July 13 Meeting Q&A Follow Up

Greetings Colleagues, 

The July 13, 2023 MRAM materials are available for review. Q&A from our session are included here for reference and will be available with the other material shortly. 

Priority Processing and Turnaround Times - GCA & OSP

Q1: How do we communicate that we have something urgent?
A1: For urgent items for OSP email osp@uw.edu, for GCA email gcahelp@uw.edu.

Q2: Can a list of the budgets waiting to be processed be provided?
A2: No, however, conversion of all new federal awards from Funding Actions (FAs) collected in OSP during cutover to ASRs is complete. Conversion of other new awards and contracts from FAs to ASRs is underway.

If there is a new award that was expected, please check SAGE for the ASR. In order for the ASR to be fully processed, it must be completed by campus, OSP review and approval completed, and sent to GCA.

If you are expecting an award change, Modifications in SAGE just became functional. Conversion of collected award changes is underway.

Q3: My department's contract from DOH which is supposed to start July 1 has "on hold" as a status. When will those be processed?
A3: Once converted to an ASR, you can check status by seeing who it is assigned to in OSP, checking the Comments & History, and checking for attachments.

Q4: We've had a large number of awards assigned to incorrect cost centers. What mechanism do we use to request that fix?
A4: The SAGE budget worksheet and Workday should align so that the data is in sync. Requests to change Cost Centers need to be processed through a SAGE modification (to GCA only). 

Q5: I have a no cost extension that was submitted pre-go live by the deadline. The extension has already been approved by NIH. What is the best way to follow up to ensure that the UW extension is entered (not missed in due to the transition) before payroll cutoff?
A5: Per the MRAM email sent July 17th, GCA implemented workaround Extensions, Temporary Internal Extensions and a portion of Supplement/Extensions actions prior to the 7/19 payroll cutoff. Once the Modification functionality is available in SAGE, OSP will officially process the Extension, Temporary Internal Extension or Supplement/Extension. Please check SAGE Central to identify your associated ASR and see if there is a Modification associated with it, to process the extension. If you do not see that within the next month, please contact osp@uw.edu to inquire.

Q6: For award set-up...Example We receive a Y3 NIH NOA. NIH provides budget allocations in the NOA. If we intend to spend as awarded, is there a way to add just the total per line item in the Budget Set-up Module or do we need to provide a detailed budget? For example can we just list Total personnel costs versus listing out each individual's effort?
A6: In general, there is not a specific requirement to list out each individual’s effort and associated salary costs. However, if the sponsor requires a detailed budget breakdown by personnel on a financial invoice or report, the totals must be entered in the budget worksheet so that GCA can invoice/report on that correctly.

Q7: Any chance we can cut out one of the steps on the budget extension request? Seems duplicative to have us submit 2 forms (budget extension request --> attach that to a SAGE mod).
A7: The information contained in the extension form is required for each and every extension. The Modification itself is not a form and only has high level information. Please attach the completed extension form to the MOD for reference and complete processing.

Q8: Can OSP issue an official notice on their website about the timing of the modification and subaward processing? PIs and their subawards have been continuously asking for status and it would be very helpful if the status is officially provided.
A8: We will provide this information as soon as we can. Please keep in mind that although the SAGE process has not changed much for outgoing subawards, the process to coordinate with Procurement to obtain supplier contracts and POs is new for our team and for Procurement. Thanks!

Q9: Have the internal OSP deadlines changed for new grant proposals?
A9: No

Q10: Is there guidance on carry forward of unliquidated obligated funds on T32 awards?
A10: Most T32 awards have a 6/30 end date. GCA will be reconciling these starting in September and will be contacting departments if there are any issues. The process for GCA to carry forward unliquidated obligated funds to the new award line (sub budget) will generally be the same and will be handled by GCA.

Q11: Are we still submitting NCE requests via the old form, or will that now be a MOD request via SAGE?
A11: There is a revised Extensions form available now that you will use along with the Modification functionality in SAGE. Please attach the completed form to the Modification.

Subawards

Q1: Can we edit the subcontract titles that were transferred?
A1: No, you cannot change the converted titles at this time. However, as you set up new subawards, you will determine the grant name for the subaward award line when you enter it into the SAGE budget at the time of award.

Q2: Can you go over what departments need to do regarding active subcontract conversion/migration from Ariba to Workday? We have heard different plans. 2) Is there a webpage for required dept. migration activities for award and subcontract migration
A2: For cases where the Supplier Contract or PO did not convert into Workday, we are working on the necessary steps for addressing these issues and will provide instructions as soon as we can.

