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ARRA Reporting FAQ's DOT Modal Recovery Websites: |
 Transportation Infrastructure Generating Economic Recovery
"Frequently Asked Questions" about Recipient Reporting:
(1) What is the ARRA, or "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009"?Section 1201(c) of the ARRA (2) Where can I get more information about the ARRA as a whole? (3) Are grant recipients that receive ARRA funds required by law to report specific information to the Federal Government about the expenditure of ARRA funds? (4) Do these FAQ's cover section 1512(c) reporting under ARRA? (5) Is the text of section 1201(c) available separately for review? (6) Is 1201(c) reporting connected to the reports being filed with the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee? (7) How do States and similarly situated government recipients of FHWA funding for Highway Infrastructure Investment Grants file reports required by 1201(c) of ARRA? What about transit operators? (8) What happens to the information supplied by recipients under the section-1201(c) requirements? Will the information reported be made available to the public? (9) What are the statutorily established reporting dates by which recipients must have completed their reports? (10) Will the Department of Transportation assist grant recipients in complying with section 1201(c)? (11) What is the address of the online website that is available for reporting, and when is it accessible? (12) What is the cut-off date for each reporting period? (13) Is each report only about what has occurred since the last report, or does each report reflect cumulative data about totals since the February 17, 2009, enactment date and all ARRA grants received since then? (14) If I filed a report for the May 18 deadline, do I edit that report or initiate a new report? (15) Is project-by-project reporting required, or is aggregate data to be submitted? (16) Can my initial entries be revised during the reporting period of August 1 to August 16? (17) If all activity is complete on grants received, is reporting still required? (18) What information must I provide for the number of on-project and other direct jobs created or sustained by the federal funds provided? (19) Are separate records required if the grant recipient receives funding from more than one program? (20) Taking the FAA "Grants in Aid" category as an example, is reporting limited only to ARRA grants made in that category or should reports cover non-ARRA grants as well? (21) Have these FAQs and the instructions in the Reporting Tool changed in any significant way since the May 18 report was filed? (22) Is there a possibility that the Department's Inspector General or the Government Accountability Office (GAO) will initiate a review of the data submitted by recipients for timeliness and accuracy? (23) Who should a grant recipient contact for further information? (24) What information must be provided about planned and actual State funding? (1) What is the ARRA, or "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009"? Response: The ARRA, or "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009," appropriates Federal funds for the purpose of stimulating economic recovery. The law was signed by the President on February 17, 2009 as Public Law 111-5. You may access the complete text of the Act here. The Department of Transportation has received funding to carry out ten transportation infrastructure investment programs. Information about the DOT programs is available at-- www.dot.gov/recovery/ (2) Where can I get more information about the ARRA as a whole? Response: More information is available on the Recovery.gov website. (3) Are grant recipients that receive ARRA funds required by law to report specific information to the Federal Government about the expenditure of ARRA funds? Response: Yes. Section 1201(c) of the ARRA requires reports to DOT, and section 1512(c) requires more extensive reporting by all recipients of ARRA funds, including transportation recipients. The FTA has prepared a convenient summary of various certification and reporting requirements applicable to DOT grantees. (4) Do these FAQ's cover section 1512(c) reporting under ARRA? Response: No. Section 1201 applies to DOT grantees and contract awardees only and is the subject of these FAQs. The Office of Management and Budget has published Detailed Guidance for the Section 1512 reports grantees must submit quarterly if they receive ARRA funds. (5) Is the text of section 1201(c) available separately for review? Response: Yes, Here is the text of section 1201(c). (6) Is 1201(c) reporting connected to the reports being filed with the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee? Response: No. Submitted data under 1201(c) must be consistent with any filing you made with the committee, but this is a separate requirement, which will continue for several years. (7) How do States and similarly situated government recipients of FHWA funding for Highway Infrastructure Investment Grants file reports required by 1201(c) of ARRA? What about transit operators? Response: The Federal Highway Administration has fashioned a separate mechanism for 1201 reporting on Highway Infrastructure Investment grants. Detail is available at -- http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/economicrecovery/reportingforms.htm Note, however, that a State or similarly situated government that also obtains funding from the FAA, FRA, MARAD, or OST under one of the other ARRA programs subject to section 1201 would report on that funding in accordance with these FAQs. FTA has also fashioned a separate mechanism for 1201 reporting. Transit grant recipients submit their 1201(c) reports via the Transportation Electronic Award Management System (TEAM) system. (8) What happens to the information supplied by recipients under the section-1201(c) requirements? Will the information reported be made available to the public? Response: In accordance with the provisions of section 1201(c), it is transmitted to Congress by the Department. It is likely to also be made available on the Internet for the benefit of the public. (9) What are the statutorily established reporting dates by which recipients must have completed their reports? Response: The reporting schedule established in statute to complete each periodic report is as follows: May 18, 2009 - Done August 16, 2009 February 17, 2010 February 17, 2011 February 17, 2012 (10) Will the Department of Transportation assist grant recipients in complying with section 1201(c)? Response: Yes. For example, as allowed under section 1201(c)(1), the Department will perform the calculation of estimated indirect and induced jobs created by the