Dear Principal Investigators,
ORA is pleased to announce the launch of Employee Compensation Compliance (ECC) to replace Effort Reporting in ERS.
ORA initiated the ECC project with goals to reduce administrative burden for faculty and staff, improve efficiency, and maintain compliance with federal regulations on payroll documentation. Federal grant and contract terms (Uniform Guidance Subpart E §200.430) require institutions to certify that the compensation costs charged are reasonable and representative of the effort spent on the awarded project.
All payroll charged to federal awards with Earn End Dates on or after April 1, 2025 will be documented in ECC.
You are receiving this message because, as a Principal Investigator or Managing Investigator of a fund account, you are required to certify Project Statements in ECC.
Please see below for important details regarding the transition and actions you need to take.
A separate communication has been sent to department administrators who have previously managed effort certifications. We request that you review the “key changes” outlined below and contact your local administrator to discuss new procedures. We have also provided links to online information about ECC.
ECC IMPLEMENTATION
Key Changes:
- New Certification Methodology: ECC introduces Project Statement Certification, replacing Effort Reporting. Each Project Statement includes payroll for all employees charged to a PI or Managing Investigator’s Account, making the review process more intuitive and significantly reducing administrative burden. Instead of certifying multiple Effort Reports a PI, or Managing Investigator, will now only need to review a single statement per Account-CC-Fund per Reporting Period.
- Reporting Period: Transition from quarterly to semi-annual reporting. The first reporting period covers April 1, 2025 – September 30, 2025.
Next Steps:
- You will soon receive an automated email from ECC listing the Project Statements requiring your certification. Click the link in the email to navigate to your Project Statement(s).
- Review and certify all statements by the deadline: December 23, 2025.
- For questions about your statements, please contact your Department Administrator.
- Note: Effort Reports generated in ERS will not be migrated to ECC. Please continue to address any outstanding past due Effort Reports in ERS.
Training Materials and Assistance:
To support a smooth transition, the following resources are available:
- Four Steps to Certify a Project Statement video (~3 minutes)
- Certifier Training video (~15 minutes)
- Office Hours: Multiple sessions available during the first certification period
- ECC Helpdesk: We’re here to assist with any questions you may have
Thank you for your attention and partnership during this transition.
Sincerely,
Katie Cadle | Manager
Research Finance Compliance | UCLA Extramural Fund Management