The Office of Sponsored Programs provides a host of services to support the management of grant and contract awards. Additionally, Post-Award Specialists are available to provide assistance to faculty, staff, and administrators regarding sponsored program cost accounting and best practices; allowability and allocability of costs to sponsored program awards; guidance on navigating special award terms and conditions; and reporting requirements.
Below is the basic process for administering grant and contract awards at UWM. For more information, review our Post-Award Services or contact the Post-Award Specialist designated to assist your school, college, and/or department.
At the Time of Award
Step 1: Review the award materials
What should the Principal Investigator do?
Carefully review the award documentation materials from the sponsor. Your Pre-Award Specialist will work closely with you to finalize the appropriate agreements and secure institutional approvals to officially accept the award.
Contact:
Work closely with your Pre-Award Specialist to finalize and accept the award.
Step 2: Create the project account
What should the Principal Investigator do?
After the award is accepted and approved, it will be assigned to the designated Post-Award Specialist for your Division/School/College. An account will be established so that expenses will be allocated to the project. Monitor your e-mail for information related to your project account. Use the WISER system to monitor financial transactions associated with the award.
Contact:
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- Contact your Post-Award Specialist if you have questions or need information about your project account.
- Contact the business unit representative of your Division/School/College if you are unable to access WISER.
Step 3: Review budget in WISER
Budget and Expenditure Monitoring: 2 CFR 200.302
Grant and Contract Accounts are monitored by a combination of the Principal Investigator, the department, the Dean’s office, and the Office of Sponsored Programs.It is the PI’s responsibility to assure that expenditures are appropriate, reasonable, and allowable. Supporting documentation must be kept establishing that the funds have been expended according to the terms and conditions of the award. The PI should manage the expenditures to match the awarded budget and not exceed the available balance.The Post-Award Specialist may initiate a request for cost transfers if an award is overspent or an unallowable expense has posted to the award. All cost transfers on extramural funded awards must be reviewed and approved by the Post-Award Specialist. Also see Cost Transfers.Contact the business unit representative of your Division/School/College if you are unable to access WISER.
Contact:
- Contact your Post-Award Specialist if you have questions or need information about your project account.
- Contact the business unit representative of your Division/School/College if you are unable to access WISER.
During the Award Period
Step 4: Manage award
What should the Principal Investigator do?
You may now initiate the project and begin spending the funds. Expenses should align with the original project budget and scope of work.
Contact:
Contact your Post-Award Specialist immediately if you have changes to your project budget or scope of work. While many sponsors will permit minor changes without approval, all sponsors require approval for major changes. Your Post-Award Specialist is trained in the nuances project and budget changes and can provide valuable assistance.
Step 5: Monitor compliance
What should the Principal Investigator do?
Principal Investigators, in collaboration with the Office of Sponsored Programs and your Division/School/College, are responsible for ensuring compliance with the myriad of federal, state, and campus regulations governing sponsored projects. Principal Investigators must carefully monitor compliance in the following areas as applicable:
- All expenses match the original award terms and conditions, are allowable, and match the original award.
- All human subjects compliance requirements are satisfied.
- All animal compliance requirements are satisfied.
- All effort reporting requirements are satisfied.
- All conflicts of interest are reported within 30 days of the event.
- All biosafety and/or biohazard compliance requirements are satisfied.
- All export control applications and requirements are completed and satisfied.
All UWM faculty and staff are encouraged to report instances of fraud, waste, and abuse via the UW System anonymous hotline. Reports may be made via phone (855-827-4950) or online.
Contact for compliance questions:
- Allowability and allocability of your project expenses: Your Post-Award Specialist.
- Effort reporting: Jeffrey Nytes (jpnytes@uwm.edu, 251-6949)
- Conflict of interest reporting and/or export controls: Kate Mollen (mollen@uwm.edu, 229-4853)
- Human subjects: Human Research Protection Program (irbinfo@uwm.edu, 229-3173).
- Animal research: Animal Care Program (acp@uwm.edu, 229-6016).
- Biosafety or biohazard issues: Biological Safety Program office in University Safety & Assurances at 229-6339.
Step 6: Monitor project reporting
What should the Principal Investigator do?
Sponsors typically require progress reports on your project activities and expenditures. Carefully review the award materials to determine the appropriate reporting deadlines and to ensure that you have access to the appropriate sponsor systems (e.g., NSF FastLane) to submit the reports.
Contact:
Contact your Post-Award Specialist if you have questions about project reports. For sponsors that request interim financial reports, contact your Post-Award Specialist at least 30 days before the due date to ensure all project expenses are reported correctly.
After the Award Period Ends
Step 7: Project Closeout
What should the Principal Investigator do?
Sponsors usually require a final project and financial report at the end of the project period. Principal investigators are responsible for developing the project report and should work closely with your Post-Award Specialist to develop the final financial report. Upon submission of the final report, the project account will be closed.
Contact:
Contact your Post-Award Specialist to discuss and develop the final financial report for the project.
Step 8: Record Retention
Record Retention: 2 CFR 200.333
It is the policy of the Office of Sponsored Programs to close an award after all final reports have been filed and all receivables have been satisfied. It is the department’s responsibility to maintain the supporting documents for all expenses that have posted to an award. All information and records for grants and contracts are retained for four years and three months after the award has been closed, unless the sponsor requests other terms and conditions.