Best Practices – Agreement Review and Execution Processes

  • Submit a proposal via myProposals as soon as you begin having conversations with a potential sponsor. Sponsored Programs cannot act on your behalf, review documents or secure authorized official signatures on documents until a completed proposal is received and approved by OSP.
  • Work with the relevant Regulatory Compliance offices (OPRS, IACUC, COI, etc.) once the proposal is approved and concurrently while the agreement is being negotiated. OSP cannot execute an agreement until all compliance approvals have been obtained.
  • If the draft sponsored project contract is received by the department or PI, submit via OSPWeb as a Request for Action document, referencing the associated Institutional Proposal number. Clarification between myProposals submissions and OSPWeb submissions can be found here.
  • When available, provide an editable (MS Word) version of the sponsored project agreement in the OSPWeb submission or send directly to the assigned OSP Contract Negotiator.
  • Always use current forms and templates from the Sponsored Programs website.
  • Access myResearchPortal for real time updates on activities during agreement negotiations.
  • Keep the OSP Contract Negotiator informed of any changes to the budget and/or scope of work that may occur during the contract review and negotiation process and provide the OSP Contract Negotiator informed on all pertinent background information.
  • If the fully executed sponsored project contract or subcontract is received by the department or PI, forward the contract to the OSP Contract Negotiator for proper account setup and record retention.
  • If you will need to issue a subaward to another entity for a sponsored project, the subcontractor must be identified by name in either (1) the original proposal submitted to the sponsor; or (2) in the sponsored project agreement, award or budget; or (3) approved in writing by the sponsor upon your request.
  • If the subcontract is not named in either 1, 2 or 3 above, the subcontract cannot be processed through OSP and must be processed as a Professional and Artistic Service through the Office of Business and Financial Services (OBFS) Purchasing office.