Q3: Have the subaward BPOs been moved from ARIBA to Workday?
A3: Yes. A Workday Supplier Contract & PO were created for open, active subaward BPOs in Ariba. The Workday PO number is the same as the Ariba BPO number. Please note, there were some Supplier Contracts and/or POs that could not be automatically created. OSP and Procurement are working on a process for making corrections. We will communicate to MRAM as soon as possible.

Q4: I have subawards with a final invoice date of July 31. Should we extend this date?
A4: I recommend checking your Award, reviewing the Award Line to find the Supplier Contract and PO. If those are live, please direct your suppliers to Procurement’s For Suppliers webpage for instructions on submitting the invoice. https://finance.uw.edu/ps/suppliers If you received an invoice and have been holding it, I believe you can enter that on behalf of your subrecipient. If the Supplier Contract or PO did not transition, we will provide instructions for resolving that as soon as we can.

Q5: How do we handle Subaward Mods when the Subaward did not get carried over into WD?
A5: We are working on the process for this and will be communicating it as soon as possible.

Q6: Is there a way to upload supplier invoices to subawards at this time, or is that on hold until award modifications can go through?
A6: Supplier invoices may be submitted following the For Suppliers instructions. When submitting for a converted subaward, include “BPO” as part of the PO number, e.g. “BPO12345”.

Q7: If we had subaward modifications that were negotiated during the restricted period but could not be fully executed until go-live, is the full execution still considered a “low priority” item, or will that be taken care of quickly since it is the final step in the negotiating that was already ongoing?
A7: This is not considered low priority for OSP. The subaward team is actively working on the path forward for both new subawards and modifications that are fully negotiated and waiting to be finalized. We have begun initial reviews of how the necessary data transitioned into Workday. Next steps will be resolving any issues with the initial data and sending information to Procurement for Supplier Contract/PO creation/modification. Thanks for your patience!

Q8: A clarification question regarding GCA's assignment of subawards as a "low priority" item. What part of subaward setup does GCA control in the new system? does this mean that we will not be able to implement and pay invoice on subawards in the near term/this month?
A8: Subawards were part of the conversion process so any converted award that had a subaward, should have its own award line. GCA can't speak to Procurement procedures to ensure that these are able to be invoiced so I would recommend following their guidance. For new subawards, GCA's involvement will be in setting up the new award line in Workday and connecting the Supplier as a subrecipient (if not already done through conversion). Department will be responsible for funding the budget worksheet via the modification process so these will be prioritized with the new award line additions.

Award Portal

Award Portal: https://fin-s-web22.finance.uw.edu/fin/AwardPortal/

Q1: Is ability to use Award Portal dependent on security role?
A1: No, anyone with a UW NETID can use Award Portal.

Q2: Can we search PIs inAward Portal by EID? Do we always have to include PI's middle name/initial when looking up by 'PI name'?
A2: At this time, Award Portal only has a search by PI name. The PI search in Award Portal works best when you search by the PI’s last name then use the filter function in the Grant PI column to filter the results by the PI’s first name. GCA has added the ability to search by PI EID feature to the list of future enhancements.

Q3: I am also having issues with searching for PIs by name. I tried by last name, last name then first name, full name including middle initial, etc. This is not a consistent issue.
A3: The search works best when searching by just the last name, however, you can also search using the percent (%) symbol as a wildcard. For example, j%doe would return all PIs with the first initial J and DOE in their last name.

Q4: We are finding the grant manager security role is not necessarily the best role to assign to people with a grant manager payroll title/functional role. Some of them appear to be uneditable and incorrect. How do we update the contacts in Award Portal?
A4: The Workday Grant Manager(s) will appear as a campus contact in Award Portal and can only be changed in Workday. Campus units can edit the campus contact email addresses directly in Award Portal. Please see GCA’s new job aid for managing campus contacts in Award Portal.

Q5: The encumbrance amount on my subaward line is more than the IDC on the first $25K. Do we reach out to GCA to correct this?
A5: The encumbrance amount on the subaward award line is the balance of the related purchase order, not the F&A. The F&A limit is captured in a Workday field called “Basis Limit”. GCA populates this field when creating a new subaward award line so that Workday can automatically apply the correct F&A charges as subaward invoices post. If you have a question about an award field in Workday, please contact GCA via Award Portal.

