PI Frequently Asked Questions Sponsored Projects Accounting
Please select one of the links below for specific questions. If you do not find the answer you need, e-mail us, or call at: 646-1675.
General Information
- What is Sponsored Projects Accounting (SPA) responsible for?
- Who are the SPA fiscal monitors and how are they assigned?
Award Set-Up
- When is the Banner index set-up?
- How will a Principal Investigator know when a Banner index, also referred to as account, has been established in Banner and can begin using it?
- What are frequently used screens in Banner for managing an award?
Budgets
- What is F&A or indirect costs (IDC)?
- What is cost sharing?
- What if there are purchases to make near the project end date?
Invoicing/Billing & Reports
- Who is responsible for invoicing/billing a sponsor?
- Who is responsible for financial reporting to sponsors?
- What is COGNOS?
- Where should sponsors send payments?
General Information
What is Sponsored Projects Accounting (SPA) responsible for?
SPA is a group of professional accountants and support staff within Administration and Finance focused on customer service, who will assist the University by providing technical accounting support through financial reporting, transaction processing expertise, and interpretation of governmental regulations, thereby ensuring the data integrity of the financial information for the Univeristy.
Who are the SPA fiscal monitors and how are they assigned?
The following link provides updated information on the SPA fiscal monitors and their assignments which are by agency; http://www.nmsu.edu/~spa/fm_staff.html
Award Set-Up
When is the Banner index set-up?
The Banner index, also referred to as account, is established in Banner when the fully executed new award and related electronic files are received by SPA from OGC. SPA has a two-day turnaround deadline. Once all the required paperwork is received the account can be processed on the same day it is received.
How will a Principal Investigator know when a Banner index, also referred to as account, has been established in Banner and can begin using it?
The award’s Principal Investigator will be notified by email of the established index/account. The email notification also includes the Office of Grants and Contracts, SPA’s fiscal monitor and if applicable the Research Center.
What are frequently used screens in Banner for managing an award?
Below is a list of frequently used Banner screens for managing an award:
| Form | Name | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| FRAGRNT | Grant Maintenance | Used to enter award information such as agency, key personnel, indirect cost calculations and grant number |
| FRIGITD | Grant Inception to Date | used to retrieve account or account type information including adjusted budget, inception-to-date actual activity, encumbrance, and available balance information |
| FRIGSUM | Grant Summary Query | displays the summary activity of unbilled amounts, billed amounts, payment amounts, and withholding for Grants Auto Payment Management System code |
| FRIBILL | Grant Billing Query | displays all the billing invoice numbers, the bill amounts, and the payments against those bills |
| FRIBDET | Billing Detail Inquiry | displays all the activity in detail, including unbilled activity, billed activity, and payment activity |
Budgets
What is F&A or indirect costs (IDC)?
Costs incurred to support the institution’s mission activities that cannot be readily identifiable or directly assigned to a major project or activity with a high degree of accuracy and benefit more than one project. These costs are recovered by NMSU by charging an IDC rate to the award.
What is cost sharing?
Cost sharing or matching means that portion of project or program costs not borne by the Federal Government.
What if there are purchases to make near the project end date?
In general, all materials, supplies services and equipment should be received prior to the expiration date of a project, and would include intems encumbered before the expiration date. On continuing multiple year awards purchase requisitions must be entered in Banner by the 15th of the last month of the budget period. This will ensure the encumbrances are recorded prior to the expiration date and can be included as expenditures on the annual financial report to the sponsor. Expenditures within the last days of the grant/contract period may be subject to additional review in anticipation of sponsor audit of the period. Exceptions will be made depending on the funding agency, type of expense, and possible continuation of the award.
Equipment purchased within the last quarter of the grant/contract must have additional justification included on the Purchase Requisiton line-item detail or separate justification forwarded to SPA to be considered reasonable.
Source: Business Procedures Manual – section 3.15.15 Expenses for Grants, Contracts and Gift Indexes (FOPALs), Expenses Incurred Near Project End Date.
Invoicing/Billing & Reports
Who is responsible for invoicing/billing a sponsor?
SPA Fiscal Monitors are responsible for billing the sponsor.
Who is responsible for financial reporting to sponsors?
SPA Fiscal Monitors are responsible for preparing financial reports to sponsors.
What is COGNOS?
NMSU’s business reporting tool where standard developed reports for Budget, Employee, Finance and Instruction are available.
Where should sponsors send payments?
Payments should be mailed to SPA at MSC SPA or delivered to SPA at Anderson Hall, Rm E1200.