General Discussions

I'm thinking of starting a concierge/ombudsman service for awards (and maybe proposals) that have gotten themseves into a heap of woe.  Or maybe for proposals and awards that we can see, down the road, will need some greasing of the skids, you know?  I'm thinking of proposals/awards that, say, need to purchase expensive equipment from an embargoed country -because that just happened.  Shoot me now.  Or..... that absolutely require computer equipment that we can see won't mesh with what we have on campus.  Yeah, IT loves that.  Maybe even for projects that have high-risk subawards.  The idea would be to reduce PI burden by having a point-person in this office who would "convene" (on the phone or Zoom, no doubt) the right players for that particular problem.  They hack away at it, probably without the PI in the metaphorical room, and solve the problem.  Boom, the committee goes away and the concierge waits for the next problem.

Of course, we do this anyway.  The Grants and Contracts people spend an extraordinary amount of time on the phone, as do the departmental staff,  solving PI dilemmas.  What I'm hoping is that this would free up some staff to do the day to day stuff, others to do the more visionary stuff, and then some to solve these problems.  These would be the creative people - who can solve thorny problems while staying inside the regulatory lines.  Bear in mind that we're a long way from implementing this, because I haven't even thought it all the way through yet - much less figured out how we would staff and pay for this new service ;)

Nonetheless, I would love to hear from organizations that have done this.  Did PIs use it as a way of jumping the line, thinking they would get better or more expedited service on perfectly mundane problems?  Did it help with the really complex ones?  Who activates this concierge service - and good heavens, we have to call it something else.

In my mind, this is a way of leading with "yes."  This hypothetical group of people, this group that re-shapes itself based on the challenge in front of them, would be the group to say "we see the problem.  We're working on it, and if there is a legal way of getting you what you need, we will find it."

Thoughts, oh wise ones?

Andrea

------------------------------
Andrea Buford
Director, Office of Sponsored Programs
Oakland University
------------------------------

Andrea,

This is an interesting concept.  I'd love to do something similar, but of course don't have enough staff to do it now... and it would also require the person with the right skillset, as you've also stated.

I'd add a couple of things, too, like help with the purchasing requirements for consulting agreements, especially when the consultant is actually an integral part of the project team.  (Hint:  as in, not something a PI is going to want to bid out!)

We had a sort of prototype for this type of thing years ago, but it did involved existing staff and just reshuffled a very few responsibilities.  My boss wanted a research hotline, where someone could call even if it was to help them get a lightbulb replaced in the lab.  We got very few calls, but it was still something that showed we were there to help, which was the point.  Your idea is more focused, and something that could be really relevant in these complicated times.  And I am not just referencing COVID here, but also the international and other complicated things we live with now.

The world needs more problem solvers.

------------------------------
Pamela Vargas
Director, Research & Grant Development
Southeast Missouri State University
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-15-2022 07:33
From: Andrea Buford
Subject: Concierge Service?

I'm thinking of starting a concierge/ombudsman service for awards (and maybe proposals) that have gotten themseves into a heap of woe.  Or maybe for proposals and awards that we can see, down the road, will need some greasing of the skids, you know?  I'm thinking of proposals/awards that, say, need to purchase expensive equipment from an embargoed country -because that just happened.  Shoot me now.  Or..... that absolutely require computer equipment that we can see won't mesh with what we have on campus.  Yeah, IT loves that.  Maybe even for projects that have high-risk subawards.  The idea would be to reduce PI burden by having a point-person in this office who would "convene" (on the phone or Zoom, no doubt) the right players for that particular problem.  They hack away at it, probably without the PI in the metaphorical room, and solve the problem.  Boom, the committee goes away and the concierge waits for the next problem.

Of course, we do this anyway.  The Grants and Contracts people spend an extraordinary amount of time on the phone, as do the departmental staff,  solving PI dilemmas.  What I'm hoping is that this would free up some staff to do the day to day stuff, others to do the more visionary stuff, and then some to solve these problems.  These would be the creative people - who can solve thorny problems while staying inside the regulatory lines.  Bear in mind that we're a long way from implementing this, because I haven't even thought it all the way through yet - much less figured out how we would staff and pay for this new service ;)

Nonetheless, I would love to hear from organizations that have done this.  Did PIs use it as a way of jumping the line, thinking they would get better or more expedited service on perfectly mundane problems?  Did it help with the really complex ones?  Who activates this concierge service - and good heavens, we have to call it something else.

In my mind, this is a way of leading with "yes."  This hypothetical group of people, this group that re-shapes itself based on the challenge in front of them, would be the group to say "we see the problem.  We're working on it, and if there is a legal way of getting you what you need, we will find it."

Thoughts, oh wise ones?

Andrea

------------------------------
Andrea Buford
Director, Office of Sponsored Programs
Oakland University
------------------------------

Oh yes, I am definitely just pretending that we have money to fund this ;)  We do not!  I might fold it into what some people call an Award Coordinator position, since that person would be well-situated to spot impending complexities.  (There's a name for someone's band!!)

