Proposal Development Guide

THE AWARD AND POST-AWARD ACTIVITY

The Award

With few exceptions, funding agencies make awards to organizations, not to individuals. Once you receive information that a sponsor intends to fund the project you submitted, you should immediately contact the office of Research Administration, which is authorized to conduct negotiations on award terms and conditions.

An award is the sponsoring agency's official document by which it obligates funds for a project. Awards can be issued as an award letter, a notice of award document, a contract, a check accompanied by a letter of transmittal, a standard agreement, a purchase order, or any similar document and should be made to University Enterprises, Inc. (UEI), which serves as the fiscal agent authorized to accept and administer all awards and contracts on behalf of Sacramento State. Once received, Research Administration reviews your award for accuracy, consistency with University and UEI policies, acceptability of language, terms, and conditions, and conformity with your proposal and budget. Some awards and contracts require a signature, while others are fully executed when received.

The award document or contract serves the following purposes: (1) notifies the grantee and others that a grant is awarded; (2) specifies the grant terms and conditions; and (3) provides a legal basis for the obligation of sponsor funds. The notice will usually include: the amount and date of the grant; accounting classification numbers; the certifying official's signature; and terms and conditions of the grant. The terms and conditions for federal (and most state) grants usually incorporate by reference: (1) the legislative authority and regulations; (2) the grant application and any amendments; (3) applicable policy statements, manuals and handbooks; and (4) any special conditions applicable to the award.

Administering Your Award

Once an award has been accepted, an account administration team is assigned to work with you throughout the duration of your project. The team ensures fiscal requirements are met and financial reports are prepared and submitted on time, and serves as the administrative liaison between your project needs and the services that UEI offers. Find My Team

• Award Regulations: Review the terms and conditions of your award with your administrator in advance of any expenditures, especially in regards to prior approval requirements, budget transfers, hiring policy, purchasing procedures, travel regulations, etc.
  
  Most awards indicate a project and budget period. The total duration of the project as defined by the terms of the award is called the project period or period of performance. The time period for which monies are allocated is called the budget period. The budget period may or may not be the same as the project period. For multi-year projects, you will usually be awarded funds in twelve-month budget installments.
  Project costs can not be incurred prior to the beginning date or after the expiration date unless they are specifically allowed under the terms of the award or specifically authorized by the sponsor.
• Award Documentation: Adequate documentation for all accounting actions including expenditures, rebudgeting, and cost transfers is required. All supporting documents for any expenditure in all categories including payroll, supplies and expenses, travel, and equipment must be sent to your administrator. A primary cause of disallowance in sponsor audits is inadequate documentation. As fiscal agent for your project, UEI is responsible for maintenance of all financial records, and is audited annually in compliance with CSU Trustee regulations as well as federal regulations.
• Closing Out Your Award: Each sponsor and each award has specific close-out reporting requirements. Sponsoring agencies routinely require a final financial statement, a final technical report, and a final inventory report. More specialized reports, such as a cost sharing report, may also be required. Your account administrator is responsible for, and will submit, all financial reports as necessary.

In most cases technical reports must be submitted to the sponsor within 90 days of the project's termination date and should be forwarded to the sponsor by your account administrator. Frequently, sponsors will withhold final payments on grants and contracts until all the final reporting requirements are met. If a report is failed to be submitted on a timely basis, future funding from the sponsor for any member of the Sacramento State community can be jeopardized.

More information on account administration.