TAMRF: PV PI Manual Project Admin

The Foundation serves as the intermediary between the sponsoring agency and the Principal Investigator for negotiations, award modifications and other contractual matters. Funds are awarded on the basis of a formal proposal submitted through the Foundation on behalf of The Texas A&M University System Part. Notification of an award is normally transmitted directly to the Foundation by the sponsor.

If the sponsor does not require formal acceptance of terms and conditions as part of the agreement, the Research Administrator will establish a project after a review of the award document and the original proposal to insure that there is agreement between these documents. If funds are provided under an agreement which requires formal written acceptance of terms and conditions, the Principal Investigator must also review and approve the award document. The Foundation will review the terms of the award for such items as intellectual property provisions, publication rights and reasonable payment provisions. A project is established only after agreement has been reached by all parties on the award terms and the required document has been signed by the Foundation and the sponsor.

When an award has been fully executed, the Foundation will issue a notice informing the Principal Investigator, Department, and System Part of the award. Costs for the research cannot be incurred prior to the effective date of the award unless the sponsoring agency formally agrees to such an agreement.

With adequate assurances from the sponsor and guarantee of funds by the department, interim funding may be provided when written authorization is delayed past the effective date. The Principal Investigator may make expenditures against an interim-funded account pending receipt of award documents.

The Foundation is responsible for the accounting functions for the award. These functions include preparation of billings, computation of indirect costs, processing of journal entries, collection of cost sharing documentation, preparation of fiscal reports, and submission of all additional data required to close a project.

The Foundation coordinates with the Principal Investigator and the awarding agency whenever there are proposed changes in the research which require University and sponsor approval. As a general guideline, contractual changes are initiated by a memo from the Principal Investigator to the Research Administrator. The Research Administrator will prepare a formal written request in terms of the restrictions in the award. When a response is received from the sponsor, it is distributed to the appropriate Foundation personnel and the researcher. Refer to Appendix D for information required to process various modifications.

The Research Administrator is responsible for the coordination of all post-award services, and serves as the primary contact for the researcher and his/her staff. The Research Administrator should be contacted for additional information for the following services:

If subcontractors or consultants will be used in completing the requirements of a project, information must be furnished to the Foundation Research Administrator for preparation of agreements. Refer to Appendix E for a list of required information.

The Council of Principal Investigators is a group of researchers representing all parts of The Texas A&M University System. The number of representatives from each college is determined by the volume of research in the college.

The Council meets regularly to discuss issues of interest to University System researchers, and to inform the administration of concerns and opinions of the Principal Investigators. The Foundation provides support to the Council such as typing, mailing, etc.

For more information regarding the Council of Principal Investigators, please contact Jo Ann Treat, President of the Foundation, at 409-845-8670.

Couriers provide pickup and delivery services for proposal/document routing. Courier service may be obtained by calling the Research Administrator.

Gasoline credit cards, telephone credit cards, TAMU Stores Department cards, vehicle rental cards, and purchase authorization cards for local vendors are available. Credit cards are required to be picked up in Room 1B124, Hobart Taylor Hall. Refer to Appendix F for detailed procedures. To order cards, call 857-2246.

The Foundation is available to assist with the preparation of forms for the import or export of equipment and supplies. Foreign purchases can in some cases, with timely application, be entered duty free, and the Canadian Free Trade Agreement provides for reduced rates. For import and export information, call the Foundation Purchasing Department (845-8453).

The researcher may allow another individual to approve documents and expenditures for the research. Contact the Research Administrator to implement a delegation.

If supplies are purchased in order to fabricate an item of equipment, the Principal Investigator must indicate this on the invoice at the time of approval. This will allow the costs to be expensed as equipment.

The Foundation maintains property insurance for scheduled scientific instruments and equipment listed in the Foundation's inventory records. The insurance provides all risk coverage with the following limits:

Any One Location as Scheduled	$5,000,000	(Required to declare full value of equipment on transit invoice)
Property at Unnamed Location	$ 100,000
Property in Transit	$ 200,000

This coverage has a 10% deductible of the adjusted loss, subject to a minimum of $1,000 and a maximum of $2,500. The policy is endorsed to include $50,000 in transit limit and $50,000 unnamed location on worldwide territory (excluding U.S.A. and Canada).

The Foundation also provides business auto, general liability, waterborne and specific coverage upon request. The Foundation's insurance package includes excess liability limits of more than $50,000,000. For additional information concerning your insurance needs, please contact the Research Administrator.

