Updates Related to Recent Executive Orders

Post-Award Contractual Compliance (PACC)​

Post-Award Contractual Compliance (PACC)

Post-Award Contractual Compliance (PACC) provides strategic oversight and coordination across Penn State’s post-award functions—driving consistency, compliance, and operational efficiency to strengthen the long-term success of the University’s research portfolio.

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Offices

Financial Analysis and Compliance Office (FACO)
Subaward Administration and Compliance Office (SACO)
Office of Research Accounting

Vision

To serve as a trusted institutional leader that drives innovation, consistency, and accountability across post‑award functions—enhancing operational efficiency, mitigating risk, and enabling the long‑term success of Penn State’s research portfolio.

Core Functions

Strategic Oversight and Coordination

  • Provide leadership across FACO, SACO, and ORA to ensure alignment in policies, procedures, and operational priorities.

Policy and Process Improvement

  • Evaluate existing practices, identify opportunities for improvement, and lead the development of streamlined, compliant processes that reduce administrative burden while maintaining strong internal controls.

Campus Engagement and Advocacy

  • Partner with college research offices and administrative units to gather feedback, identify challenges, and represent post‑award perspectives in institutional decision‑making and strategic initiatives.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

  • Work closely with central offices—including Finance, IT, Internal Audit, and Research Administration—to implement solutions that enhance system functionality, reporting capabilities, and data integrity.

Leadership in Committees and Workgroups

  • Chair and participate in institutional committees and working groups to guide policy development, operational planning, and system enhancements related to post‑award administration.

Goals

Enhance Institutional Consistency

  • Promote alignment across policies, procedures, and systems governing post‑award activities to ensure clarity and consistency for all stakeholders.

Strengthen Compliance and Risk Management

  • Advance proactive compliance strategies, leveraging data analytics, internal controls, and cross‑functional coordination to identify and mitigate risk.

Improve Operational Efficiency

  • Drive initiatives that streamline workflows, reduce complexity, and improve the user experience for research administrators and faculty.

Elevate Stakeholder Engagement

  • Serve as a central point of coordination between decentralized research units and central administration, ensuring that stakeholder feedback informs institutional priorities and solutions.

Advance Data‑Driven Decision Making

  • Support the development and use of reporting tools and analytics to enhance transparency, inform strategy, and improve oversight of sponsored programs.

News and Announcements

July 31, 2026

Supporting the Transition: OSVPR-PACC Delivers Research Finance Training to Over 300 Transaction Initiators

As Penn State's Finance Optimized Service Team (OST) transitioned to its new shared services model earlier this year, hundreds of employees across the University found themselves taking on new respons...
May 5, 2026

Community of Practice for Research Administrators

We’re excited to announce that the Proposal Award Generalist (PAG) Training Initiative is being rebranded as a Community of Practice for Research Administrators. What began as an asynchronous pathway ...
January 6, 2026

Professional Development and Training for the Research Administration Community

In 2024, Senior Vice President for Research, Andrew Read identified the need for enhanced support to meet the demands of Penn State’s growing research enterprise. As part of the Research Support Trans...
October 20, 2025

Penn State’s FY25 Effort Certification: A Success Story of Collaboration and Compliance

Under the leadership of Jason Guilbeault, AVP for Post Award Contractual Compliance (PACC), the Financial Analysis and Compliance Office (FACO) continues to elevate research administration through mea...
August 4, 2025

Delivering Results: Research Accounting’s KPI Success and Service Commitment

In 2024, Research Accounting launched a bold initiative to redefine its service standards through a new set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). One of its most critical goals was to reduce unpaid in...
June 27, 2025

New Research Data Management Policy

The Office for Research Protections, with support from the Senior Vice President for Research and in collaboration with University Libraries, announces the release of University Policy RP15: Research ...

Penn State personnel can opt in to various research administration listservs at the following link:

https://apps.sims.psu.edu/simsforms/pages/DistributionListOptInOut.aspx

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Office of Research Administrative Services

Address

200 Innovation Blvd.
Suite 110
University Park, PA 16802

Contact

Phone: 814-865-1372

Email: oras@psu.edu