The federal government has long applied compliance requirements to regulate spending of taxpayer funds. These compliance requirements govern everything from the drawing down and spending of funds to the frequency and scope of audits.
Compliance requirements can be significant and differ across federal agencies. While most grantor agencies follow compliance requirements in Uniform Guidance (UG) as included in Title 2 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 200, the DOE has issued its own additional regulations under 2 CFR Part 910.
Many DOE grants and contracts require you to also comply with the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) 48 CFR Part 31. It’s important to read through these agreements, including notices of award, to understand the differences and which part of either the UG or the FAR apply to your grant, as these could vary based on your funding.
The federal government must view a grant recipient as a good steward of federal dollars. Maintaining compliance with federal government regulations enables companies to not only use federal dollars to fund operations, but also continue to apply for these funds and receive awards in the future.
Noncompliance could result in disciplinary action, which can range from debarment from future federal funding to audits by a federal agency.