![](media/image1.png){width="3.790277777777778in"
height="0.9159722222222222in"}

**Table of Contents**

Page

[1. Record of Changes 4](#record-of-changes)

[2. Introduction 5](#introduction)

[2.1 Purpose 5](#purpose)

[2.2 Scope 6](#scope)

[2.3 Format Of The Agency Integration Toolkit
7](#format-of-the-agency-integration-toolkit)

[2.4 Summary Of The Agency Technology Survey
7](#summary-of-the-agency-technology-survey)

[3. Proposed Integration Solutions 7](#proposed-integration-solutions)

[3.1 Proposed Integration Technology: System-to-System Interfaces
8](#proposed-integration-technology-system-to-system-interfaces)

> [3.1.1 Description Of Supporting Technology
> 8](#description-of-supporting-technology)
>
> [3.1.2 Supported Platforms 10](#supported-platforms)
>
> [3.2 Proposed Integration Technology: System-to-Human Interfaces
> 10](#proposed-integration-technology-system-to-human-interfaces)
>
> [3.2.1 Description Of Supporting Technology
> 10](#description-of-supporting-technology-1)
>
> [3.2.2 Supported Platforms 12](#supported-platforms-1)

[3.3 Tools, Utilities 12](#tools-utilities)

> [3.3.1 Web Browsers 12](#web-browsers)
>
> [3.3.2 Web Servers 13](#web-servers)
>
> [3.3.3 Web Services Frameworks 13](#web-services-frameworks)
>
> [3.3.4 Web Application Servers 13](#web-application-servers)
>
> [3.3.5 Web Services Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
> 15](#web-services-integrated-development-environment-ide)
>
> [3.3.6 Web Services Toolkits 15](#web-services-toolkits)
>
> [3.3.7 XML Utilities 15](#xml-utilities)
>
> [3.3.8 E-Form Utilities 16](#e-form-utilities)
>
> [3.3.9 File Archive Utilities 16](#file-archive-utilities)

[4. Selecting and Implementing an Integration Solution
17](#selecting-and-implementing-an-integration-solution)

[4.1 Solution Selection Criteria 17](#solution-selection-criteria)

[4.2 System-to-System Interface Integration
18](#system-to-system-interface-integration)

> [4.2.1 Assumptions 18](#assumptions)
>
> [4.2.2 System-to-System Integration Details
> 19](#system-to-system-integration-details)

[4.3 System-to-Human Interface Integration
21](#system-to-human-interface-integration)

> [4.3.1 Assumptions 21](#assumptions-1)
>
> [4.3.2 GUI Interface Usage Details 22](#gui-interface-usage-details)

[5. Conclusion 28](#conclusion)

[6. Acronyms 30](#acronyms)

[Appendix A Web Services and Related Technologies Overview
32](#__RefHeading___Toc45506452)

[Appendix B Application Retrieval Technical Details Skeleton
40](#__RefHeading___Toc45506453)

[Appendix C SOAP Message Structure 42](#__RefHeading___Toc45506454)

[Appendix D Skeleton Application Message
48](#__RefHeading___Toc45506455)

[Appendix E SF-424 and Related Forms 49](#OLE_LINK2)

[Appendix F Application Schemas 51](#__RefHeading___Toc45506457)

[Appendix G Data Element Descriptions 52](#__RefHeading___Toc45506458)

[Appendix H Bibliography/Resources 57](#__RefHeading___Toc45506459)

**List of Tables**

###  Page {#page .unnumbered}

[Table 3‑1 System-to-System Supporting Technologies
8](#__RefHeading___Toc45419203)

[Table 3‑2 System-to-Human Supporting Technologies
10](#__RefHeading___Toc45419204)

[Table 4‑1 Selection Criteria 17](#__RefHeading___Toc45419205)

[Table 4‑2 Access Instructions 22](#__RefHeading___Toc45419206)

[Table 4‑3 Login Instructions 24](#__RefHeading___Toc45419207)

[Table 4‑4 Retrieve Submitted Applications Instructions
25](#__RefHeading___Toc45419208)

[Table 4‑5 Select Applications for Download Instructions
26](#__RefHeading___Toc45419209)

[Table 4‑6 Logout Instructions 27](#__RefHeading___Toc45419210)

[Table B ‑1 Sample Skeleton Format 40](#__RefHeading___Toc45419211)

[Table B ‑2 High Level Description of Grants.gov Application Retrieval
40](#__RefHeading___Toc45419212)

[Table E- 1 SF-424 and Related Forms 49](#__RefHeading___Toc45419491)

[Table F- 1 Application Schemas 51](#__RefHeading___Toc45419951)

[Table G- 1 Common Grants.gov Data Element Names
52](#__RefHeading___Toc45419973)

**List of Figures**

###  Page {#page-1 .unnumbered}

[Figure 2‑1 (2) Sided View of Grant Lifecycle
6](#__RefHeading___Toc45506876)

[Figure 4‑1 Structure of the Application Message
21](#__RefHeading___Toc45506877)

[Figure 4‑2 Grants.gov Welcome Page 23](#__RefHeading___Toc45506878)

[Figure 4‑3 Login Screen 24](#__RefHeading___Toc45506879)

[Figure 4‑4 Grantors only Screen 25](#__RefHeading___Toc45506880)

[Figure 4‑5 Retrieve Submitted Applications Screen
26](#__RefHeading___Toc45506881)

[Figure 4‑6 Logout Selection 27](#__RefHeading___Toc45506882)

[Figure A- 1 Core Web Services Relationship
35](#__RefHeading___Toc45506941)

[Figure A- 2 SOAP Message with Binary Attachments
37](#__RefHeading___Toc45506942)

[Figure C- 1 SOAP Message Structure 43](#__RefHeading___Toc45420954)

[Figure C- 2 Structure of the Message Header
44](#__RefHeading___Toc45420955)

[Figure C- 3 Sample Message Header 46](#__RefHeading___Toc45420956)

[Figure D- 1 Sample Skeleton Application Message
48](#__RefHeading___Toc45421035)

# Record of Changes

  ------------- -------------- -------------- ---------------------------
  **Version     **Date of      **Made By**    **Description of Change**
  Number**      Change**                      

  1.0           6/06/2003      System         Original Draft
                               Integration    
                               Team           

  2.0           6/11/2003      System         Table of Content
                               Integration    reorganization, addition of
                               Team           Appendices, changes based
                                              upon feedback

  2.0           6/16/2003      System         Changes based upon feedback
                               Integration    received from IV&V
                               Team           

  2.0           6/27/2003      System         SOAP message structure,
                               Integration    Appendix.
                               Team           

  2.0           7/2/2003       Yvonne Duncan  Formatting -- Final

  3.0           7/9/2003       Yvonne Duncan  Incorporated additional
                                              feedback.
  ------------- -------------- -------------- ---------------------------

#  Introduction

Grantee-organizations are often faced with overwhelming challenges when
applying for federal government grants, regardless of which agency they
address. Various program requirements and administrative differences
necessitate the constant updating of procedures, and disparate data
standards and business processes require redundant data entry, often
resulting in inaccurate application submissions. Twenty-six agencies
with approximately 900 programs collect grant information. However, as
the grant information is typically not shared among the programs, the
grantee is often left with a time-consuming follow-up through a
multitude of databases, web sites, and telephone calls.

The Grants.gov initiative aims to produce a simple, unified "Storefront"
for all customers of Federal grants to electronically find
opportunities, apply, and manage grants, as well as facilitate the
quality, coordination, effectiveness, and efficiency of operations for
grant makers and grant recipients.

The four primary goals[^1] of the Grants.gov initiative were defined by
consensus among the grant-making agencies and include:

1.  Eliminate the burden of redundant or disparate electronic and
    paper-based data collection requirements.

2.  Define and implement simplified standard processes and standard data
    definitions for Federal grant customer interactions.

3.  Protect the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of data.

4.  Standardize the collection of financial and progress report data in
    support of audit and performance measurement activities.

The E-Grants initiative's overall objective is to deploy an electronic
grants portal that is a "one-stop shop" for all electronic grants
administration activities. Two initiatives have been selected as the
first major steps in reaching the overall goal. The first initiative,
the "Find" function, allows potential grantees to find all grant
opportunities online through a single portal. The second initiative will
allow the constituent to apply for any of those grants using the
E-Grants Store Front "Apply" functionality.

The E-Grants Store Front initiative is designed to reduce existing
inefficiencies with common data standards and computer-to-computer
interchange via a model framework for defining and formatting grant
applications. Potential grant recipients will receive full service
grants administration from a one-stop, full-service electronic portal.

## Purpose {#purpose .Style4}

The Agency Integration Toolkit is a key component in the adoption and
use of the Grants.gov system by grant-making agencies. Its primary
purpose is to aide grant-making agencies in their *selection of* and
*preparation for implementing*[^2] a Grants.gov-to-Agency integration
solution. It provides agency IT and grants-management personnel an
introduction to and overview of the technical information needed to
interface Grants.gov with their existing or planned grants management
systems and processes. It also provides guidance that will assist agency
management personnel in scheduling and budgeting for the IT and process
changes needed to support Grants.gov based electronic filing.

## Scope {#scope .Style4}

The Grants.gov Agency Integration Toolkit will describe the interfaces
between the Grants.gov "Front Office" operations and an agency's "Back
Office" operations; i.e., the interfaces between the grantee-facing and
agency-facing aspects of the grant lifecycle. The following figure
represents a general, two-sided view of the grant lifecycle that
identifies some of the more common parts of the lifecycle that are
grantee-facing ("Front Office") as well as those that are solely
internal agency processes ("Back Office"):

> ![](media/image2.png){width="2.352755905511811in"
> height="1.1751968503937007in"}

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45506876 .anchor}**Figure 2‑1 (2) Sided View of
Grant Lifecycle**

For the initial phase, the Toolkit will focus primarily on the
*application* *retrieval* (Retrieve Application function) options
available to agencies via the Agency Integration interfaces once an
applicant has successfully submitted (filed) an application.

The Toolkit describes the one-stop set of interfaces where emerging
e-business technologies and best practices are used to give agencies
access to grantee applications gathered in a full service manner. The
Agency Integration interfaces will be the single point of entry for
agencies, offering both application data retrieval and secure e-business
transaction processing.

## Format Of The Agency Integration Toolkit {#format-of-the-agency-integration-toolkit .Style4}

The Agency Integration Toolkit is an informational document that
presents steps and guidelines that agency IT managers can use to begin
to plan, schedule, and budget for Grants.gov integration. It contains a
description of the proposed integration options, as well as criteria an
agency can use in selecting an option that best fits its needs. A list
of commercial and public domain tools is also provided. The appendices
provide supplemental information, including a tutorial that provides an
overview of various technologies that support the proposed application
retrieval options.

## Summary Of The Agency Technology Survey {#summary-of-the-agency-technology-survey .Style4}

A review of the agency technology survey[^3] reveals that, in general,
most agencies can be placed into one of four categories, as shown in the
table below:

  ----- ---------------------------------- -------------------------------
                                           

        *Low-Volume / High- Automation*    *High-Volume / High-
                                           Automation*

        *Low-Volume / Low- Automation*     *High-Volume / Low-Automation*
  ----- ---------------------------------- -------------------------------

The proposed integration solutions can accommodate agencies in any of
these categories, as discussed in section, [Solution Selection
Criteria](#solution-selection-criteria).

# Proposed Integration Solutions

This section describes two proposed solutions to the question of how
agencies electronically retrieve applications from Grants.gov:

-   Grants.gov-to-agency integration via system-to-system interfaces;
    and,

-   Grants.gov-to-agency integration via system-to-human interfaces.

A third option, Grants.gov-to-agency integration via automated, Secure
File Transfer Protocol (FTP), was also considered. However, after some
debate, it was determined that the initial version of the Agency
Integration interfaces would *not* support FTP, even though this option
is technically feasible and may be provided at a later time. One of the
primary reasons for this decision was to facilitate the development of
the core Grants.gov functionality by maintaining symmetry between the
*inbound* and *outbound* Grants.gov interfaces.

Applicants can interact with Grants.gov via either human-to-system or
system-to-system interfaces. For the purposes of this document, these
will be referred to as *inbound* interfaces. Similarly, Grants.gov can
interact with the Agencies in two ways, system-to-system or
system-to-human interfaces. For the purposes of this document, these
will be referred to as *outbound* interfaces.

A Human-to-System *inbound* interface is basically a set of Grants.gov
provided Graphical User Interface (GUI's) via which an applicant can
download a grant application, complete it, and submit (file) it to
Grants.gov.

Similarly, a System-to-Human *outbound* interface is basically a set of
Grants.gov provided Graphical User Interfaces (GUI's) via which an
agency user can pull (download) the submitted application containing an
application in a PDF or PureEdge format with any related attachments in
their native format.

There are two options under the system-to-system *inbound* and
*outbound* interfaces. The first option provides SOAP Client to Web
Services exchange (inbound), and Web Services to SOAP Client exchange
(outbound). The second option provides Web Services to Web Services
exchange (inbound and outbound). Since Grants.gov system will provide
Web Services (as opposed to just implementing a SOAP Client), any
interfacing organization (applicant or agency) can use either of the
above options. If an applicant or agency uses a SOAP Client, no exchange
of messages will occur until a request is initiated from the applicant
or agency (client). In the case of Web Services to Web Services
interaction, both Grants.gov and Agency systems will be running and both
can request and respond to messages. In either of these cases, once the
message exchange "hand shake" is established, the transfer protocol and
transfer of SOAP messages occurs in the same manner.

The proposed system-to-system and system-to-human interface technologies
are discussed in turn below.

## Proposed Integration Technology: System-to-System Interfaces  {#proposed-integration-technology-system-to-system-interfaces .Style3}

For the *outbound* system-to-system interfaces, Grants.gov-to-agency
integration will be achieved via a message exchange that utilizes XML
Web Services using SOAP v1.1, SOAP with Attachments, ebXML 2.0,
HTTPS/SSL, and PDF.