Q6: For subcontracts I have heard reports that the names of the subcontractors are not included in Award Portal. Is this correct? If so, are there any plans to add the subawardee names?
A6: We don’t have plans to add this field to Award Portal at this time. GCA will add this to the list of future enhancements.

Q7: In Award Portal, is there a plan to re-add the ability to send invoices requiring additional documentation to sponsors, like the prior function in GT? I received one yesterday where it appears the workaround is that we send the documentation in AP and then GCA sends it out to the sponsor.
A7: Yes, that is the current process for submitting additional documentation to sponsor invoices. GCA is working on adding that functionality to Award Portal.

Q8: Will the Encumbrance column in Award Portal >Award Line Financial Information include both F&A encumbrance and Workday "open balance" encumbrances?
A8: The encumbrance column in Award Portal includes the F&A encumbrance and other encumbrances. Workday doesn’t have open balances. In Award Portal, you’ll see Pre-Encumbrance, which captures the intent to spend, and Encumbrance which is an obligation. A great resource to see how they are created and liquidated in Workday is the Workday Encumbrance Accounting.pdf

Q9: Looking at the Award Portal Search, I see some terms that are not the same as what we see in SAGE Awards. Is the "award number" the Award Request ID/ASR? Will we eventually be able to search by eGC1?
A9: The Award Number in Award Portal (AWD-######) is the Workday Award Number. The Award Request number is assigned in SAGE to an Award Setup Request and formatted ASR#####. GCA has added the eGC1 search to its list of future enhancements.
Q10: In award portal: Some of my awards have wrong contact information on there. I can add my email, but cannot change the name of the person. How I might change the assigned name?
A10: The assigned name represents the Workday Grant Manager. It’s automatically displayed as a campus contact in Award Portal and will receive notifications when an Award Portal ticket is created or updated. The Workday Grant Manager is connected to the security hierarchy. To change that name, please send an Award Portal ticket to GCA and they will update the hierarchy in Workday.

Q11: How is the Grant Manager information pulled for new awards in award portal? If grant managers are missing based on the cost center, who do we reach out to?
A11: The Workday Grant Manager’s name is automatically listed as a campus contact in Award Portal. The Workday Grant Manager is connected to the security hierarchy, not the cost center. To change the Workday Grant Manager associated with a particular grant, please send an Award Portal ticket to GCA and they will update the hierarchy in Workday.

Q12: How do we submit a ticket in Award Portal? Is the button not active yet?
A12: Award Portal is up and running. You should already be able to submit a ticket. Please see the job aid for how to Create a New Ticket in Award Portal.

Q13: What's the current state process for a Transpasu from a gift to a gift sub budget?
A13: Gift funds are no longer under GCA's purview. For questions about gifts or gift sub budgets, please email Tobin Eckholt, Senior Director, Gift Services at teckholt@uw.edu and Krissy Tanaka, Gift Controller at ktanaka@uw.edu.

Q14: Please add eGC1# search in AP.
A14: GCA will add this to the list of future enhancements.

New Sponsors & Sponsor Name Changes

Q: Does this sponsor database also tie to the Procurement database used for Subawards?
A: No. The Supplier and Subrecipient tables in Workday and the Subrecipient table in SAGE are not currently linked to the Funding Entity database. We have it on our radar as a potential option for the future. However, that would be a very large project, and it is not currently in the works.

SAGE

SAGE OFFICE HOURS & Training Resources

• Join the next SAGE Office Hours session on Thursday, July 27, from 1 - 2 p.m.
• View all planned SAGE Office Hours in 2023 at UWFT for the Research Community.

SAGE & ORIS Questions:
Q1: Does ORIShep have a phone number to call? It's been hard to go back-and-forth with emails.
A1: The SAGE help phone number is (206) 685-8335.

Q2: When will the SAGE Modification feature be available?
A2: Modifications in SAGE has been released.

Q3: Do we know when the fix for SAGE routing issues for Tacoma and Bothell will be released?
A3: This has been fixed. Please view our SAGE Prioritized Issues & New Features page for information on current SAGE issues, workarounds, and planned updates.

Q4: I'm having difficulty searching eGC1s in SAGE Awards--search times have been very long and sometimes an eGC1 number or PI name won't return any results. Is this a known issue with SAGE Award Requests or are there tips for better searching?
A4: We have not received reports this past week; however, we will monitor for reports of this issue. You may want to try to clear your cache in your browser settings, and see if that helps. Also, please email issues with SAGE to sagehelp@uw.edu so they can track the issue.

