Establish reasonable timelines to secure consultants, design, bid, or construct projects. Identify components of omnibus projects and approximate when they will start and end. For omnibus appropriations, straight-line approximations aggregated for the composite appropriation is sufficient. Recognize the difference between allotment and cash flow. The allotment represents the value of work in place.
Cash flow represents the flow of payments.
Often there is a lag of 30 to 45 days from the receipt of invoices to the preparation of the payment warrant. Major projects should approximate the project schedule provided in the Capital Budget Request. 75 percent of the design appropriation is expended between the start of design and the construction bid date. The historical spending pattern is the best method of estimating grant program cash disbursement unless there are new conditions that change the distribution process.