Post-Award - Coastal Carolina University
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Post-Award 

Award Setup
Award Management
Award Modification
Award Closeout

 

The Office of Sponsored Programs and Research Services (OSPRS) offers assistance to Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-Investigators (COIs) regarding the administrative and financial aspects of an approved sponsored project.

The OSPRS Post-Award team provides a range of services that begins with the funding of external awards.  These services include award negotiation, coordination with Grants Accounting for grant account set up, award modifications, monitoring of expenses, assistance with reporting, and award closeout.

Award Setup

PIs who receive notification of external funding approval should contact the OSPRS to make sure that the OSPRS has also received the notification.  The OSPRS is the only authorized entity to negotiate externally funded awards and contracts on behalf of the university.  Once the OSPRS receives a Notice of Award from a sponsor, the OSPRS team will send an award packet to the PI with sponsor and institutional instructions. The award management email will contain an Award Notice Summary with the grant account number, period of performance dates, and obligated and anticipated amounts; a Budget Summary; executed award documents; and copies of State Executive Budget Office documents, if applicable. Terms and conditions of the award as well as reporting deadlines will be included in the award management email.  Important reminders regarding prior approval requirements and award management can also be found in the email.  If applicable, new PI Indirect Cost account numbers will be listed as well.

For any questions on managing an external award, please contact the OSPRS.

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Award Management

Successful grant management requires teamwork, and the OSPRS team is here to provide guidance and oversight on all sponsored projects from award notification through close-out.  The Post Award staff can assist with university financial processes, budget projections, and reporting reminders.  PIs are ultimately responsible for grant fiscal and programmatic management, fulfillment of proposal goals and outcomes, and submission of all required reports. The major categories of PI responsibility are listed below. 

PI Responsibilities

  • Review and abide by the sponsor's terms and conditions.
  • Comply with all state, university and sponsor policies and procedures.
  • Obtain necessary approvals for all externally funded expenditures and submit to the OSPRS to confirm the availability of funds and the appropriateness of the expenditures.
  • Initiate project related transactions (purchasing supplies, equipment or services), hiring processes, travel arrangements and other grant-funded activities.
  • Follow HREO requirements for all grant related staffing needs.
  • Maintain allocated project funds within the sponsor approved budget.
  • Keep track of all cost share expenditures for reporting purposes, if applicable.
  • Complete and submit required performance/technical reports to the sponsor.

Award Budget

Each funding agency will have specific rules regarding budget expenditures or re-budgeting allocated costs. These requirements or restrictions may be found in the award documents from the sponsor, on the sponsor's website or by contacting the OSPRS. Please remember that all expenditures must be allowable, allocable and reasonable. 

Budgeting Assistance

All PIs will be given access to their budget and posted expenditures in WebAdvisor's Budget Selection under Financial Information. The OSPRS will provide periodic updates on projected balances based on anticipated/pending expenditures to help PIs manage their budgets. The OSPRS can also enter data in Workflow for student hires. In addition, PIs may request updates on individual IDC balances from the OSPRS. For more information regarding IDC, please reference CCU policy ACAD-134 Indirect Cost Recovery and Distribution, located on the CCU policy site.

PIs should be prepared to work with the OSPRS and Grants Accounting on a quarterly basis as needed to account for any and all cost share requirements. 

Procurement, Purchasing, and Contract/Subcontract Services

When utilizing a contractor for services, supplies, etc., the vendor must have an existing account or create a new account with the university. Contractors must have liability insurance and must present copies of insurance documentation to Procurement Services prior to the start of any services. For questions regarding vendors, Substitute W-9 and Vendor Application Forms, grant specified procurement exemption procedures, sales tax exemption for research equipment, insurance, or equipment purchases please contact the OSPRS or Procurement Services.

All supplies and equipment using grant funds must be processed through standard university procedures and must be included on the budget approved by the grant sponsor. The university utilizes the electronic purchasing system ePro@ccu. Please contact Procurement Services for questions regarding ePro, purchasing policies and procedures.

Equipment is usually defined as nonexpendable, tangible property having a useful life of more than two years, with an acquisition cost of $5000 or more per unit. Some funding agencies may retain the title to equipment purchased with sponsor funds. All equipment is inventoried and vested in the university (unless otherwise stated by the sponsors terms and conditions).

For personal reimbursement for award/contract approved purchases, expenses and travel costs, please complete the CCU Expense Settlement Form located under the Financial Services section of the university's online forms page and submit it to the OSPRS. This form also needs to be completed if a Food Expense Justification is required prior to expenditures on food and beverages.

Relevant university policies regarding procurement and financial services can be found on the CCU policy site

Personnel

All hiring and HREO procedures for grant supported personnel must adhere to university and state regulations and policies. Depending on the position and candidate being hired, several weeks may be necessary to complete the personnel hiring process through the HREO office. All non-students are hired using the PeopleAdmin software and must be initiated through the PI's department administrator. 