Q5: In the new eGC1, Contacts and Assign Access page, there is a New Award Preparer name. What is the guidance for this role? It is blank for now. Who should be listed there and will there be an error if we leave that blank?
A5: On eGC1s, if you know who you want the Award Preparer to be at time of proposal, you can feel free to enter it at that time, and that person will then default on the future Award Setup Request when awarded and will be notified if OSP initiates the award. Otherwise, if left blank, it will be auto-populated by the creator of the ASR.

Q6: On the Advance Request, what type of data does GCA need for "Alternate Department Worktag"? Some folks are confused and others are submitting using the Cost Center (which I don't believe is a worktag).
A6: The Alternate Department Worktag is similar to the Guarantee Budget Number. The worktag provided should not be a sponsored program. GCA is currently developing guidelines for which worktags are appropriate to use as an Alternate Department Worktag.

Q6: There was an error trying to connect a SAGE budget that included sub budgets to an eGC1 and the quick work around this problem was to create a Sage budget without the subs, connect it to your eGC1, then add the sub budgets after-this was not the case prior to the Sage updates. Will there be a permanent fix to this error or not and when this will get permanently fixed.
A6: This issue has been fixed. Please view our SAGE Prioritized Issues & New Features page for information on current SAGE issues, workarounds, and planned updates.

Q7: There was guidance that went out about ASTRA roles. Can some speak to the codes assigned for Future Span of Control (RSRCH) that were used? Are those flat or are they hierarchy that inherits up? They don't seem to match cost centers or the grant hierarchy.
A7: Thanks for your question, Sarah. They are flat. The RSRCH node assigned in ASTRA must exist on the approval graph to grant the user access with the reviewer role or role with span of control. The RSRCH nodes identify the approval levels for units.

Q8: Is there a date when Grant Runner will be updated in SAGE?
A8: We are targeting to be updated in time for the October deadlines. The production support needs for post-FT will dictate if we run into issues meeting this timeframe or not. Stay tuned.

Q9: When you submit an issue through a help ticket, will there be somewhere that updates or fixes are listed? I submitted a ticket recently and was provided a "go around" to make the feature work that I needed in SAGE Budget, which is great, but how will we know if the issue is actually fixed and resolved eliminating the need for the "go around"?
A9: Please view our SAGE Prioritized Issues & New Features page for information on current SAGE issues, workarounds, and planned updates. If you are on the SAGE mailing list, updates will be confirmed post-release. Daily patches may be bundled together across multiple days.

Q10: Is the eGC1 naming convention (Axxxxxxx) staying the same for new awards going forward?
A10: Yes, the eGC1 naming convention stays the same. The awards, however, will have different prefixes. Award Setup Request will have a prefix of ASR. The awards themselves, once full setup in Workday, will show the AWD prefix in both SAGE and Workday.

Q11: Can you share the link to SAGE Budget for clinical trials?
A11: SAGE Budget Clinical Trials Job Aid

Q12: Is the SAGE Awards tab replacing SAGE Advances tab? Or do we still request advance budgets via the SAGE Advances tab?
A12: You would use the existing Advances tab, same as before. In the further-out future, we may consolidate the Advances and Awards sections together.

Q13: In SAGE Budget there is a new area award preparer. What is the role/limits of this?
A13: Inclusion of award Preparer role in SAGE Budget was intended to be for visibility only, not for editability. To avoid potential issues with ASR setup, please do not add the award preparer to SAGE Budget at this time. We will make the fix in an upcoming maintenance release to make this read only, flowing from ASR.

Q14: On the Advance Request, what type of data does GCA need for "Alternate Department Worktag"? Some folks are confused and others are submitting using the Cost Center (which I don't believe is a worktag).
A14: The Alternate Department Worktag is similar to the Guarantee Budget Number. The worktag provided should not be a sponsored program. GCA is currently developing guidelines for which worktags are appropriate to use as an Alternate Department Worktag.

General Questions

Q1: Is there a way to extend time in Work Day before being automatically logged out?
A1: Start with the Central Finance Help form or email help@uw.edu for guidance

Q2: If we have a request for a customized report, where would we submit that feedback?
A2: Start with the Central Finance Help form or email help@uw.edu for guidance

Q3: Is there a way to JV expenses via MyFD from June? It was giving me an error this morning stating I can't JV anything after 7/14... but today is 7/13.
A3: The last day for campus to submit JV's was 7/12, which is why MyFD is giving an error. Please see the Procurement biennium close calendar for dates

Thank you,
MRAM