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CCDF Specific Guidance to ARRA Section 1512 Reporting

The Child Care Bureau has developed this guidance in order to provide Lead Agencies with information to assist them in meeting the government-wide reporting requirements included in Section 1512 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.

About ARRA Section 1512 Reporting

Section 1512 of ARRA requires reports on the use of ARRA funding by recipients no later than the 10^th day after the end of each calendar quarter. The first reporting deadline is October 10, 2009. Aimed at providing transparency on the use of ARRA funds, Section 1512 requires quarterly grantee reports that include the following information:

• Total amount of funds received; and of that the amount spent on projects and activities;
• A list of those projects and activities funded by name to include:
• Description
• Completion Status
• Estimates of jobs created retained; and
• Details of sub-awards and other payments.

Prime recipients (States, Territories, and Tribes) of CCDF ARRA funds are responsible for reporting the information required by Section 1512. Lead Agencies with ARRA awards of less than $25,000 are not required to file a Section 1512 report. Prime recipients may choose to delegate certain reporting requirements to sub-recipients (such as a county). If a Lead Agency chooses not to delegate sub-recipient reporting, the Lead Agency is required to report on the expenditures by their sub-recipient. Lead Agencies may not delegate jobs reporting to sub-recipients.

Both prime recipients and sub-recipients must report specific data elements associated with first-level vendors receiving payments of ARRA funds greater than $25,000. Prime recipients and sub-recipients may not delegate reporting to vendors.

Lead Agencies may aggregate and report lump sums on 1) sub-awards to sub-recipients less than $25,000; 2) sub-awards to individuals; and 3) payments to vendors less than $25,000. Lead Agencies should provide a separate aggregate dollar total for each of the three categories.

Lead Agencies and those sub-recipients that have been designated reporting responsibilities must register on www.FederalReporting.gov. Registration is currently open, and Lead Agencies are encouraged to register early. In order to register, one must have an email address, a DUNS number, and be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR). Information on obtaining a DUNS number and registering in CCR is available at www.FederalReporting.gov.

Lead Agencies have three options for submitting reports into www.FederalReporting.gov. These include:

1. Online data entry in a Web browser: The website provides a straightforward data entry form, available via the user’s Web browser, for report data entry.
2. Excel spreadsheet: A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet is available for report submission. The user can download this spreadsheet, open the spreadsheet in Microsoft’s Excel spreadsheet program, and fill it in. The spreadsheet can then be uploaded to the website with the user’s browser at www.FederalReporting.gov. The spreadsheet is “locked” to restrict modification of the spreadsheet and allow data entry only in the required fields.
3. Custom software system extract in XML: Organizations with sufficient technical experience may choose to submit a properly formatted Extensible Markup Language (XML) file for their report submission. A service for validating the structure of XML extracts will be available on www.FederalReporting.gov prior to the submission period to ensure extracts are properly formatted. Recipients are strongly encouraged to test their report structures prior to the reporting period.

This guide provides suggestions for completing the Section 1512 report through www.FederalReporting.gov. The quality of data and timely submission of the reports is ultimately the responsibility of the Lead Agency.

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