Project Management
Sources of Funds
After a grant award is made, the funds are received at the college in several different ways. Some agencies send lump sum portions of the entire award at intervals during the period of performance. Most frequently, monies come to the college on a cost reimbursement basis, usually after an invoice or electronic report is sent from the college to the funding agency delineating expenditures during the funding period (usually quarterly or monthly).
Most of the funds are electronically “drawn down” from the funding agency and deposited directly into the appropriate AACC account. Many of the award payments arrive in check form. In the event a reimbursement check is sent directly to the Project Director/PI, the check should be forwarded to the Office of Sponsored Programs immediately.
Uses of Funds
This section provides guidance for expending grant funds. It explains procedures for hiring and/or payment to grant personnel; procedures for purchasing equipment, supplies and other items; travel regulations; procedures for setting up and monitoring subawards; and project reporting requirements.
Indirect costs expensed through sponsored programs are returned to the college general fund to support administrative costs. Any exceptions must be approved by the Vice Presidents.
Even though most procedures to expend grant funds are almost the same as those followed for the expenditure of college funds, there is one major difference: all grants expenditures must be approved by Office of Sponsored Programs before purchases can be made. This includes any purchases made with a procurement card. Prior approval is also required for any requests for reimbursement using a Check Request Form.
Grant Personnel Hiring and Payment Procedures
Faculty Reassigned Time, Summer Salary, and Time and Effort Reporting Faculty Reassigned Time.
Release or “reassigned” time is the time and effort of a faculty member who is temporarily assigned duties other than regular instruction. The assignment may be on a semester or yearly basis. When calculating faculty release time, remember that 35 contact hours of professional work equals one Faculty Load Hour. College policies related to contract loading, overload compensation and release time are addressed in the Faculty Handbook, located on the intranet. Faculty reassigned time related to sponsored programs is approved by the dean and department chair as part of the pre-award proposal routing process.
Time and Effort Reporting:
The college has established a Time and Effort Certification system to comply with federal regulations (OMB Circular A-21, Section J.10) applicable to sponsored agreements at colleges and universities. Time and Effort Forms should reasonably reflect the distribution of time and effort by all personnel involved in federally funded grants or sponsored agreements (both faculty and staff). The Office of Sponsored Programs distributes Time and Effort forms monthly, using an electronic notification system. Employees must review the actual percentage of time and effort for all activities listed, and approve the information on the form. Percentages reported must total 100%. The form is then confirmed by a supervisor with firsthand knowledge of the employee’s activities (department chair or unit supervisor for faculty and principal investigator for other grant-funded personnel). If the actual percentage on the form is not an accurate reflection, the employee should contact the Office of Sponsored Programs for guidance.
Summer Salary for 10 Month Faculty:
There is no set limit to the number of faculty load hours that can be taught by full-time faculty during the summer. Full-time non-faculty college employees are limited to 5 FLH in Term 1 and a total of 5 FLH in Terms II and III combined. Part-time faculty is limited to 7 FLH in Term I and a total of 7 FLH in Terms II and III combined. The actual amount paid in a particular grant cannot exceed the amount indicated on the grant agreement budget.
Hiring New Full-time or Part-time Employees to Support the Grant
The hiring of grant-supported personnel is one of the topics that will be discussed during the award implementation and management meeting, scheduled by the Office of Sponsored Programs. The recruitment process is a collaborative effort of the Office of Human Resources, the Office of Sponsored Programs, the department and individual search committees. The college uses an online employment system that allows managers to electronically manage the search process under the guidance of the Office of Human Resources. Human Resources staff will assist with the development of job descriptions, recruitment advertisements, screening questions, application collection and tracking, reference documentation, and preparation of official hiring documents.
Temporary employee hiring policies and required forms are available on the intranet under the Business and Financial Resources Office.
Hiring Consultants vs. Subawards
It is often difficult to determine whether certain outside services needed by a grant project should be treated as a consultant or as a subaward. The following list of criteria was developed to assist in distinguishing between the use of a Consulting Agreement or a Subaward:
Consulting Agreement
o Given to independent contractors (individuals) or consulting organizations for professional services.
o Tasks are specific, well-defined and of limited scope.
o The consultant role is that of a hired service and not a collaborator. Subaward
o Given to colleges and universities, other institutions and organizations. o Usually has a partnership role, even when it is a small one.
o Often has more autonomy in the completion of the work, within the parameters of the agreed-upon work plan, timeline, and budget.
Once the determination has been made that a particular service provider is, in fact, a consultant, the process as outlined in the Independent Contractor policy should be followed. Policies, procedures, and required forms for hiring a consultant are available on the Business & Financial Resources intranet site.
Purchasing and Contracting
Purchasing Goods and Services
All goods and services must be procured through the college’s Purchasing Department,
regardless of funding source. The only exception is that every purchase must first be approved by the Office of Sponsored Programs. AACC purchasing requirements can be found on the Business & Financial Resources intranet site.
When issuing Requests for Proposals, bid solicitations and other purchasing documents, the college will clearly state the dollar amount of federal funds for the project, the percentage of the total cost of the project that will be financed with federal funds, and the percentage and dollar amount of the total cost of the project that will be financed by non-governmental resources.
