Discussion

The process for contracting with the VPT Lab begins with contacting the VPT Lab Director. The Sponsor and the Director decide on the basic tasks, timeline, and the staff structure needed to complete the project.

Draft Proposal

The VPT Lab then creates a Draft Proposal. The Draft Proposal is submitted to the Sponsor's principal contact person for the project. This contact person and the VPT Lab Director may make revisions to the Draft Proposal before agreeing on its final format. It is important to note that the Draft Proposal's only use is to reach a consensus between the contact person and the VPT Lab Director. It should not be used as an official FAU proposal. In other words, never submit a Draft Proposal to a governing board for approval and/or payment.

Final Proposal

The VPT Lab then submits a Final Proposal to the FAU Division of Sponsored Research (DSR). DSR oversees all research at Florida Atlantic University and will forward the proposal to the sponsor when approved by the University.

Payment Method

When the Sponsor approves the Final Proposal, DSR and the Sponsor will then decide on a payment method (Check, Purchase Order, or Contract) and an invoice schedule if needed. A check is the easiest to process. A purchase order also gets the project started sooner. A contract, however, takes a little more time because it may have to pass inspection by both the sponsor's lawyer and the University's lawyer.

Account Set Up

After everything is signed and received, DSR will set up an account for the VPT Lab to begin paying it's staff and the project will commence.