

defined under the term "Non-Foreign Area," which includes the states of Alaska and Hawaii; the 

Commonwealths of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories 

and possessions of the United States (excluding the Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands). 

Note: The term "foreign conference" includes conferences held entirely at a NASA facility if the 

facility is outside the U.S. 

FAQ 6-4 (Reimbursable travel). If a NASA employee is requested to present at an 

international conference and the sponsor pays travel/per diem expenses, does the NASA 

speaker count against the 50-person limit? What if the employee wishes to give a presentation 

at or otherwise attend a foreign conference at his or her own expense while on vacation? 

Answer: Even if the employee is on reimbursable travel, if NASA is paying the employee's 

salary during the trip, he or she is considered to be on official travel on behalf of the 

Government and counts against the limit. Employees are reminded to follow standard 

procedures for Agency acceptance of travel expenses from outside sources in such cases. (See 

also FAQ 6-1 above.) 

If a NASA employee attends a foreign conference while on vacation, traveling at his or her own 

expense, and charges no costs to NASA (e.g., for shipping materials), and is not representing 

NASA (such as by giving a presentation at all related to NASA or its missions/activities) 

attendance does not count against the 50-person limit. The limit is on the use of appropriated 

funds" to send or otherwise pay for attendance" at a conference. However, to ensure accurate 

records for NASA employee foreign conference attendance, all employees (even those on 

vacation) planning to attend a foreign conference shall request attendance via NCTS and obtain 

advance approval from OIIR. In addition, they must follow any requirements related to 

representing NASA externally. (See NPR 9700.1, Appendix A.) 

FAQ 6-5 (Single conference with multiple tracks versus multiple conferences). If several 

foreign events are held at the same time in the same location but advertised as separate 

conferences, are they treated as separate conferences for purposes of the 50-person limit? 

Answer: It depends. If conferences are structured in key aspects like a single event, they 

constitute a single conference for purposes of NASA's foreign conference attendance limitation. 

For example, the AIAA Guidance, Control, and Navigation and the AIAA Modeling and 

Simulation Technologies Conferences were advertised as separate conferences by AIAA in 

2009 and 2010, but both were held at the same time and location, the same registration fee paid 

admission to sessions from both events, some sessions were listed in the agendas for both 

conferences, and a single fee could buy a program CD with materials from both events. They 

essentially functioned as two tracks in a single conference. On the other hand, if conferences 

are held separately in time (one after the other) and a separate registration fee is charged, they 

are considered distinct conferences even if held back to back at the same facility by the same 

sponsor. Similarly, independent meetings not part of the conference, such as those held in 

advance (like planning sessions) or at the same time (such as independent working group 
45

 

meetings held at the same time to take advantage of key participants being present at the same 

time and place) are treated as separate events; NASA employees attending these meetings, but 

not, otherwise, attending the conference are not counted towards the 50-person limit for the 

conference. For purposes of consistency, this rule is to be applied for both foreign and domestic 

conferences. 

7. How do I obtain approval to attend a conference and process the necessary 

forms? 

FAQ 7-1 (Traveler approval steps). I want to go to a meeting that I think is a conference. How 

do I obtain approval to attend it, process the authorization, and then file a travel voucher for 

reimbursement? 

Answer: 

a. Determine whether the event is a conference and whether it is foreign or NASA-sponsored. 

1) If it is clearly not a conference, simply proceed with normal travel authorization and 

vouchering, no other steps are required by this NPR. 

2) If the event clearly is a conference, search for the event in NCTS 

(http://ncts.nasa.gov). 

b. Is the conference listed in NCTS? 

1) If it is, note its NCTS Conference Code and select that Conference Code from the 

drop-down menu of function codes in the electronic travel system when preparing your 

travel authorization. Also, be sure to select "conference" as the trip purpose. A local POC 

(typically the Center Travel Office (CTO) designee) will enter your name into NCTS along 

with the estimated cost of your travel, based on your travel request. If the conference 

requires a registration fee, include the amount in the comments field of the FedTraveler 

input screen (it should not be included as an ―other‖ cost unless it will be paid for by the 

traveler’s own travel card). In addition, you must provide the NCTS Conference Code to 

the office processing your registration fee so that it can be included in the function code 

field of the Purchase card (including SATERN external training requests) or other 

procurement transaction used to purchase you registration. 

