Section 1512 Training for the April 2010 Reporting Cycle Refresher Training for Returning Reporters March 26 and 30, 2010

22 This Presentation Will Cover: The timeline of the April 2010 reporting cycle. Tips for reporting based on lessons learned from the January 2010 reporting cycle. Where to find additional technical assistance.

33 Technical Assistance Documents FTA has posted the following technical assistance for its grantees: –1512 Reporting Definitions and Examples –Tips on Section 1512 Reporting –Federalreporting.gov edit checks –Instructions on Copying Forward Your report. (Available on the FTA ARRA Website under ARRA Reporting at

April Reporting Timeline 4

5 Reporting Timeframes Report (Days 1-10) –You must complete your report during April 1-10, Prime Recipient Review (Days 11 and 12) –You may review your report during on April 11-12, Direct recipients should review any data reported by subrecipients during this time. You may NOT submit a report during this timeframe. You can only review what was submitted during the first 10 days. Agency Review (Days 13-29) –FTA will review your report during April 13-29, Release (Day 30) –All data from the report will be released on April 30, There will be no extensions or additional time to report or review data before the release dates. Continuous Correction (starts three days after the end of the reporting period).

Tips For a Successful April Report

Tip #1—Report by April 10, 2010 Report as soon as you can in April. Past reporting cycles have provided grace periods for reporting, but do not expect to be able to report After April 10. April 10 falls on a Saturday. The last business day to report is April 9. 7

Tip #2-Copy Forward the Information in Your January Report Use the copy forward function if you are a returning reporter. This will associate your new report with your previous reports. Even if you use the template method of reporting, use copy forward first if any key identifiers (e.g. award number or grant/contract) changed. Follow the procedures in the copy forward quick reference guide to copy forward your previous report. 8

99 Reporting Tip #3 – Registration/FRPIN Make sure: –Your CCR registration is current. –Your agency Point of Contact (POC) in CCR is current. –The POC knows your role in 1512 reporting. –You have the FRPIN you will need to submit your report.

10 Reporting Tip #4 – FTA ID Use the correct Funding Agency and Award Agency Code. Your code is 6955 for both fields Use this code for all FTA grants, including Flex funds. The wrong code may mean that we cannot find your report, and you may not get credit for reporting.

11 Reporting Tip #5 – Award ID Use the correct award identification number but do not include the amendment number. Example: CA-96-X001 If you have reported the amendment number in the past, you can drop this number as part of carrying forward your information. Changes to amendment numbers since the last reporting cycle have caused confusion.

12 Reporting Tip #6 - Codes Look up the CFDA, TAS, and NAICS codes that correspond to your agency and the grant you are reporting on before you submit your report. Look up the Congressional District of your headquarters and your project location (if different) before you report. This is a point of emphasis. These codes can be found in FTA’s Definitions and Examples document online:

13 Reporting Tip #7 – Prime vs subs Only Direct Recipients should report the prime recipient information. Sub-recipients and 3 rd Party vendors should not report prime recipient data. Sub-Recipient and vendor jobs data is reported by prime recipient.

14 Reporting Tip #8 – Grant/Contract Make sure that you are submitting your information as a grant and not a contract (except for direct Federal contractors). If you use the Excel template, make sure you are using the grants template (unless you are a Federal contractor).

15 Reporting Tip #9 – Dollar Amounts Report financial data correctly –Award amount = FTA amount in grant (this must match the amount in TEAM). –Amount of ARRA funds received = ECHO draw-downs (these must match!). –Amount of ARRA funds expended = accrued expenses you have incurred. –Amount of infrastructure expenditures = amount of ARRA funds expended except expenses for operating and program administration.

16 Reporting Tip #10 – JOBS Report jobs created or retained from January 1 through March 31. Report jobs associated with vehicle manufacturing –Report once vehicles have been received. –Contact manufacturer for a factor to use in calculating jobs.

17 Reporting Tip #11 - Narratives Use plain English in the narrative sections. Avoid acronyms and jargon. Imagine you are writing for your mother – and your mother will have to explain what you wrote to someone else. The jobs narrative must: –Describe the type of each job reported. –It is not necessary to break out of the jobs number by type of job in the narrative section or report the number of hours worked. –If you reported jobs in a previous quarter, say so in the narrative. Think about the public, reporters, and auditors reading published reports.

18 Reporting Tip #12-FederalReporting.gov Edit Checks If your report receives a hard edit check, fix the error in question. If you are not sure what to do, call your FTA regional representative. If your report receives a soft edit check, double check the information reported. If you believe it is accurate, submit the report.

19 Reporting Tip #13 – Quality Review If FTA comments on your report during the agency review period, validate or correct the data. Contact your regional 1512 reporting point of contact for assistance. Use the help line and/or technical assistance FTA provides.

20 Additional Technical Assistance FTA Updated 1512 Reporting Technical Assistance Documents –April 1512 Reporting Tips –1512 Reporting Definitions and Examples (Revised) FederalReporting.gov information ( Recovery.gov Recipient Reporting Information (

21 How to Get Help Call: (beginning April 1, 2010).

22 Contact Information For further information contact: –FederalReporting.gov Service Desk ( –FTA Regional Point of Contact Region 1: Mathew Keamy (617) Region 2: Anthony Carr (212) Region 3: Elaine Burick (215) and Devendra Soni (215) Region 4: Margarita Sandberg (404) Region 5: Mary Campbell (312) and Rotimi Ogunsuyi (312) Region 6: John Sweek and Gail Lyssy (817) Region 7: William Kalt (816) Region 8: Ryan Hammon (720) Region 9: Pak Chu (415) and Karineh Gregorian (213) Region 10: Kenneth Feldman (206) and Carrie Deichl (206)

23 Questions or Concerns?