Subaward Proposal Preparation

See the Subaward Processing Checklist—Department/PIs for additional guidance.

Subrecipient Selection & Evaluation

The University of Maine Principal Investigator (PI) and department are required to evaluate the subrecipient during proposal preparation to assess technical expertise and financial viability of the organization and key personnel.

Subrecipient Proposal Materials

See the Guide to Proposing, Receiving, and Managing a Subaward from the University of Maine for additional guidance.

The University PI/department requests proposal documents from potential subrecipient, including:

  • Subrecipient’s statement of work
  • Subrecipient’s budget and budget justification
  • UMaine’s completed subrecipient commitment form (Subrecipient must be registered in SAM.)
  • Letter of commitment signed by subrecipient’s PI and subrecipient’s authorized representative if applicable
  • Any other documents required by the University or Sponsor

The itemized budget should include: salaries, fringe benefits, supplies, equipment, travel, other direct costs, and facilities and administration costs (where applicable). If the subrecipient intends to charge facilities and administration (F&A or indirect) costs, the subrecipient should include a copy of their federally negotiated rate agreement which will be retained in the University’s files.

About F&A for Subawards: There are two types of F&A costs on subawards: those requested by the subrecipient and those requested by the UM. If a federal program has a published statutory F&A cap (e.g., USDA-NIFA caps F&A at 42.857 percent of TDC unless otherwise noted in solicitation), that rate must be used both by UM and all of its subrecipients. For all other federal programs, if a subrecipient has a federally negotiated F&A rate, it must be applied to the base budget (i.e., the Modified Total Direct Costs). If the entity does not have a negotiated F&A rate, nor has previously had a negotiated F&A rate, a de minimus rate of 10 percent of modified total direct costs (MTDC) must be used instead.  For subawards under nonfederal prime sponsors, the F&A rate and base will vary. Please consult your ORA PreAward staff member if you have any questions.

About Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC): All direct salaries and wages, applicable fringe benefits, materials and supplies, services, travel, and up to the first $25,000 of each subaward (regardless of the period of performance of the subawards under the award). MTDC excludes equipment, capital expenditures, rental costs, tuition remission, scholarships and fellowships, participant support costs, and the portion of each subaward in excess of $25,000.

For foreign organizations, keep the exchange rate in mind. All subaward payments are paid in US dollars.