Preliminary steps relating to collaborations are outlined in the Collaborating with Others – Pre-Award in the Proposals section.
Preparing for an award that includes expertise from outside of your School/College or Syracuse University itself should begin as soon as there is an indication that the proposal will be awarded. It is at this stage that detailed consideration at the proposal stage will pay off.
Take the opportunity to revisit the collaborator’s statement of work and budget prepared at the proposal stage to be sure it reflects the project needs accurately. It is essential that there are clear expectations regarding the work to be done, that the funds needed for the work are accurate and reasonable and that a determination is made regarding the most appropriate mechanism to define the relationship.
Collaborators can be other employees of Syracuse University outside of your school/college or they may work with someone from an entity other than Syracuse University. Processes and considerations differ depending on your chosen collaborator.
When dealing with external collaboration be sure to properly identify the type of collaborator accurately. They can be Subrecipients or Contractors as defined in CFR 2 Part 200.330 Subrecipient and contractor determinations.
The table below identifies the characteristics of each. Identifying the type of external collaboration in advance will assist in gathering required documents and in the budget development process.
| Subrecipient Characteristics | Contractor/Consultant Characteristics |
| Work to be performed will be self-directed with minimal direction from Syracuse University. | Syracuse University is buying a service that will support the project. Syracuse will also provide a high level of direction regarding the work being performed. |
| May determine who is eligible to receive federal assistance | Provides the specified goods and services within their normal business operations. |
| Performance will be measured in relation to whether objectives of the prime sponsor have been met | Provides the specified goods and services to many different purchasers. |
| Are responsible for programmatic decision making | Normally operate in a competitive environment. |
| Are responsible for adherence to the prime award requirements | Engaged to provide goods and services that are ancillary to the operations of the prime award. |
| Will use the funds to carry out a program for a public purpose specified in the prime award. | Will provide services for the benefit of Syracuse University. |