2) If it is not in NCTS, then follow the guidance in Section 4.1.2 and request that your 

designated Center POC add the event to NCTS. 

c. After a new event is input to NCTS, the NCTS moderator will notify you within one working 

day whether the event is accepted for inclusion in NCTS and if it is, the NCTS moderator will 

supply its Conference Code and input the event to NCTS. Once you have the NCTS Conference 

Code, follow the steps in b.1 above. 

1) For foreign conferences, submit your travel authorization request to your approver at 

least five weeks before the planned departure date. After receiving your request, your 

travel approver will input your name into NCTS to include you on the list of NASA 

employees who want to attend the conference counting toward the 50-person limit. Your 
46

 

travel approver shall submit this request at least four weeks before the planned departure 

date. If NASA attendance at the conference is expected to be small, you will be promptly 

notified that you are within the 50-person limit. For conferences at which NASA 

attendance is expected to be larger, you may be placed on a "pending" list while OIIR, in 

consultation with appropriate Agency representatives, determines the final NASA-wide 

attendance allocation. If you receive official NCTS approval, proceed with your 

Center/Office's foreign travel process. 

Note: NCTS approval simply means that you are tentatively approved with regard to the 

50-person limit; you must still obtain your supervisor's separate approval for your 

attendance at the conference. As with all official travel, an approval in NCTS is not final 

and may be reconsidered based on subsequent factors, particularly in the case of 

conferences where more than 50 persons request approval to attend. 

2) For any conference travel, if after submitting your travel authorization you realize 

you forgot to use the appropriate function code/NCTS Conference Code, then as soon as 

you realize the omission, file an amended travel authorization using the correct function 

code. 

d. After attending the conference, submit your travel expense report as you normally do, 

including the NCTS Conference Code. 

Note: Additional information on conference attendance and reporting can be found at the 

conference Web site, http://www.nssc.nasa.gov/conferences. 

FAQ 7-2. (Reporting P-Card and PR costs). How are non-travel conference costs tracked? 

Answer: Search for the event in NCTS (http://ncts.nasa.gov). 

a. If it is in NCTS, note its NCTS Conference Code and select that Conference Code from the 

drop-down menu of function codes in the electronic travel system when preparing your travel 

authorization. Also, be sure to select "conference" as the trip purpose. 

b.If it is not in NCTS, then either submit a new record to NCTS or have one submitted, as your 

local Center requires. After a new event is input to NCTS, the NCTS moderator will notify 

the submitter within one working day whether the event is accepted for inclusion in NCTS 

and if it is, will supply its Conference Code and input the event to NCTS. Once you have the 

NCTS Conference Code, select that Conference Code from the drop-down menu of function 

codes in the electronic travel system when preparing your travel authorization. Also, be sure 

to select "conference" as the trip purpose. 

c. Once your travel has been approved the travel office will register you by name in NCTS. 

This step is necessary because NASA must now track and report total conference spending 

including attendance. In addition, NASA must provide specific information on each 

conferences exceeding $100,000. In some cases it may be necessary to limit attendance in 

order for NASA to meet spending limits management establishes for a specific conference. 

FAQ 7-3. The conference I want to attend is a foreign conference—how do I get approved? 
47

 

Answer: The Congress has limited NASA funded attendance at foreign conferences to 50 

employees. In order to comply with this limitation NASA is using NCTS to track and control 

attendance authorizations. For foreign conferences, submit your travel authorization request to 

your approver at least five weeks before the planned departure date. After receiving your 

request, your travel approver will input your name into NCTS to include you on the list of 

NASA employees who want to attend the conference counting toward the 50-person limit. Your 

travel approver shall submit this request at least four weeks before the planned departure date. If 

NASA attendance at the conference is expected to be small, you will be promptly notified that 

you are within the 50-person limit. For conferences at which NASA attendance is expected to be 

larger, you may be placed on a "pending" list while OIIR, in consultation with appropriate 

Agency representatives, determines the final NASA-wide attendance allocation. If you receive 

official NCTS approval, proceed with your Center/Office's foreign travel process. Your travel 

approver will register your name in NCTS as a candidate for the conference. 
48

 

Appendix B. Conference Decision Tree 

B.1. Is the Event a Conference? 

 Figure B-1 Conference Determination Decision Tree 
49

 

Are NASA’s

Est. Costs less

 than $20,000?

Required Approval and Reporting Is NASA a 

Sponsor?

NASA 

Est. Costs

 Greater than

 $75,000?

