Office of Sponsored Programs - 700.01 - Overview of Project Closeout Responsibilities

Summary

This operating standard presents various types of final reports requested at the end of a project period to close out a sponsored project, with emphasis on collaboration amongst central offices, Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), and the Principal Investigator (PI) in providing and reconciling all pertinent information.

Body

Title

Office of Sponsored Programs - 700.01 - Overview of Project Closeout Responsibilities

Purpose

This operating standard presents various types of final reports requested at the end of a project period to close out a sponsored project, with emphasis on collaboration amongst central offices, Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), and the Principal Investigator (PI) in providing and reconciling all pertinent information.

Policy Statement

Abiding by the terms and conditions of the award agreement, OSP, the PI, the Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC), and other central offices must complete and submit various final reports to the sponsor before an award can be closed out. These reports include, but may not be limited to:

Type of Deliverable and Responsible Party Table
Type of Deliverable for Final Reporting Responsible Party
Project Performance Report PI
Final Report of Expenditures PI and OSP
Patents, Inventions, Technology Transfer Issues PI, OSP, and OTC
Real Property and Equipment ownership OSP and Asset Management
Contract Release/Contractor Assignment OSP

In meeting 2 CFR §200.327-329 requirements, the PI must submit the final performance report after completion of the project following the terms and conditions of the award. The PI is ultimately responsible for overseeing the proper closeout of a sponsored project. While the central offices prepare and submit final administrative reports, including financial and property reports, they do so on the basis of documentation created by the department. PIs must assure that such documentation is adequate and readily available. PIs are also responsible for ensuring that any necessary final financial adjustments and documentation (e.g., final invoices from vendors or subrecipients) are received and recorded in a timely manner.

The University is required to submit a final report of expenditures for the project to the sponsoring agency following the terms and conditions of the award. OSP relies on the PI and department to complete the Closeout checklist in RAMSeS to identify any expenses that occurred before the project end date which are not reflected in the University’s financial system, ConnectCarolina.

As part of final reporting, OSP, along with OTC, may be required to prepare documentation for the PI to sign, which reports whether or not patents, inventions, or technology transfers are included as a result of the project. In addition, OSP provides the funding agency information regarding the title to any real property and equipment acquired during the project. When necessary, OSP will also certify and submit any contractor release/assignment forms at the conclusion of a project.

In accordance with the record retention requirements of 2 CFR §200.333, financial records, supporting documents, and any other records pertinent to the award must be kept for three (3) years from the submission date of the report, whether it is an interim or a final report. Please note that sponsor terms and conditions may require a longer period of retention.

Related Requirements

Unit Policies, Standards, & Procedures

Contact Information

For questions regarding this operating standard and its related procedure, please contact SponsoredPrograms@unc.edu.

For questions regarding Pre-Award management or Post-Award administration, please contact the assigned Sponsored Projects Specialist (SPS).

For invoicing, reporting and other financial matters, please contact the assigned Sponsored Projects Accountant. OSP Staff assignments are found in RAMSeS or on the OSP website.

History

History Table
Date Revision
07/01/2022 Revised to reflect new office name.
03/20/2020 Revised to reflect accurate process for PI completion of performance/technical reports.
05/15/2018 Revised to coincide with the release of the new OSP Website.

The operating standards in the Office of Sponsored Programs Operating Standards & Procedures Manual supersede any OSP operating standards, procedures and appendices previously included in the University Business Manual, a publication of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Division of Finance.

Details

Details

Article ID: 132334
Created
Thu 4/8/21 9:29 PM
Modified
Thu 6/27/24 2:32 PM
Responsible Unit
School, Department, or other organizational unit issuing this document.
Research-Office of Sponsored Programs
Issuing Officer
Name of the document Issuing Officer. This is the individual whose organizational authority covers the policy scope and who is primarily responsible for the policy.
Issuing Officer Title
Title of the person who is primarily responsible for issuing this policy.
Vice Chancellor
Policy Contact
Person who handles document management. Best person to contact for information about this policy. In many cases this is not the Issuing Officer. It may be the Policy Liaison, or another staff member.
Next Review
Date on which the next document review is due.
01/19/2025 12:00 AM
Last Review
Date on which the most recent document review was completed.
01/19/2024 12:00 AM
Last Revised
Date on which the most recent changes to this document were approved.
07/01/2022 12:00 AM
Effective Date
If the date on which this document became/becomes enforceable differs from the Origination or Last Revision, this attribute reflects the date on which it is/was enforcable.
07/01/2022 12:00 AM
Origination
Date on which the original version of this document was first made official.
03/01/2009 11:00 PM
Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level
17.2