The NIH has stated the fixed rate subawards do not meet the definition of fixed amount under the Uniform Guidance
(NIH GPS 8.1.2.11). For other Federal Agencies, check the specific grants policy statements and term and conditions
applicable to the funding announcement. Regardless, the details provided below may be built into any proposal to
demonstrate how the funds will be allocated and spent.
NIH defines fixed rate as the negotiated cost per unit, e.g. per patient cost in a clinical trial (or participant in a non‐ Clinical Trial Human Subjects Study), the total amount of the award may be unknown when the agreement is created. These type of subawards are often seen in projects that are paying a per patient cost when a patient is enrolled in a trial, projects where we pay a set amount per chart review, and other similar projects.
The statement of work for a fixed rate project is similar to other subawards and should clearly detail what is expected of
the subrecipient.
The budget is different from a cost‐reimbursable budget. A detailed budget (PHS 398 or other similar budget document)
and budget justification are not needed, but a payment/milestone schedule is needed. The payment/milestone schedule
details the amount of each payment, what activities trigger a payment, and/or when that payment will happen. The
detail needed for each payment/milestone schedule will be dependent on the project. The description of what triggers a
payment should be clear and unambiguous.
The payment can a lump sum or broken down according to different milestone time points. The recommendation is to
include indirect costs in the per patient amount, and indicate that the amounts are inclusive of indirect costs.
Example 1:
| Payment # | Milestones | Terms for Reimbursement | Amount Per Patient |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Enrollment | Upon successful screening and completion of the baseline study visit; intended to cover Baseline research costs and study coordinator’s time | $782 |
| 2 | Month 2 | Upon successful completion of the Month 3 study visit; intended to cover Month 1, Month 2, and Month 3 research costs | $400 |
| 3 | Month 5 | Upon successful completion of the Month 5 study visit; intended to cover Month 4 and Month 5 research costs | $300 |
| 4 | Primary Outcome | Upon successful completion of the Month 6 study or determination of treatment failure prior to the Month 6 visit | $782 |
| 5 | Month 12 | Upon successful completion of the Month 12 study visit; intended to cover Month 9 and Month 12 research costs | $400 |
Maximum amount paid per patient, if all study visits are attended and amounts are inclusive of indirect costs: $2,664
Site shall invoice at least quarterly for allowable milestone payments. (Alternative, UCSF shall create the invoice based
on enrollments logged in OnCore and shall submit invoices on a quarterly basis).
Example 2:
Capitated costs are allocated to compensate each site for patient enrollment ($2,500/patient inclusive of indirects).
Subrecipient may enroll up to 5 patients for a maximum of $12,500. All participants must be verified eligible by UCSF
and then enrollment in OnCore will trigger capitation payments. Payment to Subrecipient for completed visits or
milestones is based on patient enrollment and data entry through OnCore. A completed visit or milestone includes the
proper completion of all Protocol activities and delivery to UCSF of complete and accurate OnCore data for that visit or
milestone.