Technical Document Management & Project Write Up Services

Proper documentation is vital in any R&D project, not only for maintaining good business practice but to also justify any R&D Tax Incentive claims in case of an audit. 

Businesses must not assume that any documentation gaps can be plugged with anecdotal evidence or can be created after the R&D activity is conducted, as this method of document management can be highly detrimental to your R&D Tax Incentive claim. 

Avant Research provides document management and project write-up services for technical projects, including research and development projects. 

Avant Research will help your business to meet its documentation and reporting obligations, so you can be confident you are maximising your R&D entitlements. 

Technical Project Management Document Service

Avant Research’s document management services include:

• R&D Project Scope for board/management approval
• Project budget review and recommendations 
• Write-up assistance of technical hypothesis
• Write-up assistance of core and supporting activities to be undertaken for each project 
• Template and reporting kit provisions to capture experiment records, new learning records and time sheet activity throughout the year OR design of a system within the company’s current framework
• Document kit provision and training for key employees to understanding reporting requirements 
• Ongoing recommendations for continuous improvement

Document Management Service

Avant Research’s document management services include:

• Maintaining technical investigation reports 
• Provision and review of experiment registers
• Provision and review of time recording methods to suit your business 
• Provision and review of expenditure records 
• Writing annual reporting packs 
• Project write up and management 
• Project document maintenance including 
  • Technical investigation reports
  • Registers of experiments
  • Time recording 
  • Expenditure recording 
  • Annual reporting packs 

Reporting Services 

The importance of sufficient record keeping cannot be understated when claiming the R&D Tax Incentive. 

Although R&D Tax Incentives are not immediately reviewed upon submission, a claim may be elected for an audit by either the ATO or AusIndustry for up to five years past the lodgement date. Records beyond the five-year period may be requested if fraud is suspected. 

It is a legal requirement to keep contemporaneous records of claimable R&D activities before conducting the activity/ies through the R&D activity completion. 

Contemporaneous records should include: 

• Records describing the purpose of the R&D activities
• Records of the existing knowledge with respect to the R&D activities 
• Records of new knowledge expected to be generated from these activities
• Records of how the business assessed that the outcomes of the activities could not be known or determined in advance
• Evidence of why experimentation is required to overcome the technical uncertainties
• Evidence of supporting activities, i.e. literature research, procurement of equipment, products or expertise, their nexus to the core R&D activities
• Evidence of the types of experiments conducted and how they were carried out e.g. experimental methodologies, observations and results, conclusions and other activities undertaken to facilitate the R&D activities
• Evidence of expenses occurred 

Any document that substantiates the eligibility requirements for claiming the R&D Tax Incentive should be recorded. This includes but is not limited to: 

• Project planning documents and opportunity/problem statements, specifically ones that describe the purpose of conducting R&D activities 
• Documents identifying knowledge gaps e.g. journal articles, correspondences with technical experts or online technical blogs 
• Experiment design, hypothesis and the technical variables involved
• Observation and analyses of results and conclusions e.g. progress reports, trial records, error logs (with descriptions of errors where overcome), photos, board/industry presentations etc. 
• Staff time records e.g. a diary recording where/how time is spent, in the absence of timesheets), invoices (with proof the R&D activities they relate to) & other accounting records relating to costs incurred 
• Service contracts and loan agreements (especially where companies engage in employee-sharing and inter-company loans).

Avant Research’s reporting management service can be utilised for:

• Internal management reporting purposes
• External market reporting for ASX listed companies 
• R&D Tax Incentive management i.e. maintaining reporting compliance