projects you undertake. Providing an online mechanism for submitting required data elements is another example of DOT assistance. (11) What is the address of the online website that is available for reporting, and when is it accessible? Response: The site is accessible now for purposes of registration of grant recipients prior to accepting reports. On August 1, the website will be open for new data submittal for the August 16 report. The website is located at-- http://ARRAreporting.dot.gov (12) What is the cut-off date for each reporting period? Response: For the next report, data must be submitted for grants and contracts executed as of close-of-business on July 31. Subsequently, it will be the last day of the month that precedes the month in which the report is due. (13) Is each report only about what has occurred since the last report, or does each report reflect cumulative data about totals since the February 17, 2009, enactment date and all ARRA grants received since then? Response: Section 1201(c) requires you to report, in each periodic report, cumulative data on funds received and projects that have been put out to bid, are awarded or underway, or have been completed since the enactment date of ARRA (February 17, 2009). (14) If I filed a report for the May 18 deadline, do I edit that report or initiate a new report? Response: Initiate a new report on the grant or grants you received each time a report is due. You will report up-to-date, cumulative data each time. (15) Is project-by-project reporting required, or is aggregate data to be submitted? Response: Aggregated financial and jobs data is filed for each Program under which the recipient has received funding. Project-by-project information is not filed. (16) Can my initial entries be revised during the reporting period of August 1 to August 16? Response: Yes. You may reenter the system at any time to revise entries. After August 16, however, submitted data will be "locked" so that job calculations can be made and data reviewed for completeness, etc. (17) If all activity is complete on grants received, is reporting still required? Response: Yes. The single element of the report that must continue to be updated through the last report on February 17, 2012, is the "actual expenditures" of State-source funds for the Program Category being reported on. (18) What information must I provide for the number of on-project and other direct jobs created or sustained by the federal funds provided? Response: You are only required to report the on-project and other direct job hours related to the ARRA funding you have expended as of the reporting cut-off date. The information requested is the total cumulative number of direct hours worked on the ARRA projects both by the grant recipient and by contractors and subcontractors at the local project sites. An example of a direct job is a worker employed to construct a facility or to maintain equipment on-site whose time is charged directly to the project. In the case of a vehicle purchase, direct job hours would be the time spent by the grant recipient's employees in preparing specifications or conducting the procurement, if this time is charged to the ARRA grant. You are not asked to calculate, and should not report, indirect or induced job hours. An example of an indirect job is a worker who makes the steel or other construction materials used at the project site and purchased using ARRA funds. These indirect jobs are not charged directly to the project but are embedded in materials costs. An example of an induced job is a fast food worker who sells lunches to your workers. DOT will calculate indirect and induced job hours from the data you provide on direct jobs and overall expenditures. Also, you do not need to distinguish between jobs created and jobs sustained. (19) Are separate records required if the grant recipient receives funding from more than one program? Response: Yes. For example, an airport receives a "Grant in Aid for Airports" grant and may also compete for and receive a Supplemental Discretionary Grant ("TIGER Grant") from the Office of the Secretary. Two reports would be required in this case. (20) Taking the FAA "Grants in Aid" category as an example, is reporting limited only to ARRA grants made in that category or should reports cover non-ARRA grants as well? Response: Report only grants and contracts that involve ARRA funding. (21) Have these FAQs and the instructions in the Reporting Tool changed in any significant way since the May 18 report was filed? Response: Yes. More information is provided and reference to transit grants has been eliminated. One change from the prior instructions is that the number of "contract solicitations" or "out-to-bid contracts" should now be reported as a cumulative total since enactment of the Recovery Act in February 2009. Before, the instructions specified reporting these numbers for the report period only. The second change is that Items 4 through 11 ask for the number of contracts (and equivalent funding) involved in carrying out the grant, rather than the number of "projects" involved. Typically, a project can involve multiple contracts, and it is the total contracts that are reported on in Items 4-11. (22) Is there a possibility that the Department's Inspector General or the Government Accountability Office (GAO) will initiate a review of the data submitted by recipients for timeliness and accuracy? Response: With the high degree of emphasis being placed on accountability for ARRA expenditures by all parties, it is likely the Department's Inspector General and GAO will review the 1201 reporting process and results as a whole. (23) Who should a grant recipient contact for further information? Response: Follow directions on the web site of the agency or office that made the grant for more information, in the area dedicated to ARRA implementation. (24) What information must be provided about planned and actual State funding? Response: The Governor of each state provided a certification to DOT under Section 1201(a) regarding maintenance of effort of State funding for the kinds of transportation projects eligible for ARRA funding. These aggregated figures represent the totals for each DOT program but not the specific expenditures from State sources planned for your organization. Thus, you need to report the total amount you planned for your organization alone. The same is true for the actual expenditure of funds from State sources made by your organization as of the each reporting date. Remember, you must report all the planned and actual spending from State sources for the program concerned, not just spending that matches up with ARRA projects.
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