1. U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Capital Fund Guidebook Training Energy and Performance Information Center (EPIC) Training
Chris –
Instructor Notes:

2. Background - Today Functionality Today:
Activity Planning Module: 5 Year Action Plan and Annual Statement/Budget (also maybe P&E Report)
Public Housing Development Module
EPC Module
PNA Module
Chris
Instructor Notes:
The main focus of today’s presentation is on the part of EPIC that is most relevant to the Capital Fund: the Activity Planning module. The Activity Planning module automates the 5 Year Action Plan as well as the Budget (which is similar to what in the past – particularly under the old rule – has been called the Annual Statement). EPIC also has a P&E submodule, but we are still thinking things through on that and are not ready to implement it.
There are a number of other EPIC modules, including one to track and process the development of new Public Housing, one to automate the approval and tracking of Energy Performance Contracts (EPCs), and a PNA module. The PNA module would allow PHAs to get the PIC data that they need to perform their PNAs straight from EPIC and then – when they have completed their PNAs – it would allow them to upload the data to EPIC. Once the PNA data is uploaded into EPIC, we are working on making it available for PHAs to directly link PNA needs to 5 Year Action Plans. In addition (although you may not be all that interested) EPIC has modules that serve the Office of Native American Programs. These additional modules won’t be the primary focus of today’s presentation—today we’re focusing on the Activity Planning Module with its automated 5-Year Action Plan and Budget—but we wanted to give you a “heads up” about these features.

3. Advantages of EPIC
Chris
Instructor Notes:

4. Advantages of Activity Planning Module in EPIC
Automates currently de-facto paper process
Simplifies the BLI structure in LOCCS
EPIC data updates LOCCS BLIs automatically
Approvals/review minimized
FO approves 5 Year Action Plan
No review required on all approved 5 Year Action Plan items, PHA can revise amounts without further review
PHA can funge without further review
Chris
Instructor Notes:
Focusing in specifically on the Activity Planning Module, we believe that EPIC will bring a lot of benefits to everyone involved. The current processing of 5 Year Action Plans is basically a paper process. Automation brings a lot of benefits including performing the math and displaying things the correct way. One of the bigger changes is that we are moving to a much simpler Budget Line Item (BLI) structure. The BLIs that get used the most are getting consolidated into one broad scope BLI. This BLI change should cut down significantly on the need for budget revisions. We are also working to make budget revisions very straightforward and automated – you would potentially go into EPIC and update amounts in your budget and then LOCCS would be updated to reflect the changes a day or two later (without Field Offices having to approve these changes).
The intent is for almost all of the review to center around the 5 Year Action Plan. Once the Field Office approves it, PHAs would have wide freedom to move forward without having to get additional approvals from Field Office staff: they can revise amounts to reflect reality – they can funge approved activities from one year to another.

5. Advantages of Activity Planning Module in EPIC
PHAs will be able to seamlessly integrate submitted PNA data into 5 Year Action Plans
Track status of plan approval
Record communications related to plan approval (via comment feature)
Chris
Instructor Notes:
One of the things that we are still working on is making PNA items available to be selected in a 5 Year Action Plan so that if a PHA has a PNA, it won’t have to re-enter those items. With respect to Environmental Reviews, most Field Offices already use the 5 Year Action Plan as a tool for tracking environmental reviews. There is a lot of thinking about environmental reviews these days as a result of some recent OIG audits, but there is a significant possibility that we will be able to leverage EPIC to help track environmental reviews.
One of the more basic advantages of automating the 5 Year Action Plan process is that EPIC will also track the status of plans being submitted, reviewed and approved. There is also a built-in comment feature to keep track of questions Field Offices might have about a plan and the PHA’s response to those questions.

6. Simplified BLIs Chris Instructor Notes:
So here is a slide that shows all of the BLIs that will be consolidated into one master BLI – the new BLI The BLIs that remain fall into two categories: some like the ones relating to debt service are little used and once loaded rarely change; others represent activities that have statutory or regulatory strings attached to them like Admin Fees (limited to 10%) or transfers to operations (that have different limitations depending on PHA size). The key here is that the BLIs that get used the most and are most subject to change/revision are consolidated into one: 1480.

7. Work Categories Chris Instructor Notes:
Here is a screenshot from EPIC in which work categories are displayed, followed by BLIs in parentheses. Within EPIC’s Activity Planning Module, PHAs will create 5 Year Action Plans and then add work activities to them. For each work activity, PHAs will select the appropriate work category/BLI. As you can see in the screenshot, BLI 1480 incorporates a wide range of capital fund activities.

8. Implementation Plan
Chris
Instructor Notes:

9. Work flow PHA Creates Annual Statement/Budget from 5-Year Action Plan
PHA drafts/ submits
5-Year Action Plan
PHA Receives CFP Grant
PHA
FO Director/ Deputy Approves 5-Year Action Plan
FO Staff Reviews 5-Year Action Plan FO
HQ Spreads BLI Based on Annual Statement/Budget HQ

10. What’s different?
PHA does not need to send a paper Annual Statement/Budget – instead it completes an Annual Statement/Budget in EPIC and links it to its grants Once a PHA has linked an Annual Statement/Budget to a grant in EPIC (with certain exceptions), there is an automated process that will spread the BLIs in LOCCS via a batch routine that takes 1 or 2 days to process.

11. Resources à Join Skype Meeting
The EPIC Office Hours are every Monday and Wednesday at 2:00 Eastern Time (No more Friday calls).   
Phone: (877)
Access Code:
à Join Skype Meeting      
Please remember, PHAs are invited to participate in these calls.   It is a great way to get EPIC questions handled quickly.
Chris
Instructor Notes:
For more information as needed, contact the EPIC Help Desk.

12. For more information and help,
Resources
For more information and help,
the EPIC Help Desk is:
Chris
Instructor Notes:
For more information as needed, contact the EPIC Help Desk.

13. Wrap Up and Questions
Chris
Instructor Notes: