AI4RA Tip of the Week #8
What is the Subaward Agreement Extraction workflow?
The Subaward Agreement Extraction workflow is a Vandalizer post-award tool that reads subaward agreements and pulls relevant data for award setup and monitoring all in one run. It processes subaward agreements, pass-through entity documents, and subaward modifications, handling documents of varying length, including attachments and referenced terms.
The workflow runs six extraction tasks simultaneously, each targeting a distinct category:
- Core award information
- Contact details
- Dates and monetary values
- Financial policies
- Reporting requirements
- Compliance requirements
Those results are then consolidated into a structured nine-section subaward summary.
Why this matters for Research Administrators
RAs navigate high-stakes processing when they transfer data from dense legal documents; incidental errors can have significant administrative consequences. The Subaward Agreement Extraction workflow is designed to support RAs in transferring and consolidating data quickly without having to compromise their high standards for accuracy. Understanding the stakes involved, the AI4RA team ran this workflow through an iterative testing process measuring accuracy and consistency on all test documents which extracted monetary amounts, dates, award identifiers, and contact information (including emails and phone numbers) with a goal of 100% accuracy for each of these extractions. As always, however, RA expertise is required to review the output and confirm accuracy, AI is meant to augment not replace your expertise. The workflow also cross-references monetary values across at least two locations in the document and flags key amounts for verification.
Beyond the numbers, the workflow also captures the details required for compliant award management, including:
- Invoicing frequency
- F&A rate and base
- Carryforward policy
- Reporting deadlines
- Prior approval requirements
- Conflict of interest policy
- Record retention terms
- Termination clauses
The goal: everything needed to monitor a subaward surfaces as a single consolidated output.
How to use this resource
- Upload your subaward document — upload the document in PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT, or MD format. This includes the agreement itself and any attachments or modification documents.
- Open Vandalizer and select the Subaward Agreement Extraction workflow.
- Run the workflow. Six extraction tasks will process simultaneously, covering all major data categories.
- Review the consolidated subaward summary, which is organized into nine sections: basic info, project periods, PTE contacts, subrecipient contacts, financial summary, financial policies, reporting requirements, prior approval requirements, and key compliance requirements.
- Use the output to populate your award setup system or as a reference document for ongoing monitoring.
How can I learn more about this topic?
AI4RA Office Hours – Occurs every fourth Tuesday at 11:00 AM PST and includes live Q&A and demos (https://ai4ra.uidaho.edu/#events). Interested in showcasing a Vandalizer workflow, other AI tool, or Data tool you’ve been using to the AI4RA community of practice? Fill out this form to submit your idea: https://uidaho.clickup.com/forms/9017952524/f/8cr628c-61137/TMDJ1GA9ZLET80DOKO
Workflow Architect Certification – Vandalizer internal course which teaches you to become a certified workflow builder. Click on the bubble in the lower right corner of your Vandalizer page.
Support – Click the Support button in the top‑right corner of Vandalizer or submit a request via the AI4RA contact page (https://ai4ra.uidaho.edu/contact/).
Share your questions or success stories
Post them to the AI4RA community forum (https://groups.ai4ra.uidaho.edu/g/main/topics). Your tips help the whole research‑admin community thrive.