Choosing a Subrecipient

The University of Iowa, as a state entity, uses a competitive bidding system as required under state and federal law. If a grant or contract requires the University of Iowa to competitively bid out opportunities for a potential subcontractor or subrecipient, University of Iowa Purchasing handles the competitive bidding process on behalf of the UI based on the type of service, good and dollar threshold.

Although the competitive bidding process is mandatory, there are circumstances in which Subrecipients other than the lowest bidder may be selected. These circumstances include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • The subawardee was specifically named in the proposal and/or approved by the sponsor or funding agency.
  • The proposal and subawardee were approved by the sponsor and/or funding agency as scientifically valid.
  • The subawardee possesses specialized equipment and/or facilities to conduct the research.
  • The subawardee has access to appropriate subject populations required to conduct the study/research.
  • The subawardee was selected for a pilot project based on a review by a U of I project committee.
  • Other: Explain why this subawardee is uniquely qualified to fulfill the subaward scope of work.

For Additional Information:

Cost/Price Reasonableness

Submission of a proposal and/or requesting an outgoing subaward through UI Workflow assumes that the Principal Investigator and supervising department has verified that the proposed subaward costs are reasonable for the nature of the work to be performed; the scope of work, budget, justification, and other compliance documents are allowable, allocable, and reasonable in accordance with UI and sponsor policies, including the terms of the prime award.  For additional information:

Reviewed October 2025