Grant Manager's Handbook

* This information does not apply to grants that will be administered by the Partnership for Community, Business and Industry Training.

As soon as a grant or contract opportunity is identified, a copy of the Request for Proposal (RFP) or contract application/description, along with a timeline showing how that funding opportunity will be pursued, should be forwarded through the appropriate Vice President or Division Dean to the Office of Grant Development, Accountability and Management Services (Accountability). Accountability, Grants Compliance Section, will review all grant proposal packages prior to the submittal to the STC President's Office for signature. This review is intended to ensure that the proposal includes accurate, arithmetically correct and complete budgetary information. The review will also target the programmatic "do-ability," to prevent proposal and subsequent award of grants that have little or no likelihood of successful completion. To ensure common understanding and support, a cover sheet will be attached to the grant proposal package indicating that the director of any affected division (HR, OIRE, Instruction, Student Services, etc) has read and can support the actions required by the proposal. Review by Accountability one to two weeks in advance of intended submittal to the President's Office is recommended. A minimum of two (2) working days is required for review. If substantive changes to the proposal occur following the review by Accountability, a final review will be required prior to the submittal to the President's Office. Copies of any media (disks, and/or CDs) should also be provided at that time. Note : The President will not sign any proposal package until Accountability has reviewed the package.

A complete proposal package (including the President's signature) will be distributed to Accountability when the proposal is submitted to the grantor for consideration. In the event of negotiations prior to the award of the grant, Accountability will review revised proposals. Review will occur for any significant change - fiscal and/or programmatic.

How a grant is administered depends on how the grant is written. Each grant varies slightly depending on the specific provisions of the proposal as awarded, and the requirements of the granting agency. There are, however, many commonalities among the grants. This handbook is written to provide information, and guidance on the most common grant administration issues.

GRANT AWARD

Following the notification of grant award by the granting agency, the STC Board of Trustees must accept the award. To expedite this process, Accountability serves as the point of contact for preparation and dissemination of the Board packet documentation (the notice of award and the Board agenda item). Board meetings are held each month, but agenda items must be provided well in advance of the scheduled meeting. There is usually a lag of three or four weeks from the date of notification until the date of Board acceptance. It is important that the writer of the grant, or a knowledgeable member of his/her division, be present at the Board meeting when the award is presented for acceptance.

After the STC Board has accepted the grant award and the President has signed any required acceptance papers, the Compliance Specialist and Grant Accountant will meet with the Grant Manager to complete the internal documents required to create the grant account. These documents include the STC Request for Grant Budget, BO-4200 (Exhibit 1), Grant Account Data Form, BO-4400 (Exhibit 2), and Request for a New Account, BO-4900 (Exhibit 3). The Compliance Specialist will provide originals of all documents to the Business Office. No personnel may be hired, nor requisitions processed until the Business Office establishes the grant account. The Compliance Specialist serves as the Account Manager on all grant accounts. The timeline for grant administration will also be identified/established. Important items like due dates for fiscal and programmatic reports will be highlighted.

GRANT ADMINSTRATION

EXTERNAL DOCUMENTS

Changes or Modifications

For budgetary or programmatic revisions requiring the approval of the granting agency, the Compliance Specialist will work with the Grant Manager to facilitate the development of the proposed changes. Any change to the scope of work, goals, or key personnel requires the prior approval of the granting agency. No revisions will be submitted without prior notice to Accountability (Compliance Specialist). The Compliance Specialist will verify that approval for the proposed changes is obtained before the changes are accomplished.

Reports

Reports are a part of the administration of all grants. Usually both fiscal and programmatic reports are required. Often there are interim reports as well as annual reports. There are almost always final fiscal and programmatic reports. The Grants Accountant generally compiles the information required for fiscal reports - and often submits the information to the granting agency. The Grant Manager is responsible for compiling and verifying the information for the programmatic report. The Compliance Specialist reviews both types of reports. To ensure timely compliance, forty-five (45) days prior to the due date for any report, the Compliance Specialist will send a reminder to the Grant Manager of the impending due date. No fewer than fifteen (15) days before the due date of the report, the Grant Manager will provide the Compliance Specialist with a draft copy of the report for review. The Compliance Specialist will review the information within two (2) working days, and notify the Grant Manager of any discrepancies so that the final copy of the report may be compiled and forwarded by the Grant Manager to the Granting Agency. The Grant Manager will provide a copy of each report to the Compliance Specialist for inclusion in the Compliance file.

Note:

  • The President's signature is often required on the report form. Unless Accountability has reviewed the report, the President will not sign.

