Behind the Curtain at TCG

TCG Participates at NGMA’s 35th Annual Grants Training Conference

TCG recently participated as one of the exhibitors at the 35th Annual Training Conference of the National Grants Management Association (NGMA), which was held May 5-8, 2013, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA. With 34 grants management engagements at 9 Federal agencies, TCG has more experience in federal grants management than any other company. Click here to read the full press release.

They're Here to Help

Site visits are for grantees, not federal agencies, says National Science Foundation officials.

Last week at the National Grants Management Association Annual Meeting a session on virtual site visits -- using shared desktops, conference lines, and videoconferencing -- had an underlying message. As Dale Bell, deputy director of the Division of Institution and Award Support put it, "We are on your side. We want you to be the best you can be."

Bell made it clear that the Cost Analysis and Audit Resolution Branch was not the same as the Office of the Inspector General, and in fact had very different aims. While the IG at NSF (and likely at other agencies) might be looking for fraud, waste, and abuse to eliminate or punish, this group was looking for problems to help solve. 

Because of their focus, Bell and his colleagues at the presentation --Tamara Bowman, team lead for the Award Monitoring and Business Assistance program, and Alex Wynnyk, chief of the Cost Analysis and Audit Resolution Branch -- did not take the IG's suggestion to "follow the money" when deciding which sites to visit or audit. The large grantee organizations have the infrastructure to ensure compliance, they reasoned. It is the smaller universities and research centers with smaller grants, in the $3 million to $10 million range, that need the most help from the Cost Analysis and Audit Resolution Branch.

Part of the branch's charge is to get institutions ready for audits by helping them set up good processes and follow them appropriately. With those processes in place and followed, there should be no waste, fraud, or abuse. No institution wants to be the subject of an IG report, which is read by members of Congress (who then point fingers).

So if you have a grant, welcome those desk audits and site visits: sometimes when the Feds call, they're on your side.

 

 

OMB Recognized as 2013 Computerworld Honors Laureate

IDG’s Computerworld Honors Program has announced that the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) MAX Federal Community has been named a 2013 Laureate. The annual award program honors visionary applications of information technology that promote positive social, economic and educational change. TCG supports OMB IT initiatives in a multitude of ways, and is proud to be associated with such a high-achieving organization.

Millennium Challenge Corporation Awards Software Development Contract to TCG

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)—a U.S. government foreign aid agency that supports investments in developing nations across the world to enhance economic growth and reduce poverty—has awarded TCG an order under the CIO-SP3 Small Business Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) for software development, modernization, and enhancement services with a base year and four one-year options. Click here to read the full news release.

OMB to Host Webinar about Proposed New Federal Grants Regulations

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will host an informational webinar with members of the grants community on February 8, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. regarding OMB's proposed grants reform initiative. No advance registration will be required for the webinar, which will be available via a link on cfo.gov. The documents associated with the proposed reforms are now available for review and comment on regulations.gov under docket number OMB-2013-0001.

NGMA Announces Call for Nominations for Annual Awards Program

The National Grants Management Association (NGMA) has issued a call for nominations for its Annual
Awards Program. The purpose of NGMA’s Annual Awards Program is to:

• Recognize achievement and express appreciation to professionals who demonstrate standards of excellence in grants management expertise;
• Encourage and inspire other grants industry professionals to recognize their potential and elevate their grants management competency; and
• Express appreciation to NGMA’s partner organizations, key stakeholders, and associated colleagues who assist and support NGMA’s mission on many levels.

Click here for more information on the awards categories and to access the nomination form. Award nominations are due by March 1, 2013. TCG is proud to support NGMA as a Director Level Corporate Sponsor.

TCG’s NITRC Team Launches Cloud-based Science Research Platform on Amazon Web Services Marketplace

TCG announced today that the Neuroimaging Informatics Tools and Resources Clearinghouse Computational Environment (NITRC-CE) is now available on the Amazon Web Services Marketplace. NITRC-CE offers neuroscience researchers the convenience, speed, and savings of cloud-based computing against public and private neuroinformatics data sets. 

TCG’s NITRC team developed NITRC-CE to support neuroscientists wishing to pay only for the computational power needed to do their research, and scale the computational resources needed to the size of the research challenge at hand. Using the computational power of the Amazon cloud, NITRC-CE helps minimize the digital divide between researchers at institutions with high performance compute services and those with more modest resources and budgets. Click here to read the full news release.

Telework Exchange Announces Spring 2013 Town Hall Meeting

The Telework Exchange--a public-private partnership focused on eliminating telework gridlock--has announced that its Spring 2013 Town Hall Meeting will be held Tueday, April 30, 2013 at the D.C. Convention Center.

The spring program will feature a new workshop-style format. Attendees will be able to participate in targeted sessions focusing on telework, workforce management, IT, and policy, and hear more than 50 government and industry leaders discuss best practices in telework and mobility.

The Fall 2012 Town Hall Meeting was attended by more than 900 attendees representing 150 Federal agencies, including program and IT directors/managers, CIOs, CHCOs, and telework managing officers.

Registration is complimentary to government employees (industry rates apply) and Town Hall Meeting attendees are eligible to receive continuing professional education credits. For more information and to register, click here.

TCG’s Tchad Moore Named NITAAC Contract Communications CAG Co-chair

TCG business development executive Tchad Moore has been selected as co-chair of the Communications Community Action Group (CAG) for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Technology Assessment and Acquisition Center (NITAAC). NITAAC operates several government-wide acquisition contracts, including CIO-SP3 Unrestricted, CIO-SP3 Small Business (CIO-SP3 SB), and ECS3. TCG is a prime on CIO-SP3 SB.

The Communications CAG is one of four internal committees that provide input to NITAAC as it aims to support agencies’ IT acquisitions across the government. The Communications CAG’s objective is to improve NITAAC’s education, communications, and outreach with Federal agencies, and to ensure open communications among NITAAC officials, customers, and contract holders. Click here to read the full press release.

Finalists Announced for the 2012 SAVE Awards--Cast Your Vote Today!

OMB and the White House have announced the four finalists for this year's Securing Americans Value and Efficiency (SAVE) awards. Award nominations, which promote ideas to improve government efficiency and save taxpayers' money, are submitted by Federal employees. Anyone can vote for the award winner. To cast your vote, click here. Award voting closes at noon on Friday, December 21, 2012.

TCG also has a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) that is similar to the SAVE Awards: we aim to save U.S. taxpayers one billion dollars by 2016! Click here to see some of the ways that TCG has already helped the government save more than $265M.