TRAC Oversight Group (TRACOG)

A requirement of the TRAC methodology is for an internal TRAC Oversight Group to review the return.  The TRAC Oversight Group (TRACOG) is responsible for the oversight of the TRAC process and ensuring compliance with the national TRAC guidance.  The proposed terms of reference are:

• to govern and oversee the operation of the TRAC process
• responsible for reviewing the various judgements and decisions that are taken in operating the model. This should incorporate a rolling review of major assumptions
• to agree how any changes in guidance will be implemented in the QM TRAC model
• to review and challenge the TRAC return and charge out- rates to recommend them for approval by the Principal
• to review the sector benchmark data and ensuring that the institution’s position relative to the benchmarks is understood and credible, identifying whether further detailed review or changes to the TRAC model may be required.
• to oversee the scope and report of periodic internal audit reviews of TRAC
• to promote participation in TRAC activities, most notably the Time Allocation Surveys
• to consider the implications of the TRAC return and benchmarking data for the university

1. TRAC oversight group members

2. Governance and assurance – TRAC guidelines

The aim is to ensure institutions have a TRAC process that is overseen and governed in a way that promotes material accuracy and the importance and usefulness of the results. The governance and quality assurance arrangements seek to reduce the likelihood of material errors and/or erroneous judgements being made. In turn this aims to provide confidence and assurance to internal and external stakeholders and funders, through the production of robust and reasonable information. 

The following are mandatory standards that the university should implement:

• Review and development of the institution’s TRAC model:
• time allocation and space usage collected on a rolling three-year basis;
• annual review or update of other numbers-driven cost driver information; other cost drivers to be updated on a three-year basis;
• annual calculation of costs reported under TRAC;
• research charge-out rates recalculated every year.

Quality assurance:

To provide quality assurance the following should be in place:

• management involvement, including appropriate institutional Committee of the Governing Body confirming compliance with requirements;
• systems integrity;
• tests for reasonableness.