Extramural Agreements Division
Customer Service Plan
Mission
The mission of the Extramural Agreements Division (EAD) is to work
in partnership with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Economic
Research Service (ERS), and the National Agricultural Statistics Service
(NASS) and the public by meeting their needs in the administrative management
of grants, cooperative agreements and other extramural arrangements
through the delivery of responsive and effective services.
The Division accomplishes its mission through policy and administrative
review to assure the appropriate level of management oversight is conducted
as well as through operational review of the development, clearance,
maintenance and approval of extramural agreement programs.
EAD is located at AFM headquarters in Maryland and reports to the office
of the Deputy Administrator of AFM.
Customers
EAD's customers include program and administrative personnel in three
customer agencies: ARS, ERS, and NASS. The Division also provides service
and support to cooperators, grantees, Department administrative staff
offices, and Under Secretaries' office.
NASS customers include nationwide functions assigned to the Office
of the Deputy Administrator for Field Operations. Service and support
is provided to the Administrator's Office, Central Operations Staff,
and divisional administrative personnel in ERS. Within ARS, primary
customers are the Administrator's Office, Area Directors, Authorized
Departmental Officers and their staffs, scientists, the National Agricultural
Library, International Research Programs, and the National Program Staff.
Work Services
EAD specialists administer all actions pertaining to the management
of grants and cooperative agreements, including pre-award, invoice review
and approval, and closeout. A dedicated grants and agreements specialist
is responsible for all aspects of agreement management for each EAD
customer. In addition, one specialist is accountable for grant management
for all customers. The team is lead by the Division's senior specialist
who, with the division director, is responsible for the development
and implementation of policies and procedures governing the award, administration,
and closeout of extramural agreements.
Code of Conduct
It is the Division's intention to achieve the highest possible level
of customer satisfaction through the provision of both timely and preeminent
quality customer service. In support of the AFM mission, EAD's philosophy
is to consider itself a partner with its customers in meeting their
extramural program needs by adding value to their products; by treating
them with courtesy and respect; and by offering authoritative and creative
solutions to complex as well as routine issues.
Customer Service Standards
The Division has established a set of broadly based service standards
so that users of EAD's services know what to expect when requesting
extramural agreement services.
1. Development and implementation of nationwide policies and procedures.
The Division's reference, and primary source of information, is the
Extramural Agreements Manual 280.0 which is a subset of the Administrative
and Financial Management policy and procedures system. Information that
needs to be transmitted to customers immediately and which either amplifies
or changes provisions of the Manual is accomplished through the use
of Bulletins.
Standard: EAD will revise appropriate sections of the Manual annually,
or whenever necessary so that information is current, and customers
have the assurance of using an accurate and recently reviewed reference.
Likewise, customers are assured that they will receive Bulletins immediately
when a change in policy or procedure requires notification to the field.
2. Operational support.
The Division provides direct operational support to ARS headquarters
organizational units and to ERS and NASS.
Standard: Pre-award documentation will be reviewed and, if not complete,
notification will be given by close of the next business day..
Standard: When necessary, negotiation with award recipients will be
initiated within one week of receipt of the complete request package.
Standard: If no negotiations are necessary, agreement awards will be
forwarded to cooperators within one week of receipt of complete request
package. Otherwise, agreement awards will be forwarded to cooperators
upon completion of negotiations. Cooperators will be requested to return
a signed agreement to EAD within two weeks for domestic agreements,
and three weeks for foreign agreements.
Standard: Deliverables from cooperators (financial status reports,
technical reports, etc.) will be monitored continuously to assure compliance
with terms and conditions of awards.
Standard: Requests for advance payments/reimbursements will be submitted
to the National Finance Center (NFC) within three days of review and
approval.
Standard: Amendments, including increases and decreases, extensions
of time, personnel changes, advance payment authority and changes to
budgets will be completed within one week of receipt of complete request
package.
Standard: Distribution of fully executed agreements will occur within
three business days of receipt.
Standard: Relevant information will be entered in data bases, e.g.
Research Agreements Tracking System, within three days of receipt of
fully executed copy.
Standard: Agreement closeout procedures will be completed within six
months of project completion or expiration date.
3. Program review and evaluation.
EAD conducts grants and agreements assistance reviews at area offices
to determine whether or not procedures and practices in the field are
in compliance with the Extramural Agreements Manual, and to offer instruction
and assistance to agreements personnel.
Standard: EAD will conduct two assistance reviews a year; each area
office will therefore be reviewed once every four years. EAD will also
respond to requests to visit any area or location when needed regardless
of when the most recent review occurred. A report of findings and recommendations
will be sent to the area for comment within 30 days of the conclusion
of the review.
4. Training
EAD strongly supports training for all grants and agreements employees
in order to maintain currency in the full range of extramural agreements
activities. Training is accomplished through attendance at certified
training centers offering courses on topics relevant to grants and agreements.
Standard: EAD employees will complete a "core" curriculum
of training courses at recognized training facilities that offer grants
and agreements instruction. Once the core course group has been completed,
EAD employees, in their capacity as Authorized Departmental Officers
(ADOs), will take one additional relevant course each year.
5. Advice and guidance.
EAD's success depends, in part, on its leadership in anticipating,
understanding, and responding to its customers' needs. The Division
works to continually improve its services through the development of
quality partnerships which will ultimately enable it to be more cost
effective and add value to customers' products.
Standard: It is anticipated that customer expectations will always
be high, and that customer scrutiny of the EAD program will be intense.
Through partnership interaction, EAD will seek more customer involvement
in planning and operational issues. EAD will continuously seek customer
input through the use of the EAD or AFM Home Page; through dialogue
in conjunction with the annual resource planning process; through conference
calls, and through informal means such as grants and agreements assistance
reviews and the bi-monthly ADO conference calls.
