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Research - Subawards
What is a Subaward?
Federal code defines a subaward as "an award of financial assistance in the form of money, or property in lieu of money, made under an award by a recipient to an eligible subrecipient or by a subrecipient to a lower tier subrecipient." When funds (most often) are awarded by one entity to another to conduct aspects of a research project, an agreement must be established with that organization to outline the terms of the funding, the scope of work to be completed, etc.
Subaward vs Consultant vs Vendor
The PI should carefully consider whether an organization or individual is participating in a project as a subrecipient, a vendor, or a consultant.
| Subaward | Vendor | Consultant |
|---|---|---|
| Intellectually significant portion of programmatic effort | Goods and Services provided within normal business operations | Service provided within normal business operation |
| Responsible for programmatic decision making | No programmatic decision making | Provides an expert opinion |
| Work performed by the subrecipient's personnel, using their personnel at their facilities | Operates in a competitive environment | No programmatic decision making, but uses knowledge and expertise in field |
| Responsible for same regulatory and compliance requirements as prime recipient | Fee for Service | No stake in outcome of project |
Required Subaward Documents for a Proposal
Any organization participating in an extramural proposal as a subawardee must provide certain proposal documents two weeks prior to the proposal deadline, including:
- Institutional Letter of Intent (LOI) This is a letter signed by an authorized official at the subcrecipient's organization, indicating the budget and scope of work has the proper approval.
- Budget & Budget Justification The budget details in the sponsor's required format will be incorporated into UW's budget.
- Scope of Work This is a brief but detailed description of the work to be performed by the subrecipient.
Additional Resources
RSP Outgoing Subaward Resources Page
Subrecipient Proposal Checklist
Subrecipient Proposal Request Email (Sample)