Title to all intellectual property vests with The Texas A&M University System. In cases where the sponsor requests title, prior approval is obtained from the Chief Executive Officer of the System Part of the Principal Investigator.

All invoices should be billed directly to the Foundation, and the account number should be referenced as follows:

The Foundation posts invoices to the indicated account upon receipt. However, invoices will not be paid or expensed from the account without prior approval of the Principal Investigator (or his/her delegate).

At the end of each month, reports are generated which summarize the financial status of the account, and these are distributed during the first week of the month. These reports are sent to Principal Investigators, departments, colleges, and other individuals as requested. Some reports, such as payroll reports, must be approved and returned to the Foundation. Sample reports are included in Appendix G.

Payroll is charged to projects using Texas A&M University System Part procedures. A Form 500 is required in order to initiate and terminate individual payroll activity. Contact the University departmental payroll person for further details. Reports detailing payroll expenditures are distributed monthly for approval by the Principal Investigator.

Individuals may be reimbursed by the Foundation for minor expenses. The cash reimbursement limit is $200 per purchase, and receipts are required. Forms for reimbursement are available from the Research Administrator. Refer to Appendix H for the procedures for cash services.

The Texas A&M University System Part, through the Principal Investigator, is responsible for full technical compliance including the scope of work, progress reports, invention disclosures, and the final report. In addition, the responsibility for budgetary compliance rests with the Principal Investigator. This includes not only staying within the total budget and time period, but also staying within specific budget categories if required by the award. Any deviations from the award document must have prior sponsor approval.

All equipment is inventoried and managed in accordance with the Foundation's federally-approved property policy (Appendix I). Equipment obtained for use on Foundation-administered awards is assigned an inventory number and entered in the Foundation inventory records. A Foundation employee will contact the Principal Investigator approximately 30-45 days after receipt of the equipment and arrange to place an inventory tag on the equipment. A complete physical inventory of all property must be conducted annually, and upon the completion of a project.

All property reports are prepared and submitted to sponsors by the Foundation. Before a final report of sponsor-owned property is submitted, the Principal Investigator will be contacted for recommendations concerning transfer of the equipment to another active project or location. Foundation-owned equipment acquired under a project that has closed will be carried on the inventory of the original Principal Investigator unless the Foundation is informed otherwise.

When the purchase of equipment is shared between a Foundation project and University funds, the portion of the equipment purchased by the Foundation must be donated to The Texas A&M University System in accordance with State laws.

Sponsor-owned equipment which is no longer needed on the project should be reported to the Foundation Property Office. The Foundation will request disposal instructions from the sponsor.

Foundation-owned property which becomes inoperative, irreparable, obsolete, or surplus should be reported in writing to the Foundation Property Office. The Foundation will complete the documents necessary to transfer the property to University Surplus.

Foundation-owned property may be transferred to another institution upon the departure of the Principal Investigator from the University. The Principal Investigator's department head and dean must approve the property transfer.

Government-owned excess property is available for transfer to existing contracts. Grants, with the exception of National Science Foundation grants, are ineligible for transfer of excess property. To insure an equitable distribution of property among contractors, Federal agencies limit the amount of excess property (in terms of original acquisition cost) transferred to a contractor to the dollar value of the contract. Please contact the Foundation Property Office (845-8609) for information on the federal excess property program.

Items not received during an award period are not considered by a sponsor to be of benefit to the project and are routinely disallowed during audit, even if the charges were legitimate at the time the order was placed. Therefore, orders for supplies and equipment on sponsored projects must be placed 60-90 days prior to the project ending date to insure delivery and utilization during the project period. See Appendix G for detailed purchasing procedures.

The Foundation allocates funds to each College to assist in repair and maintenance of research equipment. For additional information, contact the Research Administrator.

The Foundation has a contractual responsibility for insuring that requirements for technical reports are fulfilled; however, the preparation of the technical report is the Principal Investigator's responsibility.

Because of the varying nature of the technical report requirements of different sponsors, it is advisable to contact the sponsoring agency's Technical Officer, or the Research Administrator for information concerning report requirements. The Principal Investigator should submit the technical reports to the sponsor, and one copy of each report should be submitted to the Foundation Research Administrator.

An advance for travel expenses may be requested through the Project Administrator at least four days prior to travel by completing the Foundation Advance Request Form. Within ten days after travel is completed, one copy of a Foundation Expense Account Form with original receipts must be submitted to the Project Administrator for reimbursement. The Foundation's Travel Policy Statement (Appendix B) will apply to all sponsored projects unless the sponsor requires specific travel regulations.