Agreements: Frequently Asked Questions
Please revisit these FAQs in order to have the most current information as updates will be made periodically.
Draft/Pre-Submission
Who can I contact if I have questions about the Agreements module?
If you have questions about how to use RAMP Agreements or a question about an agreement type in RAMP, email RAMP-Agreements@fsu.edu. This email inbox is monitored by multiple central offices, so it is the fastest way to receive a response.
What type of agreement do I select if I need to execute an Independent Investigator Agreement?
The agreement type “Reliance Agreement” should be selected for this. While it is not a true reliance agreement, it falls under the purview of the Office of Human Subjects Protection so this agreement type covers all IRB related agreements.
I have an agreement/amendment that I need executed. What do I do?
For a new agreement, you would Create the agreement in RAMP, upload the document, and submit the agreement for review. For an amendment, you would open the existing agreement workspace and Create an Amendment, upload the document, and submit the amendment for review.
What if I have a non-financial agreement that is not listed in the agreement types?
The help text located next to the agreement type selection in question 5 on the Agreement Upload SmartForm page describes the nature of each agreement type. If you do not see an agreement that meets the definition of your agreement type, select “Other”.
What is the difference between a PI and an Agreement Manager?
The PI and Agreement Manager are the same person in RAMP. Within the SmartForm the question asks you to identify the PI, while on the workspace the PI will display as the Agreement Manager.
What if there is no PI associated with the agreement?
While most agreements will have a PI associated with it, occasionally an agreement may not. In these cases, it is ok to leave the PI field blank. However, please note that when an agreement is returned it shows up in the PI’s RAMP Inbox, so if no PI is listed it will not populate in the Agreement Creator’s RAMP Inbox. They will still be able to access it from the Agreements tab.
How do I give my Departmental Research Administrator access to my agreement?
Add your departmental research administrator, and any other FSU staff that need access to the agreement, under question 5 on the General Information page of the SmartForm when the agreement is in an editable state. The individuals listed will have the ability to read and edit the agreement, but they will not be able to submit the agreement unless they are designated a PI Proxy.
How do I assign a PI Proxy?
The PI is the only one who can assign a PI Proxy. Once an individual has been added under question 5 on the General Information page of the SmartForm execute the Assign PI Proxy activity on the Agreement workspace. See the job aid located in the Help Center for complete directions.
Where does the list of departments come from?
The list of departments comes from the OMNI department list. You can search departments by name as it appears in OMNI (organization) or department ID (organization ID) by selecting the ellipsis next to the question.
What is an organization?
In RAMP, an organization is the sponsor or contracting party for the agreement.
Where does the list of organizations come from?
The organization list is imported from the Sponsor list in OMNI. Only organizations that are award sponsors or subrecipients are included here. All other organizations should be written in the field provided.
Who should I list as the Contact for the organization?
You should list the individual the central office needs to work with to execute your agreement. This can be the PI, departmental representative, or the central office counterpart at the organization.
How do I edit an agreement?
An agreement can be edited when it is in the following states:
- Pre-submission
- Unassigned
- Clarification Requested
Who has the ability to edit an agreement?
The following people have the ability to edit an agreement:
- The PI
- The PI Proxy
- The Creator
- The Institutional staff given read/edit access
Who can add/remove institutional staff given access to an agreement?
Staff can be added/removed by anyone with the ability to edit the agreement.
Who can submit an agreement?
Only the PI or the PI Proxy can submit an agreement
What is Email Catcher?
Agreements has a unique feature known as Email Catcher. It allows emails to be directly logged into the module by sending them to ramp-agmcatcher@fsu.edu and including the agreement ID in the subject field. The agreement ID must have a space behind it in the subject line in order for the module to pick it up. If you receive an email that includes the ramp-agmcatcher@fsu.edu in the ‘To’ or ‘CC’ field be sure to reply all so the response is recorded in the RAMP Agreements module.
Can an email be sent to RAMP-AGMCatcher@fsu.edu with more than one agreement ID within the same email?
No, the agreement email catcher will send the email to the first identified ID on the subject line even if there is more than one ID in the subject line.
Can an agreement that has been terminated, discarded, or withdrawn be returned to the pre-submission state?
A terminated agreement may be copied but may not be edited or returned to the pre-submission state. A discarded agreement may be edited and copied, but it cannot be moved to the pre-submission state. The withdraw activity automatically returns the agreement to the pre-submission state.
What documents do I need to upload with my request for an Outgoing Subaward?
To get started, the central office will need the subrecipient's statement of work, budget, and budget justification.
Can I submit an agreement for an FSU employee prior to their start date?
Generally speaking, you should wait to initiate an agreement for an FSU employee until after their start date to ensure that all appropriate employment documents have been signed and approved prior to entering into an agreement. If it is necessary to enter an agreement prior to their start date then the department should setup a courtesy appointment for the employee. Note: It is recommended you consult with the central office responsible for the agreement type you are requesting to ensure the employee will be permitted to sign the agreement prior to their start date.
Reviews
Why was my agreement assigned to an Ancillary Reviewer?
Ancillary Reviewers are subject matter experts that are needed to provide input on an agreement before it can be executed, such as EH&S, Legal, Human Subjects Protection, etc. Ancillary Reviews can be marked as required or as not-required. If a response is required, an agreement can’t be executed until the Ancillary Review is performed.
My agreement was sent back for Clarification Requested. Where do I find the information requested?
Navigate to your agreement using the link from the email notification or by logging into RAMP from the myFSU portal. Open the agreement and then click on the history tab to review the requested clarification. After you make the requested changes you must ‘Submit Changes’ from the activity menu.
How do I respond to a RAMP email notification?
Click the link in the notification to be directed to the agreement workspace to review the History to identify the author of the notification. If a response is necessary and needs to be captured in the agreement workspace communications, reply to the author of the notification and cc the RAMP-AGMCatcher@fsu.edu.
Amendments
Where do I go to create an amendment?
You always request an amendment from the parent agreement, even if subsequent amendments exist. Please note, only one amendment can be in progress at a time.
Who can request an amendment?
The following people that are included on the parent agreement can request an amendment:
- The PI
- The PI Proxy
- The Creator
- The Institutional staff given read/edit access
- The Central Agreement Office
What happens if I need to do an amendment while another amendment is in RAMP?
You can’t have two amendments in process at the same time, so if there is already an amendment submitted you will not be able to initiate another amendment until the first one is completed and approved.
Active Agreements
How do I find an existing agreement in RAMP?
Navigate to the All Agreements tab in RAMP Agreements. Use the “Filter by” field at the top to search for an existing agreement. RAMP has several filters that may be used to find an existing agreement, such as PI, agreement ID, agreement type and responsible department. You can also apply more than one filter to narrow your search. For example, you can filter by PI first or last name, then narrow your search further by filtering by agreement type or the contracting party.
How do I add/remove institutional staff given access to an existing agreement?
To add/remove staff to an Active agreement you will need to perform the Manage Agreement Personnel activity. If an agreement is not yet Active, it can be edited to add/remove staff within the SmartForm.