Posts Tagged ‘Streamlining’
Standard Research Report About to Hit the Streets
The National Science Foundation – on behalf of the Grants Policy Committee and the Research Business Models Subcommittee – is accepting final comments on the new governmentwide Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) format, while at the same time putting the format out for use by federal agencies.
In a Federal Register announcement, NSF said agencies may now use the new standard format, which is designed to help streamline the reporting process for grantees as well as allow federal awarding agencies to more easily analyze, compare, and compile research program information.
NSF says it expects this to be the last opportunity for public input before the reporting format is finalized. Comments may be submitted until February 12 via email to Suzanne Plimpton, splimpton@nsf.gov.
You can access the FR notice inviting comments here.
Our annual Federal Grants Update seminar will have additional information about this new report, as well as other developments in grants management. Dates and locations of the one-day seminar will be announced soon. Watch this blog or visit our website www.managementconcepts.com/grants for future information.
Grants Management Reform Bill On The Move
Yesterday the House passed its version of a bill to reauthorize the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act, pushing OMB even more to create a one-stop web portal that would consolidate all grant application and management functions and standardize the process governmentwide.
The House version of S. 303 is similar to the Senate bill passed in March 2009. Both direct OMB to beef up Grants.gov so that it serves not only as a central location for grant applications, but also for grants management. The legislation continues the push for standardized reporting forms, and requires OMB to provide Congress with a list of those federal agencies that do not use the standard forms and the central management portal.
The House bill also would require the development of a single data standard for private sector entities to use to submit information to federal agencies, including grant applications and reports.
Because the Senate bill does not contain this language – and because of other differences – members of the House and Senate must now meet in conference to work out a comprise bill before the legislation can be sent to the White House.
We’ll keep you informed about this measure as it moves through Congress. Also, this and other grants-related developments will be covered in Management Concepts’ upcoming Federal Grants Update course. The annual course is offered around the country each spring and summer. Watch our website for details in the coming months.
What Will Become of GPC?
It seems there are discussions about merging the Grants Policy Committee and the Grants Executive Board in an effort to coordinate the two aspects of the federal grants community.
As its name implies, the GPC is in charge of establishing policies to implement grants streamlining efforts. The GEB, on the other hand, has authority over the business side of the streamlining effort, including Grants.gov and the Grants Management Line of Business.
But soon the two boards may merge into one. Tom Cooley, chair of the GPC, said at a recent National Grants Partnership webinar that there are plans to merge the two so that policy people talk to program people, and they talk to IT people, etc.
Sounds like a good idea to me…
First Agency to Incorporate New FFR
OMB Moves Drug-Free Guidance to Title 2
The Office of Management and Budget has placed the final drug-free workplace guidance for grants and cooperative agreements in a new Title 2 CFR Part 182, a move that continues the government’s efforts to consolidate grants policy into one central location. The drug-free workplace guidance in Part 182 is virtually the same as the common rule currently being used by federal agencies and makes no substantive change to existing policies and procedures.
The office originally announced its intention to move the governmentwide guidance in September 2008. Now with the issuance of the final guidance, each federal awarding agency will publish a rule in its own chapter of 2 CFR to adopt the OMB governmentwide guidance and remove the full text of the November 2003 common rule from its CFR chapter. This agency codification gives OMB’s guidance the force of regulation on that agency’s grants and recipients.
The Federal Register notice announcing the drug-free guidance final move to 2 CFR Part 182 was published June 15 and is available by clicking here.