I’m writing to ask for guidance on how you interpret “committed/commit” in the following sentences from the NSF’s Award & Administration Guide:

"b. EXPIRATION DATE is the date specified in the grant notice after which expenditures may not be charged against the grant except to satisfy obligations to pay allowable project costs committed on or before that date. The expiration date is the last day of a month."
"2. Significance of Grant Period  a. Except in fixed amount awards, an NSF grant gives authority to the grantee to commit and expend funds for allowable costs (see AAG Chapter VI) in support of the project up to the grant amount specified in the grant notice at any time during the grant period. b. Except as provided in AAG Chapter V.A.2b, Chapter V.A.2c, or Chapter V.B.7, expenditures may not be charged prior to the effective date or subsequent to the expiration date under an NSF cost reimbursement grant."

For example, if allowable grant supplies are ordered and received prior to the expiration date but not paid until after the expiration date, would this typically be okay to charge to the grant?

If allowable grant supplies are ordered prior to the expiration date but not received and not paid for until after the expiration date, could these expenses still be charged to the grant if the PI is continuing the grant research beyond the expiration date?

Thank you in advance for any guidance you can provide.

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