I do not believe this is outsourcing of grants management.  For years,
agencies have hired contractors to help with the backlog of their
closeout requirements (agencies get audited on whether they're doing the
things they're supposed to be doing as well).

What you're thinking about with NIH and their inspection for
vulnerability to outsourcing is probably the requirements in OMB
Circular A-76.  I'm not sure how it all came about, but in the previous
Bush administration, all agencies were supposed to look at A-76.  A-76
says agencies are expected to determine if an activity is "inherently
governmental" or "commercial"; if the activity is deemed to be
commericial, then a streamlined type of competition must take place to
see if the government should be performing an activity.  That inspection
is part of the A-76 process.

Pat

Patricia A. Hawk
Cost Analyst, Business Affairs
Oregon State University
306 Kerr Administration Building
Corvallis, OR  97331
(phone) 541-737-9585
(fax) 541-737-2069

-----Original Message-----
From: Research Administration List [mailto:xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG] On
Behalf Of Baumann, John
Sent: Thursday, April 07, 2005 8:59 PM
To: xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG
Subject: Re: [RESADM-L] HRSA grant closeouts

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. So,
outsourcing/privatization of grants management is moving forward?  I had
thought that that initiative was defeated a year or two back.  I
remember a summer or two ago when the grants management branch of one
NIH institute was busily putting their files in order as they were
facing an inspection -- a nice word, I was told, for assessment of their
vulnerability to outsourcing.

Has anyone experienced this with either another federal agency or with
regard to some issue other than close out?

John

John R. Baumann, Ph.D.
Associate Vice Chancellor for Research
Director, Office of Research Services
5100 Rockhill Road  (US Postal Service)
5211 Rockhill Road (Courier Service)
Kansas City, MO 64110
xxxxxx@umkc.edu
816.235.1303 (v)
816.235.6532 (f)

-----Original Message-----
From: Research Administration List [mailto:xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG] On
Behalf Of Susan A. Brown
Sent: Wednesday, April 06, 2005 2:19 PM
To: xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG
Subject: [RESADM-L] HRSA grant closeouts

MUSC received correspondence from Brace Management Group, Inc., the
contracting agent charged with assisting HRSA in grant closeouts.  We
were concerned that (1) the original letter had no date, (2) lacked
complete address information as would be typical of HRSA, and (3) was
sent to MUSC from a Brace Management employee, not HRSA.

It took a few weeks to get a response but HRSA Director of Grants
Management Operations, Larry Poole, sent me an updated letter today.
Please see attached to confirm legitimacy of requests from Brace
Management Group, Inc. for your records.

Thank you,
Susan

--
Susan A. Brown, C.R.A.
Grants & Contracts Administrator
Medical University of South Carolina
Research & Sponsored Programs
19 Hagood Avenue, Room 606 (express mail & drop +4 zip code)
P.O. Box 250808 (U.S. Postal Service only)
Charleston, SC  29425-0808
PH:  843-792-2040 (my desk)
PH:  843-792-3838 (receptionist)
FX:  843-792-6447

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======================================================================
 Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including
 subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available
 via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists")
======================================================================

======================================================================
 Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including
 subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available
 via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists")
======================================================================