- Grant and support personnel
- Equipment acquisitions
- Partner subrecipients
- Release time for research activities
- Closeout
Now let’s dive into each of those in more detail.
Grant and support personnel
The employment and termination processes for grant and support personnel are time-consuming and subject to institutional and government requirements. Although you can’t hire anyone until grant funding is available, you can initiate a few steps when an award is reasonably expected.
- Job descriptions: The PI and human resources department can collaborate to write and approve the position descriptions. In developing job descriptions, categories that are frequently used, such as research technician, can be standardized for quick use. You can prepare position vacancy summaries and hold them for release as needed. Your proposal should reflect all salary estimates. If you have all your data ready, then once grant funding is awarded, you can quickly post the vacancy announcements (and then hire people faster).
- Termination or moving employees to a different source of funding: If you need to terminate personnel at the close of a project, there are specific legal steps you have to follow. The process must be timed accurately to comply with institutional and governmental regulations. It can raise red flags if you move salaries paid after the project’s termination to another funded project, not to mention increase audit risk.
You’ll need to review and plan any leave accrual according to institutional policies. If institutional policy is to pay leave in a lump sum against the final grant funding source, the grant may be liable for leave earned in prior positions. Many institutions have moved to including leave payout in the Indirect Cost agreement, and they’ve created a category in the fringe benefit rate that pools a certain percentage that is then used for all leave payout charges.
If an employee is set to move to another funding source, then make sure you submit paperwork in time for the change in assignment and to charge the new grant funding source for work performed after the close of the current project.
Equipment acquisitions
Any capitalized equipment should be monitored and inventoried throughout its lifespan. Although many institutions now adhere to federal capitalization categories, some may label equipment differently. Early discussions with Fixed Assets and the department will ensure an accurate classification of equipment.
When anticipating grant funding, upfront descriptions and price quotes can be obtained prior to the award receipt. This provides sufficient lead time to meet institutional requirements for bids if necessary. Then equipment orders can be processed quickly, and the items can be received in a timely manner.
When a project is nearing closure, inventory records should be compared to the project’s charges to ensure all equipment has been identified. Future utilization of all items should be determined. Most funding agencies permit the institution to retain the title to an item, but if the terms of the award differ, the appropriate steps should be put in place prior to the termination date.
Partners, subrecipients, and subcontractors
Open and early communication with research partners is critical. Each sub-agreement and contract party should clearly understand the responsibilities and expectations. The grant funding proposal process requires early involvement with subrecipients. Normally they are involved before the proposal is submitted. The Uniform Guidance specifies monitoring requirements for subawardees.
The closeout process for the monitored subrecipients runs the entire life of the project. Issues that arise near the termination date often revolve around timing. Some areas include:
- The timing of the final invoice and end date
- Whether the end date will be earlier than the prime award, allowing time for a final review and payment
- If the tightening of the 90-day prime closeout requirement has led to issues for the subrecipients
Discuss each of these either prior to drafting a subaward or early in the project.
Release time for research activities
Release time charged to a funded project is normally included in the proposal budget and justification. Discussions should be held early with department chairs, deans and supervisors to ensure clarity in expectations. Decisions must be made as to whether the grant funding will pay for this release from teaching, or if the institution routinely offers options for successful major awards. There is normally a written policy, either institution-wide or departmental. Cooperation across the department, Office of Sponsored Programs and Human Resources is needed to ensure the accurate funding source. Effort reporting has to be updated at award to document the effort if it is part of committed effort. If the source of funds will change, the necessary paperwork must be completed prior to the release time period.
Grant funding closeout
Closeout often receives very little attention until the last few months of a project. In reality, preparation for closing a project should begin when grant funding is awarded. If records are maintained accurately, timetables set and agreed upon, and communication is clear across all partners, closeout activities become less stressful and completed more quickly.
Implementing a process for monitoring closing dates and anticipated award receipts enables the proactive review of upcoming activities. To more efficiently monitor these various aspects, consider investing in a grant management software solution. This leads to effective grant funding management and resource administration. To find the right grant management solutions for your department, contact us today for more information on how we can tailor our products to fit your specific needs.
