OSP Update
MRAM - 10/10/2013
Lynette Arias
Office of Sponsored Programs
University of Washington
Today’s Report
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Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP)
NIH eRA Commons Working Group (CWG)
OSP FY2014 Projects
Subcontracts Update
What is FDP?
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FDP - Federal Demonstration Partnership
10 Federal agencies / 119 research institutions
25 years / Began as Florida Demonstration Project
3 meetings / year in Washington, DC
Source of many grant streamlining over the years
Administrative, Faculty and Technical representatives
participate:
 Admin rep – Jeff Cheek – will change to Lynette
 Faculty rep – Was Dave Eaton – looking for replacement
 Technical rep – Jim Kresl
 http://sites.nationalacademies.org/pga/fdp/index.htm
Office of Sponsored Programs
Presenter Name
September 2013 FDP Meeting
General Session Highlights
 Emphasis on Public Access Policy - Agency plans due to
OSTP 8/22.
 NIH Payment Mgmt System subaccounts
 Closeout requirements changing – shortening timelines
 Most agencies in process of updating their policy guides
 Recovery and Transparency Board extended for 2 years
 All awaiting Omni-circular – target Dec 2013
 Presentations from Sept meeting:
http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/fdp/PGA_084892
Usual FDP Agenda
Work of Committees split into three areas:
Administration
 General administration
 Compliance
Faculty
Technical
September 2013 FDP Meeting
Examples of subcommittees
 Administrative Committee
 Administration
 Subawards – pursuing unilateral mods, fixed price
template, subcontract template
 Administrative Burden – Focused on NIH subaccounts
 Project Certification – ongoing pilot
 Contracts – troublesome clause discussion/database
 Compliance
 Animal subjects – new FAQ re: wildlife
 Human subjects – HIPAA Omnibus final rule and research
September 2013 FDP Meeting
Examples of subcommittees
 Faculty Committee
 Office of Naval Research’s Basic and Applied Research
Portfolio
 Work Life Balance
 Faculty admin burden
 Technical Committee
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STAR Metrics
SAM – System for Award Management
Using rich media for grant applications
InCommon Single Sign-on / ScIENcv Pilot Project
NIH Commons Working Group
 The Commons Working Group (CWG) is an open
meeting that allows NIH to have a conversation with
members of the user community to discuss electronic
business processes between NIH and our grantee
community.
 This group meets three times a year in January, May
and September in conjunction with the Federal
Demonstration Partnership meetings.
 In existence since around 2000
 http://era.nih.gov/commons/about_CWG.cfm
September 2013 CWG Meeting
 eRA Commons updates
 Updates to personal profile (required fields, etc.)
 Forms C
 SBIR reauthorization project
 ASSIST updates – requesting feedback on our
experience
 RPPR – Oct 22 webinar. To be rescheduled based on
shutdown
September 2013 CWG Meeting
 Closeout – policy changes coming, so they are
relooking at closeout module and opening things up
for comments, changes needed, usability, etc.
 Implications of Requiring Commons Users IDs (grad
students, undergrads, post docs, etc)
 Roles, rights and delegations (relooking at how
people are using roles, making some changes, adding,
deleting)
OSP Key FY2014 Projects
Focus on process improvement in four key lines of
business:
 Proposals
 Awards
 Subcontracts
 Other Administrative Actions
OSP Projects
Proposal
 Clearly defining “sponsored project” and what type of
agreements are the responsibility of OSP – Fall 2013/Winter
2014
 Proposal review standards/guidelines– Fall 2013/Winter 2014
Award
 Enhanced tracking of pending Funding Actions – in process
 GCA/OSP workgroup to assist “back and forth” process – in
process
 Updates to FA itself – Fall 2013/Winter 2014
University of Washington
Presenter’s Office
OSP Projects
Subcontracts
Process assessment and improvements - ongoing
System development to support process – next 1-2 years
Team changes & new Assistant Director
Campus workgroup – reconvening
Enhanced tracking, communication and education
Other administrative actions
Assessing options for centralized system intake
Subcontracts Process Improvements
Process updates completed
 Updated version of FDP template being used
 Expanded use of this to include all Fed Grants & Cooperative
Agreements
 Process changes around flowdown of prime terms & conditions
 Moving now to standard non-FDP template for Fed contracts
and all non-fed agreements
 Fully executed agreement now being attached in SAGE / eGC-1
 Added in subrecipient review/risk assessment at time of
subaward issuance – Subrecipient Certification Form
 With Subrecipient Financial Questionnaire for non A133 entities
Subcontracts Updates
 System projects
 Working with ORIS on three key priorities
 System solution to track information on actual subrecipient entity
 Enhanced reporting on subcontracts and subrecipient entitites
 Intake system – for “Request for subcontract”
 As well as longer term wish list / “subcontract module”
 Future activities
 Enhanced tracking of all subcontract activity within OSP
 Enhanced connection to Funding Action to trigger need for sub
 Discussions with Accounts Payable, Procurement and GCA for
further efficiencies in areas such as:
 Invoice discrepancies
 After award subcontracts and how to better account for these
University of Washington
Presenter’s Office
Subrecipient Monitoring
Subrecipient Monitoring is the process of
providing oversight on subawards
throughout their lifecycle.
Roles and Responsibilities
Task/Responsibility
Responsible Party
Obtain the appropriate information prior to
submitting the proposal (statement of intent,
accurate budget, statement of work)
PI/Department
Review appropriateness of subreceipient entity
prior to issuing sub
OSP
Execute an agreement consistent with A-133
requirements
OSP
Review entities on an annual or ongoing basis
OSP
Track scope of work & expenditures by the
subcontractee to ensure project is on time, on
budget, within scope, and costs are allowable
PI/Department
Next Steps
Subrecipient Monitoring Project
 Future activities
 Reconvene campus workgroup
 Form new workgroup for departments with heavy foreign
activity
 Have focused conversations with individual departments with
heavy foreign subcontract activity to learn more about
specific needs on their ongoing relationships with subs
 Modify processes for foreign subrecipients, as needed
 Continue campus communication
 Update subcontract webpage, resources
Wrap Up / Reminders
 Always submit a letter of intent by the SC-PI and
countersigned by the authorizing official of his/her
institution
 There may be subrecipients that either we are not able to
subcontract with or we will need to increase terms &
conditions and tracking based on review
 Look in SAGE for a full/final version of the subaward
documents
 New Subcontracs Assistant Director – Marcea Kato. 10/28