Tennessee Bulletin Number 440-08-1

March 6, 2008

Subject: PGM – Protracts Contract Completion Guidance

Purpose: To transmit Tennessee guidance for resolving problems of completed contracts not showing completed in ProTracts.

Expiration Date: September 30, 2009

Tennessee NRCS has numerous contracts that are completed but not showing as completed in ProTracts. Some of the problems remain from Farm Service Agency (FSA) – Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) reconciliation of Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) contracts.

In an attempt to expedite and clarify the process, the following four resolutions are offered. If none of these four scenarios fits the problem, please send the contract number and a description of the problem to the Area Resource Conservationist.

1. FSA Paid Items Not Showing As Paid
   
   Contract items in this instance may be found either in ProTracts-Manage Contracts by querying for contracts with Pending Actions or through ‘discovery’ by field offices when they are managing contracts. One method of discovery is to click on Expired Contracts under the Maintenance tab under Manage Contracts.
   
   To find these contracts in ProTracts, go to Contracts, then to Manage Contracts and click Pending Approvals on the blue toolbar. Under Pending Actions, select the last entry Payments Waiting for Approval. On this same screen, ALL Programs and ALL Fiscal Years can be chosen, or it can be done by individual program and a specific fiscal year. Each contract believed to be completed and not showing completed will need to be checked, item by item, for the possible problem(s). It is helpful to expand the items before viewing the contract. This method will show you all the contract items and their status in one location. The status of the items will be “certified and eligible” or “planned and eligible” instead of “certified and approved.” All of these items have the contract obligations aligned, but will need a database level correction to show the item as completed.
   
   Action
   
   Enter the contract number and item number on the attached spreadsheet, one contract item per Excel row and email to AnnSue Wattenbarger. These will be compiled and forwarded to ProTracts Support at Fort Collins.
   
   
2. Uncertified Non-Cost-Shared Items In EQIP 96 or WHIP Contracts
   
   This situation is for practices that the producer has implemented, and NRCS has documented in the case file as meeting standards and specifications. ProTracts users should select the Payment and Certification screen for the item, enter the actual amount performed, enter zero dollars in actual cost field, and follow standard calculation and certification processes to show the item as “certified and ineligible.” Be sure that the unit amount applied is added at the bottom of the screen in the calculate payment portion. No payment processing will be generated for NC cost type practices. Do NOT delete these items. They are contract requirements for which the participant was awarded ranking points and are legal and binding contract items.
3. Uncertified Items With Zero Cost Share That Do Not Have N/C As The Cost Type Method
   
   There are a variety of methods by which this type of mismatch was created or migrated. Only if these practices have been implemented and certified and documented in the case file as completed to NRCS standards and specifications may ProTracts users delete these items. This is a special situation caused by a software data mismatch; this is not a method to remove required non-cost-shared items from a contract. Since these items are contract requirements for which the participant was awarded ranking points and are legal and binding contract items, the deletion of these items must be clearly documented in the case file.
   
   
4. Opening Certification And Payment Window Will Update Older Contracts To Complete Status As Long As All Items Are Either Approved Or Deleted
   
   If all contract items are either Approved or Deleted and the contract does not update to Completed upon opening Certification and Payment, there may be a database problem and the contract number will need to be sent in to ProTracts Support for manual correction. Use the attached spreadsheet for this also, with a statement in the Comments column.
   
   

It is very important that all completed contracts achieve a completed status. Contact John Rissler, Assistant State Conservationist (Programs), if you have questions.

/s/

Kevin Brown

State Conservationist

Dist: E

Enclosure

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