INTERNAL DOCUMENTS

The Account Manager must sign all grant-related actions requiring the expenditure of money. (As noted earlier, the Compliance Specialist is the Account Manager on all grant accounts. Even those individuals who are account managers in their departments or divisions may not authorize the spending of grant funds .) Every effort is made to provide same day service at Accountability, but some actions may take longer, depending on the level of review required. Additionally, the various action offices will require time to complete their processes. When possible, plan ahead to avoid a last minute rush.

Changes or Modifications

In the event that a modification to the internal (STC) budget becomes necessary, the Compliance Specialist will work with the Grant Manager to accomplish the required modification. Changes to the budget document (Exhibit 1) require the signatures of the Grant Manager, Account Manager, Vice-President for Finance and Administration and the President of STC.

Requisitions (Exhibit 4)

Most actions involving the expenditure of funds require the use of requisitions. Requisitions are initiated by the Grant Manager/Project Coordinator, and are sent to Accountability for the Account Manager's signature. They are checked at Accountability for compliance, signed by the Account Manager and submitted to the Grants Accountant who reviews them and forwards them to the Purchasing Department. A Purchase Order (PO) (Exhibit 5) is issued by the Purchasing Department. The goldenrod copy of the awarded PO will be submitted to Accountability who will retain the goldenrod copy of the PO, and will mail a copy of the PO to the Grant Manager/Project Coordinator. Once equipment has been received, it must be logged into the Inventory Sheet (Exhibit 6). The Grant Manager/Project Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that the inventory sheet for his/her grant remains current. Accountability will ask periodically for an updated inventory sheet, and will conduct annual site visits to verify the location of the equipment. All computers, laptops, printers, fax machines, telephones, cameras, video recorders, overhead projectors, televisions, VCRs, etc., must be kept as part of inventory. Grant equipment may not be moved, transferred or discarded without prior written approval of the Account Manager. When equipment is moved to another location, the Grant Manager must submit a Fixed Assets Control Record (Exhibit 7) to Accountability.

Notes:

  • If the requisition does not comply with the provisions of the grant, it will be returned, with explanation, to the Grant Manager/Project Coordinator.
  • Some large purchases require consolidation and/or Board approval. These take longer to process.
  • Open purchase orders are acceptable, but require the inclusion of detailed descriptions of the [types of] items to be purchased. Additionally, the Grant Manager must submit invoices/receipts to Accountability so that they may be processed for payment. Submission of invoices/receipts is also required when items are picked up at the vendor's location.
Travel Authorizations (Exhibit 8)

Travel is a part of many grants. The travel authorization must be initiated by the person traveling, or person assigned to make travel arrangements. Before submittal to Accountability, the travel authorization must be filled out completely, and signed by the traveler and his/her immediate supervisor. If the trip involves travel out of state, the Vice President of the traveler's division must sign the authorization . A flight itinerary must be provided (if applicable). The Federal ID number and confirmation from the hotel must be provided (if applicable). A requisition for car rental must be provided (if applicable). The registration form and conference agenda must be provided (if applicable). The travel packet must be sent to Accountability for the Account Manager's signature. It will be checked at Accountability for compliance, signed by the Account Manager and submitted to the Grants Accountant. The Grants Accountant will review the packet and forward it to the Travel Clerk. The Business Office will issue checks for lodging and meals only. (It is the responsibility of the traveler to pick up the checks from Accounts Payable in the Business Office). Checks for registration fees and/or lodging may be mailed upon request. All airline tickets are electronic.

Notes:

  • Travel authorizations must be in Accountability no fewer than 15 days prior to the anticipated travel date.
  • Airline ticket quotes are valid for 24 hours . Rates are subject to change after the 24-hour hold. Please verify the rate prior to submittal to Accountability.
  • Travelers are encouraged to utilize airport shuttles and hotel shuttles when possible to avoid excessive taxi costs. Travelers should also provide "tax exempt" paperwork to hotels whenever lodging is in Texas.
Travel Vouchers (Exhibit 9)

Following his/her return from travel, the traveler (or person assigned to make travel arrangements) must file a travel voucher. Before submittal of the voucher to Accountability, it must be filled out completely, and signed by the traveler and his/her immediate supervisor. If the trip involves travel out of state, the voucher must be signed by the division's Vice President . Original receipts for hotel, taxi, car rental and other expenses must be attached to the travel voucher. The voucher will be reviewed at Accountability for compliance, signed by the Account Manager and submitted to the Grants Accountant. The Grants Accountant will review the voucher and forward it to Accounts Payable. A check for the balance due on the per diem, plus any additional entitlements, will be processed and mailed to the home address of the traveler.

