Customized ARRA reporting management solutions

Streamlining reporting for ARRA government grant compliance

Reporting strategies are a key success factor that utilities should focus on to move their government grant-funded projects forward effectively, efficiently, and with the desired outcomes. KEMA offers utilities a two-pronged approach to managing complex, multi-stage grant reporting processes and to stay ahead of changes to government reporting requirements.

 

Whether supporting US Department of Energy (DOE) American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants and/or other federal and state program awards, utilities should focus on a number of common key success factors to move their grant projects forward successfully. These include:

• Accurately defining all reporting requirements

• Integration of all impacted departments within the organization (e.g., accounting, commercial operations)

• Establishing clear responsibilities either by department or individual

• Tracking ongoing changes from the DOE, US Office of Management and Budget (OMB), etc.

Reporting strategies for successful DOE ARRA projects and beyond

First, our grant reporting strategy services and solutions help clients identify and/or reduce the number of reporting requirements, support the grant award negotiation process with DOE, develop the build and impact metrics for compliance measurement, and prepare Project Execution Plan (PEP) and cyber-security plans.

 

Second, we offer a customized software platform to manage, track and complete required DOE ARRA reports. Developed based on our engagements with DOE Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) awardees, our KEport reporting tool provides dashboard views displaying past, present and future reporting activity. All current ARRA SGIG reports pre-built into the system, including DOE and OMB sanctioned and validated report templates; and we incorporate user-defined reports and questions in a graphical environment. The tool offers single button submitting and reporting as well as custom analysis and statistical reports.

 

KEMA DOE ARRA experience

Since the inception of the smart grid concept, KEMA has been working with a wide range of clients on smart grid initiatives—from strategic visioning to technology, data and operations integration. We also have guided a number of successful ARRA Smart Grid Investment Grant applications.

 

KEMA-supported applicants received approximately $500 million in funds, which represent 13 percent of the total DOE SGIG budget. In supporting SGIG applications, KEMA has gained invaluable experience working with DOE, from understanding program goals and processes to crafting solutions that are beneficial to all participants and stakeholders.