Proposal Cost Documentation

Please load documentation into Kuali under Internal tab in the Attachment section to verify the basis for cost calculations, as well as their reasonableness:

Grad student calculation assumptions

Upload Kuali Calculator grad calculations if available; if it is unavailable, the below assumptions need to be detailed in the budget justification. The Kuali Salary Guide with grad calculator can be found here.

1. The hourly rate
2. The number of hours the grad student is working during the 38 academic year
3. The number of weeks the grad student is working during the 38 academic year
4. The number of hours the grad student is working during the 14 week summer
5. The number of weeks the grad student is working during the 14 week summer

Grad fringe and tuition fee are based on the hours worked in the AY and the summer, so we need the number of hours and weeks to assess if it has been budgeted correctly.

Subawards

Please collate all documents below into one PDF form per subrecipient. See also Collaborations and Required Documents.

• A UMass subrecipient form
• Letter of intent to enter into a consortium/subaward agreement on letterhead and signed by an AOR is recommended
• Statement of work
• Budget loaded into Kuali (on the sponsor's budget form if required)
• Budget justification loaded into Kuali
• Fringe rate agreement loaded into Kuali
• Indirect cost rate agreement loaded into Kuali
• Other forms as required by the solicitation (biosketch, current & pending form, collaborator and other affiliations form, facilities form).

Consultants

• A signed letter from the consultant providing details on the nature of their consulting activities and documenting the basis for their rates (hourly or daily rate, # days or hours consulting, etc.).

Unpaid Collaborators

• When a named collaborator is going to provide information, expertise, and the like in a proposal, a letter from the collaborator should be included as part of the proposal. More info on documenting collaborations.
• For NSF, proposers should include in the facilities form an aggregated description of the internal and external resources (both physical and personnel) that the organization and its collaborators will provide to the project, should it be funded

Fee for service

• A letter or formal quote from the vendor detailing the activities, services, or items to be provided and the basis for the charges.

Materials & supplies

• Basis of cost must be explained in the budget justification
• Supplies must be detailed so we can assess reasonability, allowability and allocability

Travel

• Basis of cost must be explained in the budget justification
• Travel should be broken down by specific costs such as airfare, per diem, hotel, ground transportation, parking, etc. Provide detail so we can assess reasonableness, allowability and allocability

UMass Amherst Cost Center Recharges (UMass Facilities Fees)

• Cost center sheets for the current year with costs highlighted
• If there is not a currently approved cost center, please include a cost quote

Cost share

• AY cost share form for each PI committing cost share, signed and loaded into Kuali.
• Kuali budget shows cost share
• Voluntary cost share is approved in advance by the VCRE
• 3rd party cost share from a subrecipient has a letter committing to auditable cost share
• 3rd party cost share not from subrecipients must be approved by the VCRE
• If cost share is made from waiving indirect costs, approval of waiver is in Kuali

Indirect costs

• Indirect cost waiver loaded to Kuali if applicable
• Load sponsor's policy on indirect costs if non-standard
• See subrecipient requirements also

Limited submission

• Email from Office of Research Development (ORD) for federal sponsors, or from Foundation Relations for non-federal sponsors, confirming this proposal was selected for limited submission

Vendor Quotes

• Include vendor quotes

Equipment Quotes

• Include equipment quotes

Fabricated Equipment

• Include a separate detailed budget for fabricated equipment 
• Include a detailed justification for fabricated equipment within the budget justification for the proposal
• Complete the Kuali questionnaire for fabricated equipment