Research at UT Health Science Center

Council on Governmental Relations: Considerations for a Federal Government Shutdown

Agency Contingency Plans

Work on existing federal grants and contracts should continue as planned. However, principal investigators (PIs) should consider delaying large purchases, if it is feasible to do so.

While we anticipate that every federal agency will initiate unique contingency plans, the UT community should expect that:

• Agencies are likely to be prohibited from issuing new grants/contracts or amendments, including those for continuing funding increments, supplements, or no-cost time extensions requiring explicit agency approval.
• Most federal staff will not be working. Inquiries about upcoming deadlines, proposal preparation and applications, or actions requiring prior approval will likely go unanswered until the shutdown is resolved.
• Proposal deadline dates may remain unchanged, and proposal submission systems may remain online. However, federal help desk personnel are unlikely to be available.
• Peer reviews/study sections are not likely to occur which may also delay the proposal review process.

Previous shutdowns have had modest impacts on UT operations, in part due to proactive steps taken by faculty, staff, and administrators.

 At Proposal Stage

• Keep Working. If you are preparing a proposal, continue working toward the sponsor’s original deadline. At present, federal agencies have given no indication that proposal deadline dates will be extended or changed. Postponing work until the shutdown ends may cause you to miss your deadline.
• Download Critical Information. Sponsor websites that host information relevant to your proposal may not be accessible. Download reference materials that you need to prepare your proposal, including the solicitation, frequently asked questions, and umbrella guidance from the sponsor (e.g., NSF PAPPG, NIH SF-424).
• Submit Your Proposal. The Office of Sponsored Programs will continue to review and submit proposals as permitted by sponsor. For example, in previous shutdowns, Grants.gov remained accessible - proposals were submitted consistent with sponsor guidelines and were held in queue and processed after the shutdown ended. However, agencies receiving proposals through web-based portals shut down their websites, so no proposals could be submitted.

 At Award Stage and After

• Report Stop Work Orders Immediately. If you receive a stop work order from your sponsor, you should immediately notify the Office of Research (research@uthsc.edu). During previous shutdowns, UT received very few stop work orders. However, because they effectively end or suspend work, costs associated with any work conducted after the notification will not be reimbursed. The Office of Research is available to provide guidance to departments and PIs on how to temporarily cover costs related to payroll interruptions.
• Funding Availability May Continue. During previous shutdowns, most agencies continued to allow automatic drawdown of funds. Provided the shutdown is not lengthy, there may be no disruptions to funding availability.
• Consider No-Cost Extensions. Please contact the Office of Sponsored Programs immediately if you need to request a no-cost extension for an award due to end in the next 30 days. We will do everything we can to submit your request before the shutdown.
• Meet Your Award Deadlines. If you have a report or other deliverable due to your sponsor, continue working toward the sponsor’s original deadline. Submit your reports on time if the means by which your sponsor receives reports remains available.
• Expect Delays in New Awards. New awards are likely to be delayed until after the shutdown is over. Be cautious about spending funds before an award document is received. All expenditures must occur in the period of performance.
  Expect Delays in Routine Post-Award Administration. The Office of Sponsored Programs plans to review and process post-award actions (e.g., no-cost extensions, rebudget requests, and other award management decisions), as permitted by each sponsor. Be aware that sponsors may slow down or stop processing post-award actions until the shutdown ends.