## Description Of Supporting Technology {#description-of-supporting-technology .Style3}

The following table lists the technologies used, their purpose, and
whether their use is mandatory or optional:

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45419203 .anchor}Table 3‑1 System-to-System
Supporting Technologies

+-------------+---------------------------------+----------------------+
| **T         | **Purpose/Description**         | **Comments**         |
| echnology** |                                 |                      |
+-------------+---------------------------------+----------------------+
| ebXML v2.0  | ebXML (Electronic Business      | Optional. Will be    |
|             | using eXtensible Markup         | used as a guideline  |
|             | Language) is a XML based        | where appropriate.   |
|             | modular suite of specifications |                      |
|             | that enables enterprises of any |                      |
|             | size and in any geographical    |                      |
|             | location to conduct business    |                      |
|             | over the Internet.              |                      |
+-------------+---------------------------------+----------------------+
| HTTPS       | HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer       | Required. The        |
|             | Protocol over Secure Socket     | system-to-system     |
|             | Layer, or HTTP over SSL) is a   | message exchange     |
|             | Web protocol that encrypts and  | will occur over      |
|             | decrypts user page requests as  | HTTPS and will use   |
|             | well as the pages that are      | digital certificates |
|             | returned by the Web server.     | issued by            |
|             | HTTPS is really just the use of | Grants.gov. The      |
|             | SSL (Secure Socket Layer) as a  | authorization (i.e., |
|             | sub-layer under its regular     | roles) will be       |
|             | HTTP application layering.      | defined within the   |
|             |                                 | agency profile.      |
+-------------+---------------------------------+----------------------+
| PDF         | PDF (Portable Document Format)  | Required. Grants.gov |
|             | is a file format that captures  | will generate a PDF  |
|             | all the elements of a printed   | representation of    |
|             | document as an electronic image | the application once |
|             | that can be viewed, navigated,  | it has been          |
|             | printed, or forwarded to        | successfully         |
|             | someone else. PDF files are     | submitted (filed).   |
|             | created using Adobe Acrobat,    |                      |
|             | Acrobat Capture, or similar     |                      |
|             | products.                       |                      |
+-------------+---------------------------------+----------------------+
| SOAP        | SOAP (Simple Object Access      | Required. Grants.gov |
|             | Protocol) defines a standard    | will use SOAP as the |
|             | data communications protocol    | messaging protocol   |
|             | for Web Services. SOAP provides | for any              |
|             | a simple and consistent         | system-to-system     |
|             | mechanism that allows one       | message exchanges.   |
|             | application to send an XML      |                      |
|             | message to another application. |                      |
|             | SOAP specifies the structure of |                      |
|             | a message rather than how it is |                      |
|             | transported.                    |                      |
+-------------+---------------------------------+----------------------+
| SwA         | SwA (SOAP with Attachments)     | Required. Grants.gov |
|             | describes a standard way to     | will use SOAP with   |
|             | associate a SOAP message with   | Attachments to       |
|             | one or more attachments in      | package the main     |
|             | their native format in a        | application data and |
|             | multipart MIME structure for    | any native format    |
|             | transport.                      | (PDF, Word, etc.)    |
|             |                                 | attachments in the   |
|             |                                 | same message.        |
+-------------+---------------------------------+----------------------+
| UDDI        | UDDI (Universal Description,    | Optional. Will not   |
|             | Discovery and Integration)      | be implemented in    |
|             | protocol provides a standard    | the initial          |
|             | mechanism to publish and        | Grants.gov release,  |
|             | discover Web Services. Users    | as it is             |
|             | can query the registry based on | unnecessarily        |
|             | company name, industry          | complicated for a    |
|             | category, service type, or      | single-provider      |
|             | other criteria. UDDI provides   | service like         |
|             | pointers to the WSDL document   | Grants.gov that      |
|             | that describes a service and    | would realize little |
|             | the access point of a service   | benefit in the near  |
|             | implementation.                 | term from dynamic    |
|             |                                 | binding.             |
+-------------+---------------------------------+----------------------+
| Web Service | A Web Service represents an     | Required. Grants.gov |
|             | information resource or         | will publish its     |
|             | business process that can be    | application          |
|             | accessed over the Web by        | retrieval interfaces |
|             | another application via the use | as Web Service(s).   |
|             | of XML messages.                |                      |
|             |                                 |                      |
|             | Although Web Services can be    |                      |
|             | developed using a variety of    |                      |
|             | XML-based communications        |                      |
|             | protocols, the industry is      |                      |
|             | converging on a core set of     |                      |
|             | technologies to enable          |                      |
|             | language- and                   |                      |
|             | platform-independence and to    |                      |
|             | ensure multi-vendor             |                      |
|             | interoperability. The core set  |                      |
|             | of technologies includes Simple |                      |
|             | Object Access Protocol (SOAP),  |                      |
|             | Web Services Description        |                      |
|             | Language (WSDL), and Universal  |                      |
|             | Description, Discovery and      |                      |
|             | Integration (UDDI).             |                      |
+-------------+---------------------------------+----------------------+
| WSDL        | WSDL (Web Services Description  | Optional. Grants.gov |
|             | Language) defines a standard    | will provide a WSDL  |
|             | mechanism to describe a Web     | file as a means of   |
|             | Service. A WSDL document        | concisely describing |
|             | describes what functionality a  | its Web Service      |
|             | Web Service offers, how it      | interfaces. An       |
|             | communicates, and where it is   | agency may           |
|             | accessible.                     | optionally choose to |
|             |                                 | use this file (with  |
|             |                                 | or without the use   |
|             |                                 | of UDDI) to          |
|             |                                 | implement dynamic    |
|             |                                 | binding.             |
+-------------+---------------------------------+----------------------+
| XML         | XML (eXtensible Markup          | Required. Grants.gov |
|             | Language) is a meta-markup      | will use XML in any  |
|             | language that can be used to    | system-to-system     |
|             | define data formats. XML data   | message exchanges,   |
|             | formats can be interpreted by   | as XML is the        |
|             | any application, written in any | technology of choice |
|             | language, running on any        | in the present       |
|             | platform. XML data formats can  | architecture of the  |
|             | also be transformed on the fly  | Federal government   |
|             | to adapt to the needs of a      | for information      |
|             | specific application.           | exchange between     |
|             |                                 | systems.             |
+-------------+---------------------------------+----------------------+

A more detailed overview of the proposed technologies is provided in
Appendix A [Web Services and Related Technologies
Overview](#WebServicesOverview). Additional resources are also listed in
Appendix H [Bibliography/Resources](#__RefHeading___Toc45506459).

## Supported Platforms {#supported-platforms .Style3}

Due to the use of standards-based communications methods, Web Services
can be developed in various programming languages, including Java, C++,
VBScript, JavaScript, PHP, or PERL. More importantly, Web Services are
"platform-independent"; i.e., Web Services can execute on virtually all
platforms, including Linux, NT/2000/XP, HP-UX, and Solaris.

## Proposed Integration Technology: System-to-Human Interfaces  {#proposed-integration-technology-system-to-human-interfaces .Style3}

For the *outbound* system-to-human interfaces, Grants.gov-to-agency
integration will be achieved via interactive, web-based, graphical user
interfaces (GUI's) accessible via HTTPS.

## Description Of Supporting Technology {#description-of-supporting-technology-1 .Style3}

The following table lists the technologies used, their purpose, and
whether their use is mandatory or optional:

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45419204 .anchor}Table 3‑2 System-to-Human
Supporting Technologies

+--------------+-------------------------------+----------------------+
| **           | **Purpose/Description**       | **Comments**         |
| Technology** |                               |                      |
+--------------+-------------------------------+----------------------+
| HTTPS        | HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer     | Required. Grants.gov |
|              | Protocol over Secure Socket   | web-based interfaces |
|              | Layer, or HTTP over SSL) is a | that support         |
|              | Web protocol that encrypts    | application          |
|              | and decrypts user page        | retrieval (download) |
|              | requests as well as the pages | will be accessible   |
|              | that are returned by the Web  | via a Web browser    |
|              | server. HTTPS is really just  | that uses the HTTPS  |
|              | the use of SSL (Secure Socket | protocol. Grants.gov |
|              | Layer) as a sub-layer under   | will issue digital   |
|              | its regular HTTP application  | certificates. The    |
|              | layering.                     | authorization (i.e., |
|              |                               | roles) will be       |
|              |                               | defined within the   |
|              |                               | agency profile.      |
+--------------+-------------------------------+----------------------+
| PDF          | PDF (Portable Document        | Required. Grants.gov |
|              | Format) is a file format that | will generate and    |
|              | captures all the elements of  | include a PDF        |
|              | a printed document as an      | representation of    |
|              | electronic image that can be  | the application in   |
|              | viewed, navigated, printed,   | the application      |
|              | or forwarded to someone else. | download.            |
|              | PDF files are created using   |                      |
|              | Adobe Acrobat, Acrobat        |                      |
|              | Capture, or similar products. |                      |
+--------------+-------------------------------+----------------------+
| WinZip       | WinZip is a Windows program   | Required. Grants.gov |
|              | that archives and compresses  | will package an      |
|              | files so that they can be     | application and any  |
|              | stored or distributed more    | supporting native    |
|              | efficiently. WinZip has a     | format attachments   |
|              | simple drag-and-drop          | into a single zip    |
|              | interface that allows you to  | (.zip) file for      |
|              | view individual files in a    | download. WinZip (or |
|              | zip file without unzipping    | some program that    |
|              | the file. WinZip will also    | supports the zip     |
|              | launch installation programs  | file format) will    |
|              | from a zip file and           | need to be used to   |
|              | automatically clean up after  | unzip the downloaded |
|              | the installation.             | Grants.gov           |
|              |                               | application.         |
|              | WinZip also supports other    |                      |
|              | popular Internet file         |                      |
|              | formats, including tar, gzip, |                      |
|              | Unix compress, Uuencode,      |                      |
|              | BinHex, and MIME. ARJ, LZH,   |                      |
|              | and ARC files are supported   |                      |
|              | through other programs.       |                      |
+--------------+-------------------------------+----------------------+
| Web Browser  | A browser is an application   | Required. Grants.gov |
|              | program that provides a way   | web-based interfaces |
|              | to look at and interact with  | that support         |
|              | all the information on the    | application          |
|              | World Wide Web. The word      | retrieval (download) |
|              | \"browser\" seems to have     | will be accessible   |
|              | originated prior to the Web   | via a Web browser    |
|              | as a generic term for user    | that uses HTTPS.     |
|              | interfaces that let you       |                      |
|              | browse (navigate through and  |                      |
|              | read) text files online. By   |                      |
|              | the time the first Web        |                      |
|              | browser with a graphical user |                      |
|              | interface was generally       |                      |
|              | available (Mosaic, in 1993),  |                      |
|              | the term seemed to apply to   |                      |
|              | Web content, too.             |                      |
|              |                               |                      |
|              | Technically, a Web browser is |                      |
|              | a client program that uses    |                      |
|              | the Hypertext Transfer        |                      |
|              | Protocol (HTTP) to make       |                      |
|              | requests of Web servers       |                      |
|              | throughout the Internet on    |                      |
|              | behalf of the browser user. A |                      |
|              | commercial version of the     |                      |
|              | original browser, Mosaic, is  |                      |
|              | in use. Many of the user      |                      |
|              | interface features in Mosaic, |                      |
|              | however, went into the first  |                      |
|              | widely used browser, Netscape |                      |
|              | Navigator. Microsoft followed |                      |
|              | with its Microsoft Internet   |                      |
|              | Explorer. Today, these two    |                      |
|              | browsers are the only two     |                      |
|              | browsers that the vast        |                      |
|              | majority of Internet users    |                      |
|              | are aware of.                 |                      |
+--------------+-------------------------------+----------------------+

## Supported Platforms {#supported-platforms-1 .Style3}

Grants.gov web-based graphical user interfaces that support application
retrieval (download) will be accessible via a Web browser that uses the
HTTPS protocol. Grants.gov will support multiple browsers and versions,
and will provide the same "look and feel" regardless of the browser. All
industry standard platforms, including PC, Macintosh, Unix, and Linux
will be supported.

## Tools, Utilities {#tools-utilities .Style3}

This section provides a *sample* list describing various Commercial Off
The Shelf (COTS) and public domain tools and utilities, which agencies
can use in their efforts to integrate with the Grants.gov application
retrieval interfaces. A link to more information is also provided. The
list has been divided into the following categories:

-   Web Browsers

-   Web Servers

-   Web Services Frameworks

-   Web Application Servers

-   Web Services Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

-   Web Services Toolkits

-   XML Utilities

-   E-Form Utilities

## Web Browsers {#web-browsers .Style3}

  ----------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------
  **Web Browser**                                                         **Description**

  [Internet                                                               Most widely used Web Browser today. Internet Explorer
  Explorer](http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/enthusiast/default.asp)   6 is a set of core technologies in Microsoft Windows
  (Microsoft)                                                             XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional, and is
                                                                          available to users of Microsoft Windows® 98, Windows
                                                                          98 Second Edition, Windows Millennium Edition
                                                                          (Windows Me), Microsoft Windows NT® Workstation 4.0,
                                                                          and Windows 2000 Professional operating systems.
                                                                          Internet Explorer 6 includes many new and enhanced
                                                                          features that can simplify daily tasks, while helping
                                                                          to maintain the privacy of personal information on
                                                                          the Web.

  [Netscape                                                               The first widely used browser.
  Navigator](http://channels.netscape.com/ns/browsers/default.jsp)        
  (Netscape)                                                              
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------

## Web Servers {#web-servers .Style3}

  ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------
  **Web Server**                                                         **Description**

  [Apache](http://httpd.apache.org/) (Apache)                            Apache has been the most popular web server on the
                                                                         Internet since April of 1996. The June 2003 [Netcraft
                                                                         Web Server Survey](http://news.netcraft.com/) found
                                                                         that 63% of the web sites on the Internet are using
                                                                         Apache, thus making it more widely used than all
                                                                         other web servers combined.

  [Internet Information                                                  The second most widely used Web Server today. IIS 6.0
  Server](http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/iis/default.mspx)   leverages the latest Web standards such as Microsoft
  (Microsoft)                                                            ASP.NET, XML, and Simple Object Access Protocol
                                                                         (SOAP) for the development, implementation, and
                                                                         management of Web applications.
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------

## Web Services Frameworks {#web-services-frameworks .Style3}

+----------------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| **Toolkit**    | **Description**                                     |
+----------------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| [.Net          | The .NET Framework is the comprehensive tool set    |
| Framework      | for rapidly building and integrating XML Web        |
| ](http://msdn. | services, Windows-based applications, and Web       |
| microsoft.com/ | solutions.                                          |
| netframework/) |                                                     |
| (Microsoft)    |                                                     |
+----------------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| [Java 2        | The J2EE platform is the foundation technology of   |
| Platform,      | the Sun ONE platform and Sun\'s Web services        |
| Enterprise     | strategy.                                           |
| Edition        |                                                     |
| (J2EE)         |                                                     |
| ](http://java. |                                                     |
| sun.com/j2ee/) |                                                     |
|                |                                                     |
| (Sun           |                                                     |
| Microsystems)  |                                                     |
+----------------+-----------------------------------------------------+

## Web Application Servers  {#web-application-servers .Style3}

Application servers offer developers an integrated Web development
environment that allows them to connect and manage a variety of
enterprise resources such as Web servers, databases, and legacy
application systems. Application servers interface directly with the web
server and the backend systems; they are where the business logic of
web-based applications that access enterprise resources is embedded. The
following tables list a *few* of the commercial and public domain
application servers. See the [Application Server Comparison
Matrix](http://www.theserverside.com/reviews/matrix.jsp) provided by
TheServerSide.com for a more comprehensive list.

Web Application Servers (Commercial)

  ----------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------
  **Application Server**                                            **Description**

  [BizTalk](http://www.microsoft.com/biztalk/default.asp)           Offers an XML-based data integration platform. The
  (Microsoft)                                                       server software includes tools to create and design
                                                                    XML definitions, map data from one definition to
                                                                    another, and manage process flow, document
                                                                    verification, and data exchange and processing. Only
                                                                    runs on Windows platform.

  [Oracle9i Application                                             Offers portal software, wireless and voice, Web page
  Server](http://www.oracle.com/ip/deploy/ias/index.html) (Oracle)  caching, business intelligence, complete integration,
                                                                    and more in a single product.

  [Sun ONE](http://wwws.sun.com/software/sunone/) (Sun              Provides platform for developing and delivering Java
  Microsystems)                                                     web services. Delivers end-to-end high performance
                                                                    across a broad range of Web and enterprise
                                                                    application requirements.

  [WebLogic](http://bea.com/products/weblogic/server/index.shtml)   One of the most popular application servers. Visit
  (BEA)                                                             the home page of BEA\'s WebLogic Server for an
                                                                    overview of the product, a list of benefits and
                                                                    profiles of customers who use WebLogic.

