Sponsored Programs

Including Subrecipients

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You may wish to pay a colleague(s) at another university or institution for their participation on your sponsored project. You would pay them via a subrecipient agreement with their institution—as opposed to paying them individually as a consultant or contractor—when:

  • They are collaborating with you on the scope and direction of the whole project;
  • They are involved in the overall project design and/or development;
  • They would be listed as co-authors on publications reporting project results;
  • They would be using institutional resources, such as offices, office computers, labs, etc.;
  • They would be overseeing students at their institution;
  • They would be conducting project activities as part of the research/scholarly endeavors expected of them in their position at the institution.

Note: There may be times when it is more appropriate to pay another institution/organization via a professional services agreement, rather than a subrecipient agreement. Learn more about the difference between a professional services agreement and a subcontract. 

When including subrecipients in your proposal, keep in mind:

  • In your proposal budget and budget justification, you will need to break out all costs for the subrecipient separately just as you do for the overall project: salaries and wages, student salaries, fringe benefits, travel, supplies, F&A costs, etc.
  • You will probably need to include your colleague's CV/ biographical sketch and list of current and pending grants, the same as you will do for yourself and any colleagues from your own institution; so request that information from your colleagues well in advance.
  • When including a subrecipient in a proposal, your colleagues' institution's sponsored programs office will need to provide the following items to Sponsored Programs here at Appalachian before the proposal is submitted to the sponsor:
    • Subrecipient Commitment Form (PDF) signed by that institution's authorizing official;
    • Scope of work;
    • Budget for the subrecipient's costs only;
    • Budget justification for the subrecipient's costs only.

Under reporting requirements mandated by the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), Appalachian must now verify that all subrecipients and vendors paid a cumulative amount of $25,000 or more in federal funds have both a:

Please note: The University cannot issue a subrecipient agreement or purchase order until these requirements are met. Effective October 1, 2010, a DUNS number and CCR CAGE Code (a 5-digit federally assigned identifier) are required at the point of proposal submission.