Virtual Training
Live, Web-based Video Conferences
2023 Summer Series!
If you register for 3 or more trainings (at the same time) in this series you will automatically receive a 10% discount at checkout.
The 2023 Compliance Supplement: What is It and Why Should You Care?
This session will discuss the 2023 OMB Compliance Supplement, which is the guidebook auditors use to conduct Single Audits of non-federal entities. We will review the latest changes in this year’s supplement, discuss key issues regarding auditing federal programs, and focus on critical language affecting COVID relief programs and the subsequent federal compliance requirements.
Learning Objectives:
- How to navigate the different parts of the Compliance Supplement.
- The specific compliance requirements that auditors will test for in your federal programs.
- What auditors will look for when testing your internal controls.
- Where to find specific language on time & effort, supplanting, and other critical issues covered by OMB.
Avoiding Fraud – Procurement Best Practices
This session will review recent and top findings in procurement that could have been avoided had internal controls been in place! Fraud, waste, and abuse is an ongoing problem but the amount of fraud cases that arise from procurement outweigh any other area in federal grants management. Join us to learn about the rules and best practices to not only avoid noncompliance but to prevent fraud.
Learning Objectives:
- What the federal rules say regarding cash management procedures;
- The basic factors of allowability including what consideration must be given to determine whether a cost is necessary, reasonable and allocable;
- What counts as an applicable credit, and this fits into proper cash management; and
- What questions to ask in making allowability determinations and how to identify circumstances that make a cost unallowable.
How LEAs and SEAs Can Use CAROI to Address Noncompliance
The U.S. Education Department has encouraged states and locals to use cooperative audit resolution for the past 30 years, and yet this process has gained little traction nationwide. We are finally seeing evidence of more states resorting to this protocol now that it is firmly embraced in the Uniform Guidance. We will discuss what the process entails, and how it may be used to avoid recovery of funds. We will also track how states have used CAROI with the U.S. Education Department to successfully resolve audits, and how States have used the process to resolve audits with LEAs.
Learning Objectives:
- The takeaway from this session is the knowledge both states and locals need to collaboratively work together to correct deficiencies and weaknesses in federal grants management, without the need to repay funds back to the Federal Treasury. It is a “win-win” arrangement for states and locals.
Legislative Update
This session will cover recent updates from Congress and the U.S. Department of Education, including status of and estimated funding levels for fiscal year 2024 and new legislative proposals related to education. This session will also review any recent guidance from the U.S. Department of Education on K-12 and higher education and will provide updates on relevant U.S. Supreme Court cases and decisions.
Learning Objectives:
- Overview of Congressional appropriations process
- Status of fiscal year 2024 appropriations
- Updates on major guidance from the U.S. Department of Education
- Decisions from education-related U.S. Supreme Court cases and impact
Beware the Funding Cliff: Navigating the End of Stimulus Dollars Without Supplanting (and other) Violations
This session will provide information of the possible implications of a funding “cliff” as stimulus dollars come to a close while federal formula funding may see new limits or cuts due to Congressional action on the debt ceiling. Presenters will make comparisons and draw “lessons learned” from previous funding cliffs. Attendees will learn about potential implications of the funding cliff as well as considerations in ensuring compliance with other federal requirements like supplement, not supplant and Maintenance of Effort.
Learning Objectives:
- Timing of closeout for stimulus dollars;
- Potential funding levels and controlling factors for federal appropriations;
- Requirements of major federal fiscal provisions like Supplement not Supplant, and Maintenance of Effort;
- Potential strategies for navigating funding shifts in a sustainable way.
Time and Effort Requirements and Common Pitfalls
In this session, presenters will discuss the time and effort requirements for employees paid with federal funds. The discussion will include the requirements for maintaining time and effort, flexibilities for documentation, and federal guidance on compliance. Additionally, presenters will discuss internal controls that grantees can
implement to avoid common pitfalls.
