Even after the sponsor has accepted the University’s proposal and a fully-executed contract is in place, sponsor approval may still be required before taking certain actions. This approval is referred to as Contracting Officer’s Authorization (COA). A COA request is typically required prior to making any changes to the scope of work or budget, but even actions such as purchasing equipment or traveling may require approval. Please check with your Federal Contracts Officer if you have any questions about whether an action does or does not require approval.
As the central office responsible for negotiating sponsored program agreements, the Office of Sponsored Programs is responsible for submitting COA requests to the sponsor. To initiate a COA request, please follow the relevant Quick Guide for submitting a Modification Request in the associated MyFunding award record. Please refer to the following table to determine the appropriate Modification Request to use, as well as the required attachments to include.
| REQUESTED ACTION | ASSOCIATED MOD REQUEST | REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS |
|---|---|---|
| Rebudget / Reallocation (moving funds between line items) | Re-budget | -Proposed Budget -Justification |
| No-cost extension | No Cost Extension | -Justification |
| Personnel change | Personnel Change | -CV for any new personnel -Supporting budget |
| Travel | NGA Revised | -Justification -Quotes for travel costs |
| Purchase equipment | NGA Revised | -Justification -Vendor quotes |
| Issue subcontract / service agreement | NGA Revised | -Subcontractor’s budget and justification -Subcontractor’s statement of work -Certificate of current cost or pricing data (if applicable) -Any applicable approvals (IRB, IACUC, etc.) |
| All other requests | NGA Revised | -Justification |
After a COA request is initiated via a Modification Request in the associated MyFunding record, all communications related to the COA request will be captured in an SRA record in MyRA. Once the Office of Sponsored Programs receives the sponsor’s approval of the request, the Office of Sponsored Programs will approve the Modification Request in the MyFunding award record.