• Pre-award spending authorization request – you are accountable if the grant falls through! Department Head and Dean must sign for approval.
  • Banner vs. CatBooks budget review
    • CatBooks can be tailored with encumbrances for simple grant expenditure tracking
    • Review your Catbooks report every month to identify any errors that might have occurred
    • Use of subaccounts or Catbooks options to address differences between MSU Chart of Accounts [shown in the inception to date (ITD) report] and sponsor funding category requirements.
    • Hint: ITD shows information for the life of the grant and Catbooks shows information for the current fiscal year (usually different from grant year).
    • PI access to Banner ITD (Inception to Date) reports. Ask E. Bird for help getting set up, or see instructions here.
    • More detailed expense tracking spreadsheet can assist with budget modifications - ask E. Bird
  • Sponsor financial reporting requirements, terms and conditions
    • Allowed budget deviations, no-cost extensions
  • Communication between PI, department & OSP
  • Cost share/matching requirements – use forms/templates for both cash and in-kind contributions; this documentation is needed for audits. PI is responsible for tracking fulfillment of match requirement.
  • Fiscal responsibility
    • Spending through Pcard process – save, mark with index and submit your receipts via Chrome-River! (Hint: ask your departmental Business Operations Manager for help using this system.)  P-card may be used at Costco, campus food services, or Bookstore.  No other campus venues (like UIT).
    • Spending through invoice processing
    • Avoid expense corrections between spending Indexes
    • Subawards and contracted services agreements, Subawards with other organizations and institutions are generally set when prposal is submitted.  Contracts for short-term or individual service providers are set up after funding is received.
  • Info requests from Montana Hall – be prepared and gracious

Note!  When it comes to submitting a hospitality form, a travel authorization or expense voucher, a P-card or other receipt, an invoice, or a cash deposit, you should provide those to your department’s Business Operations Manager .  If you don’t have your own p-card, you will work with your business operations manager.