Federal Register, Volume 71 Issue 10 (Tuesday, January 17, 2006)

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 17, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2549-2550]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-396]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

HHS Managing Partner Grants.gov E-Government Initiative;
Governmentwide Notice of Opportunity to Register Early for Electronic
Submission of Grant Applications for Federal Funding Opportunities;
Early Registration With Grants.gov

AGENCY: Grants.gov Program Management Office; HHS Managing Agency;
Office of Assistant Secretary for Budget, Technology and Finance for
the Grants Executive Board, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Federal grant applicants must complete a three-step
registration process before applying for a federal grant opportunity
through Grants.gov. Grants.gov is the federal government's free,
single, and secure site for finding and submitting applications
electronically for federal grant funding. It is part of the ongoing
implementation of Electronic Government (E-Government) and a key
component of the President's Management Agenda. Expanding electronic
government makes it simpler for the public to receive high-quality
services from the federal government in addition to improving the
federal government's efficiency in the delivery of its services. To
protect the applicant and the applicant's information, and to assure
federal agencies that they are interacting with officials authorized to
submit applications for funding on behalf of applicant entities, an
applicant must register with Grants.gov.
In fiscal year 2005, 20 out of 26 federal grant making departments
and agencies achieved their goals, set through OMB guidance, of making
25 percent of their discretionary funding opportunities available for
the electronic submission of applications on Grants.gov and over 15,000
applications were received. Per OMB milestones, in fiscal year 2006 the
percentage of discretionary funding opportunities available for
electronic submission will increase to 75 percent and then to 100
percent in fiscal year 2007. This planned increase in utilization of
the Grants.gov system is indicative of a governmentwide transition to
electronic grant processes.
The twenty-six federal grant making departments and agencies
participating in Grants.gov are: The Departments of Health and Human
Services, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Education,
Agriculture, Justice, Labor, Homeland Security, Defense, Commerce,
Veterans Affairs, State, Treasury, Interior, and Energy, and the
National Science Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency, National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Endowment of the Arts,
National Endowment of Humanities, Corporation for National & Community
Service, U.S. Agency for International Development, National Archives
and Records Administration, Small Business Administration, Institute of
Museum and Library Services, and Social Security Administration.
Each of the federal grant-making departments and agencies listed
above are posting funding opportunities and grant application materials
on Grants.gov. To facilitate the federal grant application process,
this notice encourages prospective applicants to register early.
Registering in advance of agencies posting their grant opportunities
will eliminate many of the issues that applicants have faced by not
meeting registration requirements in time to meet application
deadlines. Registering early will allow the Federal agencies and
Grants.gov sufficient time to address questions applicants may have in
completing the registration process.

I. The Need To Register With Grants.gov

II. What Is Involved in Registration?

Before applying for a grant opportunity on Grants.gov, an applicant
must complete the registration process. Registration protects both the
applicant and the federal agencies against fraudulent activities.
Registration confirms that the applicant has designated a certain
individual or entity to submit an application on behalf of the
applicant and assures the federal agency that it is interacting with
the designated representative of the applicant.
Registration is a three-step process:
1. Register your organization.
2. Register yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative.
3. Become authorized by your organization to submit applications.
1. Register Your Organization. Before you can apply for a grant via
Grants.gov

[[Page 2550]]

your organization must register with the Central Contractor Registry
(CCR), which requires a Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number. A
DUNS number is a unique number that identifies an organization and has
been adopted by the Federal Government. The CCR is the central
government repository for organizations working with the Federal
government. The CCR collects, validates, stores and disseminates data
in support of agency acquisitions. For grants, CCR stores an
applicant's information, allowing Grants.gov to verify an
organization's identity and identify key business contacts for the
organization. An organization will be required to provide a DUNS
number, an E-Business point-of-contact (POC) and a Marketing Partner ID
Number (MPIN) when registering with CCR. Please note that CCR recently
began validating the tax identification number with IRS/Department of
Treasury, which delays the activation of the registration by
approximately 24-48 hours. Active CCR registrations and changes to
registration information are passed to Grants.gov on a daily basis. A
yearly validation of the CCR information is required to maintain an
active registration.
CCR Registration Assistance: 1-888-227-2423 (http://www.ccr.gov).
2. Register as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). An
AOR is a person named by an organization to submit an application for
funding consideration on behalf of the organization. In order to
safeguard the security of your electronic information and to submit a
Federal grant application via Grants.gov, an AOR must first obtain a
Username and Password from Grants.gov. The organizational DUNS number
will be needed to access the registration form, http://grants.gov/Register1. Completion of the registration form will provide a
Grants.gov Username and Password. The AOR's must then register the
Username and Password with Grants.gov, http://grants.gov/Register2.
3. Organization Authorizes Submitter (AOR). Grants.gov will send
the organization's CCR E-Business point-of-contact (POC) an e-mail
notifying them that someone from their organization has registered with
Grants.gov and needs to be authorized as an AOR. The E-Business POC
must log into Grants.gov, using their organization DUNS and
MPIN and authorize the AOR to submit an application via Grants.gov. The
registration process is complete once the AOR has been authorized.

III. Time Allotted for Registration

Based on Grants.gov applicant feedback, it usually takes 3-5 days
to complete registration with Grants.gov. Registrants should be aware
that portions of the Grants.gov registration process leverage other
governmentwide databases such as CCR. Some organizations have found it
can take up to 2 weeks to complete the registration process when
unexpected delays are encountered during the CCR registration process.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Grants.gov Web site provides
detailed registration checklists that guide users through the
registration process. The checklists are available through the ``Get
Started'' link on the Grants.gov Web site (http://www.grants.gov).
Questions may also be referred to the Grants.gov Contact Center at 1-
800-518-4726 or by e-mail at Grants.gov">support@Grants.gov. A Webcast has been
scheduled for the end of January 2006 specifically to cover the
Grants.gov registration process. Interested organizations may sign-up
for the Webcast at the Grants.gov Web site (http://www.grants.gov).

Dated: January 10, 2006.
Charles E. Johnson,
Assistant Secretary for Budget, Technology and Finance.
[FR Doc. E6-396 Filed 1-13-06; 8:45 am]
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