Vangent is a trusted partner and enterprise architect in the grant management arena. Our capabilities, spanning the entire grant life cycle, allow us to provide customised grant management solutions that meet the unique needs of specific grant-awarding agencies. Our solutions support the needs of both paper-based and electronic grant management processes, accommodating the widest range of technological sophistication on the part of both recipients and agencies.

We deliver integrated, end-to-end grant management solutions that provide better service to grant recipients and greater operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness for grant-awarding agencies. Our solutions encompass all aspects of the grant management process, including:

• Customer outreach,
• Application processing,
• Eligibility determination,
• Fund commitment and disbursement, and
• Reporting.
  

Customer Outreach

To ensure the success of their grant programmes in stimulating or supporting public purposes, grant-awarding agencies must perform a variety of outreach activities, including announcements of funding opportunities, distribution of application “packs,” and training and help desk support for grant management system users. Vangent offers the full range of outreach services to improve the effectiveness of grant-making agencies’ communication with their recipient constituencies.

Features of our customer outreach solutions include:

• Customer-friendly, interactive Web sites for grant programme information, including Web self-service, frequently asked questions, online chat, and enhanced e-mail services
• Design, printing, and fulfilment services for grant application packs, publications, and other informational materials
• Complete customer contact centres and help desks to assist grant applicants, recipients, and administrators
• Design, development, and delivery of training for grant administrators and users of grant delivery systems, via a variety of media including computer-based training (CBT), Web seminars, videoconferences, and instructor-led classroom training
• Planning, preparation, and conducting of conferences for grant administrators

Application Processing

Grant-awarding agencies require applicants to submit both standard information and accompanying narrative information that is largely programme-specific. Vangent offers proven application processing services for both paper-based and electronic application forms. Features of our application processing solutions include:

• High-volume mail receipt and document preparation
• High-speed scanning and imaging
• Automated data capture using optical mark read (OMR), optical character recognition (OCR), and intelligent character recognition (ICR) technologies
• Fast, accurate manual data entry, including key-from-image (KFI)
• Data verification and problem resolution
• Document archival and retrieval

Eligibility Determination

Once applications have been received, grant-making agencies must determine whether applicants meet certain eligibility and programme requirements prior to conducting merit or other comparative evaluations of applications and making awards. Vangents’ capabilities include accurate, timely eligibility determination for financial assistance programmes using agency-provided eligibility criteria.

Features of our eligibility determination solutions include:

• Applicant pre-screening
• Financial analysis
• Technical analysis
• Programme compliance analysis
• Automated checks with other government systems
• Corrections processing
• Applicant approval/denial notification

Fund Commitment and Disbursement

Grant-awarding agencies must provide consistent, clear language and terminology for both general cover information in award documents and award terms and conditions. Vangent can help agencies streamline the fund commitment process by establishing a standard set of data elements for the general cover information in awards. We can also help grant-awarding agencies reduce the complexities of proprietary payment systems currently in place and eliminate the considerable administrative burden of arrangements with payment systems that serve multiple agencies. Features of our fund commitment and disbursement solutions include:

• Consistent, clear information concerning funding, performance period, and other details of grant awards
• Common language for award terms and conditions, including administrative and national policy requirements
• Modifications or redesign of existing payment systems to simplify the process used to transfer funds from agencies to grant recipients

Reporting

Grant-awarding agencies require recipients to report on financial and programmatic performance and other activities, in accordance with programme requirements. Recipients use standard reporting forms and agency-specific or unique forms to report information to sponsoring agencies. Vangent offers both paper- and Web-based reporting capabilities to improve the reporting system for both recipients and sponsoring agencies.

Features of our reporting solutions include:

• Simplifying and streamlining of paper-based reporting forms
• Migration of reporting forms from paper to the Web, improving convenience and ease of use for report filers, and timeliness, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness for grant-awarding agencies.

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