The vendor is required to provide that eGrants management system to develop a modern web-based grant administration system to enhance efficiency of grant processing and improve the customer experience.
- Community assistance oracle system (CAOS) limitations:
• The CAOS system is more than 20 years old and was built on expiring technology, oracle fusion middleware - forms and reports.
• Department staff must manually enter the application data into the CAOS system for applications, grant documents, and encumbrances.
• In addition to extensive staff time, manual entry can lead to data entry errors and discrepancies.
• grant data and documents are stored in a combination of paper files, stand-alone electronic files and the CAOS system, which are not integrated.
• The CAOS system does not include all workflow components for grant processing.
• The existing CAOS system is not integrated with the department people-soft financial system.
• CAOS does not have a document storage function.
• department maintains more than 250 stand-alone pdf forms for various aspects of grant program implementation. updating stand-alone forms is a time-intensive process.
- Quality of customer service:
• Department maintains an array of external-facing webpages with information about department grant programs and applicant resources (e.g., forms).
• Customers find it challenging to locate a suitable grant program for their particular project.
• Applicants must download grant application documents from the applicable website, complete the forms in pdf or hard copy, and submit the application to the department.
• Customers frequently encounter issues with functionality of the pdf forms, which causes frustration and can delay grant processing and payments.
• Customers must reach out to the department via phone, email or mail to determine the status of their application.
• The extensive manual entry workload in the current system leads to grant processing and payments timeframes that do not meet department standards for exceptional customer service.
- Grant program manager:
•The primary department staff person responsible for overseeing a grant program and any identified project team members.
• Add grant programs and modify grant announcements.
• Full access to create, edit, delete, return, modify, or make other changes to all aspects of egrants for their programs.
• Can view all information in egrants. grant project manager
• Full access to create, edit, delete, return, modify, or make other changes to all aspects of grant announcements, applications, and awards for their assigned projects.
• The ability to add or modify grant announcements (i.e., funding opportunities).
• View all information in egrants
- Grant funding opportunities
• Department staff with grant program manager, administrator, or help desk roles can maintain or modify information in the system directly without the need for additional coding.
• This includes creating new grant opportunities.
• The system is capable of supporting 60+ concurrent funding opportunities with different timelines, application documentation requirements, eligible grant recipients, eligible project types, and internal staff assignments.
• External customers can view funding opportunities without the need to log into the system.
- Online applications
• Ability to track authorized representatives by applicant.
• Ability for external users to view grant opportunities without the need to log into the system.
• Applications/awarded grants shall only be visible to external users affiliated with the applicant.
• Ability to search for funding opportunities by program name.
• Mechanism for applicants to certify that they are authorized to submit an application, sign contracts, or submit reimbursement requests on behalf of their organization.
• External customers can submit an application and all associated required documentation through the online portal in real-time without the need to download or upload stand-alone documents.
• The system shall have ability to check for completeness.
•  Internal department staff can view applications in progress and upload applications on behalf of an external user.
• Internal users can set the egrants system to allow or disallow changes or submittal of additional information after a deadline.
• Applicants and internal staff have direct access to up-to-date application status, accurate application data and program information.
• The system shall allow the user to submit a pre-application and send the request to the department grant program or project manager for review.
- Reimbursement
• Ability to track grant funds awarded, reimbursed, remaining, and associated match.
• Grant encumbrances and reimbursement processing can occur in egrants without the need for secondary data entry into people-soft or additional email communications.
• Reimbursement requests and all associated required documentation through the online portal in real-time without the need to download or upload stand-alone documents
• Grant staff to process advance payments, partial payments, final payments, funding withheld for final completion, etc. from the egrants system. o seamless people-soft integration.
- Workflow management
• Users have differential access based on user type (internal and external).
• The system shall display the status of an external user request to provide transparency in grant application processes and grant management.
• All information entered, uploaded, or edited is tracked by user, date, and time.
• The system shall allow grant staff to identify custom workflow for grant programs.
• Egrants shall provide functionality for department grant staff to track progress in application review, grant processing, and grant management/close-out.
- Monitoring
• Internal users can establish monitoring deadlines (frequency and duration) for specific grants, upload monitoring dates and documents, and generate applicable reports.
• External users can submit self-monitoring reports in the system.
- Reporting
• Ability for department users to generate custom queries with access to all primary data fields.
• Flexible fiscal and grant reporting with ability to generate standardized reports.
- Document generation and storage
• Ability to generate standard grant documents that are subsequently customizable.
• Provide document storage function, including ability to tag files with an appropriate records disposition date.
- Contract Period/Term: 2 years
- An Informational Meeting Date: February 19, 2025
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: February 25, 2025