  [WebSphere](http://www-4.ibm.com/software/webservers/appserv/)    Offers a cost-effective, integrated foundation
  (IBM)                                                             platform for foundation messaging flows and
                                                                    applications.
  ----------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------

Web Application Servers (Public Domain)

  --------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------
  **Application Server**                        **Description**

  [Tomcat](http://jakarta.apache.org/tomcat/)   The servlet container that is used in the official Reference
  (Apache)                                      Implementation for the [Java
                                                Servlet](http://java.sun.com/products/servlets) and
                                                [JavaServer Pages](http://java.sun.com/products/jsp)
                                                technologies.

  [JBoss](http://www.jboss.org/) (JBoss)        A Java application server developed in open source. Known for
                                                its ease of use, modularity and simplicity.

  Caucho\                                       An XML Application Server. Features one of the [fastest XML
  [Resin](http://www.caucho.com/)               and XSL
                                                engines](http://www.caucho.com/articles/xslt-benchmark.xtp).
  --------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------

## Web Services Integrated Development Environment (IDE) {#web-services-integrated-development-environment-ide .Style3}

An integrated development environment (IDE) is a programming environment
that has been packaged as an application program, typically consisting
of a code editor, a compiler, a debugger, and a graphical user interface
(GUI) builder. The IDE may be a standalone application or may be
included as part of one or more existing and compatible applications.

  ---------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------
  **IDE**                                                          **Description**

  [WebLogic                                                        A visual development environment for building web
  Workshop](http://bea.com/products/weblogic/server/index.shtml)   services.
  (BEA)                                                            

  [Sun ONE Studio 5](http://wwws.sun.com/software/sundev/jde/)     Provides a powerful yet intuitive Integrated
  (Sun Microsystems)                                               Development Environment (IDE) for Java, providing a
                                                                   comprehensive set of features and functionality which
                                                                   enables the development of applications ranging from
                                                                   desktop to standards based enterprise class
                                                                   applications and web services.
  ---------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------

## Web Services Toolkits {#web-services-toolkits .Style3}

  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------
  **Toolkit**                                                                      **Description**

  [Web Services                                                                    A free tool kit for developers building Web services
  Enhancements](http://msdn.microsoft.com/webservices/building/wse/default.aspx)   on top of the .Net Framework and the Web services
  (Microsoft)                                                                      APIs in the .Net Framework.

  [Java Web Services Developer                                                     A free integrated toolkit that allows Java developers
  Pack](http://java.sun.com/webservices/webservicespack.html) (Sun Microsystems)   to build, test and deploy XML applications, Web
                                                                                   services, and Web applications with the latest Web
                                                                                   service technologies and standards implementations.
  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------

## XML Utilities {#xml-utilities .Style3}

  ------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------
  **Utility**                                                        **Description**

  [EPIC                                                              The Cadillac of tools included in this list. It
  Editor](http://www.arbortext.com/html/epic_editor_overview.html)   offers the one of the nicest user interfaces, but
  (ArborText)                                                        has a learning curve and requires configuration to
                                                                     meet specific requirements. Includes a nice facility
                                                                     to bind the code to one or more specific DTDs to
                                                                     turn it into a \"purpose-built\" editor. EPIC has
                                                                     broad OS support and interoperability with document
                                                                     management systems.

  [XML Pro](http://www.vervet.com/) (Vervet Logic)                   Offers visual editing that includes a drag-and-drop
                                                                     facility, and support for IBM\'s XML4J XML parser.
                                                                     Provides a clean, simple interface and easy-to-use
                                                                     controls.

  [XMLSpy](http://www.xmlspy.com/) (Altova)                          A combination XML and DTD editor that offers great
                                                                     functionality. It also handles XML schemas and XSLT
                                                                     markup.
  ------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------

A more comprehensive list of editors can be found at
<http://www.xml.com/pub/pt/3>.

## E-Form Utilities {#e-form-utilities .Style3}

+----------------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| **Utility**    | **Description**                                     |
+----------------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| [Acr           | Acrobat is a program from Adobe that allows         |
| obat](http://w | documents to be captured electronically and then    |
| ww.adobe.com/) | viewed it in its original format and appearance.    |
| (Adobe)        | Acrobat is ideal for making documents or brochures  |
|                | that were designed for the print medium, viewable   |
|                | electronically and capable of being shared with     |
|                | others on the Internet. To view an Acrobat          |
|                | document, which is called a Portable Document       |
|                | Format (PDF) file, Acrobat Reader is needed. The    |
|                | Reader is free and can be downloaded from Adobe. It |
|                | can be used as a standalone reader or as a plug-in  |
|                | in a Web browser.                                   |
|                |                                                     |
|                | Acrobat is actually a set of products. The latest   |
|                | version includes a \"toolkit\" that lets you scan   |
|                | in or otherwise capture documents created with      |
|                | Word, Pagemaker, and other desktop publishing       |
|                | products. The resulting PDF files can then be       |
|                | available for viewing either directly with the      |
|                | Reader or they can be viewed as embedded files      |
|                | within the browser.                                 |
+----------------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| [PureEdge      | The PureEdge Viewer allows a user to capture, sign  |
| Viewe          | and submit XML e-forms for secure, tamper-proof     |
| r](http://www. | transactions.                                       |
| pureedge.com/p |                                                     |
| roducts/produc | Additionally, the form may begin as a template, but |
| ts/viewer.php) | ends as a unique instance of data and presentation  |
| (PureEdge)     | bound together. This creates a single XML file that |
|                | is a complete record, (data, presentation, and      |
|                | logic) for archival and future reference. Its data  |
|                | can be extracted and used for transactional         |
|                | purposes such as integration with existing agency   |
|                | grant management systems.                           |
|                |                                                     |
|                | Each PureEdge e-form is self-contained. All form    |
|                | elements e.g., fields, labels, graphics, and all    |
|                | user-defined information e.g., text, attached       |
|                | files, electronic signatures, are contained within  |
|                | a single file. Users can open a blank e-form        |
|                | application template, complete and sign it, then    |
|                | submit it. At this point, the e-form is a unique    |
|                | object and a complete record of a user\'s           |
|                | transaction.                                        |
+----------------+-----------------------------------------------------+

###  {#section .unnumbered}

## File Archive Utilities {#file-archive-utilities .Style3}

  --------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------
  **Utility**                       **Description**

  [WinZip](http://www.adobe.com/)   WinZip is a Windows program that archives and
  (WinZip Computing, Inc.)          compresses files so that they can be stored or
                                    distributed more efficiently.

  WinRAR                            An alternative to the WinZip utility. Offers
                                    consistently smaller archives, saving disk space and
                                    transmission costs. WinRAR provides complete support
                                    for RAR and ZIP archives and is able to unpack CAB,
                                    ARJ, LZH, TAR, GZ, ACE, UUE, BZ2, JAR, ISO archives.
  --------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------

#  Selecting and Implementing an Integration Solution

This section provides agency IT and grant-management personnel with
information helpful in selecting and implementing one of two proposed
Grants.gov-to-Agency integration solutions:

-   Grants.gov-to-agency integration via system-to-system interfaces;
    and,

-   Grants.gov-to-agency integration via system-to-human interfaces.

The following sections detail solution selection criteria and
considerations, as well as technical and supporting information in the
preparation to implement and use the system-to-system and
system-to-human interfaces.

## Solution Selection Criteria {#solution-selection-criteria .Style5}

This section provides criteria that will assist agency management
personnel in selecting an integration solution. The table below
summarizes many of the features, benefits, and costs associated with
using and implementing the system-to-system and system-to-human
integration interfaces.

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45419205 .anchor}Table 4‑3 Selection Criteria

+--------+----------------------------+--------------------------------+
| *      | **Features/Benefits**      | **Associated Costs**           |
| *Integ |                            |                                |
| ration |                            |                                |
| Solu   |                            |                                |
| tion** |                            |                                |
+--------+----------------------------+--------------------------------+
| Syst   | -   Highly-automated:      | Agency commitment, planning,   |
| em-to- |     Capable of handling a  | and investment:                |
| System |     large volume of        |                                |
|        |     application data       | -   Cost of purchasing         |
|        |     without human          |     software and hardware      |
|        |     intervention;          |     required to implement the  |
|        |                            |     receiving end of the       |
|        | -   Helps eliminate the    |     system-to-system message   |
|        |     burden of redundant or |     exchange. However, the use |
|        |     disparate electronic   |     of open-source software,   |
|        |     and paper-based data   |     such as Java/J2EE, can     |
|        |     collection             |     mitigate much of the       |
|        |     requirements;          |     software cost;             |
|        |                            |                                |
|        | -   Supports the           | -   Customized software        |
|        |     definition and         |     development.               |
|        |     implementation of      |                                |
|        |     simplified, standard   | -   Support and maintenance of |
|        |     processes and standard |     customized software once   |
|        |     data definitions for   |     it has been deployed to    |
|        |     Federal grant customer |     production;                |
|        |     interactions;          |                                |
|        |                            | -   Training of staff and      |
|        | -   Supports the           |     personnel to adopt new     |
|        |     standardization of the |     process changes and        |
|        |     collection of          |     workflows                  |
|        |     financial and progress |                                |
|        |     report data in support |                                |
|        |     of audit and           |                                |
|        |     performance            |                                |
|        |     measurement            |                                |
|        |     activities;            |                                |
+--------+----------------------------+--------------------------------+
| Sys    | -   Ease of                | -   Little or no IT            |
| tem-to |     implementation: GUI    |     investment: a browser and  |
| -Human |     interfaces provided by |     a network connection is    |
|        |     Grants.gov will allow  |     virtually all that is      |
|        |     interactive download   |     required to interface with |
|        |     of application data;   |     Grants.gov GUI interfaces  |
+--------+----------------------------+--------------------------------+

Based upon the information listed above, agencies within the highlighted
quadrants below (i.e., agencies having a high application/submission
volume *and/or* a highly automated system) may want to consider using
the first integration solution, the use of system-to-system interfaces:

  ----- ---------------------------------- -------------------------------
                                           

        *Low-Volume / High- Automation*    *High-Volume / High-
                                           Automation*

        *Low-Volume / Low- Automation*     *High-Volume / Low-Automation*
  ----- ---------------------------------- -------------------------------

Agencies within the highlighted quadrants below (i.e., agencies having a
low application/submission volume *and/or* little or no automation) may
want to consider using the second integration solution, the use of
system-to-human interfaces:

  ----- ---------------------------------- -------------------------------
                                           

        *Low-Volume / High- Automation*    *High-Volume / High-
                                           Automation*

        *Low-Volume / Low- Automation*     *High-Volume / Low-Automation*
  ----- ---------------------------------- -------------------------------

Integration and interface usage details for each of the two solutions
are provided in the following sections.

## System-to-System Interface Integration  {#system-to-system-interface-integration .Style5}

This section details the use of a system-to-system message exchange in a
highly automated manner to securely retrieve application data. The
proposed technologies involved include XML Web Services using SOAP v1.1,
SOAP with Attachments, ebXML 2.0, HTTPS/SSL, and PDF[^4].

## Assumptions {#assumptions .Style5}

The success of the Grants.gov' system-to-system message exchange relies
in great part upon the following fundamental assumptions about the
process and the participants:

-   Agencies selecting to participate in the electronic exchange have
    the technical capacity to do so.

-   The information exchange is based on a system-to-system exchange,
    where each trading partner (or at least the Grants.gov system) has a
    device listening for messages at all times.

-   The transfer of the body of the application, any other large
    document, or any message that contains a binary attachment is a
    controlled process primarily based on a retrieval request process
    that is initiated by an agency.

-   The communication exchange is based on an agreed upon standard
    protocol and standard transaction definition. All trading partners
    will conform to these standards.

-   The Grants.gov system has already received an application via either
    a system-to-system or human-to-system interaction;

-   Grants.gov Web Services will process application retrieval requests
    one at a time; a separate retrieval request must be made for each
    application.

-   The communication exchange will occur over HTTPS and will use
    digital certificates issued by Grants.gov. The authorization (i.e.,
    roles) will be defined within the agency profile.

## System-to-System Integration Details {#system-to-system-integration-details .Style5}

Two versions of the message exchange model are being proposed: a
*client-server* relationship model, and a *peer-to-peer* relationship
model. In both applications, the manner in which Web Services are
implemented within Grants.gov' does not change. The difference arises in
the sequence of transactions and the degree of automation implemented by
a given Agency.

In the first, less highly automated use of the electronic exchange
model, agencies *will not* implement their own Web Services. Instead,
agencies will simply implement SOAP clients that invoke the Grants.gov
Web Services. In this usage of the exchange model, a *client-server*
relationship has been established between an Agency and the Grants.gov
systems, respectively.

In the second, more highly automated application of the electronic
exchange model, agencies will implement not only SOAP clients, but also
Web Service(s) that the Grants.gov system can invoke to notify the
agency that new applications/submissions are available for download. In
this usage of the exchange model, a *peer-to-peer* relationship has been
established between an Agency and the Grants.gov systems.

The implications of each of the two uses of the exchange model is
further detailed below.

[]{#ClientServerRelationshipModel .anchor}Client-Server Relationship
Model

In this model, the agency has *not* implemented any Web Services that
the Grants.gov system can invoke. The implication is that an agency SOAP
client *always initiates* the communication exchange with Grants.gov Web
Services, and only the Grants.gov Web services will be up and running at
all times (or within certain predetermined hours of the day), listening
for any agency requests.

[]{#PeerToPeerRelationshipModel .anchor}Peer-to-Peer Relationship Model

In this model, both the agency and Grants.gov will have implemented Web
Services that can be invoked by either partner. The implication is that
both Grants.gov and agency Web Services will need to be up and running
at all times (or within certain predetermined hours of the day),
listening for any messages. Also, either the Grants.gov system, or the
agency system may *initiate* a message exchange.

Message Interaction Pattern

As not all agencies may choose to implement their own Web Services, any
system-to-system message exchange between the Grants.gov and agency
systems will be conducted (at least initially) using a *synchronous
request/response interaction pattern*. A connection will be established
directly to the ultimate recipient instead of using a provider that
would store (queue) and forward messages until they can be delivered.
Messages will *not* be persisted on the Grants.gov system. Record
keeping of time and date of receipt of application and time and date of
successful transfer to agency is a requirement of Grants.gov.

Message Exchange Sequence

Below is an example of a series of synchronous request-response message
interactions that *might*[^5] occur in a
[*Peer-to-Peer*](#PeerToPeerRelationshipModel) relationship message
exchange as part of the process of successfully retrieving an
application from the Grants.gov system:

-   The Grants.gov system invokes an agency's web service that is
    listening for any SOAP XML messages indicating that an application
    is ready to be retrieved.

-   The agency system responds to this request with another SOAP XML
    message acknowledging receipt of the request.

-   The agency system invokes the Grants.gov web service that is
    listening for any SOAP XML messages requesting a list of
    applications ready to be retrieved.

-   The Grants.gov Web Service responds with another SOAP XML message
    containing a list of applications with their Grants.gov tracking
    numbers.

-   The agency system invokes the Grants.gov Web Service that is
    listening for any SOAP XML messages requesting the download (pull)
    of a specific application.

-   The Grants.gov system responds with another SOAP XML message that
    encapsulates the application, including any native documents in
    binary format.

-   The agency system invokes the Grants.gov Web Service that is
    listening for any SOAP XML messages confirming the successful
    retrieval (download) of an application.

-   The Grants.gov system responds with another SOAP XML message
    acknowledging the receipt of a successful application retrieval
    confirmation.

The sequence of message interactions in a
[Client-Server](#ClientServerRelationshipModel) relationship model would
be the same, with the exception of the absence of the first message
interaction, as an agency would not have implemented their own Web
Service(s) in this relationship model.