Learning Objectives:
- Requirements for maintaining time and effort
- Flexibilities for creating time and effort policies
- How they can avoid common time and effort issues
ESSER Compliance Issues (and How to Fix Them)
Got ESSER compliance issues? Who doesn’t! We will review the top challenges and compliance concerns facing SEAs and LEAs and discuss best practices to try to make corrective actions before you get monitored or audited. We will cover areas like MOEquity, timely obligation, Davis-Bacon compliance, lack of prior approval and more! Often times self-correction can avoid or limit potential liability – so this is a session you can’t afford to miss!
Learning Objectives:
- The ESSER allowability requirements;
- Top compliance issues in the filed;
- Best practices for corrective actions.
Disposition of Equipment and Supplies
Got junk? Let’s talk about it! This session will go through the UGG rules on use and disposition of federally acquired equipment, supplies and other property. We’ll discuss frequently asked questions, such as: what to do with items when a school closes (or leaves the district)? Can storage costs be charged to federal grants? What about removal/demolition costs? How thoroughly must grantees investigate when items are lost or stolen?
Learning Objectives:
- Federal requirements around title use, inventory and disposition procedures applicable to equipment and supplies;
- When federally-purchased equipment can be used with other programs, and when such items must be disposed;
- How to calculate the federal share after using equipment to replace and offset a new purchase;
- What to do with unused supplies.
2023 Summer School!!
These are our two-and-a-half hour virtual training sessions. See Cost FAQs for price difference.
EDGAR 101
This session is an introduction to the key provisions in EDGAR and the Uniform Guidance on federal grants management. Topics will include diving into the federal regulations on cash management, inventory control, procurement, and allowability. The session is designed for new federal grants professionals or those who would like a refresher on federal regulations that apply to grant funds.
Learning Objectives:
- Federal requirements for accepting federal grants;
- Cash management and inventory tools to ensure compliance;
- What factors must be considered in determining if a cost is allowable;
- Procurement regulations that govern federally-funded contracts;
- How the cost principles help determine allowability.
EDGAR 201
This session will provide a more in-depth review of the requirements and updates to the Education Department General Administrative Regulations in light of the proposal updates to the Uniform Grants Guidance (2 CFR Part 200) which are to be updated this summer! Regardless of those updates, this session will address the most fun of the federal grants management topics including, prior approvals, indirect costs, administrative oversight, recovery of funds, program income, cost-match requirements, and more!
Learning Objectives:
- The requirements under the Uniform Grant Guidance and how they affect grants administration under EDGAR;
- How the proposed changes affect current compliance requirements;
- Best practices for compliance.
Virtual Training Details and FAQs
Cancellations must be submitted in writing to webinars@bruman.com at least 48 hours prior to any virtual training to receive a full refund.
This virtual training is of value to all federal granting agencies, federal grant recipients, and everyone who works with federal grants, including:
- Grant and program administrators
- Grant program staff
- State, district and school personnel
- Program monitors
- Auditors
The Bruman Group, PLLC is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education (CPE) on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: http://www.learningmarket.org.
Do I need to set up an account?
- Yes, when you make your first purchase you will be requested to set up an account.
What happens if I forget my password?
- You can request that your password be reset on the login page.
Can I purchase more than 1 item at a time?
- Yes, you can add books, recordings, events, etc. and make a single purchase!
Can I use my credit card?
- Yes, credit card purchases are encouraged. If a credit card is used, payment is automatic and the registration is deemed automatically complete, which means your registration is guaranteed.
Can I pay by check?
- Yes, you may pay by check. Checks must be made out to “The Bruman Group, PLLC” and should be mailed to The Bruman Group, PLLC 1023 15th Street, NW Suite 500 Washington, D.C. 2005. Your registration is not deemed complete until we receive the check payment and your registration is not guaranteed until the order is marked complete.
Can I use a purchase order?
- Yes, but the purchase order (PO) must be emailed to us at orders@bruman.com in order for your registration to be finalized and your space guaranteed. The status of your order will note “pending payment” until payment is made on the outstanding PO. Payment is expected within 30 calendar days of the event.
