September 09, 2015

Accenture Delivers Grantor Management System for USDA

Improves financial integration, automates more than $80 billion in grants

ARLINGTON, Va.; Sept. 9, 2015 – Grants programs that help American agribusiness in export markets, drive research to benefit U.S. farmers and help one in four citizens access nutrition programs are now fully automated, powered by a single system built by Accenture Federal Services.

The Grantor Management program extends the capability of the Financial Management Modernization Initiative (FMMI) increases efficiency and improves customer service across a spectrum of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) mandates. FMMI consolidated the agency’s core financial systems and processes, replacing 17 individual financial systems with one, cohesive, software package.

FMMI provides online, real-time transaction capability and access for more than 6,000 users across the department’s 29 agencies and staff offices. USDA expects to save $200 million in financial operations and maintenance costs over a 10-year period.

The Grantor Management program builds on this successful framework, fully supporting the end-to-end grants lifecycle from application, through award, monitoring and closeout. The program reduces manual data entry, automates the review and approval processes, and helps confirm that all grants and financial documents meet regulatory and compliance requirements.

Today, the system supports USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) and Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), the program that distributes Food Nutrition Program funding. Two more programs – the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Agricultural Marketing Services (AMS) – will come online later this fall. When FAS, FNS, NRCS, and AMS are live, the Grantor Management system will track more than $80 billion in grants funding for USDA and provide the opportunity for other agencies to join the program in the future.

“This system is more than just technology to track grant dollars. It is part of the department’s ongoing commitment to its clients and stakeholders to truly modernize and better support its mission in rural and urban communities across the country,” said Elaine Beeman, who leads Accenture’s work with civilian agencies.

Early success of the Grantor Management program includes:

• Improved process efficiency : Payment processing has been reduced from more than six weeks to a little more than one week, on average.
• Enhanced financial integrity : The system provides complete transparency into the amount of grants reserved, committed and spent – to the penny.
• Implemented across multiple agencies : More than 1,000 agency users across four agencies are supported on a single platform.
• Addressed customer service : A grantee portal will provide self-service capabilities for ease of use and access.

The Grantor Management program aligns with USDA’s Strategic Plan Management Initiatives by strengthening management operations, improving customer service and increasing departmental performance and efficiency, according to Jon Holladay, USDA CFO.

“Together we have developed a strong partnership focused on transforming financial and grants management at USDA. Now we have better data to improve decisions, reduce costs and evaluate performance within the department,” Holladay said. “These projects are complex, but our successful experience has provided the foundation for USDA to offer financial and grants management services to other federal agencies to support their business needs.”

Accenture Federal Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of Accenture LLP, a U.S. company, with offices in Arlington, VA. Accenture’s federal business has served every cabinet-level department and 30 of the largest federal organizations with clients at defense, intelligence, public safety and civilian agencies.

Learn more about Accenture’s work with federal agencies and Delivering Public Service for the Future.

About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 336,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US $30.0 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2014. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

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Contact:

Joanne Veto
Accenture
+ 1 703 947 2590
+ 1 703 963 4212 (mobile)
joanne.m.veto@accennture.com
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