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Purpose
Authority
Mission
Goals
Roles and
Responsibilities
Membership and
Procedures
PURPOSE
The Inter-Agency Electronic Grants Committee (IAEGC)
is established to coordinate, promote and facilitate the effective use of
electronic commerce (EC) throughout the federal grants community.
The
Federal government awards over $350B in grants annually.
The grants are awarded through over 600 programs from 26 Federal
agencies. The administration of these grants varies from program to
program. The President’s
Management Agenda says that “Agencies will allow applicants for Federal grants
to apply for and ultimately manage grant funds online through a common web site,
simplifying grants management and eliminating redundancies in the same way as
the single procurement portal will simplify purchasing.”
Recognition of this capability requires close coordination among and
between the Federal grant-making agencies and a large and diverse grantee
community that includes state and local governments, university-based research
organizations, nonprofit institutions and others.
The IAEGC is chartered to conduct outreach programs and to create a forum
in which this close coordination can flourish.
Disparity
among grant programs directly affects the grantee. The many sets of rules and
procedures require time and constant information updating by grantees.
States and recipient organizations must train workers to be proficient in
one or more of the disparate Federal stovepipe systems. Establishment of common
data requirements and common business processes to be used by Federal grant
programs can eliminate much of the redundancy and complexity experienced by the
grantee community.
The IAEGC will develop, maintain and promulgate Federal grant standards
within national and international data interchange forums and organizations.
AUTHORITY
The
National Performance Review (NPR) published the document “Access America” on
February 3, 1997 that recommended establishing the IAEGC.
Numerous other Federal policies, guidance, and legislation, including
Executive Order 13011, and Federal Information Processing Standard 161-2, direct
agency use of BPR, enhanced information technology (IT) and EC to improve
customer service and reduce the costs of operations while maintaining or
increasing mission capability. The General Services Administration (GSA) drafted
an initial charter for the IAEGC in June 1997 and sponsored the IAEGC as part of
the Federal office for electronic government.
More
recently the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999 (P.L.
106-107) called for the streamlining of the Federal grant process. The E-Grants
initiative is intended to transform the Federal grants environment through a
combination of simplification of process, standardization of data, and creation
of an electronic grants portal. Based
upon this major e-government initiative the GSA transferred its sponsorship of
the IAEGC to the Department of Health and Human Services (as Managing Partner
for the E-Grants initiative) and the E-Grants Program Management Office (PMO)
effective April 2002.
IAEGC MISSION
- Assist
the PMO with the major areas under the E-Grants initiative: Grants
Business Process and Policy, Technology Implementation, and Liaison.
- Plan
and conduct outreach activities that provide information exchange between
Federal grantor and all grant recipients.
- Promote the standardization of grants data,
business processes and technologies to the maximum extent possible while
recognizing the need to support unique requirements related to different
grant types and recipient communities.
- Maintain
a forum where best practices that improve the efficiency and effectiveness
of Federal grant administration can be discussed and promoted.
- Support the automation of manual processes and
implement fundamental change in business operations.
GOALS
The IAEGC will:
- Promote the continued development of a common
face and apply appropriate technologies to the various components of the
grants life cycle.3
- Leverage EC technologies and business
process experience across grant stakeholders in a manner that utilizes
fiscal and human resources effectively.
- Promote the provision of grants EC opportunities
for all sizes and types of organizations.
- Improve information and technology sharing among
grantee community EC participants.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The IAEGC will operate under the auspices of the
E-Grants Program Management Office and will fulfill three primary roles as
follows:
- Outreach:
The
IAEGC will plan, coordinate, and administer outreach activities between
the Federal grantors and grantees.
The IAEGC will continue to work closely with its existing chartered
partners such as the Federal Demonstration Partnership and the Interstate
Advisory Group.
The IAEGC will maintain at least two subcommittees that focus on
research related grantees and on state, local, non-profit and other
grantees.
The IAEGC will maintain close ties with associations and
professional groups that involve members of the grantee community such as
the National Grants Management Association, the National Association of
Comptrollers, Auditors, and Treasurers, regional commissions and
community-based organizations and the Society of Research Administrators.
- Standards:
The IAEGC will work collaboratively among
the Federal agencies, appropriate Federal inter-agency organizations, and
with the Federal grant recipients to develop, promote, coordinate, and
maintain the use of standardized data and the electronic exchange of Federal
grants information. The IAEGC will establish an Electronic Standards Working
Group (ESWG) to develop standard data elements and business processes across
all grant life-cycle functions. The ESWG will prepare guidelines on user
interfaces, architectures, implementation conventions for data exchange, and
XML schemas and document type definitions for standardized data elements for
grant applications, awards, profiles, and reports.
- Forum:
The IAEGC will provide a forum for
Federal and non-Federal organizations to discuss matters of mutual concern,
such as legislative compliance for streamlining, or minimizing unnecessary
burdens on grant recipients that also received Federal contracts. The IAEGC
will use its quarterly meetings to address issues, technologies, and best
practices that further the improvement of Federal grant management. The
IAEGC will maintain and use listserv processors that exchange views and
information of interest to Federal grantors, grant recipients and the
general public.
The
IAEGC will harmonize the initiatives and recommendations of its working groups,
and as necessary, make recommendations to the GITS board and the EC Program
Office regarding support for Grants EC implementation.
MEMBERSHIP AND PROCEDURES
Membership
Membership
in the IAEGC is open to all Federal agencies and to members of groups officially
recognized by the IAEGC for membership such as the Interstate Advisory Group and
the Federal Demonstration Partnership.
All members will be expected to attend and actively participate in
furthering the execution of its mission.
Members shall also informally interact with the IAEGC Chair(s) to keep
them advised of any pertinent issues.
Members will also be responsible for keeping individual agency management
informed of all on-going activities, and work collaboratively to achieve the
IAEGC mission and goals.
Procedures
The
IAEGC will determine, document and post its internal operating procedures.
The
IAEGC may determine to establish specific working groups as needed.
Individual agencies may participate in any or all
established working groups. Working
groups shall select their own chair. All
working groups shall report regularly to the IAEGC and work collaboratively
amongst one another to fulfill common goals.
Meetings
The IAEGC shall meet at least quarterly.
Planning
The
IAEGC either directly and/or through its working groups shall develop action
plan(s) to guide its actions.
The IAEGC will update and modify the action plan(s) as needed.
APPROVAL
Charles
Havekost
Department
of Health and Human Services
E-Grants
Program Management Office
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