incredibly irritated was FedConnect Bob Beattie 21 Apr 2009 15:42 EST
Thanks Tina, now you have got me going: rant on -- I have just been watching the GPC webcast about all of this and it is distressing. I think the recent decision by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to allow all agencies to ignore Grants.gov and use any system they want to receive applications is the worst example of government waste I have seen. Universities have put millions of dollars -- maybe all of us together, a hundred million -- into systems and procedures for dealing with Grants.gov. Yes, the system has programming problems and needs more capacity, but we know it and we know how to deal with it. A bit more capacity and it might work just fine, and a little program fix. Many agencies have not been supportive of Grants.gov. Compare NIH receiving 86,000 applications through Grants.gov to NASA's paltry 121, or even NSF taking in only 600 of the tens of thousands they get. All agencies were required to contribute to Grants.gov, even if they wanted it to fail. Now maybe they will seek to not support it. Tom Cooley, head of GPC, and CFO at NSF said on the webcast that agencies could allow people to use systems other than Grants.gov but that was optional. We know this is not true, as Tina says, Energy is requiring FedConnect or IIPS. FedConnect was installed as the Energy Department's GMLOB system, not to be converted into a submission system. So using the ARRA as an excuse, and instead of fixing Grants.gov for all of us, the Director of OMB says it is ok to move away from Grants.gov. So Energy, which just made a huge investment in FedConnect as their exception to the Grants Management Line of Business process, decides to now use it to replace Grants.gov, and worse, they are still using IIPS -- two bad systems. We might accept FastLane or even INSPIRES as they don't work too badly. But the Energy choices are clearly worse than Grants.gov, once you can even figure out how to use them. Don't we really want just one system, for all grants, anyway. I do not like many aspects of Grants.gov but I want it to succeed. So what to do? You could write your congress people to complain that you want one portal for grants submissions, and you have made a large investment already in Grants.gov. Write too, to support Senate Bill 303 now in the House, to renew Grants.gov with some stronger components. One being required user input. We must complain about the roller coaster ride we are being put on -- Grants.gov problems, not fixed, new systems to learn, what next - 26 systems, or PAPER!? Do we think that all agencies must accept Grants.gov, or their own but the latter must optional. We should not be required to use FedConnect. Consider writing to the OMB person who seems to be in charge of the Grants.gov reduction, xxxxxx@omb.eop.gov If you are upset with Grants.gov reductions in use, and with any aspect, maybe he will listen. If you want to go higher, http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ As the site says, President Obama is committed to creating the most open and accessible administration in American history. Open but will anybody listen to us? The FDP and COGR are working on this problem of lack of Grants.gov support and attempts to move away from it. I have heard that the administration thinks of Grants.gov as a Bush Initiative, so something to change. What they do not realize is that it is a College/University Initiative that was started during the Clinton administration as the Federal Commons. Be sure to let your reps to FDP and COGR know what you want (if you are not them) and keep those organizations pushing. Consider contacting your state Grants people, as they are also impacted. They work through the National Grants Partnership. Are we as mad as h*** and not going to take it anymore, yet? Tina is mild in her comment: "We are incredibly irritated here that we and our PIs have to learn yet another system." That does makes a good slogan, doesn't. Tell Mr. Werfel, "We are incredibly irritated to have to learn another system." rant off keep the applications flowing :) Bob ------------------------------ Robert Beattie University of Michigan xxxxxx@umich.edu (734) 936-1283 On Apr 21, 2009, at 2:30 PM, Tina L. Cunningham wrote: Hi Bob, We are now seeing proposals submissions being required to go through FedConnect (our first one is due the end of the month) and so I searched the list serv to see what had been discussed and found this thread (hard to believe it is over a year ago!). I know that we are stuck with what the RFP tells us to do, but is it truly proper to require us to use a new system over Grants.gov? We are incredibly irritated here that we and our PIs have to learn yet another system. Thanks! Tina ******************************** Tina L. Cunningham, J.D., CRA Administrator Sponsored Programs Administration Mississippi State University 133 Etheredge Hall 449 Hardy Road P.O. Box 6156 Mississippi State, MS 39762 Phone: 662-325-7395 Fax: 662-325-3803 Email: xxxxxx@spa.msstate.edu >>> From: Bob Beattie <xxxxxx@UMICH.EDU> To: <xxxxxx@hrinet.org> Date: 2/18/2008 1:46 PM Subject: Re: [RESADM-L] FedConnect FedConnect is a change from IIPS. It will be a post submission management system, like Reserch.gov, NIH eRA Commons and other such operations. As folks may know there is a move within granting agencies to come up with a limited number of post submission management systems. This is under auspices of OMB. The general project is called "Grants Management Line of Business - GMLOB. There are now three but agencies can get an exemption, NIH has, for example. Also DoEnergy Here is an overview of the whole process from 2005 at FDP site http://thefdp.org/Meeting_Sep2005.html Read about NSF's project - Research.gov http://thefdp.org/Jan_2008_meeting.html For some details on FedConnect itself, go here http://e-center.doe.gov/doebiz.nsf/Special+Notices?OpenView and then here DOE Transitioning To Electronic Procurement System So FedConnect is not a grants submission system, maybe will be for contract applications. Below is a comment I got when I asked someone in DOE what this is about. "DOE is not going to use one of the GMLOB consortia. We received an exception from OMB early last calendar year to add the financial assistance module to our new acquisition mgmt system. This decision had many facets to it (and no it was not mine.) The short story is none of the other three gave us what we needed. This system will be standardized across DOE and offices will have limited abilities to do things their own way. Most of the changes with this new system will be internal and not will affect applicants and recipients. We will continue to use Grants.gov to post FOAs and receive applications. All pre-award, admin, and post award communications will be through the fedconnect portal. This includes making the award, amendments and letters from DOE and reports submission and communications from you. We are still working out some of the details and the implementation schedule, transition is scheduled to begin in April and last for 6-9 months. Right now the biggest change is for you to register at FEDConnect. I believe NASA and parts of DHS and DOT are also going to use this system for grants. For acquisition, there are lots of agencies going with Compusearch." Hope this is helpful. Maybe more than most people wanted to know :) Bob xxxxxx@umich.edu 734 936-1283 On Feb 18, 2008, at 11:38 AM, Giarrusso, Gary wrote: A few weeks ago, we received an email from the Department of Energy requiring us to register on FedConnect for the purposes of submitting proposals and general award administration. I was wondering if anyone had information as to why DOE is not using Grants.gov. It would seem to me that this application is in competition with Grants.gov. Thanks. Gary Giarrusso, CPA Manager of Sponsored Programs Accounting and Financial Compliance University of New Hampshire Office of Sponsored Research Service Building, 51 College Road Durham, NH 03824 Tel (603) 862-0609 Fax (603) 862-3564 xxxxxx@unh.edu ====================================================================== I nstructions 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") ====================================================================== ====================================================================== 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") ======================================================================