Agreement and Award Type Guidance
Distinguishing PERA agreement types and award types
1. Purpose
Use this combined guide to determine and distinguish from the correct agreement type and award type. The PERA agreement type identifies the purpose of an agreement record. The award type identifies the legal and financial form of an award received by Purdue. These classifications are related in some cases, but they are not interchangeable.
2. Use the Correct Classification
| Classification | Use it to identify | Do not use it to identify |
|---|---|---|
| PERA agreement type | The agreement record purpose, such as sponsored research, an NDA, a material transfer, an outgoing subaward, or a general inquiry. | The direct or subagreement instrument, fixed-price status, sponsor category, or grant-number range. |
| Award type | The award instrument, such as a grant, cooperative agreement, contract, subgrant, subcontract, OTA, or equipment-specific award. | The purpose of a PERA agreement record, sponsor category, or grant-number range. |
3. Part A: PERA Agreement Type Identifiers
Use this section when creating or classifying an agreement record in PERA. Select the agreement type that best reflects the purpose of the record.
3.1 First determine whether funding is involved
| Question | Direction |
|---|---|
| Does an external party provide funding for Purdue research or testing? | Review SRA and related funded agreement categories. |
| Is Purdue issuing an agreement to a third party under an existing award? | Use SUB when the record is an outgoing subaward. |
| Is no funding exchanged? | Review the specific unfunded categories before using UNF or OTH. |
| Is the record a question rather than an agreement? | Use GEN for a general inquiry or request for information. |
3.2 PERA agreement type reference
| Code | Agreement type | Purdue definition / use | Found on grants |
|---|---|---|---|
| SRA | Sponsored Research Agreement | External party provides funding to Purdue to perform research or testing, including direct awards and situations where Purdue is a subcontractor. | Yes, if signatures were required |
| MRA | Master Research Agreement | Establishes overarching terms and conditions with a sponsor, typically industry, to expedite future project-specific awards and agreements. | Yes, if applicable |
| SUB | Outgoing Subaward | Issued to a third party under an existing award and binds the subrecipient to prime-award and Purdue requirements. | Yes, if applicable |
| MTA | Material Transfer Agreement | Governs transfer of research materials, including ownership, intellectual property, use of resulting materials, and liability. | Yes, if applicable |
| CON | Consortium | Multiple entities work together toward a common objective. Purdue-led consortia must be precompetitive and provide the same rights and obligations to all members. | Yes, if applicable |
| UNF | Other Unfunded Agreement | No funding is exchanged and the agreement does not fit a specific unfunded category. Examples include CRADAs, collaborative research agreements, IP management plans, teaming agreements, and MOUs. | No |
| NDA | Non-Disclosure Agreement | Establishes confidentiality obligations to protect confidential, proprietary, or trade-secret information. | No |
| RMP | Risk Management Plan | PERA identifies RMP as Risk Mitigation Plan. The source does not provide a detailed agreement-type definition. | No |
| OTH | Other Agreement | Miscellaneous agreement that does not fall within another defined category. | Yes, if applicable |
| DATA | Data Transfer and Use Agreement | Governs exchange of specific data sets, permitted disclosures and uses, privacy and security, and responsibilities of researchers and recipients. | No |
| GEN | General Inquiry or Question | General questions to SPS Contracting or requests for information about industry-sponsored research. | No |
| TCP | Technology Control Plan | Customized management plan intended to prevent unauthorized export of protected items, products, data, or technology. | No |
| OGP | Office of Global Partnerships | Use when records are requested by OGP staff, often for international MOUs, LOAs, and LOIs. These agreements are not managed by SPS. | No |
| PARI | Purdue Applied Research Institute | Use when PARI, rather than Purdue University, is the primary organization entering into the agreement. | Yes, for PARI grants |
3.3 Common PERA distinctions
| If the record primarily... | Use |
|---|---|
| Funds Purdue research or testing | SRA |
| Sets umbrella terms for later projects | MRA |
| Passes work and requirements to a third party | SUB |
| Transfers research materials | MTA |
| Transfers or permits use of specific data sets | DATA |
| Protects confidential information | NDA |
| Documents an unfunded collaboration not otherwise categorized | UNF |
| Does not fit another defined agreement category | OTH |
| Requests information from SPS Contracting | GEN |
4. Part B: Award Types
Use this section when identifying the legal and financial form of an award received by Purdue. The award type is based on the agreement instrument, not the sponsor category or grant-number range.
4.1 Selection approach
- Identify whether Purdue is receiving a direct award or a subagreement.
- Identify the instrument family: grant, cooperative agreement, contract, other transaction authority, or equipment-specific award.
- Determine whether the instrument is fixed price.
- Select the corresponding code and retain the supporting agreement in the award record.
4.2 Award type reference
| Code | Award type description |
|---|---|
| FCS | Fixed Price Cooperative Subagreement |
| CAG | Cooperative Agreement |
| CON | Contract |
| CSA | Cooperative Subagreement |
| ECA | Equipment Cooperative Agreement |
| EPC | Equipment Fixed Price Contract |
| EQC | Equipment Contract |
| EQG | Equipment Grant |
| FPC | Fixed Price Contract |
| FPG | Fixed Price Grant |
| FPS | Fixed Price Subgrant |
| FSC | Fixed Price Subcontract |
| GRT | Grant |
| OTA | Other Transaction Authority |
| OTS | Other Transaction Authority Subagreement |
| SCT | Subcontract |
| SGT | Subgrant |
4.3 Practical award type decision guide
| Arrangement indicated by the document | Code direction |
|---|---|
| Direct grant | GRT, or FPG when fixed price |
| Direct cooperative agreement | CAG |
| Direct contract | CON, or FPC when fixed price |
| Incoming subgrant | SGT, or FPS when fixed price |
| Incoming subcontract | SCT, or FSC when fixed price |
| Incoming cooperative subagreement | CSA, or FCS when fixed price |
| Other transaction authority | OTA; use OTS for the subagreement form |
| Equipment only award | ECA, EPC, EQC, or EQG based on the instrument |
