	Background

		Training Is Important for Effective Grants Management

In fiscal year 2017, the federal government awarded approximately $675  billion in grants to state and local governments. OPM, OMB, and CFOC Have Taken Some Steps to Help Provide Grants Training but Have Opportunities for Further Improvements

		OPM, OMB, and CFOC Developed a Grants Competency Model Among Other Steps

OPM, in consultation with OMB and the CFOC, took several steps to  ensure the federal grants management workforce has access to grants  management competencies and training. Department-level officials we spoke with at HHS, USDA, and Education  were familiar with the Career Roadmap Report. All other  USDA sub-agency officials with whom we spoke were unfamiliar with  the Career Roadmap Report or the grants workforce competencies. Selected Agencies Provide Limited Monitoring and Oversight of Sub- agencies’ Grants Training Efforts Selected Agencies Cannot Readily Identify All Employees Working on Grants and Provide Limited Oversight of Sub- Agencies’ Grants Training Efforts

As previously mentioned, the federal grants workforce consists of  employees in the OPM Grants Management Specialist 1109 job series as  well as employees in various other OPM job series (referred to as non- 1109s in this report). According to HHS, USDA, and Education officials, each sub- agency is responsible for identifying its grants workforce employees and  ensuring they receive needed grants training. However, the central offices  do not have a reporting mechanism tracking sub-agencies’ grants  workforce. Additionally, the central offices at the selected agencies  do not evaluate sub-agency grants training efforts. Since there is no overarching central office at any of the three agencies  we reviewed actively being held accountable for sub-agency grants  training programs, HHS, USDA, and Education cannot ensure that all of  the sub-agencies working on grants are sufficiently training their grants  employees. Moreover, OMB and the CFOC are not collecting detailed data on users  or feedback, which limits their ability to determine how useful these  resources are to the federal grants workforce. The selected agencies varied in following selected leading training  practices and they provided limited monitoring and oversight of their sub- agencies’ grants training efforts. Without sufficient monitoring and  oversight, the agencies cannot have reasonable assurance that their sub- agencies are sufficiently training their grants workforce so they have the  necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to properly manage, administer,  and monitor the billions of dollars that the federal government spends on  grants annually. (Recommendation 1)
The Director of OMB, working with CFOC, should (1) collect data metrics  regularly on the Career Roadmap Builder online tool and Grants Training  101 to determine how widely the resources are being used, and (2) obtain  periodic feedback from federal agencies on the usefulness of these tools  and any needed improvements. (Recommendation 2)
The Secretary of HHS should establish a process to monitor and evaluate  HHS’s grants training at the central office level. In written comments reproduced in  appendixes IV and V respectively, HHS concurred and Education  generally concurred with our findings and recommendations directed at  them. The Department of Education (Education).
Why GAO Did This Study

In fiscal year 2017, the federal government awarded approximately $675 billion in grants to state and local governments. GAO was asked to review the federal grants workforce training. GAO reviewed (1) OPM's, OMB's, and the CFOC's actions to address the grants workforce's training needs; (2) the extent to which grants workforce training at selected agencies is consistent with leading practices; and (3) how selected agencies monitor and oversee training of their grants workforce. GAO selected HHS, USDA, and Education and several of their sub-agencies based on their grants spending and numbers of grants management specialists. GAO reviewed OPM and OMB memorandums and guidance, compared selected agency training practices against leading training practices, and interviewed officials.

What GAO Found

The Offices of Personnel Management (OPM) and Management and Budget (OMB) and the Chief Financial Officers Council (CFOC) have taken some steps to help ensure the federal grants workforce receives training. For example, OMB worked with the CFOC to issue five basic grants training modules and a “Career Roadmap” for grants managers; however, they did not widely publicize the resources. Many of the officials with whom GAO spoke at selected sub-agencies at the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Agriculture (USDA), and Education (Education) were unfamiliar with the Career Roadmap and made limited use of the training resources. Further, OMB and CFOC do not collect detailed user data or feedback, limiting their abilities to determine the usefulness of these resources.
GAO found that sub-agencies at HHS, USDA, and Education vary in following leading training practices for planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating their grants training programs. Additionally, HHS, USDA, and Education could not readily identify grants management specialists—the 1109 job series—or employees in other job series working on grants without querying each sub-agency. These agencies cannot do so because their central offices do not have a reporting mechanism tracking their sub-agencies' grants workforce. Further, agency central offices do not evaluate sub-agency grants training efforts. Without sufficient monitoring and oversight, the agencies cannot have reasonable assurance that their sub-agencies are sufficiently training their grants workforce so they have the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to properly manage, administer, and monitor the billions of dollars that the federal government spends on grants annually.

What GAO Recommends

GAO is making five recommendations including that OMB, working with the CFOC, should (1) publicize the Career Roadmap and (2) collect data metrics and user feedback on its use. HHS, USDA, and Education should establish processes to centrally monitor and evaluate their grants training, including identifying the grants workforce and ensuring consistency with leading practices. HHS and USDA concurred, Education generally concurred, and OMB partially concurred with our recommendations. OPM had no comments on the report.