Message Structure Summary

This section provides a summary of the structure of the SOAP v1.1
compliant messages to be used by any system-to-system message exchange
between the Grants.gov and agency systems, or vice-versa. A more
detailed breakdown of the message is provided in Appendix C [SOAP
Message Structure](#__RefHeading___Toc45506454).

Messages used in any system-to-system message exchange are formatted
according to the SOAP with Attachments (SwA) specifications[^6]. Some
applications may not have any attachments; however, the corresponding
SOAP messages are still encapsulated in MIME via the transport protocol.

The following illustration depicts, at a high level, the structure of
the application message, which is compliant with SOAP with Attachments
specifications. This consists of a MIME envelope that embeds other MIME
parts. The primary part of the multipart MIME message is the XML SOAP
document itself; the subsequent parts contain any attached data:

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45506877 .anchor}Figure 4‑2 Structure of the
Application Message

A sample *skeleton* application message containing one PDF and one Word
Document can be found in Appendix D [Skeleton Application
Message](#__RefHeading___Toc45506455).

## System-to-Human Interface Integration {#system-to-human-interface-integration .Style5}

[]{#WebServicesOverview .anchor}This section details the use of
Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) by agency representatives to retrieve
application data that has already been submitted to (filed with) the
Grants.gov system.

## Assumptions {#assumptions-1 .Style5}

-   The agency user has the proper credentials (Username and Password
    identification) to login to Grants.gov.

-   The agency user has been authorized (as defined in the agency
    profile) to retrieve (download) submitted applications from
    Grants.gov.

-   The agency user has installed the necessary software on their
    workstations, such as WinZip, Adobe Acrobat/Reader, to unzip the
    downloaded file and view the applications in the format that has
    been specified in their agency's profile.

## GUI Interface Usage Details {#gui-interface-usage-details .Style5}

This is a System-to-Human interface where Grants.gov is accessed through
a GUI via which an agency representative can pull (download) the
submitted application in PDF format (plus attachments in their native
format).

Each application will be available in a zip file format. The zip file
(which will be named *agencynamedatetime.zip*) will contain the
application in PDF format (plus attachments in their native format). If
there are several applications ready for download, each application will
be individually zipped, and then all applications will be zipped again
into a single downloadable zip file. Once downloaded, the agency user
will have to first unzip the main zip file and then each individual zip
file.

The following pages display the details of this process:

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45419206 .anchor}Table 4‑4 Access Instructions

+----+---------------------------------------+------------------------+
| *  | Action                                | **Result**             |
| *S |                                       |                        |
| te |                                       |                        |
| ps |                                       |                        |
| ** |                                       |                        |
+----+---------------------------------------+------------------------+
| 1. | Agency user accesses Grants.gov web   | Grants.gov Welcome     |
|    | page                                  | Page is displayed.     |
|    | [HTTP://www                           | (*Figure 4-1 below*).  |
|    | .grants.gov](http://www.grants.gov/). |                        |
+----+---------------------------------------+------------------------+
| 2. | User selects ***For*** ***Grantors*** | Logon Screen is        |
|    | option on the top navigation bar.     | displayed.             |
+----+---------------------------------------+------------------------+

![](media/image3.png)

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45506878 .anchor}Figure 4‑3 Grants.gov Welcome
Page

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45419207 .anchor}Table 4‑5 Login Instructions

+------+---+--------------------------------------+---+------------------------+
| *    |   | Action                               |   | **Result**             |
| *Ste |   |                                      |   |                        |
| ps** |   |                                      |   |                        |
+------+---+--------------------------------------+---+------------------------+
| 3.   | A |                                      | U |                        |
|      | g |                                      | s |                        |
|      | e |                                      | e |                        |
|      | n |                                      | r |                        |
|      | c |                                      | n |                        |
|      | y |                                      | a |                        |
|      | u |                                      | m |                        |
|      | s |                                      | e |                        |
|      | e |                                      | a |                        |
|      | r |                                      | p |                        |
|      | e |                                      | p |                        |
|      | n |                                      | e |                        |
|      | t |                                      | a |                        |
|      | e |                                      | r |                        |
|      | r |                                      | s |                        |
|      | s |                                      | i |                        |
|      | h |                                      | n |                        |
|      | i |                                      | t |                        |
|      | s |                                      | h |                        |
|      | / |                                      | e |                        |
|      | h |                                      | n |                        |
|      | e |                                      | a |                        |
|      | r |                                      | m |                        |
|      | * |                                      | e |                        |
|      | * |                                      | f |                        |
|      | * |                                      | i |                        |
|      | U |                                      | e |                        |
|      | s |                                      | l |                        |
|      | e |                                      | d |                        |
|      | r |                                      | . |                        |
|      | n |                                      |   |                        |
|      | a |                                      | A |                        |
|      | m |                                      | s |                        |
|      | e |                                      | t |                        |
|      | * |                                      | e |                        |
|      | * |                                      | r |                        |
|      | * |                                      | i |                        |
|      | a |                                      | s |                        |
|      | n |                                      | k |                        |
|      | d |                                      | s |                        |
|      | * |                                      | a |                        |
|      | * |                                      | p |                        |
|      | * |                                      | p |                        |
|      | P |                                      | e |                        |
|      | a |                                      | a |                        |
|      | s |                                      | r |                        |
|      | s |                                      | i |                        |
|      | w |                                      | n |                        |
|      | o |                                      | t |                        |
|      | r |                                      | h |                        |
|      | d |                                      | e |                        |
|      | . |                                      | P |                        |
|      | * |                                      | a |                        |
|      | * |                                      | s |                        |
|      | * |                                      | s |                        |
|      |   |                                      | w |                        |
|      | * |                                      | o |                        |
|      | ( |                                      | r |                        |
|      | I |                                      | d |                        |
|      | f |                                      | f |                        |
|      | y |                                      | i |                        |
|      | o |                                      | e |                        |
|      | u |                                      | l |                        |
|      | d |                                      | d |                        |
|      | o |                                      | . |                        |
|      | n |                                      |   |                        |
|      | o |                                      |   |                        |
|      | t |                                      |   |                        |
|      | h |                                      |   |                        |
|      | a |                                      |   |                        |
|      | v |                                      |   |                        |
|      | e |                                      |   |                        |
|      | a |                                      |   |                        |
|      | u |                                      |   |                        |
|      | s |                                      |   |                        |
|      | e |                                      |   |                        |
|      | r |                                      |   |                        |
|      | n |                                      |   |                        |
|      | a |                                      |   |                        |
|      | m |                                      |   |                        |
|      | e |                                      |   |                        |
|      | a |                                      |   |                        |
|      | n |                                      |   |                        |
|      | d |                                      |   |                        |
|      | p |                                      |   |                        |
|      | a |                                      |   |                        |
|      | s |                                      |   |                        |
|      | s |                                      |   |                        |
|      | w |                                      |   |                        |
|      | o |                                      |   |                        |
|      | r |                                      |   |                        |
|      | d |                                      |   |                        |
|      | s |                                      |   |                        |
|      | e |                                      |   |                        |
|      | l |                                      |   |                        |
|      | e |                                      |   |                        |
|      | c |                                      |   |                        |
|      | t |                                      |   |                        |
|      | S |                                      |   |                        |
|      | i |                                      |   |                        |
|      | g |                                      |   |                        |
|      | n |                                      |   |                        |
|      | U |                                      |   |                        |
|      | p |                                      |   |                        |
|      | N |                                      |   |                        |
|      | o |                                      |   |                        |
|      | w |                                      |   |                        |
|      | t |                                      |   |                        |
|      | o |                                      |   |                        |
|      | r |                                      |   |                        |
|      | e |                                      |   |                        |
|      | g |                                      |   |                        |
|      | i |                                      |   |                        |
|      | s |                                      |   |                        |
|      | t |                                      |   |                        |
|      | e |                                      |   |                        |
|      | r |                                      |   |                        |
|      | f |                                      |   |                        |
|      | o |                                      |   |                        |
|      | r |                                      |   |                        |
|      | a |                                      |   |                        |
|      | u |                                      |   |                        |
|      | s |                                      |   |                        |
|      | e |                                      |   |                        |
|      | r |                                      |   |                        |
|      | n |                                      |   |                        |
|      | a |                                      |   |                        |
|      | m |                                      |   |                        |
|      | e |                                      |   |                        |
|      | a |                                      |   |                        |
|      | n |                                      |   |                        |
|      | d |                                      |   |                        |
|      | p |                                      |   |                        |
|      | a |                                      |   |                        |
|      | s |                                      |   |                        |
|      | s |                                      |   |                        |
|      | w |                                      |   |                        |
|      | o |                                      |   |                        |
|      | r |                                      |   |                        |
|      | d |                                      |   |                        |
|      | ) |                                      |   |                        |
|      | * |                                      |   |                        |
+------+---+--------------------------------------+---+------------------------+
| 4.   | U |                                      | T |                        |
|      | s |                                      | h |                        |
|      | e |                                      | e |                        |
|      | r |                                      | * |                        |
|      | s |                                      | G |                        |
|      | e |                                      | R |                        |
|      | l |                                      | A |                        |
|      | e |                                      | N |                        |
|      | c |                                      | T |                        |
|      | t |                                      | O |                        |
|      | s |                                      | R |                        |
|      | t |                                      | S |                        |
|      | h |                                      | o |                        |
|      | e |                                      | n |                        |
|      | * |                                      | l |                        |
|      | * |                                      | y |                        |
|      | * |                                      | * |                        |
|      | l |                                      | s |                        |
|      | o |                                      | c |                        |
|      | g |                                      | r |                        |
|      | i |                                      | e |                        |
|      | n |                                      | e |                        |
|      | * |                                      | n |                        |
|      | * |                                      | i |                        |
|      | * |                                      | s |                        |
|      | b |                                      | d |                        |
|      | u |                                      | i |                        |
|      | t |                                      | s |                        |
|      | t |                                      | p |                        |
|      | o |                                      | l |                        |
|      | n |                                      | a |                        |
|      | . |                                      | y |                        |
|      |   |                                      | e |                        |
|      |   |                                      | d |                        |
|      |   |                                      | . |                        |
+------+---+--------------------------------------+---+------------------------+

![](media/image4.png)

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45506879 .anchor}**Figure 4‑4 Login Screen**

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45419208 .anchor}Table 4‑6 Retrieve Submitted
Applications Instructions

+------+---+------------------------------------+---+-------------------------+
| *    |   | Action                             |   | **Result**              |
| *Ste |   |                                    |   |                         |
| ps** |   |                                    |   |                         |
+------+---+------------------------------------+---+-------------------------+
| 5.   | U |                                    | T |                         |
|      | s |                                    | h |                         |
|      | e |                                    | e |                         |
|      | r |                                    | * |                         |
|      | s |                                    | * |                         |
|      | e |                                    | * |                         |
|      | l |                                    | R |                         |
|      | e |                                    | e |                         |
|      | c |                                    | t |                         |
|      | t |                                    | r |                         |
|      | s |                                    | i |                         |
|      | * |                                    | e |                         |
|      | * |                                    | v |                         |
|      | * |                                    | e |                         |
|      | R |                                    | S |                         |
|      | e |                                    | u |                         |
|      | t |                                    | b |                         |
|      | r |                                    | m |                         |
|      | i |                                    | i |                         |
|      | e |                                    | t |                         |
|      | v |                                    | t |                         |
|      | e |                                    | e |                         |
|      | S |                                    | d |                         |
|      | u |                                    | A |                         |
|      | b |                                    | p |                         |
|      | m |                                    | p |                         |
|      | i |                                    | l |                         |
|      | t |                                    | i |                         |
|      | t |                                    | c |                         |
|      | e |                                    | a |                         |
|      | d |                                    | t |                         |
|      | A |                                    | i |                         |
|      | p |                                    | o |                         |
|      | p |                                    | n |                         |
|      | l |                                    | s |                         |
|      | i |                                    | * |                         |
|      | c |                                    | * |                         |
|      | a |                                    | * |                         |
|      | t |                                    | s |                         |
|      | i |                                    | c |                         |
|      | o |                                    | r |                         |
|      | n |                                    | e |                         |
|      | s |                                    | e |                         |
|      | * |                                    | n |                         |
|      | * |                                    | i |                         |
|      | * |                                    | s |                         |
|      | f |                                    | d |                         |
|      | r |                                    | i |                         |
|      | o |                                    | s |                         |
|      | m |                                    | p |                         |
|      | t |                                    | l |                         |
|      | h |                                    | a |                         |
|      | e |                                    | y |                         |
|      | o |                                    | e |                         |
|      | p |                                    | d |                         |
|      | t |                                    | . |                         |
|      | i |                                    |   |                         |
|      | o |                                    |   |                         |
|      | n |                                    |   |                         |
|      | s |                                    |   |                         |
|      | l |                                    |   |                         |
|      | o |                                    |   |                         |
|      | c |                                    |   |                         |
|      | a |                                    |   |                         |
|      | t |                                    |   |                         |
|      | e |                                    |   |                         |
|      | d |                                    |   |                         |
|      | a |                                    |   |                         |
|      | l |                                    |   |                         |
|      | o |                                    |   |                         |
|      | n |                                    |   |                         |
|      | g |                                    |   |                         |
|      | t |                                    |   |                         |
|      | h |                                    |   |                         |
|      | e |                                    |   |                         |
|      | l |                                    |   |                         |
|      | e |                                    |   |                         |
|      | f |                                    |   |                         |
|      | t |                                    |   |                         |
|      | h |                                    |   |                         |
|      | a |                                    |   |                         |
|      | n |                                    |   |                         |
|      | d |                                    |   |                         |
|      | s |                                    |   |                         |
|      | i |                                    |   |                         |
|      | d |                                    |   |                         |
|      | e |                                    |   |                         |
|      | o |                                    |   |                         |
|      | f |                                    |   |                         |
|      | t |                                    |   |                         |
|      | h |                                    |   |                         |
|      | e |                                    |   |                         |
|      | s |                                    |   |                         |
|      | c |                                    |   |                         |
|      | r |                                    |   |                         |
|      | e |                                    |   |                         |
|      | e |                                    |   |                         |
|      | n |                                    |   |                         |
|      | . |                                    |   |                         |
+------+---+------------------------------------+---+-------------------------+

![](media/image5.png){width="6.916666666666667in" height="4.8125in"}

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45506880 .anchor}Figure 4‑5 Grantors only Screen

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45419209 .anchor}Table 4‑7 Select Applications for
Download Instructions

+----+-----------------------------------+----------------------------+
| *  | Action                            | **Result**                 |
| *S |                                   |                            |
| te |                                   |                            |
| ps |                                   |                            |
| ** |                                   |                            |
+----+-----------------------------------+----------------------------+
| 6. | User has the option to select (1) | Check marks appear next to |
|    | or all of the submitted           | selections.                |
|    | applications that are ready to be |                            |
|    | downloaded. The system will       |                            |
|    | ensure that only applications for |                            |
|    | which download is authorized can  |                            |
|    | be accessed.                      |                            |
+----+-----------------------------------+----------------------------+
| 7. | Select ***Download                | Download begins.           |
|    | Applications*** button.           |                            |
|    |                                   | **Note:** The download     |
|    |                                   | process will be handled by |
|    |                                   | the operating system where |
|    |                                   | the system will prompt the |
|    |                                   | user for name and location |
|    |                                   | of the download file to be |
|    |                                   | saved. The system will     |
|    |                                   | save the file as a *zip*   |
|    |                                   | file. Grants.gov will      |
|    |                                   | document by whom           |
|    |                                   | applications are           |
|    |                                   | downloaded.                |
+----+-----------------------------------+----------------------------+

![](media/image6.png)

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45506881 .anchor}Figure 4‑6 Retrieve Submitted
Applications Screen

