New NC DHHS Master Agreement Complete

The UNC System Office has finalized the updated Master Agreement with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS).

A key, immediately actionable change for colleges and universities is that NC DHHS will now allow institutions to charge their NICRA rates, instead of imposing a 10% cap.

All forthcoming awards from NC DHHS should be issued under this updated Master Agreement. Units may proceed with proposing work to NC DHHS using the appropriate F&A rate based on the type of activity (for example, research vs. services, on-campus vs. off-campus).

Additional Updates

The revised agreement also includes several important changes:

• Termination notice periods have increased from 30 to 45 days
• Non-cancelable commitments are now explicitly included as reimbursable costs upon termination
• NC DHHS will retain a perpetual license to deliverables for “North Carolina State Government Purposes” rather than just instructional and research purposes
• Data security breach reporting timelines are more clearly defined: within 24 hours of discovery, or within one hour if the breach involves SSA or IRS data

SPARCS will maintain the Master Agreement in RED as a file-only record and will link it to applicable task orders issued by NC DHHS under the new terms.

For additional questions or clarification, please reach out to SPARCS.