Proposal and Budget Note Boilerplates
Pre-Proposals
All pre-proposals leaving the University should be clearly marked as such, and should include a statement such as:
"This pre-proposal does not obligate the University of North Dakota to this project. Upon request of the sponsor, a formal and properly authorized proposal will be submitted."
Budget Disclaimer
Sponsors often require a detailed budget for the evaluation of a proposal. This level of detail implies that the University can track expenditures in greater detail than can be provided by our administrative accounting system. To avoid misunderstandings and to maintain consistency from proposal to award, one of the following notes should be placed at the bottom of the budget page that has additional details not provided in UND's accounting system for any proposal submitted to an external sponsor :
The budget detail is being submitted for proposal evaluation purposes only. Due to
limitations within the university's accounting system, the system does not provide
for invoicing and reporting expenses at the level of detail submitted. Expenses will
be invoiced and reported according to the University budget lines.
or
Due to limitations within the University's accounting system, bolded budget line items
represent how the University proposes, reports and accounts for expenses. Supplementary
budget information is for proposal evaluation only. Expenses will be invoiced and
reported according to the University budget lines.
Hourly Salary Rates
Some agencies may require hourly salary rates to be included in the proposal. The following paragraph would be appropriate in budget notes or budget justification:
Any hourly salary rates based on a 40 hour work week shown in this proposal are for evaluation purposes only. UND uses payroll confirmation for effort and does not account for and report on an hourly rate.
Fringe Benefits
The following paragraph should be placed in budget notes or budget justification, or as a note at the bottom of the Budget Page:
Amounts shown for fringe benefits are estimates determined by historical data and are provided for proposal evaluation purposes only. Actual fringe benefit costs will be charged to the grant according to each employee's actual benefits. UND's Energy & Environmental Research Center has approved fringe benefit rates shown in the Indirect Cost Rate Agreement; however, the rest of campus uses actual fringe benefits.
Communication Costs
Federal grant proposals require that any communication costs included as direct charges to the grant be specifically mentioned in the budget. Coverage of the use of a cell phone must specifically be mentioned. The following paragraph would be appropriate in budget notes or budget justification:
Direct charges for communications costs include telephone and fax line charges, cell phone charges (if appropriate), postage for regular, air, and express mail, and other data or document transmission costs.
Office Supplies
Federal guidelines require that office supplies to be paid for by the grant must be specific to the project and adequately described; otherwise, purchases for office supplies may be disallowed by the agency's fiscal manager. To avoid limitations on the purchases of office supplies, the following paragraph may be placed in budget notes or budget justification (additional specific items should be included if in doubt):
Office supplies include items specifically related to the proposed project and may be such items as pens, pencils, paper clips, printer paper and toner cartridges, notebooks, Post-It notes, computer diskettes, transparencies or other presentation materials, duplicating materials or charges, and other miscellaneous items required to complete the project.
Graduate Student Tuition
Amounts shown for graduate tuition costs are estimates for a full-time non-resident student, for one full year. The actual tuition costs will be charged to the grant according to the student's resident status and number of credits taken per semester.
Indirect Costs
The following explanation should be placed in budget notes or budget justification, unless directions in the proposal guidelines require it elsewhere:
The indirect cost rate included in this proposal is the federally approved rate for the University of North Dakota. Indirect costs are calculated based on the Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC), defined as the Total Direct Costs of the project less individual items of equipment $5,000 or greater and subcontracts in excess of the first $25,000 for each award.
UND
The University was founded in 1883, six years before North Dakota statehood, with a charter calling for the establishment of a liberal arts and letters college and a normal school for the training of teachers. The University was also charged with providing education in the professional fields, and the School of Law was added in 1889, Engineering and Mines in 1901, and Medicine in 1905.