The Institute may engage third-party grants management services. Such services may include the deployment and maintenance of an electronic Grants Management System to facilitate the Institute's receipt and review of Grant Applications, execution of Grant Contracts, and the ongoing monitoring and management of Grant Awards, including required Grant Recipient reports and submissions.
  (1) The Institute may use the electronic Grants Management System to:
    (A) Facilitate the Institute's receipt and review of Grant Applications;
    (B) Maintain complete Grant Review Process records for Grant Applications undergoing Peer Review, including the final Overall Evaluation Score and Numerical Ranking Score assigned to Grant Applications during the Peer Review Process;
    (C) Maintain supporting documentation regarding the implementation of the Institute's Conflict of Interest process for each Grant Review Cycle, including a list of any Conflicts of Interest requiring recusal, any unreported Conflicts of Interest confirmed by an investigation and the actions taken, any waivers, the identity of the Primary Investigator, Program Director or Company Representative and the funding sources for the Grant Award project;
    (D) Expedite execution of Grant Contracts and the electronic submission of Grant Contract change requests and required Grant Award reports;
    (E) Maintain complete Grant Award records, including the Grant Contract and Matching Funds certification, required Grant Award financial reports and Grant Progress Reports, and the Institute's review of those reports;
    (F) Support the Institute's Grant Award compliance monitoring by tracking the due dates and submission status for required Grant Award reports; and
    (G) Monitor the status of past-due required Grant Award financial reports and Grant Progress Reports.
  (2) The Institute may require, as a condition of receiving a Grant Award, that the Grant Recipient use the Institute's electronic Grant Management System to exchange, execute, and verify legally binding Grant Contract documents and Grant Award reports. Such use shall be in accordance with the Institute's electronic signature policy as set forth in Chapter 701, §701.25 of this title (relating to Electronic Signature Policy).
  (3) The Institute shall require periodic audits of any electronic Grant Management System. Weaknesses identified by system audits must be timely addressed pursuant to a specified timeline.

Source Note: The provisions of this §703.4 adopted to be effective December 21, 2009, 34 TexReg 9213; amended to be effective March 2, 2014, 39 TexReg 1386