U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

2006 Presidential Award for Management Excellence

Department of Health and Human Services

Expanded Electronic Government
Innovative and Exemplary Practices

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is responsible for a wide range of health and welfare services.  Providing Medicare and Medicaid for the nation’s elderly, poor and underinsured; leading the cutting-edge medical research that makes American health care the best in the world; and assuring the nation’s readiness for public health challenges such as pandemic influenza are among the wide range of initiatives led by HHS, which is the Federal Government’s largest grant-making entity.  Within the Department, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is responsible for awarding and processing over $46 billion in grants annually. 

Under the President’s Management Agenda for Expanded Electronic Government, modernizing and streamlining grants processing is a top priority.

A small office of 12 employees and contractors in the ACF has led the effort to streamline grants systems within HHS.  This effort has produced outstanding results, including:

• Selection by OMB as one of three systems to cross-service all grants work across the government;
• Designation as a Grants Center of Excellence;
• Reduction of grants processing costs both for HHS programs and programs for other agencies;
• Improved customer access through on-line announcements, submissions and communications;
• Improved the quality of individual grants through on-line review, revision and approval;
• Improved the oversight of grants programs through an on-line data collection of post-award status reports and evaluations; and
• Improved internal control and financial management of grants programs through faster collection and posting of data.
  

Many HHS templates and systems will serve as models for the other grants centers and grants offices within the government.  The ACF grants office will continue to spearhead innovative and exemplary strategies and practices within the grants processing arena.