Yes

NASA 

Est. Costs

 greater than 

$500.000? NASA Actual Costs

 greater than 

$100,000?

No Yes

No

NASA Administrator 

Waiver Required

Yes

Yes

No

NASA 

Est. Costs

 greater than 

$100,000? Control per 

approval; file 

reports required

NASA was primary sponsor, and Actual 

Costs greater than $20,000? 

File full NF 1785 

package (including appendices)

Track Costs not in 

SAP or NF 1785 

(form only); Report Quarterly

OIC Approves 

Sponsorship Costs

OIC Approves the

 NF 1784

NASA Deputy 

Administrator

 approval required

Yes

No Yes

Yes

No

No

No

Figure B-2 Required Approval and Reporting
50

 

Appendix C. Conference Cost Form 

C.1. Conference Cost Form: 

1. NASA Center or Headquarters 

Office

2. Center/HQ Office POC

3. Date Prepared

NCTS Code

(1)

Other Cost 

Type

(2)

P-Card 

(Y/N)

(3)

Other Cost Source 

Identifier

(4)

Cost Description/ 

Justification

(5)

Estimated 

Cost ($)

(6)

Actual 

Cost ($)

(7)

Item POC 

Name

(8)

Item POC 

Email

(9)
51

 

Conference Cost Form

Instructions

A. General Information

A.1 Purpose

This template will serve several purposes. First it will be used to capture all estimated 

conference costs other than employee travel and registration fees. The information required 

is not otherwise available in the travel or financial systems and is needed to ensure that all 

proposed conference costs are considered when determining the appropriate approval 

threshold. Second, the information is needed by the event POC when preparing the NF 1784 

for NASA sponsored conferences and conferences sponsored by others when NASA will 

expend $100,000 or more. Lastly, the template will be used to report actual other conference 

cost information for use in preparing the NF 1785s and other required Agency level reports. 

Centers and HQ Office may use other formats to collect other conference cost information as 

long as all of the data elements shown here are included. However, the format shown here 

must be used to report quarterly on actual conference costs incurred. 

A.2 Events That Require use of the Conference Cost Information Form Template

The Conference Cost Form Template information is required for any planned conference 

expenditure other than employee travel or registration fees. Prior to the conference reports will 

contain estimated amounts and the actual amounts will be reported following the conference 

A.3 When and How to Submit Conference Cost Information

The Center and NASA HQ Office Conference POCs shall collect the identified data from the 

offices that are planning to incur the costs. On a biweekly basis the Center POCs will 

submit the data to a central repository where it will be available to the event POCs 

responsible for preparing NF 1784s and NF 1785s. 

B. Detailed Instructions

Report all conference costs that are not employee travel or conference registration fees. 

Each uniquely identifiable acquisition is to be entered on a separate line. Item or services 

that are acquired as part of a larger acquisition and not separately bill must also be 

identified and reported. 

Heading 

Line 1. NASA Center or HQ Office: Enter the name of the Center or HQ Office submitting 

the information.
52

 

Line 2. Center/HQ Office POC: Enter the name of the Center or HQ Office POC who 

prepared the submission. 

Line 3. Date Prepared: Enter the date the submission was prepared. 

Item Data 

Column 1 NCTS Conference Code: The NCTS assigned number of the conference to which 

this other cost entry applies.

Column 2 Other Cost Type: Enter one of the following types: 

 Exhibit Cost 

 Sponsorship Fee 

 Facility Rental 

 Conference Support Contract 

 Other 

Column 3 P-Card - Yes or No?: Enter Yes if the item was procured using a P-Card 

transaction, Enter No if the item was procured using any other type of 

acquisition vehicle. 

Column 4 Other Cost Source Identifier: The source document number supporting this cost 

estimate. Possible entries include the SAP Document Number, a contract 

number, a PO Number, or a Purchase Card number

Column 5 Cost Description /Justification: Identify the type of item being acquired and a 

brief description of the reason for acquiring the item

Column 6 Estimated Cost: Amount of estimated cost for this specific cost item, in US dollars 

and cents.

Column 7 Actual Cost: Actual cost as recorded in the financial system if cost was uniquely 

identified. Column 10 Item POC Name: Enter the name of the POC who can 

provide information on the particular acquisition. 

Column 8 Item POC Name: Enter the name of the person able to respond to any questions 

on this cost. 

Column 9 Item POC Email: Enter the email address of the person identified in column 8.