Frequently Asked Questions
ePME Project Questions
What does ePME stand for?
What are the ePME objectives?
If I need to use ePME, how and where will I be trained?
Will ePME replace the national laboratories' R&D program
management systems?
Will ePME replace DOE Headquarters' R&D program management
systems?
Will ePME replace existing financial or procurement
systems?
Who is leading the ePME project at the DOE?
How will ePME interface with I-MANAGE?
How does ePME fit into the Department's enterprise architecture?
How does ePME comply with the Capital Planning and Investment
Control (CPIC) Process?
What are ePME's project management controls?
How does ePME fit into legacy systems?
What are the benefits of ePME?
How is the ePME team gathering information?
How can I provide input into the ePME project?
How can I keep informed of the ePME project as it progresses?
Is the National Nuclear Security Administration participating
in the ePME project, and if so, what is NNSA's role?
How does ePME relate to the President's Management Agenda
(PMA)?
How does ePME relate to Grants.gov (e-grants)?
How does ePME relate to the e-Procurement project?
Who can I contact to discuss my concerns or questions about
ePME?
ePME Electronic Receipt and Review Questions
Does the ePME Electronic Receipt and Review
system assign a unique proposal number?
Can you revise/change a proposal after it
has been uploaded through the eIDK?
Who pays for the ePME Electronic Receipt and Review
(PDMLink) licenses?
Do you have an time estimate for Site Administration
Mangers (SAMs) before and after Electronic Receipt and Review deployment?
When I search for proposals, can I see all proposals,
or just those from my lab?
We don't allocate our full R&D budget until
January. Does ePME allow for updating funding?
ePME Project Questions and Answers
What does ePME stand for?
The Department of Energy's E-government Corporate R&D Portfolio Management Environment.
What are the ePME objectives?
- ePME will streamline and unify the Department's R&D tracking, management, and reporting processes;
- ePME will enable portfolio management capabilities to facilitate more strategic investment decisions; and
- ePME will implement the technology solution to support those processes in an electronic, distributed information environment.
If I need to use ePME, how and where will I be trained?
Upon deployment, ePME will offer on-line help and Monday - Friday help desk support. Prior to each deployment, the ePME team will conduct Site Administration Manager (SAM) on-line and classroom training. SAMs will be responsible for training end users at their location/organization. Specific SAM training locations and schedules will be coordinated and announced beforehand.
Will ePME replace the national laboratories' R&D program management systems?
No.
Will ePME replace DOE Headquarters' R&D program management systems?
Yes.
Will ePME replace existing financial or procurement systems?
No. ePME will not replace existing financial or procurement systems. ePME will interface with I-MANAGE. I-MANAGE may replace existing financial or procurement systems.
Who is leading the ePME project at the DOE?
The Project Manager is Kimberly Rasar in the Office of Science (SC). The Deputy Project Manager is Joe Malinovsky in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
ePME is a direct outgrowth of the Secretary of Energy's Innovative DOE e-Gov Applications (IDEA) project, introduced in October 2002. Click here for a complete listing of DOE E-gov initiatives [pdf].
How will ePME interface with I-MANAGE?
ePME performs program management functions, whereas I-MANAGE supports business and financial management functions. ePME interfaces with I-MANAGE to provide data that supports I-MANAGE's functions and to retrieve data necessary to support R&D portfolio management.
How does ePME fit into the Department's enterprise architecture?
Enterprise Architecture is the information or data an organization needs to manage its business or the technology it needs to utilize that information, and the processes it has in place to change or upgrade that technology as its business or mission changes. ePME complies with and is fully compatible with DOE's Enterprise Architecture.
How does ePME comply with the Capital Planning and Investment Control (CPIC) Process?
To ensure effective and efficient management and acquisition of information technology, the Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996 (ITMRA, also known as Clinger-Cohen) mandates that each government agency create and maintain a Capital Planning and Investment Control (CPIC) process. ePME is collaborating with the CIO's office to ensure that ePME addresses the CPIC process's three essential components: selection, control, and evaluation.
What are ePME's project management controls?
ePME complies with all governmental and Departmental regulations and guidelines, follows DOE Order 413.3 for project execution, uses an Earned Value Management System (EVMS) to manage project performance, holds monthly project updates and quarterly status reviews, and reports quarterly to the Senior Management Group and to the Executive Steering Committee. ePME Project and Module Managers maintain Level 1 Certification and have extensive experience in R&D and IT Management. The ePME contractor follows SEI CMM Level III and uses Rational Tool Set for ePME configuration management and software development activities.