Notes:

  • Travel vouchers must be completed and submitted to Accountability within 10 days of the return from travel.
Reimbursement of Mileage

At the beginning of each fiscal year (Sept 1) and prior to any travel, an Employee In-District Mileage Reimbursement Authorization Form, BO-6200 (Exhibit 10) must be submitted to Accountability for each person for whom reimbursement for local travel is anticipated. This form must be completed and signed by the requestor and his/her immediate supervisor. A current copy of the insurance policy for the vehicle and a copy of the requestor's driver's license must be attached to the form. A mileage log, BO-0400 (Exhibit 11) with appropriate signatures and a completed travel voucher (see above) must be submitted when requesting mileage reimbursement. Documents will be sent to Accountability for the Account Manager's signature. The Account Manager will check the packet for compliance, sign it, and submit it to the Grants Accountant. The packet will be reviewed by the Grants Accountant and forwarded to the Travel Clerk. The check will be processed and mailed to the home address of the recipient.

Personnel Requisition for Grant Position (Exhibit 12)

Request to Hire for Temporary Assignments (Green Sheet) (Exhibit 13)

Notice of Employment (NOE) (Exhibit 14)

When/if it is necessary to hire personnel for services under a grant, the Office of Accountability will review the relevant job description prior to the advertisement of the position. Additionally, two documents (a Personnel Requisition and a Request to Hire for Temporary Assignments) are required. The Grant Manager/Project Coordinator sends the requisition and the green sheet to Accountability for the Account Manager's signature. They are checked at Accountability for compliance, signed by the Account Manager, and submitted to the Office of Human Resources. All selection committees established to fill grant-funded positions will include a staff member from the Office of Accountability. Following the identification of the individual(s) to be hired, an NOE and another green sheet must be submitted and will follow the same sequence of processing. In the event of a modification or a termination, an additional (modified) NOE will be required.

Timecards

For Direct Wage employees, timecards are submitted to the Payroll office every two weeks. A log sheet (Exhibit 15) will be faxed to the Office of Accountability for each direct wage employee each pay period.

Memberships

Individual memberships in business, professional or civic organizations will not be purchased with grant funds. Institutional memberships may be purchased if they are directly related to the goals/objectives of the grant, or if the grantor otherwise directly approves their payment.

Split -funded Positions

These procedures apply to faculty/staff who are paid by a grant in additional to their regular STC assignments. The salary procedures are based on established Human Resources (HR) policies.

Prior to the beginning of a grant's program year, the Office of Accountability will confirm with Grant Managers the percentage of time/release for which faculty/staff will be compensated using grant funding. HR and Instructional policies and procedures will be utilized to determine the number of hours to be spent by faculty/staff on grant-related activities. (For staff, the percentage of time spent on grant-related activities will be determined using the 40-hour workweek. For faculty, the Grant Manager will be asked to submit the number of labor hour equivalents (LHEs) from which faculty will be released to conduct grant-related activities.) Payment will be in accordance with established HR and Instructional pay policies. A Time-and Effort report, signed by the employee's supervisor, will be provided each pay period, from each grant employee.

Faculty assignments funded through a grant will be processed as "course releases," based on LHEs. (For example, a course release of three (3) LHEs will be processed to reflect that the grant is funding 20% of the faculty member's salary. This will reduce the faculty member's course load to 12 LHEs, or 80% FTE for the instructional budget). Course release assignments will be processed at the beginning of each semester to ensure that the release time is reflected appropriately on HRS. The following procedures will be followed:

  • Grant Manager will submit to the Office of Accountability an NOE identifying the course release and the number of LHEs to be used, to determine pay and hours to be dedicated to grant-related activities.
  • The Office of Accountability will compile and submit a memo to HR with copies to Position Control and the Grant Manager reflecting the release time that will be paid from the grant.
  • HR and Position Control will ensure that the release time is reflected appropriately on HRS, and that the release time is not paid as a stipend.

Note:

  • The product of all work accomplished under a grant is the property of the grant, and a complete copy of the work will be provided to the Office of Accountability for inclusion in the official files.

FOLLOWING THE GRANT'S PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

Subsequent to the active period of the Grant, the Grant Manager will review the accomplishments under the grant, and will furnish the Compliance Specialist with an evaluation of the grant's successes and failures. This report will include documentation and explanation of which goals were met, which were not, and why. The Compliance Specialist will accomplish a similar review. Both reports will be filed with the Grant folders.