A subagreement, sometimes referred to as a subaward, subcontract, or subgrant, is used when the university transfers a portion of the scope of work of a sponsored project to an external (third party) entity for completion.  The external entity is also known as the subrecipient.  In turn, the sponsored funds for that portion of the project will flow through the university to the Subrecipient.  In order to ensure compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and policies, the following process has been developed for the subrecipient contract.  

  1. OSP sends Notice of Award to PI and Finance.
  2. Finance and PI hold Kickoff meeting.
  3. PI negotiates with Subrecipient PI re: scope of work and any other changes from original proposal, if needed.
  4. PI completes Subrecipient Questionnaire and routes document for signatures.  The signed document is sent to Grants & Gifts Accountant with Scope of Work, Budget, and Notice of Award.  Questionnaire may be completed either via AdobeSign or on paper.  PI should follow their standard signature authority process based on the dollar amount of the contract.
  5. Finance audits questionnaire, including verification of Subrecipient through SAM.gov. Executive Director of Finance or Comptroller signs questionnaire.  Grants and Gifts Accountant forwards questionnaire, including all supporting documents from PI, to Contracts and Purchasing within approx. 3 days.  Once delivered the Grants and Gift Accountant emails PI, the Subrecipient Questionnaire has been delivered to C&P.  However, if errors are found during audit, the questionnaire will be sent back to PI for revision which may delay approval.
  6. Contracts & Purchasing receives questionnaire and creates contract.  Timeframe for completion is generally 7-10 business days.  Heavy volume periods (e.g. fiscal year end or beginning) may take longer, as well as 1st year contracts which require additional information from the subrecipient. However, if errors are found, the questionnaire will be sent back to PI for revision which may delay process.
  7. C&P sends contract to Subrecipient.  This may happen via AdobeSign or paper depending on the Subrecipient's ability to use AdobeSign.
  8. If sent via AdobeSign, PI will be copied on the contract.  If a paper contract is used, C&P will copy the PI on the FedEx shipment request.
  9. When signed contract is received, C&P creates the PO, obligates the funds in the grant account, and sends copies to the PI and Finance for their files.
  10. If signed contracts are not received within 30 days, PI is responsible to follow up with Subrecipient.
  11. If the Subrecipient contacts the PI directly with questions:
    • for questions related to the agreement - contract terms, dates, etc., the PI should forward the email to Contracts & Purchasing. Please make sure to edit the subject line to indicate the issue.
    • for questions related to invoicing or financial allowability, the PI should forward the email to the Grants & Gifts Accountant.  Please make sure to edit the subject line to indicate the issue.
    • for questions related to scope of work, budgeting, or other issues with the project, the PI should respond.  Please contact the OSP if you need additional assistance.

Please note: The Subrecipient Questionnaire needs to be completed for each Project Year.  

Subrecipient Contract Workflow

Workflow for Subrecipient Contracts