Guidance for Managing an Award

PI And Grants Office Responsibilities

The Principal Investigator (PI)/Project Director (PD), the Grant Accountant, and the TMCC Grants Office have important roles in the management of a sponsored award.

PI Responsibilities in Award Management

  • Attend a Post-award Meeting with the Grants Office & Grant Accountant to review the grant management policies, procedures and expectations.
  • Complete the Scope of Work as agreed to by the sponsor in the award documents.
  • Work with the Grants Accountant to get the budget setup in Workday and with the Grants Office to modify the budget as needed.
  • Work with Human Resources to hire personnel.
  • Ensure expenses posted to the project account are allowable, necessary and reasonable; when in doubt about the allowability of a cost, get assistance from the Grants Office. (See Allowable Cost Procedure below).
  • Monitor sub-recipient performance and grant expenditures.
  • Notify the Grants Office if there is any type of problem with the award.
  • Submit all project reports on time and in the correct format.
  • Ensure that all cost share has been tracked and reported by the Grant Accountant.

Together, the Controllers and the Grants Office have the delegated role of oversight of the administration of all grant projects. The Controllers and the Grants Office will do everything possible to make the administration of your award as trouble-free and enjoyable as possible.

Grants Office Responsibilities and Role in Audits

  • Coordinate proposal preparation and submit proposals on behalf of the College.
  • Recommend grant policies and procedures to the President; administer the approved policies and procedures.
  • Coordinate the Post-Award Meeting for the start-up of new grant projects and ensure the PI/PD and other personnel are aware of grant management policies, procedures and expectations.
  • Work with the PI/PD to resolve the issues of performance on the grant, e.g., meeting the grant's goals, objectives or timeline.
  • Coordinate requests to the sponsor for change in scope of work, budget modifications, extensions in period of performance, etc.
  • Remain up-to-date on changes and trends in applicable governmental and philanthropic regulatory and compliance environments and College operating changes.

Approval of Grant Expenditures

The PI/PD initiates and approves expenditures of grant funds, although he/she may delegate aspects of making expenditures to other project team members or departmental personnel. The PD's supervisor (dean, director, or vice president) must also approve expenses involving personnel and travel. The Grant Accountant compiles and reviews all expenses prior to invoicing.

The review procedure ensures the appropriateness of the grant expenditures.

Monitoring Expenditures and Budgets

TMCC grant budgets are setup in Workday according to the budget approved by the sponsor. The Grants Office notes any applicable budget restrictions on the Post-Award Meeting Form and sends the form to the Controllers for account setup and/or when there is a budget modification. The Grants Office works with the PI/PD and Grant Accountant to resolve any issues.

Expenditures are posted to the grant financial accounts in Workday. Once the charges are posted in Workday, the PI/PD can monitor the account spending by generating an Award Budget to Actuals by Ledger report. The PI/PD should be reviewing spending at least once a month and making corrections when necessary by submitting journal vouchers.