American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)

As you may be aware, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was signed into law this spring. The most obvious implications for the University of Utah are increased funding in terms of federal grants as well as stabilized funding of our state appropriated budget. We have had a team working on the reporting requirements (which are onerous) of ARRA funding for the past four months. Several things will make the reporting challenging:

1. Identification of funding that must be reported – for grants we have established an attribute to track ARRA-grants and OSP has been part of the implementation team. For state stimulus money, the Budget Office has been working with other state budget officers and the Governor’s Office to meet the requirements.
2. Tight timelines for reporting – even though reporting is quarterly, we must push our data to a common reporting website by the 10th day following the quarter close.
3. Shifting requirements – requirements, data elements, specific programs, and additional guidance have evolved, changed, and been issued throughout the summer. Changes continue to occur and individual agencies are also setting separate and more detailed guidance that is not always consistent with that issued by the Office of Management and Budget.

While we are diligently working through the remaining issues for grants and state appropriations in order to meet the first reporting deadline (October 10, 2009), new programs and sources of funding appear to be popping up on a regular basis – and in unexpected places. If you receive ARRA funding (whether directly, indirectly, or through a subsidy) and it has NOT gone through OSP as a grant or through the Budget Office as an appropriation/line item, please let the Controller know as soon as possible. Usually the documentation you receive with the funding will mention ARRA – but you may also hear of it through your professional associations or listserves. If we can keep on top of these new ARRA sources, then we can research whether or not additional reporting might be required.

All ARRA reporting will occur through either the Budget Office or Contracts and Grants Accounting. Departments must not register for reporting; obtain a CCR number; obtain a DUNS number; or otherwise attempt to report ARRA information outside the University. At this time, it appears all information we require can be obtained through existing systems or through central offices. We do not anticipate asking you or your faculty for information. However, if that need changes, we will advise you of the specific data requirements and timeframes to provide it.