Managing FEMA CSEPP Grants with WebCA
FEMA’s Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) needed a reliable financial system to handle its grant management process.
Recognizing a Need
The effort to automate grants management for the CSEPP was a combined result of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, and findings of the General Accounting Office (GAO) regarding financial management weaknesses with the CSEPP. Of particular concern in the GAO reports was the lack of timely and reliable information on actual expenditures by the States. A more consistent system was required to enhance the CSEPP’s financial capabilities and streamline its grant management and Cooperative Agreement (CA) processes.
The IEM Approach
IEM developed WebCA in April 2007 to provide end-to-end management of annual budgetary requests, grant disbursements and closeout for CSEPP grantees. WebCA provides an automated grants solution that obtains consensus and buy-in from all stakeholders.
Innovating for Resilience
IEM’s WebCA provided a streamlined system to automate grants management and CAs for CSEPP for the entire lifecycle from application to closeout. WebCA provides up-to-date expenditures quarterly at the budget line item level, categorized by object class and CSEPP National Benchmarks (CNB). It also formalizes and automates the request, review, and approval of post-award modifications to CAs.
Achieving Results
CSEPP WebCA delivered a system that aligned with Federal Regulations, local, state, and Federal business processes, and provided near-real-time information on the status of grant related activities. WebCA has grown to manage $75 million per year in CSEPP grants and remains the grant management system in use by the CSEPP today.
Expert IEMers
Ted Lemcke, Chief Technology Officer
Jack Long, Director of CSEPP Support