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45419210 .anchor}Table 4‑8 Logout Instructions

+------+---+-----------------------------------+---+--------------------------+
| *    |   | Action                            |   | **Result**               |
| *Ste |   |                                   |   |                          |
| ps** |   |                                   |   |                          |
+------+---+-----------------------------------+---+--------------------------+
| 8.   | A |                                   | * |                          |
|      | f |                                   | * |                          |
|      | t |                                   | N |                          |
|      | e |                                   | o |                          |
|      | r |                                   | t |                          |
|      | t |                                   | e |                          |
|      | h |                                   | : |                          |
|      | e |                                   | * |                          |
|      | d |                                   | * |                          |
|      | o |                                   | I |                          |
|      | w |                                   | f |                          |
|      | n |                                   | a |                          |
|      | l |                                   | l |                          |
|      | o |                                   | l |                          |
|      | a |                                   | o |                          |
|      | d |                                   | f |                          |
|      | p |                                   | t |                          |
|      | r |                                   | h |                          |
|      | o |                                   | e |                          |
|      | c |                                   | a |                          |
|      | e |                                   | p |                          |
|      | s |                                   | p |                          |
|      | s |                                   | l |                          |
|      | i |                                   | i |                          |
|      | s |                                   | c |                          |
|      | c |                                   | a |                          |
|      | o |                                   | t |                          |
|      | m |                                   | i |                          |
|      | p |                                   | o |                          |
|      | l |                                   | n |                          |
|      | e |                                   | s |                          |
|      | t |                                   | h |                          |
|      | e |                                   | a |                          |
|      | , |                                   | v |                          |
|      | t |                                   | e |                          |
|      | h |                                   | a |                          |
|      | e |                                   | l |                          |
|      | s |                                   | r |                          |
|      | y |                                   | e |                          |
|      | s |                                   | a |                          |
|      | t |                                   | d |                          |
|      | e |                                   | y |                          |
|      | m |                                   | b |                          |
|      | r |                                   | e |                          |
|      | e |                                   | e |                          |
|      | d |                                   | n |                          |
|      | i |                                   | d |                          |
|      | s |                                   | o |                          |
|      | p |                                   | w |                          |
|      | l |                                   | n |                          |
|      | a |                                   | l |                          |
|      | y |                                   | o |                          |
|      | s |                                   | a |                          |
|      | t |                                   | d |                          |
|      | h |                                   | e |                          |
|      | e |                                   | d |                          |
|      | * |                                   | , |                          |
|      | * |                                   | t |                          |
|      | R |                                   | h |                          |
|      | e |                                   | e |                          |
|      | t |                                   | a |                          |
|      | r |                                   | p |                          |
|      | i |                                   | p |                          |
|      | e |                                   | l |                          |
|      | v |                                   | i |                          |
|      | e |                                   | c |                          |
|      | S |                                   | a |                          |
|      | u |                                   | t |                          |
|      | b |                                   | i |                          |
|      | m |                                   | o |                          |
|      | i |                                   | n |                          |
|      | t |                                   | s |                          |
|      | t |                                   | l |                          |
|      | e |                                   | i |                          |
|      | d |                                   | s |                          |
|      | A |                                   | t |                          |
|      | p |                                   | w |                          |
|      | p |                                   | i |                          |
|      | l |                                   | l |                          |
|      | i |                                   | l |                          |
|      | c |                                   | b |                          |
|      | a |                                   | e |                          |
|      | t |                                   | e |                          |
|      | i |                                   | m |                          |
|      | o |                                   | p |                          |
|      | n |                                   | t |                          |
|      | s |                                   | y |                          |
|      | * |                                   | . |                          |
|      | * |                                   | I |                          |
|      | s |                                   | f |                          |
|      | c |                                   | o |                          |
|      | r |                                   | n |                          |
|      | e |                                   | e |                          |
|      | e |                                   | a |                          |
|      | n |                                   | p |                          |
|      | . |                                   | p |                          |
|      |   |                                   | l |                          |
|      |   |                                   | i |                          |
|      |   |                                   | c |                          |
|      |   |                                   | a |                          |
|      |   |                                   | t |                          |
|      |   |                                   | i |                          |
|      |   |                                   | o |                          |
|      |   |                                   | n |                          |
|      |   |                                   | w |                          |
|      |   |                                   | a |                          |
|      |   |                                   | s |                          |
|      |   |                                   | s |                          |
|      |   |                                   | e |                          |
|      |   |                                   | l |                          |
|      |   |                                   | e |                          |
|      |   |                                   | c |                          |
|      |   |                                   | t |                          |
|      |   |                                   | e |                          |
|      |   |                                   | d |                          |
|      |   |                                   | t |                          |
|      |   |                                   | h |                          |
|      |   |                                   | e |                          |
|      |   |                                   | r |                          |
|      |   |                                   | e |                          |
|      |   |                                   | m |                          |
|      |   |                                   | a |                          |
|      |   |                                   | i |                          |
|      |   |                                   | n |                          |
|      |   |                                   | i |                          |
|      |   |                                   | n |                          |
|      |   |                                   | g |                          |
|      |   |                                   | a |                          |
|      |   |                                   | p |                          |
|      |   |                                   | p |                          |
|      |   |                                   | l |                          |
|      |   |                                   | i |                          |
|      |   |                                   | c |                          |
|      |   |                                   | a |                          |
|      |   |                                   | t |                          |
|      |   |                                   | i |                          |
|      |   |                                   | o |                          |
|      |   |                                   | n |                          |
|      |   |                                   | s |                          |
|      |   |                                   | w |                          |
|      |   |                                   | i |                          |
|      |   |                                   | l |                          |
|      |   |                                   | l |                          |
|      |   |                                   | b |                          |
|      |   |                                   | e |                          |
|      |   |                                   | d |                          |
|      |   |                                   | i |                          |
|      |   |                                   | s |                          |
|      |   |                                   | p |                          |
|      |   |                                   | l |                          |
|      |   |                                   | a |                          |
|      |   |                                   | y |                          |
|      |   |                                   | e |                          |
|      |   |                                   | d |                          |
|      |   |                                   | o |                          |
|      |   |                                   | n |                          |
|      |   |                                   | t |                          |
|      |   |                                   | h |                          |
|      |   |                                   | e |                          |
|      |   |                                   | l |                          |
|      |   |                                   | i |                          |
|      |   |                                   | s |                          |
|      |   |                                   | t |                          |
|      |   |                                   | . |                          |
+------+---+-----------------------------------+---+--------------------------+
| 9.   | T |                                   | U |                          |
|      | h |                                   | n |                          |
|      | e |                                   | z |                          |
|      | u |                                   | i |                          |
|      | s |                                   | p |                          |
|      | e |                                   | t |                          |
|      | r |                                   | h |                          |
|      | w |                                   | e |                          |
|      | i |                                   | f |                          |
|      | l |                                   | i |                          |
|      | l |                                   | l |                          |
|      | l |                                   | e |                          |
|      | o |                                   | t |                          |
|      | c |                                   | o |                          |
|      | a |                                   | r |                          |
|      | t |                                   | e |                          |
|      | e |                                   | t |                          |
|      | t |                                   | r |                          |
|      | h |                                   | i |                          |
|      | e |                                   | e |                          |
|      | z |                                   | v |                          |
|      | i |                                   | e |                          |
|      | p |                                   | o |                          |
|      | p |                                   | n |                          |
|      | e |                                   | e |                          |
|      | d |                                   | o |                          |
|      | f |                                   | r |                          |
|      | i |                                   | a |                          |
|      | l |                                   | l |                          |
|      | e |                                   | l |                          |
|      | . |                                   | o |                          |
|      |   |                                   | f |                          |
|      |   |                                   | t |                          |
|      |   |                                   | h |                          |
|      |   |                                   | e |                          |
|      |   |                                   | a |                          |
|      |   |                                   | p |                          |
|      |   |                                   | p |                          |
|      |   |                                   | l |                          |
|      |   |                                   | i |                          |
|      |   |                                   | c |                          |
|      |   |                                   | a |                          |
|      |   |                                   | t |                          |
|      |   |                                   | i |                          |
|      |   |                                   | o |                          |
|      |   |                                   | n |                          |
|      |   |                                   | s |                          |
|      |   |                                   | . |                          |
+------+---+-----------------------------------+---+--------------------------+
| 10.  | S |                                   | G |                          |
|      | e |                                   | r |                          |
|      | l |                                   | a |                          |
|      | e |                                   | n |                          |
|      | c |                                   | t |                          |
|      | t |                                   | s |                          |
|      | * |                                   | . |                          |
|      | * |                                   | g |                          |
|      | * |                                   | o |                          |
|      | L |                                   | v |                          |
|      | o |                                   | a |                          |
|      | g |                                   | p |                          |
|      | o |                                   | p |                          |
|      | u |                                   | l |                          |
|      | t |                                   | i |                          |
|      | o |                                   | c |                          |
|      | f |                                   | a |                          |
|      | G |                                   | t |                          |
|      | r |                                   | i |                          |
|      | a |                                   | o |                          |
|      | n |                                   | n |                          |
|      | t |                                   | w |                          |
|      | s |                                   | i |                          |
|      | . |                                   | l |                          |
|      | g |                                   | l |                          |
|      | o |                                   | c |                          |
|      | v |                                   | l |                          |
|      | * |                                   | o |                          |
|      | * |                                   | s |                          |
|      | * |                                   | e |                          |
|      | t |                                   | . |                          |
|      | o |                                   |   |                          |
|      | c |                                   |   |                          |
|      | l |                                   |   |                          |
|      | o |                                   |   |                          |
|      | s |                                   |   |                          |
|      | e |                                   |   |                          |
|      | y |                                   |   |                          |
|      | o |                                   |   |                          |
|      | u |                                   |   |                          |
|      | r |                                   |   |                          |
|      | b |                                   |   |                          |
|      | r |                                   |   |                          |
|      | o |                                   |   |                          |
|      | w |                                   |   |                          |
|      | s |                                   |   |                          |
|      | e |                                   |   |                          |
|      | r |                                   |   |                          |
|      | w |                                   |   |                          |
|      | i |                                   |   |                          |
|      | n |                                   |   |                          |
|      | d |                                   |   |                          |
|      | o |                                   |   |                          |
|      | w |                                   |   |                          |
|      | w |                                   |   |                          |
|      | h |                                   |   |                          |
|      | e |                                   |   |                          |
|      | n |                                   |   |                          |
|      | y |                                   |   |                          |
|      | o |                                   |   |                          |
|      | u |                                   |   |                          |
|      | a |                                   |   |                          |
|      | r |                                   |   |                          |
|      | e |                                   |   |                          |
|      | f |                                   |   |                          |
|      | i |                                   |   |                          |
|      | n |                                   |   |                          |
|      | i |                                   |   |                          |
|      | s |                                   |   |                          |
|      | h |                                   |   |                          |
|      | e |                                   |   |                          |
|      | d |                                   |   |                          |
|      | . |                                   |   |                          |
+------+---+-----------------------------------+---+--------------------------+

![](media/image7.png)

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45506882 .anchor}Figure 4‑7 Logout Selection

# Conclusion

The Agency Integration Toolkit document has explained many of the
challenges that Grantee-organizations face when applying for Federal
grants. By implementing the Grants.gov Storefront we:

-   Eliminate redundancy

-   Simplify the process

-   Protect confidentiality

-   Standardize the collection of data

There are two proposed solutions for agencies to use to electronically
retrieve grant applications from Grants.gov.

System-to-System Interfaces

-   For the *outbound* system-to-system interfaces, Grants.gov-to-agency
    integration via a message exchange that utilizes XML Web Services
    using SOAP v1.1, SOAP with Attachments, ebXML 2.0, HTTPS/SSL, and
    PDF.

System-to-Human Interfaces

-   For the *outbound* system-to-human interfaces, Grants.gov-to-agency
    integration is achieved via a set of Grants.gov provided Graphical
    User Interfaces (GUI's) by which an agency user can download the
    submitted application that contains an application in a PDF format
    along with any related attachments in their native format.

Section 4 (4.1) details the solution selection criteria and
considerations, as well as technical and supporting information to
implement and use the system-to-system and system-to-human interfaces.

Agencies within the highlighted quadrants below (i.e., agencies having a
high application/submission volume *and/or* a highly automated system)
may want to consider using the first integration solution, the use of
system-to-system interfaces.

  ----- ---------------------------------- -------------------------------
                                           

        *Low-Volume / High- Automation*    *High-Volume / High-
                                           Automation*

        *Low-Volume / Low- Automation*     *High-Volume / Low-Automation*
  ----- ---------------------------------- -------------------------------

Agencies within the highlighted quadrants below (i.e., agencies having a
low application/submission volume *and/or* little or no automation) may
want to consider using the second integration solution, the use of
system-to-human interfaces.

  ----- ---------------------------------- -------------------------------
                                           

        *Low-Volume / High- Automation*    *High-Volume / High-
                                           Automation*

        *Low-Volume / Low- Automation*     *High-Volume / Low-Automation*
  ----- ---------------------------------- -------------------------------

# Acronyms

  ------------------- ---------------------------------------------------
  **Acronym**         **Definition**

  CFDA                Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

  COBRA               Common Object Request Broker Architecture

  COTS                Common-Off-The-Shelf

  DUNS                Data Universal Numbering System

  ebXML               Electronic Business eXtensible Markup Language

  FTP                 File Transfer Protocol

  GUI                 Graphic User Interface

  HTML                Hyper Text Markup Language

  HTTP                Hyper Text Transfer Protocol

  HTTPS               Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure Sockets

  HTTP/SSL            Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure Socket Layer

  IDE                 Integrated Development Environment

  IT                  Information Technology

  MIME                Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions

  OASIS               Organization for Advancement of Structured
                      Information Standards

  PDF                 Portable Document Format

  RMI                 Remote Method Invocation

  RPC                 Remote Procedure Calls

  SOA                 Service Oriented Architecture

  SOAP                Simple Object Access Protocol

  SSL                 Secure Socket Layer

  SwA                 SOAP with Attachment

  UDDI                Universal Description Discovery and Integration

  URI                 Uniform Resource Identifiers

  URL                 Uniform Resource Locator

  WSDL                Web Services Description Language

  XCBL                Extensible Common Business Language

  XML                 eXtensible Markup Language
  ------------------- ---------------------------------------------------

A.  []{#__RefHeading___Toc45506452 .anchor}Web Services and Related
    Technologies Overview

Grants.gov proposes providing system-to-system interfaces that would
provide Grants.gov-to-agency integration via a message exchange that
utilizes XML Web Services using SOAP v1.1, SOAP with Attachments, ebXML
2.0, HTTPS/SSL, and PDF. This appendix provides an overview of these
technologies.

System-to-System Exchange

To address the issue of large transaction peaks, the proposed
system-system message exchange solution defines a message exchange with
a controlled submission of large files. The first component in this
solution is a system-to-system exchange; the second component is a set
of rules by which the transactions themselves are exchanged.

To allow system-to-system transactions and submission of electronic
applications, the concept of a system-to-system message exchange is
proposed for the design of the Agency Integration application retrieval
interfaces. The system-to-system message exchange allows Grants.gov and
Agency systems to conduct predefined transactions *without* human
intervention.

The system-to-system message exchange is not the same interface employed
by a user on a PC or workstation entering and submitting data using a
web page or sending E-Mail. The interaction with the Grants.gov
application retrieval interfaces is done in the background via a system
message consisting of an augmented XML file. The system-to-system
communication is bi-directional. For example, the agency system might
request a list of grant applications that are ready to be retrieved by
sending a properly formatted XML message to the appropriate Agency
Integration interface. This interface, in turn, would respond with
another XML message containing the requested list.