Can I obtain a copy of my receipt?
- Yes, a receipt will be emailed to you when your order has been completed. In addition, you can login to your account and see all your prior orders and print receipts directly from the website.
Can I register more then one person at a time for an event?
- Unfortunately, no. The system provides unique user links so individual registrations are required.
What platform do you use for the virtual trainings?
- The Bruman Group, PLLC currently uses BigMarker, as its virtual events platform. We highly recommend our attendees to use Google Chrome as the preferred browser to access our virtual trainings.
When can I log in?
- You may login to the virtual training session 15 minutes prior to commencement, you will then be placed in the virtual waiting room until the session gets started.
Can I ask questions in real-time during the virtual trainings?
- Yes, we highly encourage attendees to ask questions during the virtual trainings. You may type in your questions either into our Public Chat Tab or under the Q&A feature and we will address questions accordingly.
Can I share my access code or presentation link with others?
- Each attendee receives their unique personalized URL link at registration to access the webinar. Attendees may not share this URL link with anyone else. If you cannot find your URL link or have registered for the webinar on someone else’s behalf, please email us at webinars@bruman.com to have it resent.
Will the questions asked during the presentation be shared with the group?
- Yes, we will do our very best to address questions that appear in the Chat or Q&A tabs either verbally or in writing throughout the session or at the end, time permitting. All questions that have been addressed will be moved to the ‘Answered’ tab found under our Q&A feature.
Will I receive a copy of the handouts and presentation prior to the training?
- Yes, we typically email a copy of the handouts 24 hours in advance or the morning of the presentation. However, if you do not receive the email, you will be able to view and download the handouts once in the webinar room under our Handouts tab. If you have any issues, email us at webinars@bruman.com.
How and when will I receive my CPE certificate?
- After attendees have successfully completed the course elements required by our accrediting body (polling questions, evaluation survey) we will generate your CPE Certificate of Attendance. We will email you a copy of this certificate after all elements have been received and reviewed. CPE credits are only awarded for those who attend our live webinars.
When will I receive the online recording and is there a limit to how many times it can be reviewed?
- Access to the recording will be emailed and made available three business days after the live session. You may then watch it as many times as you choose. We typically retire our webinars after a year or two, but we may archive materials sooner if there are major legal changes that impact the substantive content of the webinar.
How many people can participate in a virtual training?
- A registration fee entitles you to virtual training access by one attendee. For group rates, see Cost FAQs for more details.
I was told that I can not register because we have unpaid invoices from prior webinars, why is that?
- The Bruman Group, PLLC requires payment in full for any prior attendance to any of our trainings. This policy has been put in place due to attendees that would register, attend, and then not pay for their attendance. If you find that you have an outstanding balance for prior attendance, please email us at webinars@bruman.com. IF it is found that a registered attendee has an outstanding balance, we reserve the right to terminate your registration and will notify you via e-mail.
What is the Cancellation Policy?
- Live Virtual Trainings: For live webinars, refunds will only be issued for cancellations requested at least 48 hours PRIOR to the live webinar. We do not provide refunds for no-shows.
- Recorded Virtual Trainings: Refunds will only be provided for recorded webinars if the recording has not been emailed to the registrant.
Can someone else attend in my place?
- If you can no longer make it to the a virtual training and would like to replace your registration with a colleague, please contact us at webinars@bruman.com. We will do our best to make the substitutions prior to the event, but request 48 hours to make it possible to change the access information.
What if our employee that registered has left the organization?
- We understand staff changes may occur therefore, if a staff member who no longer works for your organization purchased a webinar or registered for a training under their name, please contact us at webinars@bruman.com.
If I register for a training, but change my mind can I transfer my registration to another training?
- Yes, you may change your registration to another training. However, we do ask that the request be provided to us 48 hours PRIOR to the registered session or, as soon as possible. You may contact us at webinars@bruman.com.
Prior Virtual Training Recordings For Purchase