The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

How stimulating is it?

November, 2010

Antonette Sommerville, Fiscal Division

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WHAT IS THE STIMULUS ACT?ARRA

– “Let us start by remembering the four-part composition of the stimulus:

• 30% per cent took the form of infrastructure spending,

• 30% came in tax cuts for the middle class and small business,

• 20% represented extended benefits such as unemployment insurance and

• 20% consisted of federal money for state governments.

– Supporters said these elements would work fast. Yet only 34 per cent of the total was spent in 2009. That partly reflected the large role of infrastructure and its slow spend-out rate. In spite of promises from governors about “shovel ready” projects, this term is almost an oxymoron. There were few such projects.”

obamastimulusbenefits.com/how-successful-was-obamas-economic-stimulus  By Andy February 9, 2010

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ARRA FOR VDOT

• VDOT currently has 141 projects along with 2 Eastern Federal Lands and 4 Forest Highway projects. – Allocated $694.5 million for highway improvements; VDOT

transferred funds to other Federal Agencies leaving $634.1 to obligate.

• Increased scrutiny from Federal Agencies in the following areas:– Bridge

– DBE (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise)

– Quality Assurance and Quality Control

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FMIS Improvement TypeNumber of Projects

Total ARRA Obligations

Bridge Improvement 2 $1,697,416

Bridge Replacement 1 $18,209,077

New Bridge Construction 1 $16,892,680

New Construction 7 $64,205,374

Other 38 $50,909,799

Pavement Improvement 56 $223,359,524

Pavement Widening 12 $208,666,185

Safety/Traffic Management 16 $44,604,033

Transportation Enhancements 8 $5,566,276

TOTAL 141 $634,110,364

ARRA FOR VDOT

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Transportation Enhancements6%

Bridges3%

New Construction5%

Other27%

Pavement Improvement or Widening

48%

Safety/Traffic Management11%

ARRA FOR VDOT

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Additional Federal Oversight

• Quality Assurance– During construction to assess materials testing/

acceptance and inspection

• DBE– Compliance during active construction with Contract DBE

goals, “good faith” efforts, complaints, and project bulletin boards

• Bridge– During active construction to assess compliance with

contract, plans, and specifications for construction. Items related to structural, geotechnical, and hydraulic aspects.

FHWA U.S. Dept. of TransportationVirginia ARRA Supplement to the Efficiencies AgreementMarch 2010

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CURRENT REPORTING

•FHWA RADS database (Weekly/Monthly)

•FederalReporting.gov (Quarterly)

•Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (Monthly)

•Governor’s Office (Monthly)

•Miscellaneous Reporting (As Needed)

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HOW DID VDOT MAKE THIS HAPPEN?

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HOW VDOT MADE THIS HAPPEN

• VDOT developed a centralized reporting solution to compile necessary data efficiently – Reliance on Existing Systems and Internal Control

processes already in place.• Data Compilation

• Project Certifications/Reviews

– ARRA Team additional issues addressed:• Contractors/Consultants jobs reporting

• Local Governments and Other state agency administered projects

• Non-construction projects

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• Review the ARRA information project module and complete missing information - Project Details (1586).

• Complete the Monthly Status update - Monthly Details (1585).

• Validate the Vendor’s monthly employment figures - Vendor Data (1587).

• Complete the monthly employment update.

USERS’ RESPONSIBILITIES

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• Review, then certify/sign-off on project data.

• Provide support for Vendors using the ARRA Reporting Tool.

• Notify Administrators of the designated ARRA reporting representative and subsequent changes.

USERS’ RESPONSIBILITIES

(CONTINUED)

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• Access ARRA Reporting Tool website:– Create a User account

– Create company profile

– Set-up/change User profile

• Submit Vendor employment reports.

• Add a project to an existing User profile.

• Add a Vendor’s Subs to a project for reporting purposes.

USERS’ RESPONSIBILITIES(VENDORS)

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STIMULATED YET?

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• Project Details (1586) & Monthly Details (1585)– Any updates/changes to project information MUST be updated within 7

days of update/change

• Monthly Status Report – Division/District/Locality reviews/updates prior to the 5th of each month

• Monthly Details (1585)

• Monthly Employment Status Report – Contractor Data (1587) updates prior to the 10th of each month– District/Locality updates to the Contractor Data (1587) and own

employment data prior to the 13th of each month

• Monthly Project Certification or “Signoff”– By the 30th for the preceding month

• Office Of Management and Budget (OMB) Quarterly Reporting (FederalReporting.gov)

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS – CRITICAL DEADLINES

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GENERAL BUSINESS AND TRANSACTION REQUIREMENTS

• Once the Monthly reports are closed by the Administrator, users cannot enter data.

– For the Monthly Report (1587) if an error is noted, you must forward the corrected information to the Administrators

• Monthly reporting is required even if there is no activity on the project.

• If a project is needed and is not displayed in the ARRA Reporting Tool, user should contact the Administrators.

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• Prime Vendor is responsible to report on all of the Vendor’s subs monthly employment data.

• All known Vendor’s Subs should be automatically displayed and will populate in the ARRA Reporting Tool.

• If a Vendor’s subs are not displayed, the prime Vendor should add them by clicking on the “add new subcontractor” link.

ADD A VENDOR’S SUB(S) TO PROJECT FOR REPORTING PURPOSES

BUSINESS AND TRANSACTION REQUIREMENTS

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES PROVIDED

• ARRA Reporting Tool System Help Feature for External Users

• Training website that can be used to practice by Vendors and Districts

• ARRA Reporting Tool Training PowerPoint• Quick reference guides• Links to relevant sites and past Webinars

– Consultant/Contractor Training Session– Locality Training Session– District Training Session

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LESSONS LEARNED

• Working with new Federal Statutes and various Federal Agencies– Flexibility

• Unknown and Changing Requirements

• Varying Definitions

• Implementation issues

– Communication• Webinar participation

• Q&A compilations/websites

• Direct Questions and Reponses

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LESSONS LEARNED

• Working within your own organization– Determining best sources

• Communication with responsible staff

• Data assessment

– Roles and Responsibilities• Centralized vs. Decentralized

• Training and Monitoring

• Working with Award recipients– Communication– Training– Monitoring

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BUT WAIT!!!!!

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WHILE WE WORKED ON ARRA….

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TRANSPARENCY ACT

“On September 26, 2006, President Bush signed S. 2590, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, into law (P.L. 109-282).”

“In an attempt to expand oversight of federal spending, including earmarks, the new law requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to establish a publicly available online database containing information about entities that are awarded federal grants, loans, and contracts.”

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/secrecy/RL33680.pdfThe Federal Funding Accountability andTransparency Act: Background, Overview, andImplementation IssuesOctober 6, 2006

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TRANSPARENCY ACTREPORTING TIMELINE FOR PRIME GRANT RECIPIENTS

•Prime Grant Recipients awarded a new Federal grant greater than or equal to $25,000 as of October 1, 2010 are subject to FFATA subaward reporting requirements as outlined in the Office of Management and Budget's guidance issued August 27, 2010.

•The prime awardee is required to file a FFATA subaward report by the end of the month following the month in which the prime recipient awards any sub-grant greater than $25,000.

•The grants subaward reporting functionality will be available via www.fsrs.gov on October 29, 2010.

https://www.fsrs.gov/

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Questions/Comments