Sponsored Consulting Agreement

A consultant is an independent contractor and not an employee of the University. A Sponsored Consultant is defined as any person hired in a professional capacity to provide specific expertise in the technical area of the project for a specified period of time under a sponsored agreement (grant, contact, cooperative agreement, etc.). The expertise the consultant is hired to provide is typically not available within the institution. Consulting arrangements are not a substitute for subawards and are not intended to be used when part of the project is performed at another institution.

A Sponsored Consulting Agreement (SCA) may not be executed if the individual is a current or recent former employee (current calendar year) employee of The University of Chicago in any capacity.

A consultant hired under a sponsored project may be compensated for services, and reimbursed for travel (including meals and lodging) and other miscellaneous expenses. Any payment made to consultants must comply with the University’s and the sponsoring organization’s regulations on compensation and travel.

When engaging a consultant under a grant or contract, an SCA should be prepared prior to any services being performed. The SCA must include a statement of work and a budget that breaks down the costs to complete the statement of work. The work must be conducted and completed during the performance period of the award. Please follow the below steps to process an SCA:

  • Unit  Administrator (UA) will route as a CR - Type “Sponsored Consulting Agreement” with the following included:
    • Completed Sponsored Consulting Agreement
    • Exhibit A – Statement of Work
    • Exhibit B – Budget
    • Consultant Email Address
    • Consultant Employer Name
    • Consultant Home Address (if the Consultant cannot accept the SCA as an email)
  • URA Manager (URA-M) will review  the following:
    • Review the budget in AURA. If the consulting cost was not included in the original proposal, the URA-M will work with the UA to determine whether or not sponsor approval is required
    • Verify that the Scope of Work constitutes consultant services
    • Review the budget. Payment should be either:
      • Per hour/day/week per deliverable
      • For completion of work described in Exhibit A
    • Review for any export control requirements
  • The URA-M will send any required changes/questions/clarifications/concerns to UA via AURA, if needed.
  • If significant changes are made, the UA will need to determine whether or not the PI needs to re-review and concur
  • Once the SCA is finalized,  an Institutional Official will endorse
  • The URA-M will email the partially executed SCA, required forms, and detailed instructions to the Consultant and copy PC-O
  • The Consultant will be instructed to email the forms to the UA and email the fully executed SCA back to the URA-M
  • The URA-M will email the fully executed SCA to the UA