A system-to-system message exchange implies that trading partners (the
Grants.gov and Agency systems, in this case) have interfaces "listening"
to the external world, ready to receive transactions at any time. It
usually means that a server running specific software is accessible
through firewalls to authorized external partners. The trading partner
needs to participate in the SYSTEM-TO-SYSTEM MESSAGE exchange using the
exact specifications stipulated for the Exchange. Also, the transport
mechanism, transaction packaging, and, most importantly, the transaction
content itself needs to be defined, agreed upon, and implemented at each
node of the exchange. Finally, for security reasons, it also implies
that the trading partner systems are identified, authenticated, and
certified.

The next section briefly describes ebXML and its benefits.

ebXML

There are a number of system-to-system exchange protocols and models
defined. Many are proprietary commercial standards and products. A few
exchange standards, however, have been initiated by standard setting
bodies. ebXML is one such standard.

The ebXML (Electronic Business using eXtensible Markup Language)
standard resulted from a combined effort of the UN (UN/CEFACT) and OASIS
(the Organization for Advancement of Structured Information Standards).
The organization was formed to provide an open XML-based infrastructure
to enable the global use of electronic business information. ebXML
currently works on all aspects of a standard, including an
implementation framework, vocabularies, data dictionaries, and
processes. ebXML is a modular suite of specifications that enables
enterprises of any size and in any geographical location to conduct
business over the Internet.

The mission of ebXML is to "*provide an open XML-based infrastructure
enabling the global use of electronics business information in an
interoperable, secure and consistent manner by all parties*".

As described by Sean Gallagher[^7], ebXML is a *"collection of
standardized message structures and vocabularies for conducting
automatic \[system-to-system\] transactions using the Internet or
e-mail".* It provides specifications for registering products and
services; message formats and syntaxes; descriptions of how to use the
products and services; and guidelines for setting up contracts and
exchanging the messages themselves.

At the core of ebXML are four sets of standards, or specifications,
designed for specific steps in the process. Each standard can be adopted
*independently* of the others. The four steps (and related standards)
include:

1.  Describe the business processes you want to share, using XML or
    eXtensible Common Business Language (XCBL)\
    **Standard**: Business Process Specification Schema/Core Components

2.  Register descriptions of your business and of the processes you want
    to share in a common XML repository\
    **Standard**: Registry Information Model

3.  Explain your transaction system\'s messaging capabilities, how to
    use the processes you\'re sharing, and the contractual terms\
    **Standard**: Collaboration Protocol Profile and Agreement
    Specification

4.  Package and send the electronic business documents\
    **Standard**: Message Service Specification

ebXML, together with Web Services, facilitates companies of any size,
using any computing platform, to conduct automated business over the
Internet. Automating transactions over the Internet instead of private,
dedicated networks typically found in EDI exchanges, for example, can
substantially reduce costs.

ebXML may be hard to put into operation in its entirety, and it may be
more than the Grants.gov Agency Integration exchange needs. However, it
does provide a recognized and well-documented framework to work with.
Some components of ebXML, such as the Messaging Services Specification,
offers recommendations for message packaging, reliable messaging, error
handling, and security that provide a strong foundation for the creation
of a SYSTEM-TO-SYSTEM MESSAGE exchange.

The solution described herein proposes using the ebXML framework as a
guideline for the implementation of the Grants.gov system-to-system
message exchange. If the standard is too complex for the size of the
problem Grants.gov is trying to solve, only the appropriate subsets of
the standards will be implemented.

The next section briefly describes Web Services and their benefits.

Web Services

Simply put, a Web Service represents an information resource or business
process that can be accessed over the Web by another application. Web
Services are completely platform-independent. Web Services can be
developed using any language, and they can be deployed on any platform,
from the smallest device to the largest super computer.

Web Services offer valuable business benefits, such as increased
agility, improved efficiency, and quantifiable cost savings. These
business benefits derive from the fact that Web Services simplify the
process of making applications talk to each other.

From a technical perspective, Web Services technology represents the
convergence of three pre-existing technologies: service-oriented
architecture (SOA), the Extensible Markup Language (XML), and the
Internet.

**SOA** refers to distributed computing systems that expose data or
business logic through a programming interface. Examples of earlier SOA
systems include remote procedure calls (RPC), remote method invocation
(RMI), and Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA). A Web
Service is a software resource that exposes its capabilities through a
programming interface.

**XML** is a meta-markup language that can be used to define data
formats. XML data formats can be interpreted by any application, written
in any language, running on any platform. XML data formats can also be
transformed on the fly to adapt to the needs of a specific application.
A Web Service communicates using XML messages.

The **Internet** refers to an immense shared information space in which
every information resource can be accessed by it uniform resource
identifier (URI) over standard, pervasive Internet protocols. A Web
Service can be accessed by a URI over Internet protocols. What
distinguishes Web Services from other types of Web-based applications is
that Web Services are designed to support system-to-system
communication. Other Web applications support human-to-human
communication (for example, e-mail and instant messaging) or
human-to-system communication (Web browsers). Web Services are designed
to allow applications to communicate without human assistance or
intervention.

Core Web Services Technologies

The most basic technology that supports Web Services is XML. Web
Services describe their interfaces using **XML**. Web Services
communicate using XML messages. The message data are encoded as XML.

Although Web Services can be developed using a variety of XML-based
communications protocols, the industry is converging on a core set of
technologies to enable language- and platform-independence and to ensure
multi-vendor interoperability. The core set of technologies includes
Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), Web Services Description Language
(WSDL), and UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration).
Each is described briefly below.

SOAP

SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) defines a standard data
communications protocol for Web Services. SOAP provides a simple and
consistent mechanism that allows one application to send an XML message
to another application. A Web Service's interface is defined by the SOAP
messages that it supports. SOAP is designed to be a transport protocol
(HTTP, HTTPS, or JMS, for example) independent. SOAP specifies the
structure of a message rather than how it is transported.

WSDL (Web Services Description Language)

WSDL (Web Services Description Language) defines a standard mechanism to
describe a Web Service. A WSDL document describes what functionality a
Web Service offers, how it communicates, and where it is accessible. It
is possible to compile a WSDL document into client and server skeleton
code, or to use it at runtime to create a client proxy object that can
call the Web Service using SOAP.

UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration)

UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration) protocol
provides a standard mechanism to publish and discover Web Services.
Users can query the registry based on company name, industry category,
service type, or other criteria. UDDI provides pointers to the WSDL
document that describes a service and the access point of a service
implementation.

The following figure illustrates how the core Web Services technologies
are related to each other:

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45506941 .anchor}Figure A- Core Web Services
Relationship

When a service provider wants to make a service available to consumers,
it describes the service using WSDL and registers the service in a UDDI
registry. The UDDI registry then maintains pointers to the WSDL
description and to the service. When a service consumer wants to use a
service, it queries the UDDI registry to find a service that matches its
needs and obtains the WSDL description of the service, as well as the
access point of the service. The service consumer uses the WSDL
description to construct a SOAP message with which to communicate with
the service.

The next section describes the use of XML with binary attachments as a
standard means of exchanging information between systems.

XML and Binary Attachments

The technology of choice in the present architecture of the Federal
government is to use XML as the standard for information exchange
between systems. The XML technology allows disparate systems to find a
common information description and exchange standard. However, an XML
file is a text file where each element of the information payload is
preceded and followed by a descriptive tag. A formatted document is a
binary stream with characters that may interfere with the tag scheme of
the XML stream. To reliably transport a binary document with XML:

-   The document must be transformed, or mapped, from its binary
    characters to the printable characters of the ASCII character set;
    or,

-   The document must be transported as an external attachment to the
    XML stream.

There are numerous ways of solving this problem. As the transaction is
expected to be one physical file for the XML stream and any attached
documents, SOAP with attachments (SwA) is being proposed as the method
for reliably transporting a binary document with XML.

The following sections provide an overview of SOAP with Attachments
(SwA).

SOAP with Attachments (SwA)

The SOAP standard defines an href attribute within the SOAP body that
allows pulling the embedded content out of the XML container, and
replacing it with a link. Unfortunately, most binary documents that
accompany a grant application will not be available to an agency via a
URL; as a result, this approach will not be appropriate. In this case,
the proposed solution is to use SOAP with Attachments (SwA), as
discussed in the following section.

The following figure illustrates a SOAP message with binary attachments.

![](media/image8.wmf){width="3.8743055555555554in"
height="2.941666666666667in"}

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45506942 .anchor}Figure A- SOAP Message with
Binary Attachments

SOAP Messages with Attachments (SwA) are basically composed of a
primary, multipart MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension) message,
which contains an XML SOAP document; the subsequent parts contain the
attached binary data.

HTTP forms can be sent using MIME multipart; this means that all web
servers should already have the proper MIME machinery built in.

The advantage of this implementation is that it is relatively simple to
implement.

A drawback to SwA is that it cannot handle data streaming. This means
that the client would have to buffer the entire attachment (for instance
a multi-media data stream) before processing it.

Web Services and Security Considerations

Web Services need to be implemented securely; i.e., the data transferred
over the Web Service needs to be safe from interception tampering, and
unauthorized access.

The remainder of this section briefly outlines the threats to
distributed systems, and how such risks can be mitigated.

**Threats in a Distributed System**

Some of the most common security threats to a distributed information
system include:

-   An authorized user of the system gaining access to information that
    should be hidden from him/her.

-   A user masquerading as someone else, and so obtaining access to
    whatever that second user is authorized to do. Actions will then be
    attributed to the wrong person.

-   Eavesdropping on a communication line, so gaining access to
    confidential data.

-   Tampering with communication between objects: modifying, inserting,
    and deleting items.

-   Lack of accountability due, for example, to inadequate
    identification of users. The most important problem is repudiation,
    meaning denial of responsibility for an action.

**Security Services**

The two most basic and fundamental elements of security are secure
transport and authentication. Authentication mechanisms and particular
secure transport protocols are often associated with one another.

**Secure Transport** refers to the encryption of sensitive data being
transported. Sensitive data is encrypted to:

-   Prevent interception of the data

-   Prevent anyone from tampering with the data

Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is a commonly used protocol for managing the
security of a message transmission on the Internet. SSL contains its own
server-side authentication and an optional client authentication.

**Authentication** refers to the means used to confirm the identity of
the client. Six common authentication mechanisms include:

1.  **HTTP Basic**: The client gathers a user name and password and
    establishes the same with the service. Basic HTTP must be used with
    secure transport, to eliminate the risk of the password being
    intercepted.

2.  **HTTP Digest**: The client gathers a user name and password. He
    uses these to generate a password digest, which is passed on to the
    service. The password cannot be reconstructed from the digest,
    reducing the risks resulting from possible interception.

3.  **SSL Client Authentication**: The optional part of SSL protocol. In
    client authentication, the user owns a private key-certificate pair.
    In subsequent communication, the server verifies client identity
    based on the client\'s certificate, using asynchronous cryptography.

4.  **Simple Public Key Mechanism (SPKM )**: A security mechanism that
    always requires mutual client-server authentication. Using SPKM,
    multiple service identities are possible on the same server. It also
    automatically prevents repudiation, as every message contains a
    signature. Unlike HTTP- and SSL-based authentication, SPKM is not
    linked to any transport protocol.

5.  **SOAP Digital Signature (SDS)**: A SOAP header entry carrying an
    XML digital signature.

6.  **Kerberos**: A system developed at the Massachusetts Institute of
    Technology that uses passwords and symmetric cryptography (DES) to
    implement a ticket-based, peer-entity authentication service and an
    access control service distributed in a client-server network
    environment.

**Transport-level Versus Message-level Security**

Web Services security is still evolving, like Web Services
infrastructure itself. Currently, Web Services are more tightly coupled
to the network transport layer, using so-called transport layer
security. There is, however, an evolution to message level security.

Transport level security using HTTP Basic / Digest and SSL, for example,
is the usual \"first line of defense\", as securing the transport
mechanism itself makes Web Services inherently secure. The trade-off is
transport dependency.

Message level security, which can be as or more effective, has the added
flexibility that the message can be sent over any transport.

B.  []{#__RefHeading___Toc45506453 .anchor}Application Retrieval
    Technical Details Skeleton

The following table provides a sample skeleton of the format that is
used to summarize the technical details that will allow agency systems
to bind to and invoke the Grants.gov application retrieval and
associated Web services.

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45419211 .anchor}Table B ‑9 Sample Skeleton Format

+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| Technical Detail  | **Value**                                        |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| Name of Service:  | *Name of Service*                                |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| **SOAP Endpoint   | *https://grants.gov/...*                         |
| URL:**            |                                                  |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| **SOAP Action:**  | *SOAP Action*                                    |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| **Method          | *Method Namespace URI*                           |
| Namespace URI:**  |                                                  |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| **Method          | -   assignAgencyTrackingNumber()                 |
| Name(s):**        |                                                  |
|                   | -   confirmApplicationDelivery()                 |
|                   |                                                  |
|                   | -   getApplication()                             |
|                   |                                                  |
|                   | -   getApplicationList()                         |
|                   |                                                  |
|                   | -   notifyApplicationAvailable()                 |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| WSDL URL:         | *WSDL URL*                                       |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+

The following table provides a high-level description of the Grants.gov
application retrieval and associated Web services method names. A
detailed Web service interface specification is provided in the Agency
Integration Toolkit Design Specifications document.

