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Sponsored Programs

Financial Management

Posting, Monitoring and Adjusting Expenses

Posting Expenses

There are three categories of expenditures posted to a grant account: Personnel, Things, and Facilities and Administrative costs. The latter is done automatically on a semi-monthly basis. Personnel-related expenses are booked according to a salary authorization and the benefits package described in an offer letter and/or employment contract. Student costs, such as tuition, health insurance and fees are determined at the department level.

  • Equipment: Equipment procurements may be processed through eVA. Remember that component parts for equipment should be coded as equipment rather than materials & supplies.
  • Travel: Travel guidelines- Grant travel should be authorized prior to departure using the form in the menu below. This precludes the need for Sponsored Programs to review a travel reimbursement request.
  • Materials and Supplies: Materials and Supplies costs may be posted to an account through an eVA order. If it is expected that a supplier will be providing supplies throughout the life of an agreement, then a blanket purchase order may be established with a ceiling so that individual purchases need not be approved at each instance. For example, if a project will have $1,500 in estimated laboratory consumables such as gasses, a PO may be established in eVA for the total budget amount ($1,500) instead of creating a new order each time one or two bottles of Nitrogen are needed. 
  • Internal Services: Poster printing services, purchases from the Tribe Store and Machine Shop charges are posted to sponsored program accounts by Journal Voucher. The JV must be approved by Sponsored Programs before the charges will book.
  • Sub-recipients and Consultants: Costs are paid using the Vendor Payment Form. These entities should submit an invoice to initiate payment unless an advance is allotted per the sub-award or consulting agreement. Payments to sub-recipients and consultants must be approved by OSP after the PI has verified that the expenses on the invoice are allowable and reasonable given the technical progress made.
  • Special Items: Participant Payments, Non-travel business meals and Telecommunications charges
  • Bonuses and Raises: Employees of the William & Mary, both grant-supported and internally-funded positions, are entitled to raises and bonuses when the Commonwealth issues them. These salary-related actions are covered through the use of the built-in escalators found in the budget template. Bonuses and raises take place automatically and do not require a revised Personnel Action Form. When raises are related to change in duties or in-band adjustment, please contact Human Resources to follow the appropriate course of action.
Monitoring Expenses

The principal investigator (PI) is responsible for operating within the budget for the Sponsored Program award. The PI and departmental administrators have access to financial reports that should be used to track the financial status of sponsored program awards.

Before processing a transaction on a grant (SPCC transaction, BuyW&M purchase, HR or Payroll action) the PI or departmental administrator should check the available balance. If the grant is overdrawn or the transaction will overdraw the grant, contact your OSP Administrator.

Expense reports are distributed by Office of Sponsored Programs staff on a routine basis. Expenses may be monitored on a more frequent basis by using the available reports in Banner or through Qlik. To access reports through Banner, sign in and navigate to the Finance tab and enter the "ePrint Finance Repository." From there, you can select several different reports that are updated monthly. Numerous reports in Qlik can be used to monitor grant balances. Navigate to Finance and then to Grant Management.

Budget Deficits

A project is considered to have a budget deficit if expenditures exceed the value of the award. A project does not have a deficit if individual line items are overspent but within the line-item flexibility that may be permitted by the sponsor. If a budget deficit is identified, the department(s) and PI(s) must have a plan for corrective action. If a plan is not developed OSP will temporarily deactivate the index. In most cases, the corrective action is preparing and submitting a JV to move expenses from the grant to another index. It is the responsibility of the PI and departmental administrator to prepare and submit the JV with all required supporting documentation attached. (Due to W&M accounting internal controls, OSP cannot be both the preparer and the approver for financial transactions.)

 Adjusting Expenses

From time to time, it is necessary to change the way expenses are allocated to a project. You may find that an expense was posted to the wrong index, or a PI may have received a new award that necessitates a change in the way salary is allocated across multiple projects. If a project is found to be overspent at close out, the overage should be transferred to an appropriate account within 90 days of receipt of the final payment from the sponsor. If adjustments are needed it is the responsibility of the PI and departmental administrator to prepare and submit the JV with all required supporting documentation attached.  (Due to W&M accounting internal controls, OSP cannot be both the preparer and the approver for financial transactions.)