Updates on Federal Requirements and Dartmouth Processes
Accountability and Transparency
Transparency and accountability are key elements of ARRA. To meet the desired goal of providing taxpayers with information on how ARRA funds are utilized, the Act and subsequent guidance documents mandate additional reporting requirements for awards made with ARRA funds. Specifically, the Act requires that:
- Recovery funds are awarded and distributed in a prompt, fair, and reasonable manner;
- The recipients and uses of all recovery funds are transparent to the public, and the public benefits of these funds are reported clearly, accurately, and in a timely manner;
- Recovery funds are used for authorized purposes and every step is taken to prevent instances of fraud, waste, error, and abuse;
- Projects funded under the recovery legislation avoid unnecessary delays and cost overruns; and,
- Programs meet specific goals and targets, and contribute to improved performance on broad economic indicators.
Where Do I Find Updates on ARRA Requirements?
The Office of Management and Budget has issued a number of memorandums describing implementation guidance for federal agencies relative to ARRA funding. Complete copies of the documents can be found on the Recovery.Gov website.
However, we encourage you to monitor the OSP website, review bulletins from OSP and contact your OSP grant manager if you have any questions concerning ARRA reporting.
How Is OSP Preparing for New ARRA Requirements?
OSP is continuously monitoring guidance documents from sponsors and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
- Reviewing ways to simplify and streamline quarterly project status updates from PIs.
- Working to develop business processes that meet compliance with requirements.
- Centralizing data collection within OSP and other central offices to the extent possible.
- Compiling a comprehensive implementation document for internal OSP training.
- Developing an ARRA awards web site which will include award management guidance, reporting procedures and also announce Dartmouth ARRA awards.
- Developing a process for obtaining data on jobs created and retained by working with both College and DHMC payroll.
- Developed a system for segregating ARRA funds with separate accounts in OGA.
- Working through the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) on revised subcontract agreements for ARRA Awards.
- Monitoring Federalreporting.gov for updates on the government-wide ARRA reporting system.
- Schedule training for OSP staff and other individuals as needed.
When Are ARRA Reports Due?
Section 1512(f) of the Act requires recipient reporting to be submitted
10 calendar days after the end of
each calendar quarter. The first deadline will be
October 10, 2009 which will cover cumulative activity since the passage of the Act.
What Needs to Be Reported?
At a high level, Dartmouth (OSP) will be required to report the following data elements (as required by Section 1512(f) of the Act):
- Total amount of recovery funds awarded from that agency;
- The amount of recovery funds received that were expended or obligated to projects or activities; and
- A detailed list of all projects or activities for which recovery funds were expended or obligated, including:
- The name of the project or activity
- A description of the project or activity
- An evaluation of the completion status of the project or activity
- An estimate of the number of jobs created and the number of jobs retained by the project or activity; and
- Detailed information on any subcontracts or sub-grants awarded by the recipient to include data elements required to comply with the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006.
Where Are Reports Submitted?
OSP will be collecting information and reporting centrally to the federal website for ARRA reporting, federalreporting.gov. Reporting requirements are intended to be consistent across agencies. However, Federal agencies will have discretion in the data they choose to collect. The information collected will be displayed on Recovery.gov. Detailed reporting instructions will be available at www.FederalReporting.gov at least 45 days before a reporting deadline.
Recommendations for PIs and Grants Managers Involved in Managing ARRA Funds
- Assure funds are spent appropriately and quickly.
- Monitor accounts on a monthly basis.
- Avoid large unexpended balances at project end dates.
- Carryover of unexpended funds are unlikely.
- Start up periods during new projects must be accelerated.
- Identify and hire new personnel quickly.
What Information Is Required from PIs?
- Approve brief description of project
- Approve/provide input regarding classification of project using the Nonprofit Program Classification
- Provide quarterly updates on project completion status
- Provide job descriptions for some project personnel (upon request only)
Download
Note to all ARRA recipient Principal Investigators
