NASA Procedures and Guidelines
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NPR 9770.1 Eff. Date: June 09, 2017 Cancellation Date:	NASA Conference Approval and Reporting
| TOC | Preface | Chapter1 | Chapter2 | Chapter3 | Chapter4 | Chapter5 | AppendixA | ALL |

Chapter 1 Introduction

1.1 General

Sponsorship and attendance at a wide range of scientific, technical, and other conferences are necessary for NASA to coordinate efforts with various partners, keep abreast of the latest technological advances, and disseminate information NASA has acquired during the execution of its various programs. In order to ensure the most cost effective use of the resources NASA expends on conference sponsorship and attendance and to satisfy the external requirements relating to conferences, NASA has implemented a comprehensive conference approval and reporting process. The process covers both conferences sponsored by NASA and attendance at conferences sponsored by others and addresses all external requirements relating to conferences.

1.2 Source of Requirements

1.2.1 Prior Approval. OMB Memorandum M-12-12 as amended by OMB M17-08 established an ongoing requirement for prior approval by a designated Agency official whenever the total agency expenses for a single conference exceeds $500,000.

1.2.2 International Conference Attendance Limit. Recent appropriations acts governing NASA, including the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, limit NASA attendance at any one international conference to 50 NASA employees. NASA similarly applies a 50-person limit to directly funded NASA contractor employees. For detailed procedures related to international conference attendance and related processes, refer to NAII 9770.1.

1.2.3 Reporting on Conference Related Expenditures.

1.2.3.1 The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, Div. B sec. 535, requires NASA to provide information to NASA's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for NASA-sponsored conferences costing more than $20,000 within 15 days after the conclusion of the event. These reports include the date, location, and number of employees attending such conference. This information will be provided using estimated data in the NF 1784. Final attendee data and cost amounts will be provided to the OIG in the quarterly reports.

1.2.3.2 The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, also requires NASA to submit an annual report to the OIG regarding the costs and contracting procedures related to each NASA-sponsored conference where the cost was more than $100,000. For detailed items to be included in the annual report to OIG, refer to NAII 9770.1.

1.2.3.3 Annual Reporting. OMB Memorandum M-12-12 requires Federal agencies to post on their public Web sites specific information for each conference where the Agency's total expenditures exceed $100,000. In addition, NASA is required to include information about the Agency's net conference expenses for the fiscal year as well as a general report about conference activities throughout the year. For detailed items to be included in the Annual Reporting, refer to NAII 9770.1.

1.2.4 FY 2009 Funding Cap. NASA's 2008 Authorization Act, Pub. L. 110-422, also limited NASA's 2009 conference-related expenses to $5 million. This funding limit was not extended and thus applies only to any program year (PY) for which PY 2009 funds still remain available for use.

1.2.5 Use of NASA Conference Tracking System (NCTS) NF 1784. NF 1784 documents the estimated cost for planned conferences and prior approval by the appropriate approving officials. NF 1784 also displays a summary of other relevant information collected in NCTS including sponsorship, number of attendees, conference support information, and justification and recommendation for approval prior to the event. For more information on the NF 1784, see NAII 9770.1 and https://ncts.nasa.gov.

1.2.6 Use of NF 1785, Conference Expense Report. The NF 1785 records a conference's actual costs, attendance data, and other relevant post-conference data and information. For more information on the NF 1785, see "NAII 9770.1, Conference Approval and Reporting Instruction" and https://ncts.nasa.gov.

1.2.7 Conference Planning. In accordance with OMB Memoranda M-11-35 and M-12-12, NASA is required to conduct conference planning when it is sponsoring or hosting a conference. For detailed procedures and guidance related to Conference Planning, refer to NAII 9770.1.

1.3 Roles and Responsibilities

1.3.1 The NASA Administrator (or Designee) shall serve as the approving official on all requests for waivers when NASA's reportable funding of a single conference is estimated at or greater than $500,000.

1.3.2 The NASA Deputy Administrator (or Designee) shall serve as the final approving official on all requests for NASA funding of a single conference when NASA's reportable funding is estimated at or greater than $100,000.

1.3.3 The NASA Inspector General shall serve as the final approving official for any conferences primarily funded or primarily sponsored by the Office of Inspector General.

1.3.4 Each Official-in-Charge (OIC) of a NASA Center or Headquarters (HQ) Office shall:

a. Serve as the approving official on all NF 1784s, Conference Approval Form, and NF 1785s, Conference Expense Report, for conferences sponsored by their Center or HQ Office or recommended for Deputy Administrator approval by their Center or HQ Office.

b. Implement local policies and procedures to ensure conference attendance, sponsorships, and other expenditures represent cost effective means of meeting NASA's scientific, technical, educational, and operational mission requirements and comply with this policy and NAII 9770.1.

c. Appoint a senior conference point of contact (POC) from their senior staff to oversee their Center's or HQ Office's local conference activities and expenditures.

d. Ensure the designation of a Conference Administration POC to provide guidance and assistance to the local Event POCs and managers at their Center or HQ Office on conference approval and reporting. For detailed roles and responsibilities of the Conference Administration POC, refer to NAII 9770.1.

e. Ensure NF 1784s originating from their Center or HQ Office are approved and submitted as required in Table 3-1, at least 90 days in advance of a NASA-sponsored event and at least 60 days in advance of a non-NASA-sponsored event (or if the required advance approval is not practicable, promptly notify the Agency Conference Reporting Coordinator).

f. Ensure conferences approved do not exceed $100,000 or $500,000 in costs without prior waiver approval.

g. Ensure foreign conference attendance they approve is within the international conference attendance limitation of 50 NASA employees and 50 contractors.

1.3.5 The Agency Chief Financial Officer (CFO) (or Designee) shall:

a. Maintain procedures for conference-related data collection and reporting.

b. Review NF 1784s initiated for approval by the NASA Administrator or the Deputy Administrator and either concur or return the NF 1784 to the submitting OIC.

c. Provide final approval for conference requests with estimated total cost between $90,000 and $100,000.

d. Coordinate the final review of Agency conference reports, including the annual Web site report required under OMB M-12-12.

e. Designate an Agency Reviewer to oversee the conference administration and reporting process.

1.3.6 Agency Conference Reporting Coordinator (this position is currently held by the Agency Associate Deputy Chief Financial Officer) shall:

a. Issue final conference determinations under this directive in the event of conflicting conference determinations by Conference Administration POCs.

b. Coordinate the review and approval of NF 1784s.

c. Oversee and coordinate the conference approval and reporting processes including overall content of the NCTS System and the NASA Conference Administration Community of Practice section of the OMB MAX Web site.

d. Coordinate the annual posting of NASA's conference reports on NASA's public Web site.

1.3.7 NASA Conference Sponsor Organizations shall:

a. Appoint an Event POC before making substantive plans and notify the cognizant Center/Office Conference POC of the name of the event POC for the event.

b. Comply with the requirements in the NAII 9770.1.

1.3.8 Event POC shall:

a. Assist the sponsoring organization and their Center/Office OIC in conference planning and reporting for a given conference.

b. Coordinate with the Center/Office Conference POC(s), beginning with the first stages of planning, to ensure they are aware of the event and to obtain their help with policy and conference questions.

c. Submit required backup information and documentation for assigned conferences receiving NASA sponsorship funding and:

(1) Ensure the timely preparation.

(2) Substantiate and document the event's cost estimates.

(3) Monitor the number of approved travelers to ensure the 50-person limits for employees and contractors are not exceeded for foreign conferences.

d. Ensure NASA attendees and P-Card users are instructed to use the NCTS Conference Code on travel and obligating documents.

e. Attach a copy of the report(s) and supporting documentation, on behalf of the sponsoring organization, to the event in NCTS so that these materials are maintained and available upon request to appropriate reviewers. See NPR 1441.1 for NASA records management requirements.

f. Provide other assistance as requested by the Conference POC and Agency Reviewer with regard to the conference and its associated forms and reports.

1.3.9 Travelers and travel preparers shall determine whether the event they are planning to attend is a conference, using the definition contained in this directive, and comply with the requirements in NAII 9770.1.

1.3.10 Agency Applications Office (AAO) shall maintain the NCTS system.

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