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NCURA 54th Annual Conference
USDA
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Office of Grants and Financial Management
November 7, 2012
Topics to be Covered• USDA Farm Bill• OGFM Strategic Plan• OGFM 2012 Stakeholder Outreach Pilot• OGFM Communications Audit • NIFA A-123 Internal Controls Testing• OGFM Quarterly Quality Assurance Testing• A-133 Single Audits Issues/Trends• Questions
Leading Food and Agricultural Sciences to Create a Better Future
for the Nation and the World
USDA NIFA Farm Bill The only NIFA programs that are immediately and
directly impacted by the expiration the Farm Bill are our mandatory programs:
• Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative• Specialty Crop Research Initiative• Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development
Program, • Biomass Research and Development Initiative • Biodiesel Fuel Education Program
Mission – We, the Office of Grants and Financial Management (OGFM), administer grants, cooperative agreements, and other federal financial assistance with policy, funding, and oversight to support the National Institute of Food and Agriculture in advancing food and agricultural sciences
Core Values
• Trust
• Ethics
• Accountability
• Motivation
• Willingness
• Ownership
• Respect
• Knowledge
OGFM Vision: Going From Good to Great with Eight
Eight Vision Tenants Include:
1. Enhance communication, collaboration, and cooperation both internally and with external business partners and stakeholders
2. Empower staff in order to improve productivity, efficiency, and workforce satisfaction
3. Increase stakeholder outreach and education
4. Engage stakeholders in two-way dialogue in order to improve relationships
5. Align financial management goals with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s financial management scorecard
6. Commit business activities to policy
7. Streamline business processes to improve operational effectiveness and efficiency
8. Establish an integrated electronic workflow to reduce and/or eliminate the use of paper
OGFM Strategic Plan• OGFM’s “Good to Great” Initiative• Implementation of Vision-Based Strategy
– Grantee Outreach Program “Pilot”• Value Added by Outreach Program• Program Structure/Timing• Roles and Responsibilities
– Strategic Communications Audit and Planning• Value Added by Strategic Communications
Audit/Planning• Ongoing Activities and Next Steps
OGFM 2012 Stakeholder Outreach “Pilot”
OGFM Strategic Goals
• Enhancing communication, collaboration, and cooperation with external business partners and stakeholders
• Increasing stakeholder outreach and education
• Engaging stakeholders in two-way dialogue
Value to Grantees
• Increase communication with/from OGFM
• Provide a forum for feedback/questions on a monthly basis
• Enhance existing knowledge on high priority topics/issues for grantee organizations
• Gain insight on where to direct questions/requests for action
Value Added by Outreach Program
OGFM 2012 Stakeholder Outreach “Pilot”
The following elements are included as part of the Grantee Outreach Program piloted by OGFM:
– Orientation Call/Suggested Topic Collection – Monthly Outreach Calls (“pilot” monthly calls to continue through mid-June)– 1890 Land Grant Institution “Pilot” Live Outreach Meeting– Lessons Learned Review
Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4
Call Materials distributed
Call Agenda distributed
Monthly Outreach Calls
1890 “Live” Meeting
Call Agenda distributed
Call Agenda distributed
Call Materials distributed
Monthly Outreach Calls
Call Materials distributed
Monthly Outreach Calls
Orientation Calls
Program Structure/Timeline
OGFM 2012 Stakeholder Outreach “Pilot”
Roles Responsibilities
Grantee Institutions
Provide input on high priority issues/topics of interest within OGFM’s grantee communities
OGFM
Tailor communications and outreach to best suit grantee institution needs
Present on the identified topics during the monthly calls Develop presentation agendas and materials for outreach
calls/meetingNIFA
Assistant Director, OGFM
Oversee the Grantee Outreach Program and address needs and concerns of grantees as necessary
Roles & Responsibilities
OGFM Communications Audit
• OGFM Communications Audit an outgrowth of recommendations identified in the OGFM Organizational Assessment and organizational/operational goals detailed within OGFM’s Vision-Based Strategic Plan during FY11
• Feedback regarding internal/external communications were collected through various methods:
– Working discussions
– Group working discussions
– Online questionnaire of both internal staff and grantees
Strategic Communications Audit & Planning
• Conducted working discussions with leadership, group working discussions with staff, and distributed questionnaires internally to select OGFM and NIFA personnel
• Facilitated a Town Hall session with a group of NIFA grantees during recent live Grantee Outreach Meeting to solicit candid feedback from grantees on communication practices/materials
• Currently reviewing and analyzing existing communication materials and practices to determine their effectiveness within OGFM and externally to grantees and key NIFA stakeholders
• Developing comprehensive, actionable communication plans that are aligned to OGFM’s Vision-Based Strategic Plan and provide clear guidance/direction to leadership/staff on how to move forward most effectively in the near term
Ongoing Activities & Next Steps
Internal and External Communication Plans
• 12 foundational communication strategies developed, 6 internal and 6 external– Examples include:
• Centralized communication coordination• Triage of inbound issues• Professional development related to communications and customer service• More targeted outreach through continued implementation of Grantee
Outreach Program pilot
• Strategies designed to create a more positive communication environment through:– Strengthened communication– Greater engagement/robust dialogue with key stakeholders– Increased overall satisfaction amongst internal staff and grantees
NIFA A-123 Internal Controls Testing
• NIFA OGFM has successfully reduced the number of key controls by 41% since FY10 – streamlining control activities and eliminating duplicative controls– More effective key risk mitigation– More effective, efficient, and sustainable compliance effort requiring
decreased overall level of effort/cost annually
• Ongoing remediation and process improvement efforts over last three fiscal years have reduced the number of open A-123 deficiencies within Grants Management cycle by 67%
OGFM Quarterly Quality Assurance Testing
• NIFA OGFM continues to leverage its new Quality Assurance and Controls Monitoring (QACM) program to regularly assess operations/reliability of internal controls and reduce A-123 compliance costs (e.g. 30% reduction in A-123 testing level of effort via QACM during FY12)– Positions OGFM management to proactively identify potential
issues/concerns and facilitate timely process improvement to better serve partner institutions
– Poised to drive more improved risk management, mission delivery, and customer service
A-133 Single Audits Issues/Trends• More robust A-133 audit resolution efforts surfaced
commonly identified findings across recipient audit reports primarily related to Accounting and Grants Management activities
Questions?
• Andrea L. Brandon: [email protected]
• William (Bill) Bethel: [email protected]
• Andrew Moses: [email protected]
