Can University faculty and staff serve as consultants on sponsored agreements?
No. If an employee/employer has already been established, all payments made to SUNY or RF faculty or staff must be made through the payroll system.
Does my grant get assessed fringe benefit charges for consultant payments?
No, only employees that are charged to any of the Salary and Wage budget categories get assessed fringe benefits.
What if I want to hand the consultant/lecturer his payment on the day of the event?
Research Foundation policy precludes us from paying for services before they are rendered. However, you can arrange with SPO Purchasing with adequate time to process the payment before the services are rendered and give to you in advance of the services being performed. You can then pay the consultant/lecturer at the end of the day when the services have been concluded.
Can I set up a regular payment schedule for a consultancy?
Payments to independent contractors on a regular basis (more than monthly) are prohibited because true incidental consultant services tend to be event driven. Setting up payment schedules, especially on a regular basis tend to make the relationship appear to be more like that of an employee. It is appropriate however, to pay monthly invoices submitted and approved by the PI against an existing encumbered purchase order for a subcontract or independent contractor agreement.