My thing about these pie in the sky ideas, though, is that I want to keep a lot of them reasonably well-developed, so when opportunities present themselves (and those opportunities always come with restrictions and guidelines, even when they aren't grants, right???), then we have a response in that category - whatever it happens to be.  Does that make sense?

A

------------------------------
Andrea Buford
Director, Office of Sponsored Programs
Oakland University
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-16-2022 07:01
From: Pamela Vargas
Subject: Concierge Service?

Andrea,

This is an interesting concept.  I'd love to do something similar, but of course don't have enough staff to do it now... and it would also require the person with the right skillset, as you've also stated.

I'd add a couple of things, too, like help with the purchasing requirements for consulting agreements, especially when the consultant is actually an integral part of the project team.  (Hint:  as in, not something a PI is going to want to bid out!)

We had a sort of prototype for this type of thing years ago, but it did involved existing staff and just reshuffled a very few responsibilities.  My boss wanted a research hotline, where someone could call even if it was to help them get a lightbulb replaced in the lab.  We got very few calls, but it was still something that showed we were there to help, which was the point.  Your idea is more focused, and something that could be really relevant in these complicated times.  And I am not just referencing COVID here, but also the international and other complicated things we live with now.

The world needs more problem solvers.

------------------------------
Pamela Vargas
Director, Research & Grant Development
Southeast Missouri State University

Original Message:
Sent: 02-15-2022 07:33
From: Andrea Buford
Subject: Concierge Service?

I'm thinking of starting a concierge/ombudsman service for awards (and maybe proposals) that have gotten themseves into a heap of woe.  Or maybe for proposals and awards that we can see, down the road, will need some greasing of the skids, you know?  I'm thinking of proposals/awards that, say, need to purchase expensive equipment from an embargoed country -because that just happened.  Shoot me now.  Or..... that absolutely require computer equipment that we can see won't mesh with what we have on campus.  Yeah, IT loves that.  Maybe even for projects that have high-risk subawards.  The idea would be to reduce PI burden by having a point-person in this office who would "convene" (on the phone or Zoom, no doubt) the right players for that particular problem.  They hack away at it, probably without the PI in the metaphorical room, and solve the problem.  Boom, the committee goes away and the concierge waits for the next problem.

Of course, we do this anyway.  The Grants and Contracts people spend an extraordinary amount of time on the phone, as do the departmental staff,  solving PI dilemmas.  What I'm hoping is that this would free up some staff to do the day to day stuff, others to do the more visionary stuff, and then some to solve these problems.  These would be the creative people - who can solve thorny problems while staying inside the regulatory lines.  Bear in mind that we're a long way from implementing this, because I haven't even thought it all the way through yet - much less figured out how we would staff and pay for this new service ;)

Nonetheless, I would love to hear from organizations that have done this.  Did PIs use it as a way of jumping the line, thinking they would get better or more expedited service on perfectly mundane problems?  Did it help with the really complex ones?  Who activates this concierge service - and good heavens, we have to call it something else.

In my mind, this is a way of leading with "yes."  This hypothetical group of people, this group that re-shapes itself based on the challenge in front of them, would be the group to say "we see the problem.  We're working on it, and if there is a legal way of getting you what you need, we will find it."

Thoughts, oh wise ones?

Andrea

------------------------------
Andrea Buford
Director, Office of Sponsored Programs
Oakland University
------------------------------

Andrea,


This sounds like a great idea and I would certainly love to implement something similar. However, our problem is staying full staffed to do our day-to-day jobs. But in a perfect world I would definitely like to have someone like this on my team.

------------------------------
Nichelle Edwards
Director, Office Sponsored Programs
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-15-2022 07:33
From: Andrea Buford
Subject: Concierge Service?

I'm thinking of starting a concierge/ombudsman service for awards (and maybe proposals) that have gotten themseves into a heap of woe.  Or maybe for proposals and awards that we can see, down the road, will need some greasing of the skids, you know?  I'm thinking of proposals/awards that, say, need to purchase expensive equipment from an embargoed country -because that just happened.  Shoot me now.  Or..... that absolutely require computer equipment that we can see won't mesh with what we have on campus.  Yeah, IT loves that.  Maybe even for projects that have high-risk subawards.  The idea would be to reduce PI burden by having a point-person in this office who would "convene" (on the phone or Zoom, no doubt) the right players for that particular problem.  They hack away at it, probably without the PI in the metaphorical room, and solve the problem.  Boom, the committee goes away and the concierge waits for the next problem.

Of course, we do this anyway.  The Grants and Contracts people spend an extraordinary amount of time on the phone, as do the departmental staff,  solving PI dilemmas.  What I'm hoping is that this would free up some staff to do the day to day stuff, others to do the more visionary stuff, and then some to solve these problems.  These would be the creative people - who can solve thorny problems while staying inside the regulatory lines.  Bear in mind that we're a long way from implementing this, because I haven't even thought it all the way through yet - much less figured out how we would staff and pay for this new service ;)

Nonetheless, I would love to hear from organizations that have done this.  Did PIs use it as a way of jumping the line, thinking they would get better or more expedited service on perfectly mundane problems?  Did it help with the really complex ones?  Who activates this concierge service - and good heavens, we have to call it something else.

