eGovernment National Science Foundation Advisory Committee for Business and Operations November 19, 2004

2 Meeting Purpose and Desired Outcomes Purpose To update the NSF Advisory Committee for Business and Operations on e-gov initiatives. Primary focus will be the Grants Management Line of Business (GMLoB) and Grants.gov Desired Outcomes Obtaining the Committee’s advice on how best to lead and participate in these transformational activities. Identify potential pitfalls as we move forward.

3 Grants.gov Status FIND –All 26 grant-making agencies are posting funding opportunities through the FIND mechanism. –As of November 8, 2004, 1,592 funding opportunities have been posted. Of these, NSF has posted 386 opportunities of which 223 are currently active. This is the highest number of submissions of any agency besides HHS. APPLY –1,256 applications to 201 federal programs from 18 agencies have been accepted via Grants.gov (11/04) –NSF-led effort to develop SF424 (Research & Related) forms. –Agency System to System Interface – Successfully tested with several agencies, including NSF –Applicant System to System Interface – Gathering requirements, Draft Implementation Guide

4 NSF FastLane and Grants.gov NSF plans to begin to accept proposals through Grants.gov soon after the R&R forms are finalized. Will start with unsolicited programs Over 50 institutions to date have already expressed interest in submitting an application to NSF through Grants.gov!

5 Lines of Business Opportunities The following LOBs share core business requirements and similar business processes. –Financial Management (FM) –Human Resources Management (HR) –Grants Management (GM) –Federal Health Architecture (FHA) –Case Management (CM) April: RFI issued for FM, HR, GM May: RFI responses received and analyzed June: Developed of Target Architecture and Common Solution Common Solution: A business process and/or technology based shared service made available to government agencies. Business Driven (vs. Technology Driven): Solutions address distinct business improvements that directly impact LoB performance goals. Developed Through Architectural Processes: Solutions are developed through a set of common and repeatable processes and tools. Common Solution: A business process and/or technology based shared service made available to government agencies. Business Driven (vs. Technology Driven): Solutions address distinct business improvements that directly impact LoB performance goals. Developed Through Architectural Processes: Solutions are developed through a set of common and repeatable processes and tools. OMB and the Line of Business Task Forces are focused on a business- driven, common solution developed through architectural processes.

6 Grants Management Line of Business, Why Bother? Make life simpler for the grantees Provide more applicants access to opportunities Encourage needy parties to participate by removing bureaucracy Allow grant recipients to plan better year after year Allow government to understand and systematically improve the process Assess impact of grants funds across different agencies

7 Objectives of the GM LoB Initiative Improve customer access to grant opportunities Increase efficiency of the submission process Improve decision-making Integrate with Financial Management processes Improve the efficiency of the reporting procedures in order to increase the usable information content Optimize the post-award and closeout actions

8 Grants Process Overview

9 Possible Grants Operating Models AlternativeDescription 1. Centralized Administrative Services Select service centers provide administrative support for Grants Management Expected people and systems cost savings 2. Centralized Administrative and Program Services Select service centers provide administrative and programmatic support for Grants Management Expected people and systems cost savings 3. Common Business Process supported by Shared Service Centers Agencies operate with common business processes in a decentralized manner Technical centers of excellence provide ‘best of breed’ automated support Over time, service capabilities for some functions may emerge; for now, though, systems cost is the big save The following alternatives were considered….

10 What is the Consortia-Based Approach? Align agency work teams around shared requirements (Consortia) Each consortium charged with evolving its business operations and technology in light of the common operating model Cross-consortia manager ensures commonalities are best leveraged across consortia, Grants.gov, and P.L

11 Consortia-Based Approach Consortium 1Consortium 2Consortium N Service Center 1Service Center 2Service Center N Consortia provide leadership, business and program direction Service Centers provide technical solution and support through unique or shared service components Agencies and/or private industry compete to provide technology components

12 Consortium Landscape ConsortiumPotential Leaders International / Overseas communityDepartment of State USAID Research & DevelopmentNIH National Science Foundation Department Of Energy Multiple grant types; process and system reengineering currently underway Department Of the Interior Department Of Justice Department Of Labor HHS Education Mandatory / non-discretionaryDepartment of Transportation EPA Integrated procurement / grant solutions Department of Defense DOE (non R&D)

13 Governance Cross-consortia Manager (PMO) CFO Working Group on Grants Governance Consortium 1, 2,..N P.L Grants.gov Grants.gov PMO Existing operating structure and procedures Consortia support Evolving operating structure and procedures Work groups Existing operating structure and procedures