September 18, 2001

Albuquerque Operations Office's Grant Administration

As of September 30, 1999, the Albuquerque Operations Office (Albuquerque) administered grants with a total value of $509 million. These grants funded numerous activities such as research and development, education, and state and local projects. Albuquerque personnel were responsible for (1) ensuring that the activities were in accordance with the grant terms, and (2) verifying the proper expenditure of funds. To a large extent, these administrative responsibilities are accomplished through a review and analysis of various technical and financial reports provided by the grant recipients. A Federal Assistance Reporting Checklist is included as part of each grant. This checklist identifies the reporting requirements and frequency of required reports for each project. For example, "Topical" reports present the technical results of work performed on a specific phase of a project and "Final Technical" reports present a technical accounting on the total work performed on a project. There are also several financial reports on budgets, expense rates, and planned milestones, including a spending plan. The review by the Department of these reports, referred to as "deliverables," is an important and necessary part of the grant administration process.