JORA Post-Award Grant Administrators (Grant Managers) support Main Campus PIs on the post-award management of externally funded or sponsored awards and are responsible for key post-award activities throughout the research lifecycle. Medical Center PIs will continue to work with their department financial administrators (Grant Managers) for post-award management.
Award Setup and Project Initiation
JORA Grant Managers support PIs with key post-award activities to ensure awards are set up accurately and managed in compliance from the start. In collaboration with PIs and University partners, they help navigate award review, at-risk spending, and requesting subawards through the following processes:
- Reviewing Notices of Award and highlighting actionable post-award items for PIs
- Reviewing award and budget set-up in GMS
- Requesting at-risk accounts for allowable pre-award spending when needed
- Submitting subaward requests in GU-Pass for both new subawards and modifications to existing subawards
At-risks: Main Campus and the Medical Center currently have two different processes for setting up at-risks. All at-risks require an internal discretionary source of back-up funding and approval of the department. If the new award or next year of funding does not come through, any expenses charged during the at-risk period will be charged to the internal source of back-up funding.
For Medical Center PIs, the assigned Grant Manager will help route the request in GMS. Once the request goes through the necessary approvals in GMS it will then route to a JORA Pre-Award Grant Administrator who will approve and set-up the request in GMS to allow pre-award spending.
For Main Campus PIs, the assigned JORA Grant Manager will help complete the at-risk form which will then route for signature approval. Once signatures are received the Pre-Award Grant Administrator will then establish the at-risk period for the project in GMS to allow pre-award spending.
At-risks are also sometimes required while awaiting sponsor obligation for the next year of funding, but the above process is still the same. Additional information is available in the Sponsored Projects Finance Office’s (SPFO) policy on at-risk accounts.
Subawards: Once a sponsored award is received and set-up in GMS, the PI’s Grant Manager for both Main Campus and Medical Center should work with the PI and subsite to address any changes in budget or scope since proposal submission. They should also work with JORA to make sure any prior approval requests are addressed. Once these steps are finalized, the Grant Manager should submit the request for a new subaward or request for a modification to an existing subaward in GU-Pass.
After the subaward request has been reviewed and approved by the JORA Pre-Award Grant Administrators in GU-Pass, they will work with the subsite to have the subaward fully executed and will then set up the subaward in GMS.
Financial Management and Compliance
JORA Grant Managers provide ongoing financial oversight and compliance support throughout the life of an award. In collaboration with PIs and University partners, they support these responsibilities through the following post-award financial management activities:
- Completing the monthly reconciliations (Budget to Actuals Report/BARs) of all externally sponsored research expenditures, making adjustments and corrections if needed, and preparing projections of reoccurring expenditures
- Reviewing and approving expense reports, supplier and contractor invoices, and subrecipient invoices prior to payment
- Reviewing and approving all charges to the award for allowability, allocability, reasonableness, and consistency
- Determining with PIs if effort adjustments, re-budgets, agreement modifications or no cost extensions are needed and making sure those occur within sponsor prior approval requirements
- Working with procurement, department administrators, and other relevant offices to enable post-award spending
- Tracking cost-share commitments, salary caps, F&A and fringe benefit rates for compliance with university and sponsor policies
Post-award Spending:
Effort: Once the award has been set up and the work-tags have been generated in GMS, they may be shared with departmental or lab administrative staff to set up costing allocations for effort. Fringe is automatically calculated in GMS based on the effort levels set in the costing allocation and GU’s negotiated fringe rates. The Grant Manager also reviews effort certifications in GMS per GU’s Effort Policy. If corrections are needed the Grant Manager can assist with processing a Payroll Accounting Adjustment (PAA) to adjust effort in GMS.
Purchase Orders (POs) and Punch-Outs: PIs should work with their administrative staff and GU’s Procurement Office to set up purchase orders to pay suppliers. Punch-outs: GU has agreements with several large-scale vendors that allow for direct purchasing through GMS. This is preferred over charging items on the pro-card.
Expense Reports: Job aids for completing and submitting expense reports are available on the GMS Training Page in the Finance section.
Subaward Invoices: All subaward invoices should be emailed by the subawardee to subaward@georgetown.edu – this information is included in their subaward agreement. This email account is managed by the Sponsored Projects Finance Office (SPFO) and they will review and then route the invoice for approval in GMS to the Grant Manager and PI assigned to the award in GMS. Once the invoice has been approved in GMS the cost will then post and show in the Budget to Actuals Report (BAR).
Shared Resource Services: For more information and contacts for questions please see the Shared Resource Services webpage. These services are charged to grants via internal chargebacks and will show up as line item expenses in the Budget to Actual Reports (BAR).
No-Cost Extensions: To request a no-cost extension, for Main Campus PIs, the assigned Grant Manager and/or CRA should be notified at least 90 days prior to the end of the award (unless the sponsor requires sooner). For Medical Center PIs, the assigned CRA should be notified at least 90 days prior to the end of the award (unless the sponsor requires sooner). The CRA will then submit the official request to the sponsor. Once the sponsor approves, the Pre-Award Grant Administrator will then extend the award in GMS. Some sponsors may require an unobligated balance amount, justification for the use of unobligated funds during the NCE period, and a scientific rationale for continuing the project.
Reporting and Audit Support
JORA Grant Managers help ensure PIs meet ongoing reporting and audit requirements throughout the award period. Working closely with PIs and other University partners, they provide coordination for programmatic, technical, and financial reporting responsibilities.
- Keeping PIs abreast of programmatic reporting requirements and due dates and assisting in financial and administrative areas where necessary (e.g. RPPR unobligated balance calculations)
- Responding to audit requests from the Sponsored Projects Finance Office (SPFO) for both internal and external audits of sponsored funding
Progress or Technical Reports: Some sponsors may require progress or technical reports to be submitted by an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) while others will let a PI submit directly. Some may need to be submitted in a specific sponsor portal while others may be submitted via email. In cases where an AOR is required to submit a report, coordination should occur directly with the assigned CRA. Even when AOR submission is not required, a copy of the report should be shared with the CRA so that a copy may be uploaded to GMS and any automated GMS reminders may be disabled.
Financial Reports are typically submitted by the Sponsored Projects Finance Office (SPFO). Main Campus PIs should work directly with their assigned JORA Grant Manager to ensure that all applicable transactions are posted correctly in GMS, so that financial reports are accurate. Like progress or technical reports, the method for submitting will depend on the terms and conditions of the award. Post-award grant management for the Medical Center is handled outside of JORA. Medical Center PIs should work directly with their assigned Medical Center Grant Manager.
Award Closeout
Grant Managers coordinate with the Sponsored Projects Finance Office (SPFO), PIs, and CRAs to close out projects in a timely manner by making sure all charges have correctly posted.