In my mind, this is a way of leading with "yes."  This hypothetical group of people, this group that re-shapes itself based on the challenge in front of them, would be the group to say "we see the problem.  We're working on it, and if there is a legal way of getting you what you need, we will find it."

Thoughts, oh wise ones?

Andrea

------------------------------
Andrea Buford
Director, Office of Sponsored Programs
Oakland University
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 2/15/2022 10:34:00 AM
From: Andrea Buford
Subject: Concierge Service?

I'm thinking of starting a concierge/ombudsman service for awards (and maybe proposals) that have gotten themseves into a heap of woe.  Or maybe for proposals and awards that we can see, down the road, will need some greasing of the skids, you know?  I'm thinking of proposals/awards that, say, need to purchase expensive equipment from an embargoed country -because that just happened.  Shoot me now.  Or..... that absolutely require computer equipment that we can see won't mesh with what we have on campus.  Yeah, IT loves that.  Maybe even for projects that have high-risk subawards.  The idea would be to reduce PI burden by having a point-person in this office who would "convene" (on the phone or Zoom, no doubt) the right players for that particular problem.  They hack away at it, probably without the PI in the metaphorical room, and solve the problem.  Boom, the committee goes away and the concierge waits for the next problem.

Of course, we do this anyway.  The Grants and Contracts people spend an extraordinary amount of time on the phone, as do the departmental staff,  solving PI dilemmas.  What I'm hoping is that this would free up some staff to do the day to day stuff, others to do the more visionary stuff, and then some to solve these problems.  These would be the creative people - who can solve thorny problems while staying inside the regulatory lines.  Bear in mind that we're a long way from implementing this, because I haven't even thought it all the way through yet - much less figured out how we would staff and pay for this new service ;)

Nonetheless, I would love to hear from organizations that have done this.  Did PIs use it as a way of jumping the line, thinking they would get better or more expedited service on perfectly mundane problems?  Did it help with the really complex ones?  Who activates this concierge service - and good heavens, we have to call it something else.

In my mind, this is a way of leading with "yes."  This hypothetical group of people, this group that re-shapes itself based on the challenge in front of them, would be the group to say "we see the problem.  We're working on it, and if there is a legal way of getting you what you need, we will find it."

Thoughts, oh wise ones?

Andrea

------------------------------
Andrea Buford
Director, Office of Sponsored Programs
Oakland University
------------------------------

Here at UC Irvine, we also have Office Hours (held on Zoom now; however pre-covid we had them in a computer lab in person). The positive aspects of the in-person session was that you got to talk through issues directly to the persona and engage with them. However, the turnout to the in person sessions weren't that high (schedule, had to walk across campus to the computer lab, etc.)

We are getting a better turnout during these Zoom sessions since it's more accessible to people.

This is the extent of any 'concierge' service we could implement with the limited resources we had.

------------------------------
Jonathan Lew
ERA Officer
University of California, Irvine
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-15-2022 07:33
From: Andrea Buford
Subject: Concierge Service?

I'm thinking of starting a concierge/ombudsman service for awards (and maybe proposals) that have gotten themseves into a heap of woe.  Or maybe for proposals and awards that we can see, down the road, will need some greasing of the skids, you know?  I'm thinking of proposals/awards that, say, need to purchase expensive equipment from an embargoed country -because that just happened.  Shoot me now.  Or..... that absolutely require computer equipment that we can see won't mesh with what we have on campus.  Yeah, IT loves that.  Maybe even for projects that have high-risk subawards.  The idea would be to reduce PI burden by having a point-person in this office who would "convene" (on the phone or Zoom, no doubt) the right players for that particular problem.  They hack away at it, probably without the PI in the metaphorical room, and solve the problem.  Boom, the committee goes away and the concierge waits for the next problem.

Of course, we do this anyway.  The Grants and Contracts people spend an extraordinary amount of time on the phone, as do the departmental staff,  solving PI dilemmas.  What I'm hoping is that this would free up some staff to do the day to day stuff, others to do the more visionary stuff, and then some to solve these problems.  These would be the creative people - who can solve thorny problems while staying inside the regulatory lines.  Bear in mind that we're a long way from implementing this, because I haven't even thought it all the way through yet - much less figured out how we would staff and pay for this new service ;)

Nonetheless, I would love to hear from organizations that have done this.  Did PIs use it as a way of jumping the line, thinking they would get better or more expedited service on perfectly mundane problems?  Did it help with the really complex ones?  Who activates this concierge service - and good heavens, we have to call it something else.

In my mind, this is a way of leading with "yes."  This hypothetical group of people, this group that re-shapes itself based on the challenge in front of them, would be the group to say "we see the problem.  We're working on it, and if there is a legal way of getting you what you need, we will find it."

Thoughts, oh wise ones?

Andrea

------------------------------
Andrea Buford
Director, Office of Sponsored Programs
Oakland University
------------------------------