Issuing Outgoing Subawards

Introduction

The following information and procedures are provided for issuing an outgoing subaward for services under sponsored projects. Following these procedures will reduce the time it takes to issue a subaward. Procurements under other types of accounts should follow standard University purchasing procedures; contact Procurement Services at http://procurement.fsu.edu/ for more information.

Proposal Stage – Pre Award

The PI will determine the need for an outgoing subaward at the proposal stage. At this time, the PI will make the determination of the nature of the relationship between the parties, i.e., subrecipient vs. contractor as outlined in 2 CFR §200.331, by completing the Subrecipient/Contractor Determination Form.

The PI, at a minimum, must receive from the collaborating entity a letter of intent or commitment form signed by an authorizing official, a detailed budget, budget justification, and the scope of work. The scope of work must outline the work to be accomplished by the subrecipient specifically. Other information may be required as dictated by the prime sponsor’s proposal guidelines.

The budget from the subrecipient should include both direct and indirect costs. If the entity does not have a recognized indirect cost rate agreement, then a de minimis indirect cost rate (currently 15%) may be included in the entity’s budget per 2 CFR §200.414. The PI is responsible for ensuring that the proposed costs are reasonable and allowable.

Issuing the Subaward  

Once FSU has accepted an award from a sponsor which contains provisions for an outgoing subaward, the PI and department will work with SRA to prepare the subaward. Please note that subawards are not automatically set up once an award is accepted. In order to initiate the issuance of the subaward, the PI or departmental representative will submit a request through RAMP Agreements with all necessary documents uploaded, following SRA’s RAMP Subaward Submission Guide. The subcontract officers in SRA are responsible for the development of the subaward document; the inclusion of all applicable federal, state, university, and sponsor requirements; and the verification of any required disclosures and approvals. The PI is responsible for providing the scope of work, budget, budget justification, schedule of deliverables, and schedule of payments. The subawardee will be advised of the source of the funds (e.g., name of the sponsor, federal or state agency, Assistance Listing (CFDA) title and number, if applicable, and award name) and all audit requirements. SRA will complete a risk analysis prior to issuing a subaward.

SRA is responsible for all negotiations of the subaward, and any changes to the subaward document requested by the subawardee must be approved by SRA. The subawardee will sign and return the subaward to SRA. Once executed by SRA, the subaward is returned to the subawardee and is activated in RAMP Agreements where it is accessible by the PI and department.

If a subaward was NOT contemplated at the time of the proposal, budget revisions, compliance requirements, and sponsor approval may be required.

Amending the Subaward

If there is a need for an amendment to the subaward, the PI or department representative should create and submit an amendment request from the original subaward in RAMP Agreements following the RAMP Subaward Amendment Submission Guide.  

Monitoring/Invoicing

The SRA Post Award staff is responsible for processing invoices from subawardees. Subawardees will need to be active in the PaymentWorks system to be paid. No requisition is required. SRA Post Award has a direct purchase order system in OMNI to encumber funds without the necessity of the departments using requisitions/purchase orders for pure subawardee agreements. The encumbrance will appear on departmental ledgers as RXXXX where the "X" will be an encumbrance/contract number generated by RAMP.

The PI/department is responsible for monitoring periodic progress reports and invoices from the subawardees for compliance with the terms of the subaward. PIs should review invoices to ensure that they reflect progress and adhere to the budget. Non-compliance with the technical reporting requirements or dissatisfaction with the level of progress by the subawardee should be reported to the SRA Post Award Subcontract Analyst. Invoices should not be approved by the PI if there are issues with the performance of the subawardee.

IRB/IACUC approval monitoring, Reliance Agreement setup, and Data Use Agreement setup are the responsibility of the department to initiate and ensure are in place before subawardees begin work that may have restrictions placed on it by the sponsor.

Questions should be directed to: subcontracts@fsu.edu or telephone: (850) 644-5260.