Sponsored Proposals, Reminders

ORSPA 3-Day Guarantee

The Sponsored Projects Office (ORSPA) will guarantee an on‐time submission for those final (i.e., ready to submit) proposals that are forwarded for Grant + Contract Officer (GCO) review in ERA at least three‐business days prior to the sponsoring agency’s deadline. If a final proposal is not routed for GCO review by the three‐day deadline, full review and timely submission of the application cannot be guaranteed.

That said, Proposal GCOs make best efforts to process all proposals and meet sponsor deadlines (even for those proposals not received 3 days in advance of the deadline); however proposals received within the 3‐day deadline window are given priority.

RFP Review and Other Items Requiring Additional Lead Time

When a funding opportunity includes award terms and conditions, run the Notify PNT activity to request an “RFP review” as early in the proposal development process as possible, and no later than 5+ business days in advance of the sponsor deadline. The assigned Proposal GCO will perform an initial assessment and facilitate Contracting Services review, as needed.

Similarly, run the Notify PNT activity at the beginning of the proposal development process to request GCO support for any other items that may require GCO input or action, including, but not limited to, the following materials:

  • Representations & Certifications
  • Intellectual Property (IP) plans
  • Risk Management Plans
  • Small Business Subcontracting Plans

These proposal documents may require coordination with other teams and ASU offices, which can take multiple weeks or longer to resolve. For example, the ASU Purchasing office typically requires a week or more turnaround time to review and sign Small Business Subcontracting Plans.

Please see the Reviewing a Funding Announcement Guide for additional items that require Proposal GCO involvement.

Acronyms and Terms

  • Notify PNT: An activity available in the Proposals module of the Enterprise Research Administration (ERA) system. This activity sends a notification to the assigned Proposal Grant + Contract Officer (GCO).
  • ERA: Enterprise Research Administration. ASU’s integrated platform to manage research and sponsored projects.
  • RFP: “Request for Proposals”. A type of Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) that is often used when the resulting funding mechanism will be a contract or other type of agreement (rather than a unilateral grant).
  • RFP Review: ASU Contracting Services review of terms and conditions or other provisions included in the FOA for a proposal, especially when submission of a proposal automatically implies ASU’s agreement to the terms.
  • Small Business Subcontracting Plan: A plan that delineates all planned contracting – including both subrecipients and vendors/contractors – delineating names of companies and designations (e.g., small business).