CAI’s application management services deliver the possible for a Pennsylvania agency
Challenge
A justice planning and policymaking agency for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provides leadership in system-wide coordination and collaboration among public servants and private citizens representing the criminal and juvenile justice systems, the school safety and security programs, and victim services across the state. Its mission is to enhance the quality and planning within these systems and increase the safety of communities across the state.
As a critical part of this work, this agency administers more than $100 million of state and federal funding through competitive and formula-based allocation. The agency also is responsible for monitoring and reporting on these funding streams. Over the years, as grant monies have increased, the agency needed a better way to issue and administer grants, ensure transparency and fairness in its granting processes, and increase efficiencies in reporting.
Solution
The agency reached out to CAI to develop an electronic grants management information system with funding from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance.
The eGrants solution is a highly secure web-based application that uses standard Microsoft components including .net, SQL Server, and workflow management software. The system provides centralized access and administration of all programs to staff and grantees throughout the granting lifecycle. The system automates every step of the grant application, award, and tracking process and is designed with scalability in mind to accommodate the various requirements of state agencies.
eGrants supports both titled and discretionary competitive grants with key features that facilitate the reviewing, scoring, and contract negotiation process. The application allows customization of each grant application and monitoring of application requirements without the added risks, expense, and time delays associated with typical programming changes.
Benefits
With a comprehensive grants management system, state agencies and their grantees now have a consistent granting process. It not only reduces the paperwork burden for state agencies and their grantees, it facilitates periodic reporting of progress and spending, so staff members can ensure programs and budgets are on track. Most importantly, it decreases the time spent administering the granting process so the commission can focus its energy on the programs supported by the grants. As a sign of its success, it allows the agency to disperse all the funds it has available and avoid returning unspent monies.
Though the application’s robust functionality cost approximately $5 million to develop and implement, it can now be implemented in its entirety for a fraction of the cost.
