Teaming Agreements

A Sponsor or a GW Principal Investigator may request a Teaming Agreement to formalize the process of co-developing and/or co-writing a proposal (teaming together) with another entity in response to a call for proposals. A Teaming Agreement is a non-financial agreement where money does not exchange hands. Generally, teaming Agreements are negotiated and signed ahead of a proposal submission and ahead of any sponsored research agreement or grant that comes out of that proposal submission. A Funding Proposal is not required for the Contracts and Award Acceptance Team to review, negotiate, and sign teaming agreements.

A Teaming Agreement  file Agreement Number in myResearch will reflect the following format: TA######## (example TA00005555).

Process

• The GW Principal Investigator (PI) initiates a Teaming Agreement by creating a Teaming Agreement in myResearch. Please use the Guide for Initiating Nonfinancial Agreements in myResearch to aid you in this process.
• Once the PI submits the Teaming Agreement via myResearch and it receives a myResearch Agreement Number (example TA00005555), the Teaming Agreement is assigned to an OSP Contract Officer (CO).
• The CO reviews the information provided in myResearch and reaches out to the PI with any questions, as needed.
• The CO  acquires any relevant input and compliance approvals from the relevant internal stakeholders and negotiates the Teaming Agreement directly with the outside entity.
• The CO notifies the PI when the Teaming Agreement is fully executed, provided to the outside entity, and input into myResearch. At this time, the PI may participate in co-developing and/or co-writing the proposal. 

Resources

• Guide for Initiating Nonfinancial Agreements in myResearch (GW Login required, PDF)

Frequently Asked Questions

If I am not faculty, how do I submit an agreement?

If you are not a faculty member, please have your faculty advisor submit the request on your behalf.

If I do not have an agreement template, can I still submit my agreement? 

OSP has approved templates that we prefer to use. Please check the box that indicates that the agreement will be internally generated when initiating the non-financial agreement in myResearch.

What do I do if the outside entity has provided me specific instructions for communications?

If the outside entity has specific instructions on how to communicate with it, please make sure to provide these in myResearch when initiating and submitting your request. 

Does GW require a Teaming Agreement when jointly submitting a proposal with another entity?

A Teaming Agreement is not required, but it is highly recommended, as it may be beneficial to formalize the co-development process and to ensure that if the proposal is awarded GW receives the grant, contract, or subcontract agreement for that proposal. 

Do I need a Teaming Agreement or an NDA when the other entity wants to send me confidential information to co-develop and/or co-write a proposal?

Either Agreement may work; however, a Teaming Agreement is an effective and efficient way to ensure the protection of Confidential Information, while also formalizing the proposal development process. 

Do I still need to submit a funding proposal through myResearch before the proposal is submitted to the Sponsor? 

Yes, the Teaming Agreement merely formalizes the proposal development process. OSP’s Processes for submitting a proposal in myResearch must also be followed. 

Do I need a Teaming Agreement to do research?

A Teaming Agreement is a non-financial agreement aimed at formalizing the co-development and writing of a proposal with another entity. Therefore, if you are not participating in the co-development of a proposal with another entity, you do not need a Teaming Agreement. 

Support

• For questions regarding the process, the assigned Contract Officer is identified in the agreement record in myResearch.
• For additional questions, you may also send an email to the osp_contractsgwu [dot] edu (osp_contracts[at]gwu[dot]edu).