Sponsored Projects Accounting

Sponsored Projects Accounting is the central, post-award accounting department reporting to the Office of the Controller within the Office of the Chief Financial Officer at the University of Pittsburgh. Sponsored Projects Accounting is responsible for central, post-award accounting, administration and management of externally sponsored projects at the University. Responsibilities include timely and accurate post-award accounting, financial reporting, invoicing, accounts receivable management and administration of sponsored project funds from account activation to account closing.  Sponsored Projects Accounting works closely with the University’s Office of Sponsored Programs, principal investigators, deans, directors, department chairs, department administrators, central administrative offices, internal and external auditors and external representatives of federal and non-federal sponsoring agencies. To ensure a proper segregation of duties, Sponsored Projects Accounting is independent of the Office of the Provost, Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor of Research and the Office of Sponsored Programs.

Responsibilities

Sponsored Projects Accounting teams with Department Administrators and the Office of Sponsored Programs to conduct the following central, post-award accounting and administrative responsibilities:

• Account Activation – establishing the sponsored project account in the University sponsored project financial accounting general ledger subsystem along with the related project budget and the appropriate award attributes in accordance with the notice of award, sponsoring agency regulations and requirements, and University policies and procedures
• Account Maintenance – processing ongoing changes to the sponsored project account throughout the life cycle of the account such as new project year funding changes, budget modifications, new subaccounts, changes in PI, changes of address, change of department, no-cost extensions, journal entries, etc.
• Account Monitoring – monitoring and clearing trailing costs and overdraft, out-of-balance, and unbilled sponsored project account conditions in a timely manner
• Invoicing – preparing the majority of University sponsored project invoicing based upon the requirements of the notice of award in a timely and accurate manner
• Cash Application – applying payments received from sponsoring agencies to University sponsored project accounts and related accounts receivable in a timely and accurate manner
• Accounts Receivable – accounting, administration, management and reporting of sponsored project accounts receivable assuring that all sponsor financial commitments to the University are met in a reasonable period of time
• Financial Reporting – preparing required financial reports for sponsors based upon project costs recorded by departments in a timely and accurate manner
• Account Closing – ensuring that sponsored project accounts are financially balanced in the general ledger and all sponsor financial requirements are met including required University financial and other administrative reporting to finalize the sponsored project award and close the account
• Audit Support – providing central accounting and administrative support on a majority of University sponsored project financial audits, financial site visits, agency financial desk reviews, certain financial questionnaires, Single Audit inquiries and other sponsor audit inquiries
• Miscellaneous Sponsored Project Administration – providing sponsored project account financial support, administration, customer service, oversight, compliance and issue resolution in coordination with the Office of Sponsored Programs, Principal Investigators, department administrators, central administrative offices and sponsors