|
|
Municipal sponsors may use their own procurement standards currently in place for trail grant related procurement activities and contract work. For not-for-profit sponsors, the procurement procedures are based on the total contract amount or on the total cost of materials, equipment, or services to be purchased or contracted as follows:
$0 to $999 No bids are required; verbal agreement is acceptable. We recommend that different suppliers be checked to be sure you are getting the best price.
$1,000 to $9,999 Formal documentation that the sponsor tried to obtain at least three quotations.
$10,000 and over Formal written bids are required. Several suppliers must be given the opportunity to bid. The written bids received must be maintained in the sponsor's files for audit purposes.
Multiple purchasing is not permitted. For example, purchasing $1,000 worth of needed materials in two $500 lots to avoid soliciting three quotations is not allowed.
Materials purchased must be installed prior to the project expiration date as stated in the Project Agreement.
This is a reimbursable grant program; therefore, the sponsor must pay the cost(s) up front and then submit a Request for Reimbursement & Project Status Report as provided in this Guide. The sponsor shall specify all costs and value of donations on the Request eligible for reimbursement. Multiple reimbursements may be made throughout the term of the grant in increments not less than 20% of the total grant amount at a time. The final 20% of the grant amount may be withheld until the project is completed and all required documentation has been submitted.
The reimbursement amount will be calculated as a percentage of the incurred costs. For example, for a project where the total project cost is $10,000 with an 80% grant (%8,000), the sponsor's share is 20% ($2,000). If the sponsor submits a partial Request for costs totaling $4,000 to date, then the sponsor's 20% shareis deducted and $3,200 shall be paid, leaving a grant balance of $4,800.
| Request #1 costs | $4,000 | |
| Sponsor's share | -800 | (20%) |
| Grant payment | $3,200 | (80%) |
Assuming all costs as submitted are eligible for reimbursement, payment from the Vermont State Treasurer's Of~ice may be expected in approximately 30 days.
A Requestfor Cash Advance of Trail Grant form may be found in the Application Packet for this program. The FP&R will review each Request on a case-by-case basis and has sole discretion regarding approval.
Cash Advances may be considered for projects approved for funding by FP&R.
Advances of cash to trail grant project sponsors may be considered where the applicant can demonstrate that there will otherwise be a financial hardship.
Advances shall only be considered for approved elements of the grant's Project Scope.
This Request must be approved by the FP&R
prior to completion of the specified work or
prior to the purchase of specified materials or deposits.
This Request may be submitted with the trail grant application or after project approval.
In no case will the cash advance be equal to more than 50% of the total grant amount.
Failure by the sponsor to complete the
trail project will result in re-payment by the sponsor to
the State of Vermont of all grant funds paid to date.
A signed invoice, agreement, or other clear evidence of obligation with the provider of services or materials must be included with this Request.
Deposits for youth work crews (such as the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps).
Large purchases of materials (such as gravel or other surfacing materials, lumber, bridge materials, etc.)
Rental of equipment such as a backhoe or dozer.
If donated services are applied as part of the sponsor's match, please use the Donated Labor Report found in later in this Guide. Remember to include the donation as a line item on the Request for Reimbursement form. The value of the donation is considered as a real cost for the project and payment is calculated accordingly.
All program and financial reports shall be retained by the project sponsor until audited by the State of Vermont or for a period of five years after the final close-out date, whichever occurs first. At a minimum, the following records shall be maintained and made available for audit:
Payroll registers
Time sheets signed by employees and their respective supervisors.
Invoices for materials purchased.
Check number(s) and date paid indicated on each invoice.
Canceled checks or copies thereof.
Time & Attendance Report(s) for force account (sponsor) labor, ifappropriate.
Donated Labor Report, ifappropriate.
Copies of grant Reimbursement Requests & Performance Reports
Refer to the Reimbursement Guidelines earlier in this section.
This report is for the sponsor's use only. The sponsor may use other record keeping methods that provide at least the information shown on the Report form found later in this section. This information must be retained in the sponsor's files for audit purposes.
This report is for the sponsor's use only. The sponsor may use other record keeping methods that provide at least the information shown on the Report form found later in this section. This information must be retained in the sponsor's files for audit purposes.