Signature Authority
The Director of Business Support Services, the Executive Director of Finance or the Vice
President of Learning Resources Management are the only authorized signers of vendor contracts or agreements. College administrators, or in some instances their designees, are authorized to approve financial and purchasing documents. The complete Signature Authority policy can be found on the Business & Financial Resources intranet site.
Supplies and Materials
Most office supplies and materials can be ordered through UniMarket, the eProcurement system used by the college. This system provides a number of resources, including built in vendor catalogs, a user “shopping cart” methodology, and electronic ordering, receiving and Request for Quote functions. For complete instructions and to establish a user account, contact the
Use of Procurement Cards
The purchase by procurement card of products and services for sponsored program accounts (funds 20, 21 or 22) must be approved by the Office of Sponsored Programs prior to a purchase being made. A description of the product and/or service to be purchased, and a justification for using the purchasing card should be sent to the Office of Sponsored Programs via e-mail.
Catering
Any request or estimate for catering, through AACC Dining Services or an outside vendor must be pre-approved by the Office of Sponsored Programs.
Purchasing Computer-Related Equipment
All computer-related equipment, PC’s, printers, PDAs, software, etc., must be discussed with the college’s Information Technology Department before purchases are made to determine support and capability. When purchasing software licensing agreements, the term of the license should not extend beyond the term of the grant. If the license extends beyond the term of the grant, another source of funds must be identified.
Travel Regulations
Processing forms for reimbursement of travel expenses related to a grant follows the same procedures used for non-grant travel. See the Business and Financial Resources Office intranet site for policies and procedures related to local and non-local travel.
Subawards
When AACC is the prime recipient of a grant that has sub-recipients, a Subaward Agreement is sent to the sub-recipients by the Office of Sponsored Programs.
The Project Director/PI should provide the following contact information for both the Project Director/PI and the administrative contact of the subaward agency: name, title, address,
telephone number, and e-mail address. In addition, the Project Director/PI provides the Office of Sponsored Programs the Statement of Work and Timeline, the subaward budget, and any other special provisions for the entire grant period.
The Office of Sponsored Programs will prepare the subaward document in accordance with the terms and conditions of the prime award and send two originals to the subawardee for signature. Subawardees are requested to return both signed originals to Office of Sponsored Programs to attain the appropriate signatures of those who countersign, sending one countersigned original back to the subawardee. The Office of Sponsored Programs and the Project Director/PI are responsible for all negotiations of the subaward and for any changes to the subaward document.
Modifications to Subawards
A subaward may be modified at any time within the period of performance. Modifications can extend the period of performance, increase the amount, append additional tasks to the Scope of Work, or modify other terms and conditions as appropriate.
To initiate the modification process, contact the Office of Sponsored Programs. Relevant attachments such as a new Scope of Work or new budget must be forwarded to Office of Sponsored Programs along with the request to modify the subaward. The Office of Sponsored Programs will prepare the subaward modification document and obtain appropriate signatures. Project Reporting Requirements
Because considerable attention is focused on getting funding for a project and then on implementing the project and meeting compliance requirements, it is easy to shortchange an equally significant aspect of grantsmanship, reporting the progress and outcomes of the work to the college and to the funding agency. Careful, thorough reporting of grant activity is an essential component of grant management. It documents the accomplishments of the project; it assures responsible stewardship of external funds; and it highlights the impact the project has had. External sponsors usually require two types of reporting: programmatic reports and financial reports.
Funding Agency Requirements
Once AACC has entered into an agreement with a sponsor, it is AACC's responsibility to comply with all reporting requirements of that agreement. Funding agency reporting requirements are normally included in the award document and are confirmed at the award implementation and management meeting. Financial reports are completed by Business and Financial Resources Office and reviewed by the Project Director/PI and Office of Sponsored Programs.
Technical/programmatic reports are completed by the Project Director/PI and submitted by the Office of Sponsored Programs
Program/Progress/Technical Reports
Sponsored programs usually require final (and sometimes interim or annual)
programmatic/technical reports from the Project Director/PI. Annual reports document the progress to date on a given project. The final report usually includes a detailed description of the work performed, progress made, suggestions for future areas of study or involvement, and any related publications that resulted from the sponsored activity. Most sponsoring agencies have specific guidelines for the preparation and submission of reports. Reporting requirement
specifics, found in the award terms and conditions, are provided to the Project Director/PI at the award implementation and management meeting.
Failure to submit the final program report in a timely manner may jeopardize subsequent funding and release of cash to the college. The Office of Sponsored Programs will copy and submit reports received at least three days before the due date.
Financial Reports
A good financial report is simply an accurate, detailed itemization of every expenditure made for the project. These reports may be audited through the college’s regular auditing process, and can be audited by the external funding agency at their discretion.
No-Cost Extensions
On rare occasions, the work of a project will need to be extended beyond the project period. In such cases, it is possible to request a No-Cost Extension from the sponsor. Requests for No-Cost Extensions should be made to the Office of Sponsored Programs at least 90 days before the end of the period of performance of the grant. The request should include the name of the Project Director/PI, project title, Datatel account number, project dates, and a clear and concise rationale for the extension. If authorized by the Office of Sponsored Programs, the extension will be requested from the sponsor.
