Contract Management 2018

This appropriation will be used to continue and enhance contract management services to pass-through recipients of Outdoor Heritage Fund appropriations to the Commissioner of Natural Resources. The goal of contract management is to ensure that grantees are properly reimbursed and that organizations operate in compliance with OHF pass-through appropriation procedures, policies from the Department of Administration’s Grants Management, OHF statute, and the recommendations of the Legislative Auditor. Contract management includes: grant agreements and amendments, training, technical assistance, reporting, fiscal monitoring, reimbursement request processing, and close-out of grants. The DNR is currently the administrative agent for this program. The DNR’s Office of Management and Budget (OMBS) Grants Unit is applying to continue to provide contract management services to pass-through grant recipients. The OMBS Grants Unit’s goal is to provide pass-through recipients with the contract management, technical assistance, and grant monitoring they need to successfully complete their conservation work. The Grants Unit provides grantees with one consistent point of contact for their agreements and delivers timely, responsive, customer service. There are approximately 130 active OHF grants in FY2018. Ninety-two percent of these grants require annual monitoring. In order to maintain effective, timely service and monitoring as the number of grants grows, the Grants Unit plans to devote 3.53 FTE to contract management in FY19. This will also allow the Grants Unit to provide more technical assistance to pass-through recipients and expand our ability to address monitoring and reimbursement topics that require technical expertise by consulting with appropriate DNR division staff.Contract management services are billed using a professional services rate. This rate includes salary and fringe for grants management staff, supervisory time, travel costs, supplies, and allocated administrative costs including rent and printing as well as other related costs necessary to carry out the pass-through grant management program. Multiple staff with a variety of grants, financial or other responsibilities provide contract management services to OHF as well as the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF). Cost coding is used to record and differentiate time spent on ENRTF and OHF pass-through grant management. Services not received or provided will not be billed. The rate for FY18 is $63.00/hr and is re-calculated annually. If the rate changes, we will inform LSOHC staff.