OGC News - January 2024
Financial Services Connection
Jan 17, 2024
CONTRACTS SERVICES
Contracting Short Form Interagency Template
Some of our state agencies have started using the “Short Form” Interagency Template. This template does not have signature blocks but should still be routed to OGC Contracts for review and approval. Instead of signing the agreement, we will approve the document and move it forward to award setups on your behalf.
Principal Representative
On the first page of any agreement with the state, a “Principal Representative” will be named. This should be our faculty or their department-level support staff, not someone from OGC.
Vendor Information Sheet
Before a contract is initiated between the state and our University, they provide a Vendor Information Sheet.
This does not need signature by an Authorized Official at our University.
In the “Authorized Official” box- please insert both Liz Causey and Michael Conner as names in this box to avoid unnecessary delays when we return a signed copy to the state.
Other Changes
We announced some other exciting changes to our contracting process with state agencies in our Newsletter last fall. Here is a recap if you missed the initial announcement!
| Change | Alternative Signing Process | Customized Interagency Template |
| Value Added | Less DocuSign signature request emails for you to track down and wrangle… | We will be able to sign your agreement faster! |
| How will this impact you? | When you return the copy we sign to the state, they will either accept our signature within the document, or follow the old process by sending our team a DocuSign separately. They will send you a fully executed copy of the agreement by DocuSign or group email. | You may see us reach out to our state counterparts to suggest the use of the new template as we shop this around to other state agencies who are interested. |
| Which state agencies have adopted the change? | Adopted: CDPHE, CDHS* Rolling out Process: | Adopted: CDPHE, CDHS* Rolling out Process: |
| Why? | We have discovered an acceptable alternative signing method outside of DocuSign for state agency agreements. This means that some agencies will no longer send the agreement for our re-signature via DocuSign. | We have developed a customized Interagency (“IAA”) template that requires no negotiations for either side. This means we can sign the agreement without additional negotiation via emails back and forth. |
TRAINING & COMPLIANCE
Spring 2024 Sponsored Projects Training Schedule
The spring sessions of the Sponsored Project and Financial Administration Workshop training courses are now posted in Skillsoft. The first training begins on January 22, 2023. All courses are instructor-led and taught from 12p-1p on their respective dates. Below is a full listing of courses:
| Sponsored Projects Training | Financial Administration Workshop |
| Contracting at the University (A60024) | Accounting Basics (A60044) |
| Cost Principles (A60015) | Budget Development (A60036) |
| Introduction to 2 CFR 200 (A60026) | Closeout (A60042) |
| Introduction to NIH GPS (A60027) | Cost Transfers (A60043) |
| Introduction to Sponsored Projects (A60014) | Financial Projections (A60041) |
| Post Award Admin for Sponsored Projects (A60017) | Financial Reports (A60040) |
| PreAward Admin for Sponsored Projects (A60016) | InfoEd Budgeting and Routing (A60037) |
| Subrecipient Monitoring (A60030) | NIH RPPR (A60038) |
| Post Award Essentials (A60039) | |
| PreAward Essentials (A60035) |
Course descriptions and additional information can be found in Skillsoft. Questions? Please reach out to Shane Jernigan.
POST AWARD
Refunds and Reimbursements to Sponsored Projects
Recently, we have been experiencing cash receipts to deposit as credit to expense without sufficient documentation. It is important that in addition to the cash receipt we receive documents that identify the specific transaction being refunded/reimbursed. This will help us monitor expenses if there are future cost transfers needed for those expenses.
When a cost transfer is processed, both the expense and any subsequent credits should stay together. Highlighting the original transaction in a financial detail report will help ensure our team can monitor this. If you have questions about what is required, please contact OGC.4payments@ucdenver.edu.
New Year, New Closeouts!
As we enter the new calendar year, it is a good time to look at your projects and determine what is ready for closeout. We are seeing there are many projects/speedtypes still active and over 6 months past their end date. Closing projects is a shared responsibility between PI (Principal Investigators), the Department and Office of Grants and Contracts. Please take time to review the closeout procedures on our website and to review your burst projects listings which show projects after their end date.
Reminder - we also conducted a Team Talk in November 2023 on closeouts and tips. Those slides and recording are available on the Office of Grants and Contracts website.
NCURA YouTube Tuesday
NCURA recently shared a clip relating to Phishing and what you need to know. This is a good reminder video as we have all seen recent emails warning us of Phishing and are hearing more about this happening to folks so please take time to hear some advice from our NCURA partners.
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Team Talks
Mark your calendar! The next session will be on February 22, 2024 at 10:30am. The Compliance Team will present on Travel and Procurement Hot Topics. The discussion will focus on travel reconciliation, procurement card compliance, and sensitive expenses relevant to sponsored research. Register Now
Office of Grants and Contracts Physical Location Notification
Our 1st floor, west wing location in the Fitzsimons Building is currently under construction. The Office of Grants and Contracts (OGC) is temporarily located in the same building on the 5th floor, west wing in Suite W5130 during construction. While OGC continues to perform most services in a remote capacity, when we are on campus, we are working in this temporary space. We are still available via a variety of methods - refer to the OGC website (about halfway down the page).
No changes are needed to our mailing address as mail is not impacted, and we have posted notices for any FedEx drop off items to come to our temporary space. Thank you for your patience during this time.
There are no changes for physical checks. Those should be taken to the Bursar’s Office with a completed cash receipt and not left in OGC's physical location. The Bursar's Office is located in Ed2 North, 3rd floor.
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