Business Policies and Procedures Manual
Chapter 40: Sponsored Agreements

BPPM 40.04

For more information contact:
   Sponsored Programs Services
   509-335-2058

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Establishing the Award

Sponsored Programs Services SPS) establishes an award in Workday after the following actions:

• The University receives a bilaterally signed agreement from the sponsor.
• The grant or contract documentation is processed by the Office of Research Support and Operations (ORSO); and ORSO delivers the processed documentation to SPS.

The University, department, and investigator use the award and associated award lines to track open invoices, expenditures, and revenues related to the sponsored project.

In Workday, sponsored projects are established as awards in function FN017 (Sponsored Research & Programs). See BPPM 30.05 for an explanation of “function.”

Guaranteed Expenditures

Use a Create Request for Sponsored Project Account business process in Workday if it is necessary to initiate purchases or incur other expenses prior to receipt of the signed agreement. (See the Workday Create Request for Sponsored Project Account reference guide.)

Allocation Notices

When SPS completes the award setup process in Workday, system notifications are automatically sent to users assigned the Grant PI (principal investigator) and Grant Manager security roles.

See BPPM 85.33 and the applicable Workday Security reference guides for instructions on requesting and approving role-based security requests for access to Workday modules and functions.

Spending

The department and principal investigator may begin allowable spending on the award after the indicated project effective date (or earlier if approved as described in 2 CFR 200 and ORSO Guideline #7).

Account Closeout

SPS is required to close awards within 120 days of the end of the period of performance (the closeout period), in accordance with 2 CFR 200. The PI or Grant Manager must provide approval to final-invoice and close an award within 90 days of the end of the period of performance, in order to provide SPS with enough time to reconcile the award and prepare final documents.

If the award is in overdraft status at the end of the period of performance, the PI or Grant Manager must identify a non-sponsored cost center to transition the  overdraft to within 90 days of the end of the period of performance, otherwise SPS may transfer the overdraft to the relevant department or area’s finance and administrative (F&A) returns cost center. Overdrafts do not preclude SPS from timely final-invoicing/reporting and closing of an award.

Account Termination

At certain timeframes prior to the termination date of the award, ORSO and/or SPS notify the PI and Grant Manager of items requiring their review and/or attention prior to the termination date. These reminders may include but are not limited to:

• Personnel action changes,
• Agency approvals,
• Cost shares, and
• Effort certifications.

In the event such reminders and notifications are not made, it remains the PI’s and Grant Manager’s responsibility to ensure awards are managed appropriately through termination and closeout. See the applicable Workday reference guides (Grants; Effort Certification; Recruiting) for instructions.

Except as authorized by 2 CFR 200 and/or with written agency approval, the department and PI are not to spend or obligate award monies after the project’s termination date. See BPPM 40.03 for expenditure deadlines.

SPS closes the account after:

• All outstanding encumbrances and obligations are paid.
• All overdrafts are cleared.
• Cost sharing obligations are met.
• Reports are sent and approved.
• Funds are received from the sponsor.

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Revisions:  May 2021 (Rev. 566); Jan. 2002 (Rev. 200); June 1991 (Rev. 86); July 1987 – new policy (Rev. 67).