On this page:

• Accounting Staff
• Grant and Contract Proposal Preparation
• Purchasing/Accounts Payable
• Reimbursements
• Supplies/University Stores
• Travel

Accounting Staff

Suite 310, 925 Delaware St SE
Minneapolis, MN  55414
Campus mail:  8806
FAX:  612-625-1620

Director, Finance & Operations  Susan Collins	612-624-0659	colli017@umn.edu
Accounts Payable   Peggy Jones	612-624-2857	jones242@umn.edu
Grants Administration   Rick Huismann   Peggy McHenry	612-625-4157 612-624-8664	huism003@umn.edu turbe006@umn.edu
ISO Administration   Rollie Erickson	612-625-4151	erick246@umn.edu
Operations/Travel/ Reimbursements  Roxy McCann	612-625-2662	doni0007@umn.edu
Payroll   KatieRose Thompson	612-625-9469	thom2514@umn.edu
Preaward   Aaron Schilz	612-624-0650	schil226@umn.edu

Top of page

Grant and Contract Proposal Preparation

 

Contact:	Aaron Schilz Pre-Award Services Coordinator Phone: 612-624-0650 E-mail:schil226@umn.edu
Available for:	Grants homed with the Cancer Center
Location	310 Dinnaken Bldg., 925 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis
User cost:	None

Identify funding source	Review NIH Guide and other sources for request for applications (RFAs) and program announcements (Pas) Announce in Update Post to Grant Opportunities with link to source	Weekly
Decision to apply	Review and outline sponsor requirements Identify participants Notify SPA and appropriate academic departments	Start of process One month prior submittal
Title application	Setup in EGMS	One month prior submittal
Identify staffing, subcontracting, equipment and supply needs	Liaison with accountant for budget development Contact subcontractors with submittal requirements Contact vendors for pricing information	One month prior submittal
Prepare application	Prepare/oversee preparation of application boilerplate Proposal Routing Form (PRF) Face Page Biosketch Resources Checklist Collate and copy	At least 2 weeks prior to submittal
Internal approvals	Route PRF	5 to 10 days prior to SPA submittal
Submit application	Deliver to SPA Enter data to proposal database	Due 3 days prior to sponsor deadline
Sponsor identifies preaward requirements	Obtain Just-in-time requirements	Upon request receipt

Grant submission deadlines
Deadlines for grant submissions have been established to meet all the deadlines outside of our control and to make sure there are no errors or omissions on the budgets and required collateral material. If you are planning to submit a grant application, immediately notify the Preaward Services Coordinator who can then review the specific requirements of the agency and schedule the submittal. Submit the preliminary budget information one month before the due date. The Medical School dean's office recommends that proposals be delivered to them 5 to 10 days prior to the agency deadline. The Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) office requests that proposals be submitted 3 days prior to the agency deadline.

1. The items needed for routing are
2. the proposal routing form (PRF)
3. Face Page
4. Budget and justification
5. Other Support
6. Abstract and research plan (this is the section the Dean's office wants most). Revised pages can be submitted to SPA on the final day if necessary.

Grant applications will not be accepted by the agencies without SPA's endorsement (the required University Official endorsement), and SPA will not approve without the required approvals on the PRF. If you miss the timeline outlined above, you or your staff must route the documents for approval. If you are not fully ready by the SPA deadline (4:30 p.m., 2 working days before agency deadline), at a minimum you must arrange to take to SPA by that deadline the PRF, Face Page, and any other form that requires the signature of the administrative (institutional) official, along with a copy of the draft application. The duly signed copies must be picked up from SPA by 4:30pm the day before the agency deadline and then you must arrange for submittal by the agency deadline (e.g., take to, and pay for, Federal Express delivery). SPA closes at 5pm.

