Complete and timely submission of technical and financial reports, along with other documents required to close out an award, is necessary to ensure the University’s compliance with Federal and agency requirements.

Subpart D of the Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200.343) addresses award closeout, providing guidance to the Federal awarding agencies and to non-Federal entities like CSU.  It is important to remember that Uniform Guidance is just that… guidance to the Federal awarding agencies.  Therefore always check your notice of award (NOA) and the sponsor’s administrative procedures on proper award closeout.

Who’s responsible?

Closeout should be a partnership between the Principal Investigator (PI), the department, and the central administrative office.  It is important that all constituents understand the requirements for closeout, the timeline for closeout (typically 90 days following the end date of the period of performance), along with their roles in the process.

Here at Colorado State University (CSU), the PI is responsible for providing timely and complete technical reports to the sponsor and any required invention disclosures.  PIs should work with subrecipients to ensure their information is reflected in these documents.

All final financial documents (e.g., final invoices and final financial reports) must be submitted by the Office of Sponsored Programs.  It is important that any and all financials reported to a sponsor, even in a technical report, come from the central administrative office.

At CSU, departments assist in award closeout in the following ways:

• review award expenditures to ensure compliance with cost principles
• notify individuals with spending authority to stop processing charges to the award
• resolve over-expenditures
• reconcile indirect cost calculation
• ensure all cost share expenses are transferred to the appropriate account
• close all encumbrances (including subrecipient and consultant encumbrances)
• communicate with the OSP

Remember, award closeout is a shared responsibility.  At any given time, OSP is monitoring hundreds of active grant awards, while working to close some awards and setting up new ones.  Delays in the closeout process can be costly and time consuming and may delay the setup of a new award.

For more on project closeout check out this NCURA YouTube video“Closeout: Best Practices,” with Bob Andresen, University of Wisconsin- Madison.