Post-Submission

It is widely understood that a significant amount of effort can go into the development and submission of a proposal.  It is sometimes overlooked that in the lifespan of a proposal submitted for external funding, there can exist on the other side of the deadline a sometimes significant amount of statutory and sponsor driven requirements for filing additional documentation.  Some of these are highlighted in the links provided:  Just-in-Time; Revised Budgets; and NSF Updates.

Taking these into consideration, an important rubric often arises:  be prepared.  Requirements like filing successful human subject and animal use protocols can take some lead time.  In terms of budgets, it is best practice to always have a well-documented rationale for all budgeted items including especially travel, equipment, and other direct costs like materials and supplies.  Some US Dept. of Defense sponsors will require, post-submission, the provision of a so-called Bill of Materials or BoM, a comprehensive list of materials and supplies that includes the manufacturer's part number, unit price, and the quantity needed for each item.

The collection of some post-submission items can require some lead time, so it’s best to be prepared at proposal stage - prior to the actual deadline - with adequate documentation to be held in abeyance until needed; this is especially true for budget documentation.

Other non-budgetary items that arise and related resources:

After providing the sponsor with post-submission documentation, the sponsor’s next step could lead to very good news:  the announcement of an award.  In the event that happens, if deemed useful, an account at UMass can be set up prior to the issuance of the actual sponsor award.  The process for requesting the Pre-establishment of an Account is found here. This form should only be submitted to OPAM if the sponsor has announced their intent to make an award.  For more information, contact the post-award team.