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45419212 .anchor}Table B ‑10 High Level
Description of Grants.gov Application Retrieval

+-----------------------+------------------------+---------------------+
| **Method Name**       | **Description**        | **Parameters**      |
+-----------------------+------------------------+---------------------+
| assignA               | Used by an agency to   | **Input**:          |
| gencyTrackingNumber() | notify Grants.gov of   |                     |
|                       | an agency's internal   | -   Grants.gov      |
|                       | tracking number for a  |     tracking        |
|                       | given application.     |     number;         |
|                       | Will be implemented by |                     |
|                       | Grants.gov.            | -   Agency tracking |
|                       |                        |     number          |
|                       |                        |                     |
|                       |                        | **Output**:         |
|                       |                        |                     |
|                       |                        | -   None.           |
+-----------------------+------------------------+---------------------+
| confirm               | Used by an agency to   | Input:              |
| ApplicationDelivery() | notify Grants.gov that |                     |
|                       | it has successfully    | -   Grants.gov      |
|                       | downloaded a given     |     tracking number |
|                       | application. Can       |                     |
|                       | contain multiple       | **Output**:         |
|                       | confirmations. Will be |                     |
|                       | implemented by         | -   None.           |
|                       | Grants.gov             |                     |
+-----------------------+------------------------+---------------------+
| getApplication()      | Used by an agency to   | **Input**:          |
|                       | retrieve a specific    |                     |
|                       | application identified | -   Grants.gov      |
|                       | by a Grants.gov        |     Tracking Number |
|                       | tracking number. Will  |                     |
|                       | be implemented by      | **Output**:         |
|                       | Grants.gov.            |                     |
|                       |                        | -   A message       |
|                       |                        |     containing the  |
|                       |                        |     application     |
|                       |                        |     data.           |
+-----------------------+------------------------+---------------------+
| getApplicationList()  | Used by an agency to   | **Input**:          |
|                       | retrieve a list of     |                     |
|                       | applications that are  | -   An indicator of |
|                       | ready to be            |     whether the     |
|                       | downloaded. Will be    |     agency wants a  |
|                       | implemented by         |     list of all     |
|                       | Grants.gov             |     applications,   |
|                       |                        |     only those      |
|                       |                        |     applications    |
|                       |                        |     that have not   |
|                       |                        |     already been    |
|                       |                        |     downloaded, or  |
|                       |                        |     only those      |
|                       |                        |     applications    |
|                       |                        |     that have been  |
|                       |                        |     already         |
|                       |                        |     downloaded.     |
|                       |                        |                     |
|                       |                        | **Output**:         |
|                       |                        |                     |
|                       |                        | -   A list          |
|                       |                        |     containing      |
|                       |                        |     mainly Header   |
|                       |                        |     and Footer[^8]  |
|                       |                        |     information,    |
|                       |                        |     such as         |
|                       |                        |     Grants.gov      |
|                       |                        |     Tracking        |
|                       |                        |     number,         |
|                       |                        |     download        |
|                       |                        |     status,         |
|                       |                        |     opportunity     |
|                       |                        |     number, and     |
|                       |                        |     CFDA number.    |
+-----------------------+------------------------+---------------------+
| notifyAp              | Used by Grants.gov to  | **Input**:          |
| plicationAvailable(): | notify an agency that  |                     |
|                       | a given application is | -   None.           |
|                       | ready to be            |                     |
|                       | downloaded. Must be    | **Output**:         |
|                       | implemented by any     |                     |
|                       | agency that wants      | -   Grants.gov      |
|                       | Grants.gov to notify   |     Tracking        |
|                       | it that an application |     Number.         |
|                       | is ready to be         |                     |
|                       | downloaded. Otherwise, |                     |
|                       | the agency will have   |                     |
|                       | to determine which     |                     |
|                       | applications are ready |                     |
|                       | to be downloaded by    |                     |
|                       | calling the interface  |                     |
|                       | *getApplicationList*   |                     |
+-----------------------+------------------------+---------------------+

C.  []{#__RefHeading___Toc45506454 .anchor}SOAP Message Structure

Messages used in the system-to-system message exchange are formatted
according to the SOAP with Attachments (SwA) specifications[^9]. Some
applications may not have any attachments; however, the corresponding
SOAP messages are still encapsulated in MIME via the transport protocol.
The SOAP message structure is divided into four logical components:

-   **Message Header:** This piece contains information that defines the
    nature and the context of the message. It is part of the SOAP
    message, which is a unique MIME part. The message header
    encapsulates meta-data about the application. For example, the
    system/user credentials are included in the message header. The
    Content-Type of this MIME part must be set to text/xml;
    charset="UTF-8".

-   **Message Body:** The message body is also part of the SOAP Message.
    This piece contains information intended for processing the request.

-   **Structured Data for Message:** This optional section contains an
    XML file that describes the structured data for the application as
    defined by the application schema and related documentation. The
    Content-Type of this MIME part must be set to application/xml.
    Currently this section is only required for the application, and
    should not be included elsewhere.

-   **Attachments:** This *optional* section includes attachments
    intended for the functionality of the message. Each part consists of
    a binary (native format) document, such as a PDF or Word document.
    The Content-Type for each of these MIME parts must be set to their
    corresponding content type, such as application/pdf, or
    application/word.

MIME View

The following illustration depicts, at a high level, the structure of
the application message, which is compliant with SOAP with Attachments
(SwA) specifications. This package consists of a MIME envelope that
embeds other MIME parts. The first part of the multipart MIME message is
the XML SOAP document; the subsequent parts contain any attached data.

**SOAP Message Structure**

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45420954 .anchor}Figure C- SOAP Message Structure

Mime Headers

The Content-Type header of the MIME envelope must be set to
multipart/related. The type attribute must match the Content-Type of the
Message Header body part. The start parameter (defined in the MIME
Multipart/Related Content-type specifications **\[RFC2387\]**) will be
present and will reference the body part that contains the Message
Header. In addition, The Content-Id header is optional and is not
interpreted. The following fragment illustrates this convention.

Content-Type: multipart/related; type = "text/xml";
boundary="boundaryValue"; start="MimeHeader"

\--boundaryValue

Content-ID: \<MimeHeader\>

\...

The MIME parts of the message must be described using the following MIME
headers:

-   **Content-Id**: This header attribute uniquely identifies MIME
    parts. It is necessary to differentiate parts and allow
    cross-referencing between parts. Each body part MUST be uniquely
    named.

-   **Content-Type:** This header attributes are used to specify the
    media type and subtype of data in a message part. Only official
    types defined by IETF should be used.

Structure of the Message Header

The message header is the first body part to be interpreted in the
Message Processor. The illustration below depicts its general structure.
The MIME part contains the SOAP envelope. The envelope is comprised of
the SOAP Header and the SOAP Body. The SOAP header contains the ebXML
Header and the Application Header sections. Identically, the SOAP Body
contains the ebXML Body and Application Body sections.

Structure of the Message Header

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45420955 .anchor}Figure C- Structure of the
Message Header

SOAP Envelope

The data contained in the MIME part MUST be an (XML) SOAP message, as
defined in SOAP v1.1 specifications. The root element MUST correspond to
the SOAP envelope element, which contains a Header and a Body element,
as shown below.

ebXML Header

Since ebXML is part of the proposed solution, the following elements and
attributes must be included to comply with the schema. The ebXML
MessageHeader is the first element contained in the SOAP:Header. It has
two attributes:

-   version: Its value must be 2.0. It refers to the version of the
    ebXML specifications used,

-   mustUnderstand: Its value MUST be 1. It means that the information
    contained in this element MUST be understood or rejected.

A MessageHeader element must encapsulate the following elements:

-   From: Provides information about the sender of the message.

> It must contain the PartyId element with a type attribute. For the
> early implementation, the value of this attribute MUST be the URI
> urn:x12.org:I05:01. It is a custom-made URI that refers to the
> Interchange ID Qualifier 01 of the ANSI X12 I05 registries (described
> page 1635 of ASC X12 Standard 4030). In other words, it defines that
> the text value embedded in the PartyId element should be a DUNS
> number.

-   To: Provides information about the intended recipient of the
    message.

> This element follows the same structure as the From element above.

-   CPAId: This element references the partner agreement that defines
    interactions between the parties.

> At the time this document was written, the partner agreement piece had
> not been investigated. Any non-null values can be used and will be
> ignored for the initial implementation.

-   ConversationId: from
    **\[[ebMS2](http://www.ebxml.org/specs/ebMS2.pdf)\]**

> The ConversationId element is a string identifying the set of related
> messages that make up a conversation between two Parties. It MUST be
> unique within the context of the specified CPAId. The Party initiating
> a conversation determines the value of the ConversationId element that
> will be reflected in all messages pertaining to that conversation. The
> ConversationId enables the recipient of a message to identify the
> instance of an application or process that generated or handled
> earlier messages within a conversation. It remains constant for all
> messages within a conversation.

-   Service: This element identifies the service that acts on the
    message.

-   Action: This element identifies a process within the Service that
    processes the message.

-   MessageData: This element should contain two children:

    -   MessageId: It should be a globally unique identifier conforming
        to MessageId **\[RFC2822\]**.

    -   Timestamp: It should comply with the standard ISO 8601 and
        follow the YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssTZD format (e.g.,
        2003-04-04T14:25:27-05:00).

\<MessageHeader version="2.0" mustUnderstand="1"\>

\<From\>

\<PartyId type=" urn:x12.org:I05:01"\>*Grants.gov DUNS number*

\</PartyId\>\
\</From\>

\<To\>

\<PartyId type=" urn:x12.org:I05:01"\> *Agency DUNS number*

\</PartyId\>

\</To\>

\<CPAId\> *CPAId* \</CPAId\>

\<ConversationId\> 934523405 \<ConversationId\>

\<Service\> *urn of service* \</Service\>

\<Action\> *Action* \</Action\>

\<MessageData\>\
\<MessageId\> mid:UUID-1 \</MessageId\>

\<Timestamp\> 2003-04-04T14:25:27-05:00 \</Timestamp\>

\</MessageData\>

\</MessageHeader\>

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45420956 .anchor}Figure C- Sample Message Header

Detailed information about the sections related to ebXML can be found in
**\[[ebMS2](http://www.ebxml.org/specs/ebMS2.pdf)\]**.

The schema that validates the ebXML elements is located at
<http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/ebxml-msg/schema/msg-header-2_0.xsd>.

ebXML Body

The schema that validates the ebXML elements is located at
<http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/ebxml-msg/schema/msg-header-2_0.xsd>.

For an application, the ebXML body consists of the Manifest element. It
is included in the SOAP:body element.

The ebXML Manifest MUST have at least the attribute:

-   version: its value MUST be 2.0. It refers to the version of the
    ebXML specifications used,

The Manifest element describes the content of the payload. It MUST
contain a list of Reference elements, which identifies all the other
body parts of the application. A reference element should have three
attributes (defined in **\[XLink\]**
<http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/ebxml/msg/schema/xlink.xsd>):

-   type: its value should be simple.

-   href: it should follow the "cid" URI scheme and points to an
    existing part of the application.

-   role: This attribute provides a semantic value to the document
    referred to.

Application XML Structure

The application XML structure varies depending on the grant opportunity.
The various schemas that define the application XML structure can be
found in Appendix F [Application Schemas](#__RefHeading___Toc45506457).

The actual Web services interface specification details are provided in
the Agency Integration Toolkit Design Specification document.

D.  []{#__RefHeading___Toc45506455 .anchor}Skeleton Application Message

The following provides a *sample* Grants.gov application message with
native format PDF and Word document attachments:

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45421035 .anchor}Figure D- Sample Skeleton
Application Message

In this example, the \"Content-Type\" header line has been continued
across two lines so the example prints easily. SOAP message senders
should send headers on a single long line.

E.  []{#OLE_LINK2 .anchor}SF-424 and Related Forms

In support of the Grants.gov vision to "define and implement simplified
standard processes and standard data definitions for Federal grant
customer interactions", HHS has identified data standards it will use
for grants forms government-wide. HHS and its partner agencies[^10] have
agreed to use SF-424, a standard form currently used by about 100 grant
programs.

The SF-424 Form has various related components, including, SF-424A-D.
The following table describes these components:

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45419491 .anchor}Table E- SF-424 and Related Forms

+---------------+----------------+-------------------------------------+
| **Form        | **Form Name**  | **Description**                     |
| Identifier**  |                |                                     |
+---------------+----------------+-------------------------------------+
| SF-424        | Application    | OMB Standard Form 424.              |
|               | for Federal    |                                     |
|               | Assistance     | SF-424 is a standard form used by   |
|               | (Cover Letter) | applicants as a required *face      |
|               |                | sheet* for pre-applications and     |
|               |                | applications submitted for Federal  |
|               |                | assistance. It is used by Federal   |
|               |                | agencies to obtain applicant        |
|               |                | certification that States which     |
|               |                | have established a review and       |
|               |                | comment procedure in response to    |
|               |                | Executive Order 12372 and have      |
|               |                | selected the program to be included |
|               |                | in their process, have been given   |
|               |                | an opportunity to review the        |
|               |                | applicant's submission.             |
+---------------+----------------+-------------------------------------+
| SF-424A       | Budget         | OMB Standard Form 424A, OMB         |
|               | Information    | Approval Number 0348-0044.          |
|               | (Non           |                                     |
|               | -Construction) | SF-424A is designed to capture      |
|               |                | budget information for              |
|               |                | *non-construction* awards from one  |
|               |                | or more grant programs.             |
|               |                |                                     |
|               |                | It is to be used for the following  |
|               |                | types of applications: (1) \"New\"  |
|               |                | (means a new \[previously           |
|               |                | un-funded\] assistance award); (2)  |
|               |                | \"Continuation\" (means funding in  |
|               |                | a succeeding budget period which    |
|               |                | stemmed from a prior agreement to   |
|               |                | fund); and (3) \"Revised\" (means   |
|               |                | any changes in the Federal          |
|               |                | Government's financial obligations  |
|               |                | or contingent liability from an     |
|               |                | existing obligation). If there is   |
|               |                | no change in the award amount,      |
|               |                | there is no need to complete this   |
|               |                | form. Certain Federal agencies may  |
|               |                | require only an explanatory letter  |
|               |                | to effect minor (no cost) changes.  |
|               |                | If you have questions, please       |
|               |                | contact the Federal agency.         |
+---------------+----------------+-------------------------------------+
| SF-424B       | Standard       | OMB Standard Form 424B, OMB         |
|               | Assurances     | Approval Number 0348-0040.          |
|               | (No            |                                     |
|               | n-Construction | SF-424B is a collection of required |
|               | Programs)      | certifications and assurances. The  |
|               |                | form is used, for example, to       |
|               |                | certify that the applicant has the  |
|               |                | "legal authority to apply for       |
|               |                | Federal assistance, and the         |
|               |                | institutional, managerial and       |
|               |                | financial capability (including     |
|               |                | funds sufficient to pay the         |
|               |                | non-Federal share of project costs) |
|               |                | to ensure proper planning,          |
|               |                | management and completion of the    |
|               |                | project described in this           |
|               |                | application"                        |
+---------------+----------------+-------------------------------------+
| SF-424C       | Budget         | OMB Standard Form 424C, OMB         |
|               | Information    | Approval Number 0348-0041.          |
|               | (Construction  |                                     |
|               | Programs)      | SF-424C is designed to capture      |
|               |                | budget information for construction |
|               |                | awards from one or more grant       |
|               |                | programs. This form is used in      |
|               |                | place of SF-424A if a significant   |
|               |                | amount (equal to or greater than    |
|               |                | 50%) of the Federal funds requested |
|               |                | are for construction projects       |
|               |                | (e.g., build-outs, alterations,     |
|               |                | upgrades and renovations of         |
|               |                | existing facilities)                |
+---------------+----------------+-------------------------------------+
| SF-424D       | Standard       | OMB Standard Form 424D, OMB         |
|               | Assurances     | Approval Number 0348-0042.          |
|               | (Construction  |                                     |
|               | Programs)      | SF-424D is a collection of required |
|               |                | certifications and assurances.      |
+---------------+----------------+-------------------------------------+

Copies of the SF-424A, SF-424B, SF-424C and SF-424D can be found on the
OMB website: <http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/grants_forms.html>,
as well as the Grant.gov *XML Schema and Implementation Guide* for more
information.

F.  []{#__RefHeading___Toc45506457 .anchor}Application Schemas

Based on the SF-424 forms described in [Appendix SF 424 and Related
Forms](#OLE_LINK2), a corresponding set of SF 424 XML schemas has been
developed by the Grants.gov data modeling team, as described below:

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45419951 .anchor}Table F- Application Schemas

  ------------------------- ---------------------------------------------
  **XML Schema Name**       **Description**

  SF-424 Awarding Agency    This schema conforms to OMB Standard (Core)
  Schema                    Form 424, E-Grants Pilot Version 4/03. It
                            includes the SF-424 Schema for Submitting
                            Organization, and adds several elements.

  SF-424A Schema            This schema conforms to OMB Standard Form
                            424A, OMB Approval Number 0348-0044.

  SF-424B Schema            This schema conforms to OMB Standard Form
                            424B, OMB Approval Number 0348-0040.

  SF-424C Schema            This schema conforms to OMB Standard Form
                            424C, OMB Approval Number 0348-0041

  SF-424D Schema            This schema conforms to OMB Standard Form
                            424D, OMB Approval Number 0348-0042

  SF-424 Submitting         This schema contains data elements that
  Organization Schema       identify a submitting organization.

  Attachment Schema         This schema defines file attachments and
                            narratives across all SF-424x forms. Rather
                            than be included in the pertinent SF-424x XML
                            documents, all file attachments and
                            narratives will be placed in a single,
                            separate XML document included in the overall
                            application XML document. Named attachments
                            include Project Narrative; Budget Narrative;
                            and Debarment/Delinquency Explanation, and
                            Other.