Grants Reporting

Contact:	Rick Huismann Phone: 612-625-4157 E-mail: huism003@umn.edu
Available for:	Grants homed with Masonic Cancer Center for reporting
Location	310 Dinnaken Bldg., 925 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis
User cost:	None (other than grants justifying such effort)

The Masonic Cancer Center accounting staff serves as liaison with the sponsor, subcontractors, SPA and academic departments for initial award set up and extensions. During the period of the award, they review expenditures, monitor budgets, process re-budgeting requests and prepare monthly financial reports for the PI. Monthly reports include summaries of all funds and staff allocations; this service facilitates their oversight of quarterly effort certification.

Support is provided in the following areas:

Monitoring

• Approval of all charges on grants and contracts
• Assessing re budget needs and facilitating re budgeting of funds
• Setting up object codes for grant related expenses not in the original budget
• Monitoring sub-contract activity

Liaison between PI, SPA, SFR and sponsor

• no cost extension
• carry over of funds to next budget period
• invoicing grants and contract
• SFR reporting to agency
• submission of final progress and invention report to agency

Account reconciliation:
Reconciling accounts to ensure all charges adhere to sponsor and University policies

Reporting

• Preparing budget period reports for timely information and decision making
• Detail transaction report for expense estimates and to help identify charging errors
• Monthly staffing report to identify funding problems and facilitate decision making
• Faculty summary reports to show total funding

Effort Certification

• Report faculty and staff effort distribution
• Approve quarterly effort certification statements

Access to financial reports
Financial reports can be immediately accessed on the Masonic Cancer Center network in a directory accessible only to the Principal Investigator and his/her designees.

Top of page

Purchasing/Accounts Payable

Contact: Peggy Jones,
Phone: 612-624-2857
E-mail: jones242@umn.edu
Location: 310 Dinnaken Bldg.
Available to: Members charging Masonic Cancer Center accounts (Area 652)
User cost: Cost of merchandise

Purchasing of goods and services under $10,000 or on university contract:

• Using FormsNirvana prepare a Purchase Request Form (PREQ)
• Shipping address is: 

Cancer Center Research Building
Attention:  {add appropriate name}
425 E. River Rd., Room #{add}
  Minneapolis, MN 55455

• Billing address is: 

 Cancer Center Accounting
310 Dinnaken Building
 925 Delaware Street S.E.
 Minneapolis, MN 55414

• Purchasing will prepare the PO and forward to the account manager (PI) or designee for approval.
• Non-equipment purchases can be made for items below $10,000.  If the individual item costs $10,000 or more, contact accounting to see if the vendor is under contract with the university.  Purchases from the contract vendors can be made for less than $100,000.  Refer to University Contract Book for a list of contract vendors.
• If charging an item to a sponsored account, make sure the cost is allowable as a direct cost.  See attached list for general guidelines; contact Susan Collins (4-0659) if in doubt.  Also see Sponsored Projects Administration manual.
• An item is considered equipment if the cost is $2,500 or more and has a useful life of at least two years.  Please contact Susan Collins (4-0659) before purchasing equipment on sponsored accounts.

Receipt/return of goods:

• Upon receipt of items, make sure that the item received is in satisfactory condition and note on the packing slip any problems.  Sign and date the packing slip.  Send the packing slip immediately to Accounting Office. 
• If you are not satisfied with the item received, contact the vendor and get a Return Authorization Number before returning the item. Write this number on your copy of the PO and save it for your records.
• All orders placed through University Stores must be returned to them and not to the vendors.
• All chemicals have restocking charges when returned.
• Inform the Accounting Office by phone or e-mail about the return of items.

Payment of invoice:

• All invoices should be sent directly to Masonic Cancer Center accounting for processing payment.
• Accounting must have a copy of the purchase order and the packing slip before processing the invoice for payment.
• If the amount billed corresponds to the purchase order and quantity billed matches the packing slip, the invoice will be approved for payment without further contact. 

Top of page

Reimbursements

Contact: Roxy McCann
Phone: 612-625-2662
E-mail: doni0007@umn.edu
Location: 310 Dinnaken Bldg.
Available to: Members charging Masonic Cancer Center accounts (Area 652)
User cost: None

All expenditures should be approved prior to incurrence and should be limited to less than $500 (per University policy). Completed forms should be submitted to your supervisor for approval. The supervisor should forward to accounting for processing.

