Award Administration

Financial Projections

Your post-award analyst will help you think through your spending plan by providing you with financial projections. Your analyst can create 6, 12, 18 or 24 month projections and can meet with you monthly, quarterly, or at the Principal Investigator’s discretion.
The next page has a sample financial projection that will be reviewed during lab meetings.

Human Resources

Prior to the start of the hiring process ORA staff will set up a kick-off meeting with representatives from HR. They will talk you through the various options for hiring students and staff to support your project.

	Salary Range	Tuition	Recruitment Process	Hiring Process	Timeline	Comments
Student worker - undergrad	Usually $12/hr or more	None	Optional. Post on TU website, announcement in classroom, word of mouth.	Contact Research Administration office, post-award staff.	Almost immediate for hiring. Student will need background check for work with children and will need to go to HR to certify eligibility to work.	1) Students may be hired or continue in their job for one semester after graduating.  2) Work student cannot be used on federally funded grants.
Graduate RA	Refer to TUGSA rates. Prorated for 5, 10, 15 hr/wk appointments.	100%FT = 20 hrs/wk; prorated for 5, 10, or 15 hr/wk appointments	Optional. Post on TU website, other networks.	Contact Research Administration office, post-award staff. Appointment letters are generally issued prior to the start of the semester.	Almost immediate for hiring. Student will need background check for work with children and will need to go to HR to certify eligibility to work.	TUGSA has stipend levels
Postdoctoral Fellow	NIH guidelines, based on # years experience since PhD	N/A	Optional. Post on TU website, other networks.	Contact Research Administration Office, post-award staff. Appointment letters are issued by the Graduate School.	1-2 months, depending on how quickly candidate submits the required documents.	Appointments are usually 1-2 years, with option to renew. Stipend levels are provided by NIH.
Independent Contractor	Varies, usually set by contractor.	N/A	Optional.	Independent contractor forms. Contracts >$5K need to go through TU approval process.	About one month.	Certificate of professional liability insurance required, depending on scope of work. Waivers granted on a case-by-case basis, usually when there is no access to TU systems, PII, or interaction with research participants.
Employee, full-time	TU salary ranges for similar positions	N/A	Required	Human Resources. Job approval, posting, interviewing, selection, references, background check, and affirmative action form required. Facilitated by Research Administration Office, post-award staff.	Minimum 2+ months.	HR will determine if position falls under the AFSCME bargaining unit.
Employee, part-time	Temple salary ranges for similar positions	N/A	Required.	Human Resources. Job approval, posting, interviewing, selection, references, background check, and affirmative action form required. Facilitated by Research Administration Office, post-award staff.	Minimum 2+ months.	HR will determine if position falls under the AFSCME bargaining unit.
Employee, temporary	Temple salary ranges for similar positions	N/A	Optional	Human Resources. Job approval, posting, interviewing, selection, references, background check, and affirmative action form required. Facilitated by Research Administration Office, post-award staff.	About one month.	6 month hire maximum.

Consultants and Other Vendors

Consultants will need to fill out an Independent Consultant Determination Form and Professional Services Agreement (including a scope of work) to be paid in addition to submitting a W-9. Please contact your post-award analyst to get the process started. Sample forms are included in the appendices. The timeline to set up consultant in Temple’s Accounts Payable system is typically 2-3 weeks.

Purchases over $5,000 will require that a purchase order be created, contact your post-award analyst for more information.

Consultants may be required to hold Liability Insurance ($1 million). This will be confirmed by Office of Research Administration staff.

We recommend that consultants send travel reimbursements separately as this reduces their tax burden.

Forward all invoices to your Post Award Analyst for payment. If an invoice comes to ORA first, the post-award analyst will always send it to the PI for approval before submission.

Invoices should always be provided to the Post Award Analyst in a timely fashion–if a grant period ends before an invoice is received, it is not guaranteed that it can be paid from the proper FOAPAL.

P-Cards

There are many ways to issue payment at Temple University to cover the costs of goods and services needed for the successful completion of your research. Use of a Temple University P-card might be a viable payment option in your lab when you need an item ASAP and if the items meet the allowable purchases guidelines as directed by University Purchasing. Some vendors for which items are often purchased via P-card include lab supply orders on Amazon, monthly recurring charges such as a purchased conference line service and publication fees. Please call your research analyst directly if interested in applying for a P-card and the research team can assist with next steps. 

Please note that all P-card users must be vetted by the College and the University before a P-card will be issued. In addition, there are several categories of purchases that are not permitted on the P-card including travel, food items, and consultant fees.

