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FOIA Requesters may be charged a nominal amount for the processing of their Requests, including search, duplication and review costs (Review costs include only direct costs incurred during the examination of a document for determining if it is a responsive record.) Estimating the effort to fulfill requests prior to completion is known as Cost Estimation. The cost for processing a Request can be estimated while the Request is in any Request Status where the Request is open. These costs are estimated using Cost Sheets.
Formats
Standard vs. DD Form 2086
You can estimate the cost in two formats: Standard or DD Form 2086.
In the Standard format, the Request cost estimate is flexible
The DD Form 2086 cost estimate is prepared in a specific reproducible format
Create a Cost Sheet in Standard Format
Open a Request for which you want to estimate the cost
Click Fees/Billing. The Fees/Billing screen displays as shown below
From the Cost Sheets section, click New. The New Cost Sheet screen displays as shown below
Enter information in the following fields as necessary
Field | Description |
Name | Enter the Name of the New Cost Sheet in the upper right corner. |
Unit Rate | Enter the Unit Rate for each Fee Item (if they have not been added in the Requester Types form). |
Quantity | Enter a Quantity for each Fee Item. Quantity refers to number of hours, pages, copies, etc. for each Fee Item. |
Click Save. A verification message displays as shown below
Click OK. A confirmation message displays as shown below
Click OK
NOTE: If the Requester has applied for a fee waiver, information about the fee waiver type displays on the Cost Estimation screen.
If there is a change in the fee structure, it will be applied only to new invoices. Existing invoices will always be displayed with their original fee structure.
Create a Cost Sheet in DD Form 2086 Format
Open a Request for which you want to estimate the cost
Click Fees/Billing. The Fees/Billing screen displays as shown below
From the Cost Sheets section, click New Form 2086. The New Form 2086 screen displays as shown below
Enter information in the following fields as necessary
Field | Description |
Name | Enter the Name of the New Cost Sheet in the upper right corner. |
Quantity | Enter a Quantity for each Fee Item. Quantity refers to number of hours, pages, copies, etc. for each Fee Item. |
Unit Rate | Enter the Unit Rate for each Fee Item (if they have not been added in the Requester Types form). |
Click Save. A verification message displays as shown below
Click OK to save changes. A confirmation message displays as shown below
Click OK
Steps to Generate DD Form 2086
From the Cost Sheets section of the Fees/Billing screen, select the cost sheet for which you'd like to create Form 2086, and click View Form 2086
The DD Form 2086 screen displays as shown below
The generated Form 2086 is similar to the initial Form 2086; however, you cannot edit any values on the generated version, as it is exclusively for viewing and printing purposes
NOTE: If there is a change in the fee structure, it will be applied only to new invoices. Existing invoices will always be displayed with their original fee structure.