For expense reimbursements, a University Employee Expense Worksheet must be completed. Staff reimbursement for non-travel expenses cannot exceed $500; contact accounting to obtain a Purchasing Card if more than occasional purchases are required. The University is tax-exempt and the employee will not be reimbursed for taxes. You should provide the vendor with Certificate of Exemption (PDF) , or some vendors have forms where you can provide the exemption number (8029894).

For courses at Shepard Labs, we will prepare the IV form for payment, but suggest that you hand carry it for in-person registration. Indicate on your request that you would like the IV returned to you for processing.

For travel reimbursements, please see the Travel section below.

Top of page

Supplies/University Stores

Contact: Peggy Jones,
Phone: 612-624-2857
E-mail: jones242@umn.edu
Location: 310 Dinnaken Bldg.
Available to: Members charging Masonic Cancer Center accounts (Area 652)
User cost: Cost of merchandise

To order supplies from University Stores, you need to be set up in Forms Nirvana; contact accounting for assistance. Once set up, you log in using your internet ID and customer number 04041. You need a passcode which is changed periodically. Contact Accounting for current passcode. Do not set up new number on your own.. Both your Budget Account and Ship to Address also must be set up in the system; if not shown, contact accounting for assistance.

See the Justification for Purchases from External Vendors for required information; all purchses on sponsored accounts must have a research related justification.

Before you complete your order (by hitting Enter), please note the Approver information. UStores will not ship your order until all approvers listed here approve the order. You will receive email notification if the order is denied by any of the approvers. You can check the progress of your order in the Status of Request in Forms Nirvana.

Top of page

Travel

Admin contact (arrange travel & complete forms):  Assigned support staff
Accounting contact (for reimbursement): Roxy McCann, doni0007@umn.edu, 612-625-2662

University policies and procedures are on Travel Services Web Site.   To request reimbursement, complete University Employee Expense Worksheet and submit to Cancer Center accounting.  Instructions for completing the worksheet are available in the Justification for Travel (PDF) document.

The purpose of travel, including the benefit to the project (account) charged, is required.  PI signature is required. Meal reimbursement per diems are based on the Federal State Department's Domestic Per Diems.  Click on your destination state and scroll until you find your destination city.

Insurance Coverage
You should complete a travel authorization (TA) form before your trip so you have proper insurance coverage.   If you are renting a car, use the university contract with National Car Rental for discount and no-cost insurance cover rate.

Frequent Travelers
Minnesota statute requires that "Whenever public funds are used to pay for the airline travel by an elected official or public employee, any credits or other benefits issued by an airline must accrue to the benefit of the public body providing the funding." University employees, rather than departments, are responsible for tracking miles earned with University funds, providing records of such tracking if requested, and otherwise complying with this law. Travelers are encouraged to use one of the U-wide travel agencies and establish a separate frequent flyer account for business travel. Miles earned or used should be listed on the Employee Expense Worksheet  Frequent flyer credits used by the University for business purposes are not subject to additional taxes.

When we process travel request documents and conference registrations, there is always the concern that the documents are processed in time for your trips and meetings to go as planned.  We are at a disadvantage because we are only one leg of the processing procedure, as we do not mail the payments and registrations--they are sent by the university's Disbursement Services department.  To help eliminate possible snags, please follow the guidelines below, obtaining the required approvals along the way:

1. Prepare your requests as soon as possible.
2. If registration forms are required, be sure all the required information is completed before giving the completed form to accounting.  If you can mail directly, with instructions to "bill my company", please do; or if you have a university Purchasing Card, use it.
3. Airline reservations should be made directly. 
4. Hotel reservations should be made directly. 
5. You should receive confirmation directly from the conference, hotel and airlines.  If you do not receive confirmation within a "comfortable" time frame (for instance, a week for local seminars or a month for major conferences), we do maintain a file by individual staff member to trace the document processing.

Top of page