Post-Award Administration
Post –award grant and contract administration begins when the College receives notification of the award. The process continues through the life of the award and through financial and technical closeout of the grant or contract. To assist investigators in successfully administering their sponsored projects, the OSGP established the following policies and procedures governing post-award activities. Investigators should follow these guidelines when making expenditures, hiring employees, reporting progress, etc.
College Policy on Project Administration
Most grants and contracts are awarded to the College and not to an individual investigator. The College designated OSGP is the office responsible for review and approval of all expenditures of funds from sponsored agreements. However, the daily administration of fiscal and technical aspects of a grant or contract remains the responsibility of the principal investigator.
Processing of Award
The two most common types of awards are grants and contracts. Grant award notices generally do not require a College endorsement or acknowledgement. Those that do are signed by the Associate Provost or designee. Contracts require special procedures and College signatures prior to the acceptance of funds.
Establishment of Grant Number
Upon receipt of award for a grant or contract, OSGP requests Financial Services to establish a separate number for the project. Funds expended in performance of the project are charged to the number.
Post-Award Administrative Activities
The PI, or his or her designee, must submit all requests for expenditures to Susan Weatherby, Senior Accountant, Financial Services for approval. All requests will be reviewed to make sure they meet both the terms of the award and College policies; consistent application of current College policy and procedures is required on external awards. All College forms currently available for such expenditures (e.g., salaries and wages, travel, supplies and equipment, check requests, and hiring of personnel) must be properly completed before awarded funds can be utilized. Charges to grants and contracts for materials received and services rendered can only be made prior to the expiration date of the award. Investigators should refer to the appropriate section of the manual or contact OSGP with any questions regarding processing procedures.
Effort Reporting
The College must certify effort on sponsored projects. The Effort Report is created once per fiscal year and the PI should review the certification of the Effort Report to ensure that it corresponds with the proposed effort listed in the project's approved budget.
Equipment
Equipment should be ordered as early as possible in the funding period. Equipment may not be purchased in the last six months of a project period. Equipment may be either expendable (costing less than $2,500 or having a useful life of less than one year) or capital (costing $2,500 and having a useful life of more than one year). The title to equipment purchased with grant or contract funds resides with the College. Equipment that is transferred from other colleges/universities is subject to the same policies as above.
