Closeout an Award/Subaward

 

Award Closeout

You will receive an automated notification from extramural accounting 90 days prior to the award end date that the award period is coming to an end. This checklist will assist you in assuring a timely and accurate close out of your award.

• • CGA Award Closeout Checklist
  • Submit Final Reports. For federally sponsored projects, required reports generally include the following:
    • Final technical or project report: The PI is responsible for submitting the required final technical or project report to the sponsoring agency. Evidence that the report was submitted should be provided to SPO (i.e., transmittal letter or e-mail).
    • Final financial report: Contracts and Grants Accounting (CGA) prepares and submits the final financial report to the sponsoring agency as required by the award terms and conditions.
      • CGA Closeout/Final Financial Report – Process & Timeline (PDF)
    • Final invention/patent report: The PI submits final invention reports to SPO, which submits final invention reports to sponsors. The report describes any new technology developed with support from the award, whether or not it has been disclosed to the Office of the President Office of Technology Transfer.
    • Final equipment inventory report: If required by the award terms and conditions, contact the BOC or your unit Business Manager for guidance or assistance with preparation of an equipment inventory report, which will be submitted by SPO to the sponsoring agency.
  • Share the results if required by the award terms and conditions. Review the conditions of your award for specific details on any publication conditions. Please note that some sponsors may require prior notice or a review period prior to disseminating results. Examples include sharing results via:
    • Education
    • Conference
    • Proceedings
    • Journal articles
    • Acknowledging the grant

Subaward Closeout

A subaward is closed out when its period of performance comes to an end, regardless of whether UC Davis’ research project is ending or continuing.

1. 1. Remind subrecipients of needed reports well in advance of the deadline for such reports.
   2. Obtain final technical reports from the subrecipients and retain a copy in the Principal Investigator’s project file.
   3. Obtain other final reports from the subrecipients as required and retain a copy in the Principal Investigator’s project file. Other final reports might include property reports, patent reports, small disadvantaged business reports and Assignment and Release documents.

Uniform Guidance on Closeouts

The Uniform Guidance establishes increased importance of timely progress reporting including the reporting of both significant positive and negative impacts on projects. In addition, federal guidelines are moving toward stricter rules for award closeout. 

The 90-day closeout requirement is not technically a new requirement; however, new language introduces a definite standard on federal awarding agencies to closeout awards timely. Impact on recipients (like UC Davis) will include federal payment systems removing funding authorizations promptly and therefore preventing recipients from drawing cash outside of the closeout period. (§200.344 (g))

Post-close adjustments: Sponsors may (and have recently) question and/or deny expenditures (and related drawdown) submitted after the permitted closeout period.  Federal agency or pass-through entities must make cost disallowance determinations and notify the non-federal entity within the record retention period. This does not relieve the non-federal entity of the obligation to return any funds due as a result of refunds, corrections or indirect rate adjustments, nor does it relieve the recipient’s post-closing responsibilities. 

Costs related to publication or sharing of research results can be charged to a federal award after the period of performance but before the end of the 90-day closeout period.  However, check with Extramural Funds Accounting before doing so, as allowing charges after the performance period may require campus systemic/procedural changes to allow costs to post to an award after the performance period.

If the possibility exists that equipment needs to be shipped back to the government or another agency, funds should be reserved in the award for such costs, prior to closeout, or be allowable additional costs (since awards typically close before final resolution of equipment issues is made).

For fixed-amount awards: The Uniform guidance explicitly specifies that a sub-recipient of a fixed-amount award must certify at the end of the project that the project or activity was completed or that the level of effort was expended. (§ 200.201 (b)(3) and §200.332)

Each UC campus is revising policy and procedures to adapt to the new Uniform Guidance regulations. In the future, new campus policies & guidelines, along with revised forms, may change the way award closeouts are managed.

Other subaward stages

• • Outgoing Subawards – Overview of all subaward stages
  • Prepare a proposal with subawards – If a proposal is to include a subaward to a subrecipient (or subawards to subrecipients), the information indicated on this page should be included in the proposal.
  • Send a subaward request to SPO – Once a Prime Award has been awarded (fully executed) to UC Davis, the PI must send a request to the Sponsored Programs Office (SPO) that the subaward(s) be sent to the subrecipient(s).
  • Monitor a subaward – Once a subaward has been sent to a subrecipient, the PI is responsible to monitor it as described on this page.