Project Management

1. Project Management

2. Objectives • Understand the roles and responsibilities for grants management • Provide tips and tools for the day-to-day tasks involved • Discuss the most commonly misunderstood concepts

3. Decentralized vs. Centralized • Decentralized means that the department has more control over the financial management of the project • It also means the department has more responsibility for the financial outcome of the project

4. Stages • Proposal Preparation • Pre-award • Post-award

5. Proposal Preparation • Assist the Principal Investigator with budget preparation • Review proposal routing form for: • Budget Accuracy • Cost sharing • Subawards

6. Pre-Award/Post Submission • Award Release • Award notifications must go through the Central Office • All updates of pending grants must go through the Central Office • Advance Account Setups • Strongly encouraged to prevent expenses from hitting the wrong account • Subaward management

7. Post-Award • Grant Account Setups • Procurement • Reporting • Staff Funding Allocations • Amended Payroll Certification (APC) • Review Expenditures • Budget Modifications • Miscellaneous Billing • Grant Transfers • Subaward Management • Account Closeout

8. Grant Account Setups • Establish Signature Authority • Review grant award and confirm that the proposed budget and awarded budget match • Provide Cost Share account when required

9. Procurement • Ensure that purchased items are considered allowable costs to the grant • Purchased items must be received during the grant period • Use the correct G/L or expense object code • Know the threshold for capital equipment (UAMS is $2,500). • Ensure that all purchases are received and paid for before the project period expires

10. Reporting • Grant Financial Summary Reports • Grant Financial Detail Reports • The department grant manger is responsible for ensuring that reports are distributed to the Principal Investigator in a timely manner

11. Staff Funding Allocations • Review the personnel listed in the grant proposal • Verify with the Principal Investigator the percent of effort for all grant personnel • Significant changes should be reported to the funding agency as soon as possible • The grants manager should review the staff benefit reports on a monthly basis to verify the correct personnel have been charged to the grant

12. Salary Corrections • Salary corrects must correspond to the effort reported on the grant • Correction to salary are not allowed for the purpose of spending down the grant funds

13. Review Expenditures • Procurement Issues • Each month review IDTs, service center charges, and rechargeable services • Compare budget to actual expenses • Review open purchase orders • Notify rechargeable services when the account number changes • Interdepartmental transfers must be done in a timely manner

14. Review Expenditures (cont.) • Compliance Issues • All prior approval requests must be submitted to the funding agency • Comply with institutional procedures • Forward all grant agency communication and decisions to the central office when required • Cost share must be reviewed monthly as well

15. Review Expenditures (cont.) • F&A Cost Postings • Review F&A cost postings each month • MTDC – capital equipment, patient care costs, scholarships, fellowships, trainee costs, and subcontracts in excess of 25,000

16. Review Expenditures (cont.) • Cost Transfers • Reasonable, allocable, consistent treatment • Transfers to NIH grants by grantees should be done within 90 days of when the error was discovered • Know the rules of the granting agency and the institution regarding allowability of cost transfers

17. Budget Modifications • Track budget revisions • Must be authorized by the Principal Investigator • Some grants require prior approval for all budget revisions

18. Miscellaneous Billing • Grants Accounting is responsible for billing on most accounts • Invoicing must be done according to the requirements of the grantor • Grants Accounting is generally responsible for ensuring that the invoices have been sent and that payments have been received for reimbursement

19. Grant Transfers • Between Departments • When a PI transfers to another department – administration of the PI’s grants also transfers • The current Department Administrator should contact the new Department Administrator to facilitate the transfer • The central office may need to be notified when a transfer is occurring • All cost share issues should be resolved prior to the transfer

20. Grant Transfers (cont.) • From Institution to a New Institution • Complete a Relinquishing Statement (PHS 3734) for NIH grants • Provide a Cost Summary Report to Grants Accounting • Grants Accounting will do the FSR • Prepare an inventory list of all UAMS tagged equipment purchased on the grant

21. Grant Transfers (cont.) • To Institution from another Institution • Obtain a copy of the Relinquishing Statement • Prepare an new application • Transfer subcontracts • Possibly set up an Advance Account

22. Subaward Management • Proposal Stage • Subawards should be incorporated into the proposal • Post-award Stage • Prepare subaward agreement • Create a Purchase Requisition • Technical Monitoring • Closeout • Final payment made before CSR completed

23. Account Closeout • Cost Summary Report is the Key • Make sure everything is received an paid for by the end of the project period • Prepare the final invoice for payment within the terms of the award

24. Tips and Tools • Reconciliation of expenses • Commitment management • Personnel management • Rebudgeting • Inventory

25. Questions?