FAQs

1. What is an Estimated Price Report (EPR) and why do I have to create one?

a. The EPR is the cost estimate document required by NASA to accompany the Space Act Agreement. The amount identified as the estimate on the EPR is the amount of reimbursement that the partner will send NASA to do the work. The NASA directive we use as a guide to build the EPR is NPR 9090.1.

b. An EPR should be representative of responsibilities and milestones in the agreement.

c. In addition to new agreements, an EPR is also required for annexes, amendments with scope

changes, and funding realignments.

d. An EPR should be drafted and priced prior to communicating price to the customer. The price is not final until the EPR is fully approved.

e. An approved EPR should be completed before the agreement is signed.

i. A draft EPR is required prior to Abstract to ensure CFO involvement in pricing.

f. EPRs are important because they support various Financial Audits, different OMB, Congress

and Public SAA reports and are the basis for payment and/or NASA funding required to do the work in order to prevent Anti-Deficiency Act Violations.

2. Do I have to do an EPR if our agreement is Non-Reimbursable?

a. Yes. A cost estimate of the work NASA is contributing is required. A cost estimate of the value of the NASA resources to be committed under the agreement must be prepared so that the Signing Official has a basis for determining that the proposed contribution of the Partner is fair and reasonable when compared to the NASA resources to be committed, NASA program risks, and corresponding NASA benefits.

3. What is PAM?

a. Partnership Agreement Maker, it is the NASA system used to draft and route partnership agreements.

4. What is the difference between long and short PAM?

a. The Short PAM number is the 5-digit identifier in the PAM system. Ex: 18718

b. The Long PAM number is an alphanumeric number assigned to agreements created in PAM. 

It contains the originating organization, year of agreement initiation, and the short 5-digit PAM identifier. Ex: SAA-NA-16-28945

5. What is a RAN?

a. Reimbursable Agreement Number, this is a four-digit number assigned by the reimbursable group that will not change over the life of the agreement. The RAN appears in the WBS followed by the two-digit fiscal year of when the money is received. (804911.02.05.9999.14)

6. My Reimbursable Accountant asked me for a six-digit project code in order to create a WBS. What is this? 

a. The six-digit project code in this case refers to the Reimbursable Structure project codes. For example, RMB-SOMD Programmatic – 804911. For a complete list, please contact your friendly Reimbursable Accountant.

b. The following information should be provided by the Resource Analyst to the Reimbursable

Accountant when requesting a RAN/WBS:

i. Customer Name

ii. Six-digit reimbursable project code

c. The unique WBS is established for each agreement to track funds received and work performed. It also provides billing detail for customer and account records. Only work directly related to the work for the customer should be paid for with the Customer’s fund. 

7. Why do Non-Reimbursable EPRs not have a RAN?

a. Non-Reimbursable EPRS do not have a RAN because at this time NASA is not required to track the Non-Reimbursable work on a separate WBS.

8. How do I know the correct CMO rate is used when creating an amendment?

a. The CMO rate is automatically applied when a new control record is saved. The same CMO rate will remain the same for the duration of the agreement. For example, if the original agreement was completed in FY19 and an amendment is done in FY20, the FY19 CMO rate will be applied.

9. When creating an EPR with cost adjustments, how do I know which “Adjustment Type” an “Adjustment Reason” to select?

a. Adjustment Type: Waived cost and Pass-through are the most common adjustment types at JSC.

i. Waived Costs: Costs NASA has agreed to waive because there is either a benefit to NASA or a statutory requirement to waive the cost.

ii. Pass-through: When NASA has an existing contract that needs to be used by another government agency, NASA can use a Pass-through rate for CMO since there will be minimal additional cost for passing the funds through to the existing contract. In order for Pass-through to apply, there must be an existing contract and the existing contract cannot be modified to accommodate the work, and no NASA oversight/direction is needed. If a modification is needed, then the Pass-through rate cannot be applied. Furthermore, work cannot involve the use of NASA facilities or resources (i.e. work cannot be performed on site). If you believe that your agreement qualifies for a Pass-through rate, please contact your Reimbursable Accountant. Only a Reimbursable Accountant can input the adjustment for a Passthrough rate.

iii. Other: Most commonly used for Commercial Space Launch Agreements.

iv. Please contact your friendly Reimbursable Accountant if you believe any of the other options are needed for your EPR.

b. Adjustment reason:

i. NASA Programmatic Benefit: The benefit that NASA is receiving for the good of a specific program such as the International Space Station Program.

ii. NASA Institutional Benefit: The benefit that NASA is receiving for the good of an institutional organization such as engineering, education or JSC as a whole.

iii. Other: Contact your friendly Reimbursable Accountant.

10. If I have multiple organizations performing work, who signs off on the EPR?

a. Each of the performing organization needs to be listed and will need to sign off on the EPR. This is to ensure that they are in agreement with the work and the associated cost.

11. If I have multiple centers performing the work, do I need separate EPRs?

a. No. You will need to get an estimate from the other performing center(s) to include in the JSC EPR. The other center can choose to provide a fully approved EPR (which will become an attachment to the JSC EPR) or they can provide the estimate in another format and become a signatory on the JSC EPR.

12. When drafting an EPR, what does “Sponsoring Org" or "Fund Source Manager” mean?

a. In PACER, the Sponsoring Org or Fund Source Manager would be the responsible NASA Manager signing off to the use of their budget/resources to perform the work on an agreement.

13. On an EPR, why do I have to have a “Funding Source WBS” for waived costs?

a. An alternative funding source is identified for the waived cost to show that the program or project is using their funding to cover the costs.

b. If project costs are funded by NASA direct funds, the work being funded by NASA will be confirmed as consisted with the period of availability, intended purpose, and amount restrictions of the direct program funding in accordance with the law.

14. On an EPR, why do I have to have “Justification” for waived costs? Why is the justification important?

a. A good justification for waived cost is important and necessary in order for the signing officials to have a basis for determining that the proposed contribution of the Partner is fair and reasonable when compared to the NASA resources to be committed, NASA program risks, and corresponding NASA benefits. A good justification will also include how the partnership furthers/benefits NASA’s mission.

15. What is a “Sponsoring Org Funding Source”?

a. This is the Direct Project that is sponsoring the work and will be responsible for any potential uncollected costs.

16. What do I do if I have questions about what I can include/exclude in the EPR?

a. Contact your friendly Reimbursable Accountant.

17. I will be out of the office on vacation, how do I give access of my EPRs to my back-up POC in PACER?

a. In order for your back-up POC to be able to view your EPRs, you will need to assign them as a Delegate in PACER. Please refer to the “Adding a Delegate” section of the PACER User Guide for instructions.

b. If you have any issues assigning a Delegate, contact your friendly Reimbursable Accountant.