I think your second concept to approval makes the most sense.    While the
P.I. is responsible for the approval of lab supplies, equipment, etc., the
secondary issue you need to consider is how to accurately track expenditures
and forecast remaining balances for the P.I. to spend [and not overspend]
within a given grant budget year.    Therefore, the pre-approval concept
should also be viewed as a way to accurately monitor expenditures.
Different institutions have developed methods which work best within their
own organizational structure for post award administration.

Gary P. Naegel
Administrator
Department of Pharmacology
Yale School of Medicine
xxxxxx@Maspo1.mas.yale.edu
 ----------
From: RESADM-L
To: Multiple recipients of list RESADM-L
Subject: monitoring expenditures
Date: Thursday, September 15, 1994 2:40PM

To what extent are expenditures on grants monitored at other
institutions?  We have two schools of thought.  One believes that every
single expenditure should be approved before it is allowed to be processed.
The other believes that equipment, travel and personnel expenditures
should be pre-approved, but that other expenditures (for example lab
supplies)
should be the responsiblity of the P.I.

How do other institutions handle this and who approves the expenditures?

Thanks for your responses.

Judy Wilks

*************************************************
Judy Wilks                       xxxxxx@pop.tcs.tulane.edu
Office of Research            Med School (504-588-1625)
Tulane University             Uptown (504-865-5272)
New Orleans, LA  70118