PreAward FAQ
These acronyms are all ways in which an agency may announce a funding opportunity:
Request for Proposal (RFP)
Request for Application (RFA)
Request for Quote (RFQ)
Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)
Who needs to see the RFP when and why?
Departmental Research Administrator
Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP)
OSP must review the RFP before your proposal can be approved for submission to ensure that your proposal meets both sponsor and university guidelines.
Because many agencies put restrictions in RFPs that become contractual obligations if the funding is awarded, those restrictions must be reviewed for acceptability prior to proposal submission. In order to minimize risk to the university, OSP is tasked with reviewing the RFP and the proposal prior to submission to the agency. OSP also reviews contractual language if the funding is awarded in order to ensure that the terms and conditions are satisfactory and promote the overall mission of the university.
Read the solicitation closely and address any special requirement.
Become familiar with agency-specific rules, e.g. National Institutes of Health (NIH) salary cap and National Science Foundation (NSF) 2-month effort limitation.
If the proposal includes subcontracts, ensure your OSP Pre-Award Support Specialist receives subaward documents at least 10 business days before the sponsor due date.
One way to begin developing your budget would be to outline what you think you will need in the way of employee time and physical resources to accomplish the project goals. This outline can form the basis for your budget narrative and also be the starting point for quantifying the project’s resource needs.
While there are often agency-specific forms that you must complete, OSP has developed a budget template with many built-in calculations (e.g., standard fringe benefit rates) to help you with the process located here:
Direct costs are those costs that can be identified specifically with a particular sponsored project, an instructional activity, or any other institutional activity, or that can be directly assigned to such activities relatively easily with a high degree of accuracy.
Costs incurred for the same purpose in like circumstances must be treated consistently as either direct or F&A costs. Where an institution treats a particular type of cost as a direct cost of sponsored agreements, all costs incurred for the same purpose in like circumstances shall be treated as direct costs of all activities of the institution.
F&A stands for facilities and administrative cost and is also known as “overhead”
or “indirect cost.” Expenses associated with the administration of sponsored projects,
but which are not easily attributable to any specific project, fall into this category.
Some examples are utilities associated with lab space, costs to administer human resources
and payroll for project personnel, departmental support staff and office supplies.
In order to recoup a portion of these costs, the university periodically negotiates with the federal government to determine F&A rates to be used on sponsored projects. These rates are based on expenditures and space allocable to research, instruction and public service/outreach for sponsored projects.
How can I determine the appropriate F&A rate to use for my proposal budget?
UNT HEALTH FACILITIES AND ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS (F&A / INDIRECT COSTS)
Date of Agreement with DHHS: 10/21/2024
Federally negotiated rates are as follows:
49% of Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC) – Organized Research
41% of Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC) – Instruction
35% of Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC) – Other Sponsored Activities
26% of Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC) – Off-Campus All Programs
Note: The university may not charge the federal award (direct or pass-through) more than the federally negotiated rates using “modified-total-direct-costs” (MTDC). If another basis (e.g., total direct costs) is used, then a comparison should be done.
The default method for calculating F&A is known as modified-total-direct-cost (MTDC) and is calculated by multiplying all direct costs, excluding the following items, by the specified F&A rate:
Tuition/fees and student insurance
Single equipment purchases over $5,000 (note that component parts that will be used
to build a single piece of equipment over $5,000 also fall into this category)
Those portions of subcontracts greater than $25,000 (the first $25,000 of each subcontract
is subject to F&A)
The Office of Sponsored Programs encourages PIs to begin submission of draft proposal materials as soon as possible prior to the submission deadline. OSP requires the administrative components of an application, at minimum, no later than five (5) business days prior to the sponsor deadline date and the remaining components (science) of an application will be due no later than one (1) business day prior to the sponsor deadline date. See Proposal Submission Deadline policy located at the following link, https://www.unthealth.edu/sponsored-programs/proposal-submission-deadline.html.
OSP reviews your proposal budget and can help you to resolve budget issues, but there are multiple facets to proposal review.
During the review process, OSP will also check for items such as compliance with the sponsor’s proposal guidelines; issues with animal care and use or human subjects protocols and export controls; unauthorized or unnecessary cost share being offered; anticipated program income; letter of support requirements from subcontractors or for third-party match; and any restrictions in the RFP to which the university may not be able to agree if the proposal is awarded.