Grant Proposal Procedures
Approved by: President's Cabinet
Original Date Effective: 2010-06-22
Last Modified: 2024-03-27
Purpose:
In order to remain compliant with Federal and State laws as well as internal policies and regulations, the following procedures should be followed when preparing, accepting, signing, and executing sponsored agreements.
Policy/Procedure:
Pre-Award Process
Step 1: A faculty or staff member receives a Request for Proposal (RFP).
Step 2: The faculty or staff member discusses the RFP with the appropriate Dean/VP.
Step 3: If the Dean/VP agrees a Grant Concept Form is completed, signed by the Dean/VP, and forwarded to Sponsored Programs Officer for further processing.
Step 4: A meeting or phone call should be scheduled with the Sponsored Programs Officer (SPO) to discuss the application and proposal process, when necessary.
Step 5: The Dean or PI will schedule a meeting with internal and external partners, if applicable.
Step 6: Begin working on the proposal.
Step 7: Submit proposal draft to the Dean/ VP of your area and Sponsored Programs Officer for preliminary review.
Step 8: Work with the SPO on the budget and budget narrative. Personnel cost must be consistent with the current pay structure of the college. If match is required the PI must provide an unrestricted FOAP that has been approved by the Dean and Vice President of the area. In addition, the match must be approved by the VP of Finance and the President.
Step 9: Submit the full proposal and all attachments to the SPO for a final review and to secure applicable signatures. Proposals must be submitted to the SPO 5 days before the proposal is due to the Funding Agency.
Step 10: The SPO will submit the proposal on behalf of the College. In the rare instance that the PI must submit the proposal, the SPO will draft a letter for the President to approve the PI to submit the proposal. The letter will be kept with the proposal/grant file.
All proposals must be approved by the President or his/her designee
Post Award Process
Step 11: Upon written notification of award, the individual immediately notifies their Dean/VP and SPO.
Step 12: If the PI receives a copy of the award, forward it to the SPO, who will review it to ensure all terms and conditions are acceptable then forward it TBR’s Contracts Office for review. If adjustments are needed the SPO, PI, and the TBR Contract Office will work with necessary parties to agree upon acceptable language. After all negotiations are finalized the SPO will enter the Agreement in DocuSign for signatures. All grant Agreements must be entered in DocuSign for final signatures.
Step 13: Once the Agreement has been signed by all required parties (internal and external) the SPO will complete a Dynamic Forms FOAP Request Form for the new grant and forward the information to the PI and department secretary.
Step 14: The PI will complete a Dynamic Forms Restricted Budget for the current fiscal year. A Dynamic Forms Budget Labor Reconciliation is needed if salaries are involved. If matching is required, the PI will provide the approved unrestricted account that will be used.
Step 15: The SPO will work with the Senior Accountant to establish position number(s) for all grant funded positions. The PI and SPO will work together to ensure appropriate forms are submitted to HR for posting jobs and hiring grant employees.
Step 16: All grant transactions must be approved by the PI and SPO.
Step 17: The SPO will prepare and submit all financial reports required by the sponsor. In cases where the form is uploaded into a portal which the SPO doesn’t have access, the PI or Project Director will submit the report and ensure that a copy is given to the SPO before or at the point of submission.
Step 18: The PI or Project Director (PD) will prepare and submit all programmatic reports in accordance with the sponsors guidelines and forms. A copy of the report must be sent to the SPO before it is submitted.
Audit Process
Step 19: the PI and/or PD must notify the SPO and their respective Dean of all reviews and audits, internal or external, prior to the review taking place. The SPO will work with the PI and PD to prepare for the financial portion of the review. A copy of the report provided by the review/audit team must be given to the SPO, who will address any weakness or findings related to the financial portion of the grant.
Closeout Process
Step 20: The PI/PD should begin the closeout process three months before the end date of the award. This includes entering last minutes purchase requisitions (if items will be delivered and invoice before the grant ends), closing existing PO, submitting outstanding invoices, reviewing inventory, reviewing grant accounts, preparing final program report. If a No Cost Extension (NCE) is needed the PI/PD should notify their Dean and the SPO. The SPO will work with them in preparing the request and provide financial information, if needed.
The final financial report(s) will be prepared and submitted by the SPO.