  Global Schema             This schema contains common/shared XML
                            constructs that are used by multiple SF-424x
                            schemas, as well as the header/footer
                            schemas.

  Header Schema             Contains grant submission summary
                            information, including Agency Name, CFDA
                            Number, Activity Title, Opportunity ID,
                            Opportunity Title, Competition ID, Opening
                            Date, Closing Date, and Submission Title.
                            Headers will be received from Submitting
                            \"Applicant\" Organizations, as well as sent
                            to Awarding Agencies.

  Footer Schema             Contains tracking information such as
                            received date and time, submitter name, and
                            Grants.gov tracking number. Footers will ONLY
                            be sent to Awarding Agencies.
  ------------------------- ---------------------------------------------

Additional schemas will be created to describe any form(s) that capture
agency specific data elements. Please refer to the latest version of the
Grants.gov Core Data XML Schemas, as well as the Grant.gov *XML Schema
and Implementation Guide* for more information.

G.  []{#__RefHeading___Toc45506458 .anchor}Data Element Descriptions

This section lists common Grants.gov data element names with their
corresponding descriptions. Detailed data model information can be found
on Grants.gov website at the following URL:
<http://www.grants.gov/docs/CoreDataElements.pdf>.

[]{#__RefHeading___Toc45419973 .anchor}Table G- Common Grants.gov Data
Element Names

  -------- ---------------------------- -------------------------------------
  **\#**   **Data Element Name**        **Data Element Description**

                                        

  1        Agency application download  The specified format an agency wishes
           format                       to download an application (e.g.,
                                        PDF, XML etc.)

  2        Agency CFDA prefix           Part of the CFDA \# that is required
                                        by an agency to resister their
                                        profile

  3        Agency code                  The standard acronym for the agency
                                        and is a required field for the
                                        agency\'s profile registration

  4        Agency e-mail notification   A drop down selection during agency
           to superuser guidance        profile registration allowing a super
                                        user to receive notifications as to
                                        when grant applications are submitted

  5        Agency login                 The login name of an agency to
                                        register their profile and publish
                                        applications

  6        Agency login password        Password to agency login

  7        Agency name                  The name of the agency as it is
                                        commonly referred to

  8        Agency POC Address line 1    The agency\'s POC address line 1
                                        during agency profile registration

  9        Agency POC address line 2    The agency\'s POC address line 2
                                        during agency profile registration

  10       Agency POC city              The agency\'s POC city during agency
                                        profile registration

  11       Agency POC e-mail            The agency\'s POC e-mail during
                                        agency profile registration

  12       Agency POC name              The agency\'s POC name during agency
                                        profile registration

  13       Agency POC state             The agency\'s POC state during agency
                                        profile registration

  14       Agency POC tel \#            The agency\'s POC telephone \# during
                                        agency profile registration

  15       Agency POC zip code          The agency\'s POC zip code during
                                        agency profile registration

  16       Agency specific dataset (if  Is a special attachment created by an
           required)                    agency that covers additional
                                        applicant data required beyond the
                                        core data

  17       Agency tracking \#           Is the unique identifier created by
                                        the agencies that tracks applications
                                        submitted to an agency

  18       AOR Confirmation (Y/N)       Is a confirmation field from BPN/CCR
                                        that confirms/denies that an
                                        application has the correct AOR
                                        assigned after submission to
                                        Grants.gov

  19       Applicant authentication     The e-authentication login name
           login                        submitted by the applicant

  20       Applicant authentication     The e-authentication password
           password                     submitted by the applicant

  21       Applicant e-mail tracking ID The unique ID generated in Grants.gov
                                        that tracks the e-mails used for
                                        informing applicants of application
                                        changes done by the agencies.

  22       Application agency name      The name of the agency that assembles
                                        the application

  23       Application CFDA \#          The CFDA \# associated with the
                                        application

  24       Application CFDA title       The title (short description) of the
                                        CFDA \# (or program)

  25       Application close date       The close deadline to submit an
                                        application

  26       Application contact          The link between an application and a
           information association      person on the list of contacts within
                                        Grants.gov

  27       Application funding          The Funding Opportunity ID that\'s
           opportunity ID               associated with an application

  28       Application funding          A title or short description of the
           opportunity title            funding opportunity ID

  29       Application instructions     A separate document that explains how
                                        to apply for a particular application

  30       Application name             The name for the application

  31       Application open date        The date that an agency will start
                                        accepting applications for review

  32       Application POC address line The 1st address line of the
           1                            application\'s POC

  33       Application POC address line The 2nd address line of the
           2                            application\'s POC

  34       Application POC City         City of the application\'s POC

  35       Application POC e-mail       e-mail of the application\'s POC

  36       Application POC name         Name of the application\'s POC

  37       Application POC state        State of the application\'s POC

  38       Application POC Tel \#       Tel \# of the application\'s POC

  39       Application POC Zip          Zip code of the application\'s POC

  40       Attachment Types (Project    Is an optional part of the core data
           Narrative, Budget Narrative, that consists of 4 forms: Budget
           Debarment Explanation,       Narrative, Project Narrative,
           Other) - if required         Debarment Explanation, and Other.

  41       CFDA \#                      is the unique identifier for an
                                        agency's grant program. (ex.
                                        83.554  for Assistance to
                                        Firefighters Grant)

  42       CFDA \# confirmation field   The field confirming/denying whether
           (Y/N)                        the application has a valid CFDA \#
                                        associated with it. This confirmation
                                        is retrieved from CCR/BPN.

  43       CFDA title                   The title (short description) of the
                                        CFDA \# (or program)

  44       Competition ID               Is a Grants.gov generated ID that
                                        allows further distinction of the
                                        funding opportunity ID. The funding
                                        opportunity - competition ID
                                        combination allows applications with
                                        the same funding opportunity \# to be
                                        assigned unique identifiers. The
                                        competition ID allows unique
                                        identification of the application
                                        with different open and closed dates.

  45       Credential provider ID       Uniquely identifies the Grants.gov
                                        approved credential provider to allow
                                        e-authentication.

  46       Current receipt status       Is a status displayed to the grants
                                        applicant informing him or her the
                                        location of their grant application

  47       Date/time of agency receipt  Is the date/time an agency has
                                        received the application submitted by
                                        the applicant

  48       Date/Time of Grants.gov      Is the date/time Grants.gov has
           receipt                      received the application after
                                        applicant submission

  49       DUNS \#                      This is the 9 digit unique identifier
                                        created by Dun and Bradstreet Inc.
                                        The D&B D-U-N-S Number is a unique
                                        nine-digit identification sequence,
                                        which provides unique identifiers of
                                        single business entities, while
                                        linking corporate family structures
                                        together. This field is a new field
                                        added to the SF-424.

  50       DUNS \# confirmation(Y/N)    Confirms or denies that the DUNS \#
                                        submitted by the applicant exists
                                        within CCR/BPN

  51       DUNS organization name       Is the DUNS registered name
                                        associated with the applicant\'s
                                        agency DUNS \#

  52       E-authentication             Confirms or denies that an
           confirmation field (Y/N)     applicant\'s authentication
                                        login/password exists within an
                                        approved credential provider

  53       Final applicant submission   Confirms or denies that an applicant
           confirmation field (Y/N)     understood the application\'s funding
                                        opportunity \# and title, CFDA \# and
                                        title, and grant sponsoring agency
                                        prior to submission

  54       SF-424 and form selections   These are the basic OMB approved
           (SF-424A-D, Project          forms for Application for Federal
           Narrative, Budget Narrative, Assistance. SF-424 (as of 4/8/03) is
           Debarment explanation,       the latest OMB approved form and will
           other, etc.)                 include the e-mail address, 9 digit
                                        DUNS #, fax, country, and Insurance
                                        Acceptance Checkmark. SF-424A
                                        addresses budget information for
                                        Non-construction programs. SF-424B
                                        addresses assurance for
                                        non-construction programs. SF-424C
                                        addresses budget information for
                                        construction programs and SF-424D
                                        addresses assurances for construction
                                        programs.

  55       Funding opportunity ID       Is the unique identifier for grant
                                        announcements on FedGrants.gov. (ex.
                                        ED-GRANTS-040903-002).

  56       Funding opportunity title    Is the name given to the Funding
                                        Opportunity when posted on
                                        Fedgrants.gov

  57       Grants.gov tracking \#       This is the unique identifier that is
                                        generated within Grants.gov and will
                                        be the unique identifier for all
                                        grant applications being processed
                                        through grants.gov

  58       SF-424 Country (will be on   Country code of the applicant (new
           new SF-424)                  field on SF-424)

  59       SF-424 Dataset - Fields 1 -  SF-424 fields 1-18C
           18c                          

  60       SF-424 e-mail (will be on    e-mail address of the application\'s
           new SF-424)                  POC from a applicant\'s perspective
                                        (new field on SF-424)

  61       SF-424 Fax (will be on new   fax number of the application\'s POC
           SF-424)                      from an applicant\'s perspective (new
                                        field on SF-424)

  62       SF-424 Assurance Acceptance  Application checkmark that confirms
           Checkmark (will be on new    that the applicant will comply with
           SF-424)                      those requirements and other terms
                                        and conditions if it receives an
                                        award

  63       SF-424 Fields 18d-e          Signature of authorized
                                        representative and date signed for
                                        the application

  64       Sub-agency POC city (if      City of the sub-agency\'s POC
           required)                    

  65       Sub-agency application       The specified format a sub- agency
           download format (if          wishes to download an application
           required)                    (e.g., .pdf, XML etc.)

  66       sub-agency CFDA prefix (if   The CFDA prefix of the sub-agency
           required)                    

  67       Sub-agency code (if          The sub-agency code of the agency
           required)                    

  68       Sub-agency e-mail            e-mail notification guidance of the
           notification to super-user   sub-agency
           guidance (if required)       

  69       Sub-agency name (if          Name of the sub-agency
           required)                    

  70       Sub-agency parent agency (if Name of the sub-agency\'s parent
           required)                    organization

  71       Sub-agency POC address line  Address line one of the sub-agency\'s
           1 (if required)              POC

  72       Sub-agency POC address line  Address line two of the sub-agency\'s
           2 (if required)              POC

  73       Sub-agency POC name (if      Point of contact name for a
           required)                    sub-agency

  74       Sub-agency POC state (if     State of the sub-agency\'s POC
           required)                    

  75       Sub-agency POC zip code (if  Zip code of the sub-agency\'s POC
           required)                    

  76       Submission title             A descriptive title the applicant
                                        will create to represent their
                                        application

  77       User's address line 1        The agency user\'s address line 1

  78       User's address line 2        The agency user\'s address line 2

  79       User's agency                Name of the agency (or sub-agency)
                                        that the agency user belongs to

  80       User's city                  The agency user\'s city

  81       User's e-mail                The agency user\'s e-mail address

  82       User's name                  The agency user\'s name

  83       User's phone                 The agency user\'s phone \#

  84       User's role                  The agency user\'s role

  85       User's state                 The agency user\'s state

  86       User's zip code              The agency user\'s zip

  87       Validation confirmation      A confirmation field submitted to the
           (Y/N)                        applicant informing him or her that
                                        their application has passed the
                                        validation process

  88       Validation failure info (if  Reason for failure codes and
           needed)                      descriptions communicated to the
                                        applicant if the application failed
                                        the validation process
  -------- ---------------------------- -------------------------------------

H.  []{#__RefHeading___Toc45506459 .anchor}Bibliography/Resources

The following list of writings provide additional Grants.gov specific
and general, supplementary information:

Grants.gov Specific

-   [Grants.gov Vision and
    Goals](http://www.grants.gov/docs/VisionAndGoals.pdf)

-   Integration Kit Survey Analysis for Grants.gov

-   Core Data XML Schemas

-   XML Schema and Implementation Guide

-   Agency Integration Toolkit Design Specifications

General

-   What is SOAP? See a [Flash
    Movie](http://searchwebservices.techtarget.com/searchWebServices/downloads/what_is_soap.swf).

-   \[SOAP\] [SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) Version 1.1
    (http://www.w3.org/TR/SOAP/)](http://www.w3.org/TR/SOAP/)

-   [\[XML\]](http://www.w3.org/TR/SOAP/) [Extensible Markup Language
    (XML) 1.0
    (http://www.w3.org/TR/1998/REC-xml-19980210)](http://www.w3.org/TR/1998/REC-xml-19980210)

-   \[ebXML\] [Electronic Business using Extensible Markup Language
    (ebXML)
    (http://www.ebxml.org)](../Electronic%20Business%20using%20Extensible%20Markup%20Language%20(ebXML)%20(http://www.ebxml.org))

-   \[ebMS2\] ebXML messaging specification 2.0
    <http://www.ebxml.org/specs/ebMS2.pdf>

-   \[MultipartRelated\] [The MIME Multipart/Related Content-type
    (http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2387.txt)](http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2387.txt)

-   \[MIME1\] [Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) Part One:
    Format of Internet Message Bodies
    (http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2045.txt)](http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2045.txt)

-   \[CID\] [Content-ID and Message-ID Uniform Resource Locators
    http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2111.txt](http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2111.txt)

-   \[URI\] [Uniform Resource Identifiers (URI): Generic Syntax
    (http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2396.txt)](http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2396.txt)

-   \[RFC2557\] [MIME Encapsulation of Aggregate Documents, such as HTML
    (MHTML)
    (http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2557.txt)](http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2557.txt)

-   \[XMLBASE\] [XML Base
    http://www.w3.org/TR/xmlbase](http://www.w3.org/TR/xmlbase)

-   \[HTTP\] [Hypertext Transfer Protocol \-- HTTP/1.1
    (http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2616.txt)](http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2616.txt)

-   [Application Server Comparison
    Matrix](http://www.theserverside.com/reviews/matrix/matrix.pdf)

[^1]: http://www.grants.gov/docs/VisionAndGoals.pdf

[^2]: Developers may want to refer to the "Agency Integration Toolkit
    Design Specification" document, which contains the more technical
    details of how to design and implement the system-to-system
    interfaces.

[^3]: "Integration Kit Survey Analysis for Grants.gov"

[^4]: See Appendix [Web Services and Related Technologies
    Overview](#WebServicesOverview) for an overview of the proposed
    technologies.

[^5]: Any request/response message exchange type is independent of any
    other; i.e., multiple application package download message exchanges
    can occur prior to a delivery confirmation message exchange
    occurring.

[^6]: http://www.w3.org/TR/SOAP-attachments

[^7]: http://www.baselinemag.com/article2/0,3959,659101,00.asp

[^8]: See [Appendix F Application Schemas](#__RefHeading___Toc45506457)
    for more information regarding the Header and Footer application
    data.

[^9]: http://www.w3.org/TR/SOAP-attachments

[^10]: Some twenty-six (26) departments and agencies with approximately
    nine hundred (900) programs collect grant information today. Various
    program requirements and administrative differences necessitate the
    constant updating of procedures, and disparate data standards and
    business processes require redundant data entry, often resulting in
    inaccurate application submissions.

    > The federal Grants.gov initiative was undertaken for the
    > development of a one-stop electronic grant portal where potential
    > grant recipients will receive full service electronic grant
    > administration. Eleven of the twenty-six departments and agencies
    > have been designated as supporting partners for the Grants.gov
    > initiative, of which the [Department of Health and Human Services
    > (HHS)](http://www.os.dhhs.gov/) is the managing partner. For more
    > information, see <http://www.grants.gov/pmo.html>.