Northrop Operates Growing Grants.gov

Federal agencies are increasingly moving their announcements of grant opportunities to the government-wide Web site Grants.gov, which last year hit its goal of having agencies make at least one-fourth of their grants available on the site.

This year will be the tipping point -- agencies are expected to post the majority of their grants on the Web site, which helps users find and submit applications electronically.

Grant seekers previously had to search each agency's Web site for grant opportunities. The government issued $400 billion in grants in fiscal 2005.

Northrop Grumman Corp.'s information-technology unit in Herndon holds the contract to develop the site, which it started building in 2003. The company's contract expires this year, and the Health and Human Services Department, which manages the site, plans to put up the contract for renewed competition.

Grants.gov was one of the original federal e-government projects designed to streamline government and make services available online. It is also a component of the President's Management Agenda, which provides a report card on agency performance.

In fiscal 2005, 20 of 26 federal grant-making agencies posted at least 25 percent of their opportunities at Grants.gov and received more than 15,000 applications through the site, said Charles Johnson, Health and Human Services' assistant secretary for budget, technology and finance, in a recent report in the Federal Register. Those agencies include the Education, Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, Justice and Homeland Security departments.

Agencies have a goal of making 75 percent of their funding opportunities available for electronic submission this year and 100 percent in 2007, according to Office of Management and Budget guidance.

Grants.gov plans an upgrade by May to keep pace with growth over the next several years, said John Etcheverry, acting director of Grants.gov. The site accepted 16,000 submissions last year and expects up to 50,000 this year.

"Our projections are that when all agencies are participating 100 percent, we will receive 10,000 submissions on a peak day. We had 1,400 in one day in December," he said.

Grants.gov awarded a contract last month to New York-based TMP Worldwide to provide content, outreach and marketing. The contract has a one-year base period with a $1 million estimated value and four option years. In November, Grants.gov awarded a five-year contract to Datatrac Information Services Inc. of Richardson, Tex., to provide customer help-desk services.

Mary Mosquera is a staff writer with Government Computer News. For information on this and other contracts, go tohttp://www.gcn.com.