The following forms are used for grant related faculty, staff, and non-employee pay:

  • Dual Employment Request Form [Internal] - Faculty extra compensation from grant funds in addition to CCU payroll (applies to the academic year), staff extra compensation from grant activities performed outside normal work hours.
  • Slotted Faculty Summer Employment Form - Faculty summer extra compensation for grant activities.
  • Supplemental Pay Form (H17) - Staff extra compensation for grant activities performed during normal work hours.
  • Honorarium Form -Non-CCU employees, one time honoraria payments.

These forms can be found on the university's online forms page

Student Hiring

Grant/Contract Funded Graduate Assistantships - these assistantships are typically research or scholarship based and include specific duties as stipulated by a grant or contract. For additional questions regarding graduate assistantships, please contact the OSPRS or the Office of Graduate Studies. To request a grant funded graduate assistant, please complete the Request for Graduate Assistantship Form located on the university's online forms page.

Graduate students not awarded an assistantship and undergraduate students can be hired to work on awards/contracts as long as they are eligible per university and state policies. The hiring of students is initiated through the Datatel/Colleague HR Workflow system. As a service to PIs, the OSPRS can assist in hiring students to work on awards/contracts. For assistance hiring a student worker for a grant or contract, please contact Liz Reed in the OSPRS. 

Relevant university policies regarding personnel can be found on the CCU policy site.

For questions about award/contract related faculty, staff and student hiring and compensation please contact the OSPRS

Travel

Travel for award/contract sponsored activities must follow university, state and sponsor policies. Travel Authorization Forms, located on the university's online forms page must be submitted at least two weeks prior to the planned travel date for processing and approval. Funding agencies may have specific restrictions on travel. Restrictions may apply for international travel. Contact the Center for Global Engagement for information on foreign travel. Please contact OSPRS for questions about your specific award/contract travel terms and restrictions.

Relevant university policies regarding travel can be found on the CCU policy site

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Award Modification

A Grant Change Request Form, located under the Sponsored Programs and Research Services section of the university's online forms page, is required for award extensions, budget revisions, changes in scope, and changes in PI or key personnel. Requests for extensions must be completed at least 45 days before the project end date and submitted to the OSPRS and approved by the OSPRS director and sponsor before any changes may take place.

Important details to remember:

  • If re-allocating budget expenditures, IDC adjustments may also be required;
  • If sponsors require prior approval for budget changes, a request can only be submitted by OSPRS;
  • Funds from one CCU grant/contract account cannot be transferred to another CCU account;
  • PIs must contact the OSPRS for proper allocation of funds if any grant charges were applied to a non-grant account (ex. 10-XXXX or 17-XXXX); and
  • Most grants do not allow using unexpended balances for:
    • purchasing major equipment during the final 90 days of the award,
    • stockpiling supplies withing the final 60 days of the award, or
    • other spending that may be regarded as excessive or unnecessary.

Award Reporting

All performance, technical and financial reporting requirements should be provided by the funding agency, to include: deadlines, content, and specific forms if required. Reporting on the progress and/or outcomes of a funded project is the responsibility of the PI. For questions or assistance with project reporting, please contact the OSPRS. Each sponsor may have distinct specifications, but these reports generally contain: a summary statement of progress per the stated aims of the approved project, details of results (positive or negative), and a list of publications resulting from the project. The OSPRS and Grants Accounting will coordinate the necessary account data for fiscal reporting. PIs may be asked to supply details on expenditures for these reports.

Typically, a final report is due at the end of an award. Some funding agencies also require annual reports during the course of multi-year awards. PIs must send the OSPRS a copy of any report submitted to a sponsor for inclusion in the university master award file.

Some sponsors may also require an invention statement and/or equipment inventory. If inventions were developed with award/contract funds, the PI submits a report to the OSPRS which identifies the inventions. The OSPRS must review and sign the report before submission to the sponsor. The equipment inventory is a report prepared by the university property officer in Grants Accounting to document any equipment purchased with award/contract funds.

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Award Closeout

The OSPRS will send PIs a 90 Day Notification before the scheduled end date of a project. PIs should immediately initiate any award modifications if necessary. It is crucial that PIs work with the OSPRS as early as possible to address any potential changes to the project or budget. 

The OSPRS and Grants Accounting will coordinate with the funding agency to finalize all fiscal processes for the award. Any over-expenditures on the grant account must be compensated by the PI's department. The OSPRS will send a Closeout Notification to the PI after the project end date.

PI Award Closeout Responsibilities:

  • Review account balance for accuracy;
  • Process final expenditures;
  • Complete all project deliverables; and
  • Prepare and submit all required final performance/technical reports.

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For forms and templates associated with the proposal preparation process, please see the university forms page under "Sponsored Programs and Research Services".

For policies associated with the proposal preparation process, please see the university's policy page under policy management area "RSCH (Research)".

For a glossary of research administration terms, training materials and other resources, please see the  page.