Post Award Procedures

Post Award Procedures

Post Award Procedures include all activities concerned with managing the financial aspects of a grant/or contract after it is awarded.

1. Once the Project Director  is officially notified of the award of the grant, contract, or agreement, she/he should contact Julie Smith and Tony Dahm and submit a copy of the award letter and any additional materials received pertaining to award regulations and reporting requirements.  In some cases, such notifications will have be sent to Julie Smith who, as the University’s designated AOR/SRO, is often notified of funding awards.  But in some cases, the award notification may have only been sent to the project director.
2. In the event that a project proposal requires a negotiation step before the external funding entity makes an award decision, all aspects of such negotiation — especially those involving negotiation any of business, administrative, or financial matters concerning either the formal proposal and/or the grant, contract, or agreement to be awarded — must be carried out by Julie Smith, the Associate Vice President for Finance, acting on behalf of UMW.  She will coordinate with all affected UMW offices and officials as necessary and with the Project Director (the individual who has been designated to oversee and conduct the externally funded project).
3. The Project Director is responsible for all progress reports, technical reports and final reports. A copy of these reports should be sent to Julie Smith before they are submitted. In some cases, the Project Director may request that an appropriate staff member in the Accounting Office handle the submission of required financial reports and statements. The Project Director, in those cases, is responsible for providing all the information required so that such reports may be submitted in a timely fashion.
4. The University’s Office of Business and Finance will establish a restricted account to be used solely for the grant funds and expenses. Tony Dahm, Director of Accounting, is the point of contact for establishing a grant account and securing the necessary Banner “FOAP string” that will be required to make any charges against the awarded grant. His office is in Lee Hall, room 237, and his telephone is 654-1181. To set up the account, the Project Director will usually be required to complete a few forms and other paperwork needed to establish the account. These steps must be completed promptly. Once the grant account is established, the Director of Accounting will then forward verification of the new account number to the Project Director and to Julie Smith.
5. Before any changes are made in budget amounts, or allocations are made to different functions than those specified in the original budget submitted to the funding source, the Project Director must discuss these proposed changes with the program officer at the funding agency and the Office of the Provost must approve changes in writing. Immediately notify Tony Dahm, Director of Accounting, and Julie Smith, UMW AOR, of any such changes. In no cases should the project budget be revised without documentation.
6. In no cases should the project budget be revised without documentation.
7. Project Directors will be notified of any accounting changes made to their accounts by the Director of Accounting. A copy of all budget revision forms will be forwarded to the appropriate department. The Director of Accounting will maintain the official fiscal records for all grant transactions held by the University.
8. The Project Director and the appropriate department will be responsible for maintaining detailed records to support the records in the Director of Accounting’s Office. Depending upon the size of the grant and requirements of the funding source (e.g., NSF, NEH), financial statements should be reconciled at least quarterly. Any discrepancies with funds received or funds expended should be reconciled between project director and the business office immediately.
9. The Director of Accounting will be responsible for preparing and submitting expenditure reports and/or reimbursement documents to the funding agency. The Project Director will be responsible for preparing any program reports to the funding agency.