Post-Award Services

Close Outs

With the recent APR improvements to campus close out processes, close outs should become quicker and more routine.  One change is that PIs and their financial people will receive automatic notices 60 days prior to the end date of their grants.  The email is a prompt to review the account and take action as needed, like requesting a no-cost extension, reviewing expenses for appropriateness, transferring expenses as needed to non-sponsored accounts, and dealing with overdrafts. 

L&S Post Award Services can help with close out issues.

Overdrafts

Overspent awards are a common issue, and cause problems with closeouts.  The typical solution is to transfer expenses to a non-sponsored funding source.  L&S Post Award Services can assist in solving these problems and will periodically send out reminders to departments with overdrafts.  As a last resort in the new closeout process, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP) post award accountant will transfer over-budget expenses to a divisional suspense account to allow for on time closeout.  Expenses moved to the divisional suspense account will need to be transferred to a departmental funding source. 

If you are contacted by RSP regarding a closeout, please carefully read the correspondence, contact L&S post award for assistance.

Effort Reporting & ECRT

Effort reporting is how we track our PI and other employee effort on sponsored projects.  ECRT is the electronic tool we use for effort reporting.  Our federal sponsors need to be assured that our PIs and other employees are working on the projects from which they are paid. It is very important for PIs to certify effort on their projects as it ensures future funding opportunities will be available from our federal and non-federal sponsors and that the UW will not be subject to fines. Effort and ECRT training are available on RSP's ECRT webpage.

Cost Share

Cost share is when the UW shares cost with an external sponsor.  It is recommended to avoid cost share if at all possible, but in some cases it is mandatory.  To effectively cost share, there must be a source of UW funding to be used for the project, and there must be a way to track and document the cost share.  RSP has in place a system that tracks and documents cost share. 

Cost share is indicated in the WISPER record as the proposal is being developed, and at time of award the cost share is implemented.  During the life of the project, the cost share plan is updated as necessary, and at the close out, the cost share is reconciled by the RSP post award accountant to be certain that the cost share is sufficient

Commitments

Commitments are promises of PI and key personnel effort made by PIs at the time of proposal; these promises are embedded in the submitted budget, in the budget narrative and elsewhere in the proposal document.  It is important to not overstate time commitments in the budget and elsewhere in the proposal. 

Too many commitments cause problems and can be impossible to fulfill; a PI has only so much time to give away. Commitments are tracked through WISPER and ECRT; at the time of award, commitments are entered into WISPER, this information in turn feeds to ECRT.  A PI's effort certification shows fulfillment of those commitments. 

When a PI needs to change commitments, the sponsor needs to be notified and RSP needs to be notified.   Negotiations with the sponsor are between the PI and the grant officer.  RSP is informed with the use of a commitment update form.

Residual Transfers

When fixed price contract projects are completed and a positive balance remains, these balances can be transferred to 233- gift funds for use as discretionary funding.  A form is submitted to L&S Post Award Services for Dean's approval, then forwarded to RSP for processing.

Edits Expansions

L&S Post Award Services approves edit expansions on 144-, 133-, 233- and 161- funds.  Email requests to jgvarda@ls.wisc.edu.

Extensions

Because WISPER is used to route no-cost extensions, L&S Pre-Award handles these requests.

For more information:

John G. Varda
Post-Award Accountant
Room 201D South Hall
1055 Bascom Mall
Madison, WI 53706
Phone: (608) 265-1170
FAX: (608) 265-2275
JGVarda@ls.wisc.edu