USE & PURPOSE
OPAS – stands for Organizational Prior Approval System. Use the form to request spending authority or index assignment prior to receipt of award document, as well as to document a no cost time extension, budget modification, or to add carryforward.   

For further information review the OPAS guidance from the Office of Sponsored Programs.

HELP CONTACT
Please contact your desginated Sponsored Program Specialist for questions related to OPAS. However, first please review the help guide below for information.  If you cannot find a solution to your question, contact uapprove@mso.umt.edu.

LOCATING & SELECTING OPAS

• Find the form under “SPONSORED PROGRAMS”
• Then the submenu “OPAS”

CHOOSING FEDERAL OR NON-FEDERAL FUNDING

• Select an option and the corresponding sub-options will display based upon the choice.

SPONSOR & AWARD

• To proceed through the form, the “SPONSOR” field is required.

ASSIGNING AN INDEX: NEW & SUB AWARDS

Either one or both of the New & Sub Award prompts appear when selecting the following actions; Assign An Index, Additional Funding, and Pre-Award Spending.

• New Award: Choosing “YES” to this question reveals the E-PROP field which is required and validated against BANNER’s database.
• Sub Award: Choosing “YES” to this question reveals the informational warning below which encourages users to inform collaborating institutions of financial risks.