Accepting and Setting Up Awards is Multiphasic
Award acceptance demands a rigorous process of receipt and review and, when necessary, negotiation with the sponsor. It culminates in award set-up in both the financial and payroll systems.
All awards must be reviewed thoroughly prior to acceptance. In some cases, award terms must be negotiated to conform to BMC policies, systems, and procedures. Reasons for negotiation include, but are not limited to, insufficient budget support, expanded work plan, restrictive publications clause, and/or policy conflicts.
Roles and Responsibilities
The principal investigator/program director (PI/PD) and department administrator (DA) are responsible for determining whether program-related award terms are acceptable, such as funding levels and programmatic reporting requirements. Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA) staff are responsible for reviewing all other terms and conditions collaborating with the PI/PD/DA to secure terms that are favorable to BMC. As needed, SPA staff will draft and convey BMC’s preferences in a counterproposal to the sponsor. This iterative process concludes when terms acceptable to both BMC and the sponsor are reached.
When BMC award acceptance requires negotiations, only authorized representatives of BMC and the sponsor may conduct them. BMC's authorized representatives are SPA staff; the Director, Research Contracts and Industry Agreements, Research Operations; and the Office of General Counsel (OGC). SPA staff are authorized to handle sponsored agreements that include standard terms. They will engage the contract director and/or the OGC as needed. When the program sponsor is a foundation, the Foundation Relations and Government Grants (FRGG) team may play a role in the award acceptance process.
Finalized awards often require a signature, in which case SPA staff facilities the signing and acceptance of the award on behalf of BMC.
Please note: The results of unauthorized negotiations are not binding on BMC or its fiscal agents. The PI/PD/DA should request changes to award terms and conditions via SPA staff, who will draft acceptable language, which will then be presented to the sponsor for their review and concurrence.
Award Receipt and Initial Review
Upon receipt, awards are assigned to SPA staff for initial review and processing. SPA prioritizes processing awards by:
- Response deadline
- Effective dates, and/or
- New agreements, funded modifications, and project extensions by receipt date.
Review Steps
Submissions and Acknowledgement
All grant agreements must be sent to SPA, which promptly acknowledges receipt. Within one business day, the award is forwarded to the PI/PD/DA and their assigned SPA Grants and Contracts Administrator (GCA).
Initial Review Process
The GCA completes the initial review within ten business days of receipt. An extended review period may be necessary, e.g., if non-standard terms are included; the corresponding InfoEd record had not been created prior to proposal submission or is missing crucial information and documentation; or the proposal documents had not undergone a full SPA review and approval.
Legal Review Coordination:
If legal review is required, an additional ten business days may be needed, possibly extending longer for complex terms. The GCA will coordinate with the SP attorney to facilitate the process.
Agreement Approval and Execution
The agreement approval and execution sub-process necessitates the collaboration of SPA, the PI/PD, and sponsor.
- The GCA requests the endorsement of the PI/PD, who may pose any questions or concerns
- Unless negotiation with the sponsor is required, after the PI/PD approves, the GCA routes the agreement for signature via DocuSign and forwards the signed agreement to the sponsor, including the PI/PD/DA on the communication
- If negotiation with the sponsor is required, the GCA engages the sponsor, consulting with the SP attorney as needed
- Upon obtaining the fully executed agreement, the GCA forwards it to the PI/PD/DA and initiates the setup process
Award Setup and Notification
Once accepted, the award is set up in InfoEd, BMC's grants and contracts system of record; Infor, BMC's financial system of record, used to account for expenditures and to manage revenues; Workday, for salary allocations; and Upon Infor setup completion, the PI/PD/DA will receive a Sponsored Project Award Notification via e-mail for review.
Every award is assigned unique posting project numbers in Infor. Project expenses must be charged to the posting project that corresponds to the award. Known as fund accounting, it is BMC’s standard for the financial management of its awards.