Helpful Information Director from Temple University Purchasing on Use of a P-Card   The TPC can be used for the purchase of most small dollar goods and services up to $5,000 per transaction. Below is a list of goods and services that are unallowable according to TPC Policies and Procedures. This list may change from time to time as policy changes.   Unallowable charges will be blocked from the TPC and declined at point of sale. Although the card controls are designed to automatically limit unacceptable usage, it is ultimately the Cardholder's responsibility to be aware of Temple University's Policies and Procedures. If a Cardholder is uncertain that a transaction is permissible, they must contact the TPC Administrator prior to processing said transaction. The TPC is not intended for purchases exceeding $5,000. Such purchases may not be split across multiple transactions, days, or multiple departmental TPCs in any manner that acts to circumvent the single transaction limit of $5,000. Transactions totaling $5,000 or more must be submitted through TUmarketplace and receive a Purchase Order as per the university's Procurement Policy.  The TPC can be utilized in TUmarketplace for those vendors designated as TPC-enabled vendors. Vendors that are TPC enabled will be marked as such on the TUmarketplace requisition Final Review screen, under the box labeled "TPCard (< $5K)". Purchasing strongly recommends that departments use the TPC as a payment method for small dollar purchases when the vendor is TPC enabled within TUmarketplace.   Unallowable Expenses Purchases that are covered under any University contract or that conflict with any University policy are not permitted on the TPC. This includes, but is not limited to: Cash advances of any kind (including cash equivalents such as Diamond Dollar card deposits) Catering, restaurants & meals, food, alcoholic beverages, and similar items Computers, Monitors, Laptops, iPads (or similar devices of any brand), Site Licensed Software, Networking Cables, Wireless Routers, and Printers Contributions, Donations or Sponsorships Employment/Personnel Services Financial Services Gifts, gift certificates/cards, florists, and similar items Hazardous materials Biological Materials on the list of Select Agents and Toxins (maintained at: Select Agents and Toxins List) Radioactive Materials (all radioactive materials, including devices containing radioactive materials) Items prohibited under the University's Sustainability Initiative (i.e. space heaters, personal air conditioning units, hot plates, incandescent bulbs, Non-Energy Star Appliances & accessories - for additional information see https://sustainability.temple.edu/) Laboratory research animals Parking/Moving Violations Personal Purchases Prescription Drugs Services usually provided through the Office of Facilities Management Temple University Departmental Charges (such as non-credit courses at TU) Travel & Entertainment University-wide contract services (i.e. cellular phones, fuel, cable & pagers) PayPal (or similar payment forms) If you have an authorized need to purchase a specific commodity within one of the categories listed above, please contact your ORA post-award analyst.

Participant (Human Subject) Incentives and Other Payments

Incentives can be: cash equivalent (check issued by Temple, money order, or gift card), ClinCard, or other (such as a coffee mug or raffle for an iPad). Incentives must be included in the IRB protocol to ensure they are provided in an ethical manner, and are stated on the consent forms.

Deciding on Incentive Mechanism
There are several factors to consider when determining which incentive to use. PIs should consider the following, and can discuss options with research administration staff:

Population. Certain populations will be attracted to a gift card. Vulnerable populations may be discouraged from participating if a gift card is provided.

Amount of incentive. If a participant will receive a small amount, say $10, the fees related to certain gift cards may make them cost prohibitive. A PI will need to review the project budget to determine when fees are affordable. If a participant will receive over $100 in a single session, then the incentive will need to be a check issued by Temple University; petty cash policy prohibits single
payments above $100.

Number of times a single participant receives an incentive. If a participant will be involved in several data collection sessions, the PI may decide to (1) provide an incentive only at the end of all sessions, (2) provide incentives at each session in increasing amounts to improve chance of return, or (3) provide the same incentive if return visits are not crucial. If a single participant will receive multiple incentives, the PI should select an option with the lowest fees. ClinCards are the best option in this case.

Security. Also referred to as ‘internal controls,’ PIs and the research administration staff need to maintain strong security measures to ensure theft does not occur. There also need to be strong measures to ensure that all cash and cash-equivalent incentives are documented when received and when dispersed.

Details on the incentive types, fees, and internal control procedures are listed below.

How to Order
Talk to your post-award coordinator about placing an order. Please pay attention to the turnaround times listed on the following chart.

IRS Regulations
If a participant will receive over $600 during a calendar year, the incentives become taxable income per IRS regulations. If the participant was paid by check, the participant will receive a 1099 form from the university at the start of the following year. The $600 limit applies to any combination of cash and/or cash equivalent (such as a gift card).

For participants that were paid by gift card or petty cash, the PI will need to maintain address and social security number for the participants. This information should be obtained via an IRS W9 form that is sent to Accounts Payable via TU Safesend.

PIs should ensure that the IRB consent form includes IRS reporting limit in stipend/reimbursement section. Below is the standard wording.

If you are reimbursed for your participation in this study, you may be asked to provide your social security number to a member of the study team via the completion of a W-9 form. If your compensation for this study exceeds $599.00 or your total compensation for all the Temple studies in which you participate exceeds $599.00, you will have to report the compensation to the Internal
Revenue Service via the issuance of an Internal Revenue Service Form 1099-MISC from Temple. If you do not provide your social security number, you may still participate in the study but you will not be able to receive any reimbursement for your participation.

Options for Paying Participants:

Type of Incentive	Fee per Transaction	Shipping Fee	Method of Purchase	Turnaround Time	Security Notes	Other Notes
Check	None	None	Through TUmarketplace online check request form.	Internal processing takes up to 15 business days. Mailing via USPS can take up to 7 days, depending on the address.		Required method for cash payments above $100. Participant must provide address and social security number (w9 form).
Clincard	Varies	None	Coordinated through LKSOM. Please contact Natalie Huffman if you are interested in using ClinCards.			Reloadable gift card. Funds are added as participants complete milestones (eg. lab visits, focus groups, questionnaires, etc.)
Gift card	Varies per vendor	Varies per vendor	TUmarketplace through the preferred vendor.	5-7 days for delivery	PI must have a security policy. Must be stored in secure location with limited number of individuals who have access.   Receipts must be maintained for all incentives.   A gift card log must be maintained. Reach out to your post-award coordinator for a template.	Available in denominations between $5-$500.   Gift cards are only permitted on research related funds (internal or external).   PIs should work with their department administrator to purchase gift cards utilizing their grant FOAPAL.
Electronic gift card	No fees and no expiration date	None	TUmarketplace through the preferred vendor.	1-2 days for internal approval process. No additional time for delivery.	PI must have a security policy. Limited number of individuals should have access to the electronic records.   Receipts must be maintained for all incentives.	Participant must have access to email.   Restricted to limited vendors and amounts between $5-$500.   Good method for surveys when participants are not seen in person.