Post-Award
New Award Procedure
Award letters and grant contracts will come through our office once investigators have been notified of an award. We will review the award letter and contract and obtain all of the necessary signatures. Once the contract has been fully executed we will then invite the PI, co-PI(s), DBA/CBA, and any other parties heavily involved in the grant to a new award meeting. The new award meeting will review the notice of award, contract, budget, financial and compliance matters, and reporting processes and timeline.
What We Need From You:
- Award Letter
- Contract/Standard Agreement/Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
- If the other party does not provide one of these documents, you can find templates on the UHCL Contract Administration page. Contact us if you have any questions.
Project Management
Watch our 30-minute project management webinar recording for a review of best practices when managing a grant project.
Expenses and Reporting
All financial reporting will be handled by OSP on behalf of the PI. The PI will be responsible for all programmatic reports – we will notify you of your due dates in advance.
If you have any questions about grant expenses, including travel and hiring authorizations, contact the post-award team using the information on this page.
Grant Award Policies and Procedures
Activity Initiation: Office of Sponsored Programs
OSP Point of Contact: Research Administration Accountant
Timeline: Allow 2-3 business days for cost center set up; the timeline for other accounting
tasks varies by complexity and staff availability
What to Expect: Upon receipt of an official Notice of Award from a sponsor, OSP initiates the cost
center set up. The PI and his/her College Business Administrator (CBA) or Division
Business Administrator (DBA) are also part of the signature sequence. OSP reconciles
cost centers monthly after the month closes and makes the PeopleSoft financial report
(1074) and tracking sheet available to PIs and their CBA/DBA. OSP is also available
to answer a variety of other grant accounting questions.
Activity Initiation: College Business Administrator (CBA) or Division Business Administrator (DBA)
OSP Point of Contact: Research Administration Accountant
Timeline: Minimum of 1-2 weeks before item is needed
What to Expect: CBA/DBA will initiate the purchase based on information provided by the PI. You may
be asked to sign the p-card request, requisition, or other financial paperwork. The
approval will route to OSP automatically in PeopleSoft work flow. If the item is not
allowed under the terms of the grant or there is not enough money remaining in that
budget category, the purchase will be denied. To prevent a denial, the PI may want
to consult the OSP research administration accountant prior to initiating a purchase,
to confirm allowability and the availability of funds.
Activity Initiation: College Business Administrator (CBA) or Division Business Administrator (DBA)
OSP Point of Contact: Assistant Director
Timeline: Minimum of 6 weeks before a new staff member’s intended start date and 2 weeks before
a student employee’s intended start date.
What to Expect: PI will work with the CBA/DBA to initiate the hiring process following standard UHCL procedures. The funding (ePRF) and hiring (ePAR) approvals will route to OSP automatically in
PeopleSoft work flow. OSP will monitor and approve or deny these requests based on
allowability under the terms of the grant, including availability of funds, award
period, and other factors. To prevent a denial, the PI may want to consult the OSP
Assistant Director prior to initiating a hiring action.
Activity Initiation: College Business Administrator (CBA) or Division Business Administrator (DBA)
OSP Point of Contact: Research Administration Accountant
Timeline: Late March/early April
What to Expect: The Research Administration Accountant will contact PIs whose grants include summer
salary for faculty, to confirm the intent of the budgeted individuals to work on the
grant that summer. The accountant will also work with college administrators to determine
summer teaching commitments with faculty to be paid on a grant. The accountant and
the OSP Executive Director will determine allowable compensation according to the
UHS Institutional Base Salary policy. The planned compensation will be sent to the PI for approval. Once approved,
the process is turned over to the CBA/DBA to initiate the hiring as described under
Student/Staff Hiring above.
Reporting Period | Effort Reports Issued | Signed Reports due in OSP |
---|---|---|
1/1 - 5/31 (Spring) |
August 31 | September 15 |
6/1 - 8/31 (Summer) | November 30 | December 15 |
9/1 - 12/31 (Fall) | March 31 | April 15 |
Activity Initiation: Office of Sponsored Programs
OSP Point of Contact: Research Administration Accountant
What to Expect: The PI will receive a set of effort reports for all individuals compensated under
the grant during that reporting period. The PI will obtain signatures from all compensated
individuals, then sign the reports and return them to OSP by the specified deadline
for that reporting period. Failure to return effort reports in a timely manner may
result in a suspension or freezing of the award and/or restrictions on serving as
a PI on future grant proposals.
OSP Point of Contact: Assistant Director and Executive Director
Timeline: Detailed reporting requirements including content, format/template, and mode of transmission will be sent to the PI by OSP at least one month before the due date. Calendar requests for report deadlines will be sent immediately after the New Award Meeting.
What to Expect: The PI will receive reminders from OSP until the reporting calendar items are accepted and will be contacted when the 2-week calendar item reminder period begins. The PI is responsible for writing the project narrative component of the grant report. The Research Administration Accountant will provide the financial reporting components. As needed, a virtual or face-to-face meeting may be scheduled to finalize and submit the report.
Activity Initiation: Office of Sponsored Programs
OSP Point of Contact: Assistant Director and Research Administration Accountant
Timeline: Immediately upon identification of need; approval could take up to 6 weeks
What to Expect: PI and Research Administration Accountant will meet to review need, determine allowability
of budget changes under NOA terms/conditions, and discuss implications of changes
on other budget categories. The changes are then reviewed by the Executive Director.
- If sponsor approval is not required, OSP makes the budget changes in PeopleSoft Finance.
- If sponsor approval is required, OSP determines the agency-specific process and prepares the appropriate documentation. The PI may be asked to submit, depending on the agency’s process. Once official approval is obtained, the Research Administration Accountant will make the budget changes in PeopleSoft Finance.
Activity Initiation: Office of Sponsored Programs
OSP Point of Contact: Assistant Director and Research Administration Accountant
Timeline: Immediately upon identification of need to move an expense to a different cost center;
allow up to 10 business days for the process to be completed.
What to Expect: Movement of expenses from one cost center to another is done via Journal Entry. OSP
will prepare a JE spreadsheet form, documenting (1) the transaction in question (amount,
date, original cost center); (2) the cost center to which the expense will be moved;
and (3) an explanation for the need for a cost transfer. The CC manager/authorized
signer for each cost center will be asked to sign off on the form. Once complete,
OSP will transmit the form to General Accounting where the JE will be made. The transfer
should appear on both cost centers by the following business day.
Activity Initiation: Office of Sponsored Programs
OSP Point of Contact: Assistant Director and Research Administration Accountant
Timeline: At least 60 days before the end of the grant (note: some agencies have longer lead
times; consult the NOA)
What to Expect: The PI and OSP will meet to discuss the reason for the NCE request and review the
budget to see which activities would be funded during an NCE period. OSP will research
the agency-specific process and prepare appropriate documents for submission by OSP
or the PI. Once official approval is obtained, the Research Administration Accountant
will make the budget and award end date changes in PeopleSoft Finance.