Required In-Person Training for New PI's
As a result of the most recent Chancellor's Office Audit, beginning January 1, 2014 all Principal Investigators (PI's) without a previous project at TUC, are required to attend an in-person training with their Liaison at the TUC-Sponsored Programs Office, during the first 3 months of their grant. All training to PI's must be documented and be confirmed by the PI.
At the Beginning of the Project
Just been Awarded a Project!
- I want to get set up to view the detailed project expense (Detail Trial Balance) report by each expense through the campus portal.
- I need to be be set up as an authorized signer on the project and/or I want to set up additional employees to be authorized signers on the project.
- I want to set up a meeting or have questions regarding the post-award administration of my project, who do I contact?
- My project contains faculty release time for a CSUN faculty member (including myself). What do I need to do to start the processing and what are the deadlines?
Hiring Employees
- I want to hire a Student Assistant.
- I want to hire a Research Assistant.
- I want to hire a Project Staff Member
- I want to conduct an Emergency Hire or hire a Temporary Employee.
- I want to hire an Employee who is Explicitly Named in the Grant Award.
- I want to set up a meeting or have questions regarding personnel issues in my project, who do I contact?
During the Project
Ordering Goods and Services
- I want to order goods or services for the project (Purchase Order).
- When do I need to justify my purchase decision by requesting quotes, bids, or even formal bids.
- What is the purchasing policy of The University Corporation?
- I want to order office supplies for my project. Under what circumstances are they an allowable expense and how can I order them?
- I want to order goods or services from a CSUN department on campus (Quickcopy, PPM, Parking, etc...) What is the process for ordering and chargebacks of expenses to my project.
- I have questions regarding a Purchase Order, who can I contact?
Paying Expenses
- I need to pay an invoice I received.
- I need to reimburse an employee for project expenses he/she has advanced.
- We have traveled on behalf of the project and we need to get reimbursed for the travel expenses.
- I need an advance for an upcoming trip.
- I want to set up multiple scheduled payments, e.g. for rent lease or regular stipend payments.
- I want to pay myself from the project, what are the rules?
- I need to pay stipends to students or participants.
Paying Employees
- I want to process faculty release time for a CSUN faculty member (including myself) working on the project.
- I want to directly pay a faculty member (including myself) for working overtime or working during the semester breaks.
- I want to pay an hourly employee.
- I want to pay a salaried employee.
- I have questions regarding payroll issues in my project, who can I contact?
Hiring Outside Services
- I want to hire an individual as an independent contractor to work on the project.
- I want to contract with a company to work on or provide goods or services for the project.
- I want to process a subward to a subrecipient of the grant.
- What are my responsibilities as Principal Investigator regarding the monitoring of subrecipients of subawards?
Monitoring Project Expenses
- What reports are available to me to help me monitor my project expenses?
- I want to know my total project expenses by account, as of yesterday.
- I want to know my project expenses detailed by each expense (Detail Trial Balance), as of the end of last month.
- I want to know my project expenses detailed by each expense (Detail Trial Balance), as of today.
Budget Revisions
- I want to change individual budget line items of my project, without changing the total budgeted amount. (Please contact ORSP at x 2901for more details!)
- I want to check if my request for budget revision has already been processed.
- I want to apply for an extension of the project period. (Please contact ORSP at x 2901 for more details!)
Other Project Issues
- My project requires cost sharing, what do I need to do?
- Faculty has received payments from the project, now they have to certify and report their effort. What is involved?
Other Administrative Issues
- What kind of expenses can be charged to my grant? What kind of expenses are not allowable?
- I need to assign my expenditures with an accounting code. What does this mean and how do I do it?
- What is the correct supporting documentation that I must include with my Check Request, Purchase Orders and other types of expenditure requests?
- I need to pay someone (employee, stipend recipient, independent contractor, etc.) who is a non-resident alien (a person who is not a citizen or a resident alien [green card holder]. What do I need to do?
- The invoice or order confirmation I received does not contain California Sales Tax. What do I need to observe?
- What are the common pitfalls Principal Investigators encounter when admistering a project?