Government Contracts Monitor

Short Take - National Dialogue to Reduce Reporting Compliance Costs

April 27, 2015

The Chief Acquisition Officers Council, in conjunction with the General Services Administration (GSA) and Department of Health and Human Services, have announced a new national dialogue to discuss ideas on how to reduce the costs associated with reporting compliance under Federal awards, including contracts, subcontracts, grants, subgrants and cooperative agreements. This new dialogue will be conducted online, starting May 30, 2015. Interested parties may participate in the dialogue by reviewing the information and participation dates posted at www.cao.gov.

This new national dialogue is intended to continue the discussion begun last spring through the Open Dialogue on Federal Procurement, previously discussed here, in which almost 500 participants took part. During that Open Dialogue, many commentators pointed to the potential reduction of redundant reporting and related processes as one way to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the government’s acquisition process. That feedback apparently is helping with ongoing efforts to modernize the IT infrastructure supporting Federal procurement data collection and display, which will include development of a single website (Acquisition 360) for federal contractors to use for federal contract reporting requirements. The new national dialogue is intended to continue that discussion in the context of federal procurement, and to expand the discussion to include federal grants, by identifying opportunities for reducing burdens, discussing ideas for standardizing processes and forms, and identifying recommended actions to reduce costs and eliminate duplication.

At this point, the new open dialogue will focus on three topics, or "campaigns," as follows:

Campaign 1 — Reporting compliance requirements shared by prime and sub-awardees of Federal procurements and grants;
Campaign 2 — Procurement practices, processes and reporting; and
Campaign 3 — Grants practices and processes.

The notice emphasizes that the government is looking for ideas to reduce burdens through data standards and changes to reporting procedures, and is interested in hearing about proposed changes that can be accomplished through executive action, as well as legislative proposals where requirements are based in statute.

The online platform will permit interested parties to submit ideas, comment on ideas proposed by others, respond to questions posed by moderators and vote to indicate which ideas they think are most promising and impactful.

If you are frustrated by today’s many compliance reporting requirements, here is your chance to speak out and participate in a national dialogue on improving and simplifying the process as to both federal procurement and grants.