RPPR Update

As part of its ongoing support of the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) initiative, the Grants Management Line of Business (GMLOB) has been engaging research agency stakeholders in a collective effort to develop a standard government-wide RPPR Data Dictionary.

Grants.gov Update

Posted on behalf of Judy Ceresa, Grants.gov PMO

The Grants.gov Program Management Office (PMO) is pleased to announce the selection of our new information technology (IT) systems contractor. After much consideration, DMI, a leading IT solutions and business strategy consulting firm, has been selected as the new contractor. 

Grants Events

To view upcoming events in the grants community, click “Read the Rest of This Entry” below.

Do You Use CCR or EPLS Data? Changes Are Coming!

Posted on behalf of Meredith Whitehead, General Services Administration

If you thought the General Services Administration (GSA)’s System for Award Management (SAM) would impact others but not you, you may want to look a little more closely. SAM will combine the currently siloed capabilities and hosting environments of nine systems in GSA’s Integrated Acquisition Environment (IAE) into a unified whole (see http://sam.gov for additional information). The benefits will include a streamlined user experience, improved data quality, and significant cost savings.

STAR METRICS: Analysis and Next Steps

Posted on behalf of Mya Strauss (Environmental Protection Agency), Umesh Thakkar (Government Accountability Office), and Julia Lane (National Science Foundation)

The agencies participating in the STAR METRICS program (National Institute of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Department of Agriculture (USDA)) have continued to move forward in consulting with both the research and agency communities.

Suspension and Debarment of Federal Contractors and Grantees

As a follow on to the April 2011 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report “Improper Payments: Recent Efforts to Address Improper Payments and Remaining Challenges,” the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued Memorandum M-12-02: Suspension and Debarment of Federal Contractors and Grantees as a means to address outstanding issues with agency suspension and debarment programs.

OMB Approves Real Property Status Report for Government-Wide Use

The Real Property Status Report (RPSR) has been approved by OMB as Standard Form 429 (SF-429) and is now available for government-wide use. 

Council on Financial Assistance Reform

On October 27, 2011, the first OMB Memorandum for fiscal year 2012 was released: Creation of the Council on Financial Assistance Reform (M-12-01). The memo establishes the Council on Financial Assistance Reform (COFAR) as an interagency group of Executive Branch officials charged with creating a more streamlined and accountable structure to coordinate financial assistance.

Federal Grant Solicitations Improvement Act of 2011

In June 2011, the Federal Grant Solicitations Improvement Act of 2011 was introduced to the House of Representatives, proposing the publishing of an annual federal grant solicitation forecast. If enacted, the federal agencies would be required to submit a forecast of expected grant solicitations by subject area for the next fiscal year to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) by November 30^th each fiscal year.

STAR METRICS Full Steam Forward!

Posted on Behalf of Stefano Bertuzzi (National Institute of Health) and Julia Lane (National Science Foundation)

The STAR METRICS program is a voluntary collaboration among federal science and technology (S&T) agencies and research institutions. It is the first large scale effort to document the results of federal S&T investments by directly linking inputs and outputs, beginning by using direct calculations from the administrative records of research institutions.