Subawards

A subaward or subcontract can be distinguished from a service or consultant by the nature of the work they will perform. An organization is considered a subaward when it:

• Makes substantial contributions to the project that may not be reduced to a set price per unit;
• Has its performance measured against whether the objectives of the project are met; and
• Has responsibility for programmatic decision making.

UAF requires specific documentation to certify commitment of each subrecipient. Remember, the university claims F&A recovery on only the first $25,000 of each subaward, even if the project spans multiple years.

Each UAF subrecipient organization is required to provide OSP with a Subrecipient Commitment Form (Form OSP-007). This form should be completed and signed by the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) and the PI for the subrecipient. Along with this form, the subrecipient is required to include at a minimum:

1. A statement of work to be performed by the subrecipient organization/PI in the proposed project;
2. An itemized budget and justification for the work to be performed by the subrecipient;
3. Other documents as needed (i.e. CVs, C&Ps, copies of F&A or benefits agreements, copies of IRB or IACUC protocols, etc.)

UAF PIs who plan to be subrecipients on other institutions' projects, should check with the prime institution to determine what documentation to provide. At the minimum, OSP requires a statement of work, budget, and budget justification.

For further information regarding subrecipients, see The Office of Grants and Contracts Administration's subaward section manual.

Note regarding "Sub-subrecipients": Unless substantial justification can be made, a subrecipient should generally not request any further subawarding of their portion of work. Instead, the prime awardee should budget all subawards/subcontracts so that they fall under the prime's authority.

Treatment of Cross-MAU/Cross-Department Activities in Sponsored Programs

If one MAU (the prime) writes a proposal which includes activity that will be conducted by one or more of the other UA MAUs (for example, UAA submits a proposal which includes work that will be completed UAF), the work completed by UAA, UAF, and UAS IS NOT treated as a subrecipient. UA is one institution so no subaward or subcontract arrangement can exist even when activities cross MAUs or departments within an MAU. All costs incurred should be included in the prime MAU's proposal budget. It is helpful for the various activities to be clearly identified with each specific MAU. For proposal submissions to the National Science Foundation, a collaboration between MAUs is appropriate unless prohibited by the program competition.

In general, the F&A cost rate for the primary MAU should be used for the whole proposal unless the activity at other locations is material. However, the funding agency may require multiple rates for the proposed project regardless of materiality to the project. Agency guidelines and requirements are the primary consideration in deciding if it is appropriate to use multiple rates. In addition, if the activity at the primary campus is 90% or more of the total project then the activity at other locations is probably not material to the project and doesn't warrant the use of multiple rates. Contact UA Cost Analysis for more information.

Note: NSF requires subawardee budgets & justifications be entered in FastLane's budget section and not in the Special Information and Supplementary Documentation section!