The firm of Richards & Associates was established in March 2000 by John Richards. R&A has become an affiliation of seasoned professionals who have decades of hands-on experience in all areas of research administration and costing. In addition to pre- and post-award administration services, R&A specializes in interpreting and administering regulations and preparing, reviewing, and negotiating facilities and administrative cost proposals based OMB Circulars A-21, A-87, and A-122.
Previously John was a DHHS-DCA Senior Negotiator and subsequently he managed grants and contracts for California Institute of Technology (Caltech), one of the nation’s largest university recipients of federal funds. His broad experience includes many years at major research universities, including Emory University. He served almost a dozen years as a NACUBO faculty member teaching F&A long form preparation, and he has been an invited speaker and expert panelist for organizations such as NACUBO, NCURA, and SRA.
The R&A affiliated team has in excess of 115 years of research administration and costing experience, much of it gained at major research universities (Caltech, Stanford, Emory University and University of Florida). Several of our Associates have been in higher education grants advisory practices with the Big [Eight, Five and now Four] Accounting firms during their careers. Two professionals have experience as senior negotiators with the DHHS Division of Cost Allocation (DCA), which has F&A oversight for most universities within the United States. One was the National Director of the DHHS-DCA. It should be noted that senior negotiators and particularly the National Director have great influence for setting costing precedence through their analysis and resolution of thorny issues.
Our affiliation of professionals allows Richards &Associates to provide a high quality work product that is competitively priced. Simply put, Richards & Associates does not have the overhead of larger consulting firms. What further sets Richards & Associates apart is that the client interaction is directly with seasoned professionals, more so than a larger consulting firm. Clients work solely with these experts. This interaction with senior professionals coupled with the work product of those professionals creates synergism from which the client benefits. Richards and Associates is well positioned and stands ready to provide clients with outstanding professional service.