# Presentation: 701485

## Federal Funding and Accountability and Transparency Act 

- Andrea L. Brandon
- Deputy Administrator, OEP

## Transparency Act

- September 26, 2006, President Bush signed into law S. 2590, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (P.L. 109-282)
- Required that the Office of Management and Budget establish a publicly available, searchable website containing information about entities that are awarded (grants, cooperative agreements, subgrant awards, loans, contracts, subcontracts, and other forms of federal assistance)

## Transparency Act

## Transparency Act

- January 1, 2008:
-    Single searchable website was implemented http://www.USAspending.gov
- The Act gave 11 required data elements (name of entity receiving award, amount of award, transaction type, funding agency, North American Industry Classification System code, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number, Program Source, Award title, location of the entity, primary location of performance (including city, state, congressional district and country), Unique identifier of entity, and any other information specified by OMB)
- Data must be available within 30 days of award

## Transparency Act

- Does not include individual transactions below $25,000
- Does not include government credit card transactions before October 1, 2008

## Transparency Act

- By January 1, 2009:
- The searchable website is required to include information on subgrantees and subcontractors that receive federal funds through a primary award recipient.
- Subaward data must be disclosed in same manner as primary award data
- Award recipients and subrecipients may allocate reasonable costs for collecting and reporting subaward data as indirect costs
- Organizations with less that $300,000 in total income are not required to report on subawards

## Transparency Act 

- Act required a Subgrant Pilot for July 2007 (did not happen)
- Grant Subaward Pilot currently set for June 23, 2008 through August 23, 2008
- Pilot will be open to States, Local Governments, Universities, Tribes, Non-Profits, etc.
- Currently have 70+ pilot participants (not counting duplicate representatives from the same organization)

## Transparency Act 

- OMB Chief Financial Officer’s Council, Grant Policy Committee, Pre-Award workgroup finalized the DRAFT regulations on the use of the DUNS number and CCR.gov for grant subawards; and the Term and Condition to be used on all awards.
- DRAFT regulations were sent to GPC and OMB simultaneously on 3/17/2008; to be published for 30 day comment period.

## Transparency Act 

- FFATA Subaward Workgroup will be working on DRAFT Regulations (will publish for 30 day comment period by the end of May 2008):
- 30 day reporting requirement
- Additional data elements
- How to report to the sub-award database
- Liability for data (First Tier vs. Sub-awardee)
- How many tiers down to report
- Format for data elements
- Whether to include deobligation data or not
- Thresholds
- 	Met w/NGP on 4/8 and 5/14, 2008 for Townhall conference call to go over these issues and to obtain their feedback and suggestions.

## Transparency Act 

- Would like more pilot participants – especially from the Tribal Community
- Would like to make sure that we can test multiple levels of subaward reporting from the same grant in several instances during the pilot

## Transparency Act 

- The OMB E-gov office is issuing an RFI to Federal Agencies which will allow them to look for possible IT Solutions for the grant subaward pilot.
- Identification of IT solution in time for pilot to begin.
- Once IT solution is identified; will work with pilot participants to finalize the instructions for how the pilot will take place.

## Transparency Act

**Late 2006**:  Implementation plan transmitted to Federal agencies
**2007**–July 1:  Pilot on subcontracts and subgrantee data (was due); however pilot rescheduled for June 23, 2008
**2008**-January 1:  Single searchable website for awards
**2008 – **June 23: Grant Subaward Pilot Scheduled
**2009**-January 1:  Include subcontractor and subgrantee awards
**2010**-January 1:  Comptroller General Report to Congress on Compliance

-             **2006**

**2007**

**2008**

**2009**

**2010**

## Transparency Act 

- FAQs for the Grant Subaward Pilot will be posted to the USAspending.gov website

## Transparency Act 

- Pilot Participants contact abrandon@csrees.usda.gov
- Questions ?