The following is a list of services the Pre-Award and Contract Services department currently provides for the Buffalo State community:

  • Assisting researchers to identify extramural and internal funding opportunities
  • Reviewing proposal guidance documents and advising PIs on agency requirements
  • Outlining proposals and developing timelines for project management
  • Ensuring that all aspects of your proposal adhere to guidelines, including formatting
  • Budget creation

Assistance in Proposal Preparation

Once a funding source has been identified, our office can assist you with:

  • interpretation of sponsor guidelines (i.e., Request for Proposal, solicitation, PA)
  • creating a budget according to sponsor guidelines
  • completion of necessary forms required by sponsor
  • transmission of proposal to sponsor. Generally most proposals are now submitted electronically and require an Authorized Organizational Representative to execute the transmission of the official document(s).

NOTE: Individual departments and/or faculty members are not authorized to submit proposals or sign contracts on behalf of the Research Foundation for SUNY or Buffalo State.

Contractual Relationships

Some sponsors issue a contract as a result of a proposal submission; other times a faculty or staff member may be offered a contract by an outside agency or company. Contractual arrangements must be reviewed and approved by the Pre-Award and Contract Services office, following a similar procedure as for standard grant competitions. This includes: a completed and approved routing sheet; a detailed budget; and a scope of work outlining the responsibilities and/or deliverables. At the time of award/funding, all terms must be negotiated by our office and signed by an authorized representative.

Subawards and Subcontracts

Often a proposal is submitted by two or more entities - for example, universities, agencies, community organizations, school districts, etc. In most instances one of the participating entities is considered to be the lead or prime applicant and will submit the application as well as being designated to receive the award. Other participating institutions may be considered “subawards” or “subcontracts.” These collaborations still require interaction with and approval from the Pre-Award and Contract Services office. Please notify us as soon as possible if you are working with another entity.