To:
PIs
CC:
Deans and Department Heads
Dr. Mary Watson, Director of Grants & Contracts
Traycee Martin, Assistant Vice President for Finance and Administration
Antolina Pilgrim, Director of Financial Services for Accounting 
Shanika Hezekiah, Grants & Contracts Accountant
From:
Jim Black, Vice President for Finance and Administration

 

The Office of Internal Audits recently completed an audit on accounting for grants and contracts. During the audit, they discovered that some Principal Investigators (PIs) were unable to determine why expenditures had been charged to a grant. Further, it was discovered that most PIs do not sign off on grant expenditures.

Responding to the audit recommendations, Financial Services agreed to provide more communication as well as assistance in grant expenditure reconciliation. Following are important policies regarding grant expenditures:

  • The PI is the only individual that has authority to sign off on grant expenditures. The PI is solely responsible for the financial management of his/her project. Department head and Dean signatures should only be used when a secondary signature is required. When other persons sign off on expenditures, it creates risk for the University that grant funds could be misused or incorrectly charged, which can lead to grant agencies refusing to award future contracts to the University. If the PI will be on leave for an extended period of time, then someone can be delegated to sign on behalf of the PI. A memo or email MUST be sent to the Grants & Contracts Accountant to delegate signature authority. Equipment costs over $5,000 must receive prior approval from the Grants & Contracts Office.
  • The PI is responsible for reviewing expenditures to verify accuracy. A grant report is sent monthly to each Principal Investigator. The PI should keep his/her own records of expenditures to compare to monthly reports to insure that all grant expenditures are directly related to the project and are necessary to meet project goals and objectives. Financial Services has prepared an Expenditure Tracking Tool for your use in accomplishing this task. If discrepancies are noted in budgets or expenditures, please contact the Grants & Contracts Accountant immediately for assistance. Expenditure Tracking FormExpenditure Tracking Form Sample