DePaul faculty members occasionally work with their colleagues at other institutions to propose a grant project. When another institution is the prime applicant for the proposal, DePaul participates as that institution’s subcontractor. In such situations, DePaul prepares a subcontract proposal to the prime institution to indicate its willingness to participate in the proposal submission and any subsequent award.
It is important to keep in mind that the prime institution will need DePaul’s subcontract proposal prior to the sponsoring agency’s deadline so that there is sufficient time to incorporate DePaul’s subcontract documents into their application. An Office of Research Services (ORS) staff person will work with the appropriate person at the prime institution to determine a due date for the subcontract proposal. Typically, DePaul’s subcontract proposal will be due to the prime institution a minimum of one week prior to the sponsoring agency’s deadline date.
An ORS staff person will also work with the DePaul principal investigator (PI) to produce the required documents for the subcontract proposal. These documents will vary depending upon the sponsoring agency’s guidelines for subcontracting institutions; a sampling of the typical documents that comprise a subcontract proposal is detailed below.
When DePaul participates as a subcontractor on a sponsored project, the subcontract proposal undergoes the same internal process as a regular proposal submission. Faculty who are planning to participate as a subcontractor on a sponsored project should contact ORS as soon as possible so that the ORS staff person can coordinate with the prime institution, help develop the required documents, and obtain internal approvals. The ORS staff person will also submit the subcontract proposal to the appropriate person at the prime institution when the internal proposal review process is completed.
The statement of work is usually a paragraph or two detailing the actual services to be performed by DePaul on the project and any deliverables that DePaul is solely responsible for. This document may be used if the project is awarded as a statement of work for the resulting contract to DePaul. This document is distinct from the full project narrative the prime institution sends to the funding agency, on which the DePaul PI, will likely collaborate with the prime institution's PI.
The term of the subcontract project period should fall within the main proposal’s project period. DePaul will need to provide the prime institution a detailed budget for each project year that we participate as a subcontractor as well as a cumulative DePaul budget.
The budget justification should correspond to the itemized breakdown of project costs that is provided in the corresponding detailed budget for each year of the project. The narrative should include the time commitments for key personnel and brief descriptions of their responsibilities. A justification for equipment purchases, supplies, travel, and other related project costs should also be provided in the budget narrative.
This document describes the participating faculty members’ access to DePaul resources to support the proposed research activities. Such information is typically rolled into the prime applicant’s facilities and resources description.
This document details the locations where DePaul faculty members will conduct the proposed project activities specified in their statement of work. This list can include both DePaul and external locations. We will typically need to provide the address with nine-digit zip code, county, DUNS number, and Congressional District for each location.
Biographical sketches or Vitas are usually required for all key personnel participating in the subcontract proposal. The sponsoring agency typically specifies a required format and has a specified page limit the document may not exceed. If no format is specified, an abbreviated resume or CV is sufficient.
It is often helpful for the DePaul PI to provide a letter of collaboration to the person at the prime institution who is lead on the project. The letter should detail that the DePaul PI is willing to collaborate with him/her on the project and should note the importance of the project. The letter should be the DePaul PI’s department letterhead.
Once the subcontract proposal has been institutionally reviewed and approved, ORS will provide a letter endorsing the subcontract proposal. Most funding agency's require prime institutions to include this letter as evidence of the subcontracting institution’s approval of the project.
Other Documentation as requested by the funding agency and/or the prime contractor may also be added as applicable to a specific submission. This occasionally includes institutional representations and certifications noting DePaul's compliance with federal, state and/or municipal statutes.