Procedure Library

Pre-Award Sponsor Requests
Including NIH Just-in-Time (JIT) Requests

Purpose

Provide a clear process for responding to sponsor requests for certifications, approvals, budget documentation, and other administrative or contractual information after proposal submission but before award issuance.

Applicability

This procedure applies to Principal Investigators (PIs) and department administrators who receive post-submission requests from sponsors.

Requests requiring authorized institutional approval must be coordinated with OSP.

Instructions

General Pre-Award Sponsor Requests

1. The PI or administrator receives a request for additional information from the sponsor.
2. Common requests include:
   1. Other Support Documentation
   2. Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval
   3. Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval
   4. Human subjects training certifications
   5. Budget clarifications or revisions
   6. Administrative or contractual forms
3. Notify OSP
   1. Immediately inform your OSP Officer of the request if OSP involvement is needed.
   2. Many sponsors impose strict deadlines, so early coordination is essential.
4. Prepare Required Materials
   1. The PI and administrator gather the requested documents.
   2. Internal documentation required by OSP should be routed promptly.
5. OSP Review and Submission
   1. If the sponsor requires institutional approval, OSP reviews the materials.
   2. OSP provides the authorized institutional signature and submits the package to the sponsor, or returns it to the PI for direct submission, if appropriate

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NIH Just-in-Time (JIT) requests

NIH uses the Just-in-Time (JIT) process to request administrative and scientific documents after peer review but before award.

JIT materials are submitted through eRA Commons, and both the PI and the Signing Official (SO) must have valid Commons accounts.

NIH JIT Workflow

1. NIH Issues a JIT Request
   1. NIH requests JIT only for applications meeting agency criteria (typically based on score/percentile)
   2. Requests may be:
      1. System-generated in eRA Commons, or
      2. Sent directly by NIH Institute/Center staff
   3. PIs should not submit JIT unless specifically requested.
2. PI Prepares JIT Materials 
   1. NIH will request JIT materials only for applications that meet the agency's criteria (typically based on score or percentile).
   2. Requests may be system-generated via eRA Commons or sent directly by Institute/Center staff.
   3. PIs should not submit JIT information unless specifically requested.
3. PI Prepares JIT Materials
   1. The PI uploads the required JIT documents in eRA Commons using the Just-in-Time module (found in List of Applications/Grants).
   2. After upload, Commons confirms the information is saved but not submitted.
4. Notify OSP
   1. PI notifies their Sponsored Projects Officer (SPO) that JIT materials are ready for review.
   2. PI routes any required internal documentation to OSP.
5. OSP Review and Submission
   1. Only a Signing Official (SO) - your OSP Officer - can submit JIT materials to NIH.
   2. NIH generally allows one JIT submission per request, so ensure the package is complete before submission.
6. Non-NIH Sponsor Requests
   For requests from other sponsors, follow the sponsor's specific instructions. If institutional approval is required, coordinate with OSP before submission.
   
   
7. Summary Workflow
   

   Stage	PI/Departmental Responsibilities	OSP Responsibilities
   Receive Request	Review request; notify SPO	-
   Prepare Materials	Gather documents; upload (if NIH JIT)	-
   Route to OSP	Send internal forms; alert SPO	Review materials
   Submission	-	Submit to sponsor (if required)