Electronic Grants Management Solution - Request for Information (RFI)

The summary for the Electronic Grants Management Solution - Request for Information (RFI) grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the State of Texas, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Electronic Grants Management Solution - Request for Information (RFI): NOTICE: This RFI is issued for the purpose of obtaining information that will be reviewed and evaluated by a team composed of staff from different areas within TxDOT. This RFI does not constitute a solicitation of proposals, a commitment to conduct a procurement, or an offer of a contract or prospective contract. TxDOT shall not be liable for any costs incurred by any potential vendor in the preparation and submission of information in response to this RFI. PURPOSE This Request for Information (RFI) is issued by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Traffic Operations Division, (herein referred to as TxDOT), for the purpose of gathering information from firms concerning electronic grants management solutions. TxDOT desires to move to a Web-based solution designed to: ? manage the entire grant life cycle process and provide a consistent grant application and management process across all grants; ? address the need to maintain several years of grant information, easily accessible to a variety of stakeholders; ? allow controlled access via the Web to external subgrantees and TxDOT staff; ? allow the routing, reviewing and approving of documents through a configurable workflow mechanism; and, ? reduce or eliminate the need for mailing, distribution and storage of mass amounts of hardcopy documents. BACKGROUND The Traffic Operations Division is currently handling over 250 traffic safety grants annually, representing approximately 40 million dollars per year (Fiscal Year 2004). Both the number of grants and the funds have increased significantly over the last five years. In the past, grant application and management has been completed manually. While there have been efforts to move to more electronic forms and procedures, there have been financial and personnel limitations to the changeover to a completely electronic grants management system. Research has been done of other state traffic safety offices in the US and other Texas agencies to determine the existence, status, and relevance of other electronic grants systems that might have some applicability. Current systems that have been identified are mainly only front-end application oriented and do not deal with cost reimbursement. The Traffic Operations Division has been working with the Governor's Office, the Department of Information Resources (DIR), the Electronic Grants Technical Assistance Work Group (EGTAW), and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) to research and coordinate this effort and to comply with established federal and state standards. The Traffic Operations Division?s E-Grants project is in response to (1) the federal move to electronic grants that began in late 2003 and (2) SB 1458, enacted by the 77th session of the Texas Legislature, which directs the Department of Information Resources to study the costs and benefits of establishing an electronic grants management system for Texas state grant programs. With the current technology available, it would create significant efficiencies to reduce the use of paper grants applications and management reports, which are very manpower intensive, time-consuming, and require significant filing capability.