Reporting Requirements
Grants and Contracts Administration files a variety of forms related to sponsored programs monthly, quarterly and annually. When a form requires the signature of the PI, Grants and Contracts Administration sends the completed form to the PI. Once signed and returned, Grants and Contracts Administration completes the submission process.
- Personnel Activity Reporting
In order for charges to sponsored projects for personal services of professorial, professional, and non-professional staff to be properly documented, the University maintains, through its payroll system, an appointment and workload distribution system. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200.430) requires that all universities account for the total compensation of employees who are being paid from sponsored projects or related cost share projects. Typically, this would include the PI, co-investigator(s), graduate students and in some cases, administrative personnel. Clemson University uses an electronic, Web-based system to meet this requirement called the Sponsored Compensation Verification System (SCVS).
- After-the-Fact Approval of Sponsored Compensation
The SCVS system is an after-the-fact certification system, as defined by Uniform Guidance. All of the information in the reports is obtained from the University’s general ledger (Clemson University Business (CUBS) Financial's). The information reflected on the report represents actual amounts charged to payroll for the reporting period plus corrections made to previous periods. Additional pay above the employee's base salary (Dual Employment) is not included in the Sponsored Compensation Verification System reports. (See the section entitled "Intra-University Consulting" in the project costs section for policies on dual employment.)
- Sponsored Compensation Schedule
Reports will include activity for the following time periods:
January 1 through June 30: Release is approximately on or around August 15
July 1 through December 31: Release is approximately on or around February 15
When reports are available, an e-mail notification will be sent to each investigator with a report to approve. This notification will include a direct link to the SCVS website. If an e-mail notification was not received, it may indicate that no compensation for the reporting period was charged to a sponsored project. Investigators who do not receive an e-mail notification yet believe compensation should have been charged to a sponsored project, should contact the appropriate Grants Coordinator/Administrator in their department or college business office for assistance.
- Report Review and ApprovalFor each Investigator with a SCVS report to be approved, an initial notification will be sent to their Clemson University e-mail account once reports are made available for review and approval. There will also be reports available on the SCVS website for College Post-award contacts to monitor individuals whom have an SCVS report that needs to be approved. During the review and approval process. Investigators are asked to:
- Review the project reports and verify that the individual(s) paid during the referenced reporting period performed work for the grant during that period, and
- The compensation received was commensurate with the work performed.
- Anyone not listed who worked and should have received compensation from the grant should also be noted, and the appropriate department or college business office should be informed so that the proper corrections can be made.
An additional notification will be sent to the Principal Investigator 7 days after the initial release of the reports. Daily emails will be sent from the Vice-President for Research from day 15 until the 30 day deadline to investigators with unapproved reports. If the PI is not available or unable to approve the reports, the Co-PI, Department Chair, or Research Dean approving the report in their place should have sufficient knowledge of the project, work and individual(s) paid, or at minimum have a statement from PI or Co-PI stating the accuracy of the report(s) prior to approving. After 30 days, investigators will be sent another e-mail notification that informs them that spending authority for the sponsored project(s) has been suspended and will not be restored until the SCVS report has been approved.
In completing the above time-and-effort certification process, if the actual certified time and effort to a grant or contract account varies by more than five percentage points from the percent of total salary charged to the grant or contract, the employee must note the correction on the SCVS report. Grants and Contracts Administration will monitor report submissions and contact the appropriate personnel in the college business office to ensure that the appropriate payroll corrections are processed.
Please see our "Sponsored Compensation" section for more detailed information.
- Technical Reporting
Principal investigators are responsible for ensuring that all progress/final technical reports are completed according to the award requirements. Principal investigators should send a copy of the transmittal letter and cover page of his/her final report to Grants and Contracts Administration.
Final technical reports are normally due to the sponsor 60 to 90 days after the project ends. Each specific agreement should be reviewed for the exact due date of the report.
Failure to provide final technical reports may delay review, processing, and funding of pending proposals for that PI or other faculty members at the University.
In some cases, outstanding payments are withheld until all reporting requirements are completed. In extreme cases, the sponsor may initiate legal action against the University, due to relevant contractual obligations of the University to provide such reports.
- Equipment Reporting
Some federal agencies require Grants and Contracts Administration to file final inventory reports. It is important that the PI and/or department and/or college know where the inventory is housed and what condtion it is in.