How does ePME fit into legacy systems?
ePME will be the Department's official R&D program management and administration system, and when deployed will replace or complement existing legacy systems. Data transfers between legacy systems and ePME will be accomplished via ePME's eIDK (Electronic Interface Developer's Kit).
What are the benefits of ePME?
- Fostering R&D collaboration across programs and in the field
- Improving the capability for strategic R&D investments
- Meeting program management needs across the Department
- Reducing inefficient and/or ineffective administrative processes
How is the ePME team gathering information?
The team has interviewed a representative sample of DOE programs and operations offices that are directly involved in the R&D process. Based on the information gathered at these interview sessions, the team will develop a 'To-Be' process.
How can I provide input into the ePME project?
Serve as a Subject Mater Expert in any of the following activities:
- Modifying the Department's R&D management processes
- Specify the system's functional and technical requirements
- Requirements validation
- Pilot implementation
If you are interested in any of these activities please contact ePME Communication and Outreach Manager, Jim Fremont.
How can I keep informed of the ePME project as it progresses?
ePME is utilizing established communication vehicles, such as DOE This Month, Spotlight (the ePME newsletter), and the project Web site (http://epme.doe.gov) to keep all interested parties informed of the project's status.
For more information contact ePME Communication and Outreach Manager, Jim Fremont.
Is the National Nuclear Security Administration participating in the ePME project, and if so, what is NNSA's role?
Yes, NNSA is participating in the ePME project, although in a limited role because it is separately organized from DOE and operates its own Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Evaluation (PPBE) processes for managing all NNSA work.
Because a significant amount of research for non-NNSA funded programs is carried out by the NNSA national security laboratories, NNSA staff participated on the team that conducted the feasibility study before ePME's launch, and continue to participate on project development teams. NNSA representatives also participate on ePME's Executive Steering Committee, Senior Management Group, the Business Process Reengineering Team, and the Requirements Team. NNSA's participation will enable NNSA and the DOE R&D program secretarial offices to share information and mutually benefit from any new technologies developed to support R&D management processes.
How does ePME relate to the President's Management Agenda (PMA)?
ePME supports Expanded e-Government, which is one of the five government-wide initiatives outlined in the PMA.
ePME also supports Better R&D Investment Criteria, which is one of the eight program initiatives outlined in the PMA.
How does ePME relate to Grants.gov (e-grants)?
Grants.gov provides the "storefront" for receiving grant applications throughout agencies. ePME will help better define the types of information gathered for DOE grants to help increase the efficiency of the grants process.
ePME will allow for more consistency in the type of information gathered on DOE grants via Grants.gov so that information may be leveraged more effectively by those who need it.
How does ePME relate to the e-Procurement project?
According to the DOE e-Government Strategic Plan, the objectives of the e-Procurement initiative are to provide an integrated technology solution that will streamline the procurement and financial assistance award and administration process, enhancing the ability to track personal property and gather more timely information on the contractor workforce.
The e-Procurement solution is intended to serve as the official Department interface to the interagency Grants.gov storefront, passing grant proposals to ePME for peer review and supplying ePME with grant data critical for R&D portfolio management.
ePME will help define the information requirements needed by the e-Procurement solution, regarding the grants process specifically, to maximize its effectiveness.
Who can I contact to discuss my concerns or questions about ePME?
Use the feedback form on the Web site to communicate with the ePME team.
ePME Electronic Receipt and Review Questions and Answers
Does the ePME Electronic Receipt and Review system assign a unique proposal number?
Yes the system assigns a unique number, however you can also give the proposal an internal lab number.
Can you revise/change a proposal after it has been uploaded through the eIDK?
Yes, once the proposal is uploaded in the system, you can use the system to edit the proposal.
Who pays for the ePME Electronic Receipt and Review (PDMLink) licenses?
The ePME project will pay for the initial purchases of licenses necessary for the deployment of ePME Electronic Receipt and Review through January 2005. There will be provisions in the licensing agreement to allow organizations to purchase additional licenses.
Do you have an time estimate for Site Administration Mangers (SAMs) before and after Electronic Receipt and Review deployment?
Our initial estimate is that SAMs may spend up to a maximum of 20% of their time working on ePME, but this will depend on the number of end users to be trained. SAM time commitment should be greatest from July 2004 through the end of January 2005. Afterwards, we expect the time commitment to be intermittent.
When I search for proposals, can I see all proposals, or just those from my lab?
Just your lab's proposals.
We don't allocate our full R&D budget until January. Does ePME allow for updating funding?
Yes.
Page updated: July 14, 2004
