[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 15, Volume 1]
[Revised as of January 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 15CFR14.53]

[Page 158-159]
 
                  TITLE 15--COMMERCE AND FOREIGN TRADE
 
   PART 14--UNIFORM ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANTS AND AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, OTHER NON-PROFIT, AND COMMERCIAL 
ORGANIZATIONS--Table of Contents
 
                   Subpart C--Post-Award Requirements
 
Sec. 14.53  Retention and access requirements for records.

    (a) This section sets forth requirements for record retention and 
access to records for awards to recipients. The DoC shall not impose any 
other record retention or access requirements upon recipients.

[[Page 159]]

    (b) Financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, 
and all other records pertinent to an award shall be retained for a 
period of three years from the date of submission of the final 
expenditure report or, for awards that are renewed quarterly or 
annually, from the date of the submission of the quarterly or annual 
financial report, as authorized by the DoC. The only exceptions are the 
following:
    (1) If any litigation, claim, or audit is started before the 
expiration of the 3-year period, the records shall be retained until all 
litigation, claims or audit findings involving the records have been 
resolved and final action taken.
    (2) Records for real property and equipment acquired with Federal 
funds shall be retained for 3 years after final disposition.
    (3) When records are transferred to or maintained by the DoC, the 3-
year retention requirement is not applicable to the recipient.
    (4) Indirect cost rate proposals, cost allocations plans, etc. as 
specified in paragraph (g) of this section.
    (c) Copies of original records may be substituted for the original 
records if authorized by the DoC.
    (d) The Grants Officer after coordination with the DoC operating 
unit shall request transfer of certain records to its custody from 
recipients when it determines that the records possess long term 
retention value. However, in order to avoid duplicate recordkeeping, a 
DoC operating unit or Grants Officer may make arrangements for 
recipients to retain any records that are continuously needed for joint 
use.
    (e) The DoC, the Inspector General, Comptroller General of the 
United States, or any of their duly authorized representatives, have the 
right of timely and unrestricted access to any books, documents, papers, 
or other records of recipients that are pertinent to the awards, in 
order to make audits, examinations, excerpts, transcripts and copies of 
such documents. This right also includes timely and reasonable access to 
a recipient's personnel for the purpose of interview and discussion 
related to such documents. The rights of access in this paragraph are 
not limited to the required retention period, but shall last as long as 
records are retained.
    (f) Unless required by statute, no DoC operating unit shall place 
restrictions on recipients that limit public access to the records of 
recipients that are pertinent to an award, except when the DoC operating 
unit can demonstrate that such records shall be kept confidential and 
would have been exempted from disclosure pursuant to the Freedom of 
Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) if the records had belonged to the DoC 
operating unit.
    (g) Paragraphs (g)(1) and (g)(2) of this section apply to the 
following types of documents, and their supporting records: indirect 
cost rate computations or proposals, cost allocation plans, and any 
similar accounting computations of the rate at which a particular group 
of costs is chargeable (such as computer usage chargeback rates or 
composite fringe benefit rates).
    (1) If the recipient submits to the Federal awarding agency 
responsible for negotiating the recipient's indirect cost rate or the 
subrecipient submits to the recipient the proposal, plan, or other 
computation to form the basis for negotiation of the rate, then the 3-
year retention period for its supporting records starts on the date of 
such submission.
    (2) If the recipient is not required to submit to the cognizant 
Federal awarding agency or the subrecipient is not required to submit to 
the recipient the proposal, plan, or other computation for negotiation 
purposes, then the 3-year retention period for the proposal, plan, or 
other computation and its supporting records starts at the end of the 
fiscal year (or other accounting period) covered by the proposal, plan, 
or other computation.

                       Termination and Enforcement