Post-Award Phase

 
​
Post-Award Phase
​The post-award phase comprises a significant amount of work over the duration of the award dates, which includes implementing the grant, reporting progress, and completing the closeout requirements. The OET staff is also there to assist and ensure you or your organization complies with the grant terms and conditions. Your job is to faithfully and diligently carry out the grant program utilizing the designated project management system.
​
Reporting
​OET staff monitors your progress and expenditures through various programmatic and financial reporting procedures, as well as using performance metrics per the grant agreement. While the majority of award recipients carry out the grants ethically and efficiently, these monitoring procedures are necessary to maintain transparency and to prevent fraud and abuse.

OET typically assigns a grant manager and monitors (both fiscal and programmatic) to each grant. They are the ones who will review reports and conduct site visits, so we recommend you build an effective line of communication with these staff members. It is better to prevent issues by talking to them to clarify grant terms or expectations than it is to submit a report and wait for problems to be identified and recourse initiated.

The specific reporting requirements, schedules, and systems can vary for each grant, so please review the grant terms and conditions carefully for this information. Check out the Grant Systems section to learn more about the systems you may have to use and where to find more information about them.
​
Audits
​Grant recipients are subject to audit. Through the Grantee Portal, the grantee is notified of the audit requirements and steps to submit their annual audit. The grantee is required to certify the type of audit to be conducted for their organization using the Audit Certification Form. The Grantee Portal walks the grantee through the certification process based on the source and amount of funding. Once the certification is completed the grantees will receive reminder notifications of the required audit due date.  For further information, see the Audit Report Review Process Manual.
​
Closeout
​The closeout step is where the grant process ends. In order to complete a closeout, you, the award recipient, must submit the final financial and programmatic reports. Grantees typically have between 60-90 days after the grant award expires or is terminated. OET staff will review these reports to ensure compliance will all the grant terms and conditions as well as to make sure you spent all the funds appropriately.  DCEO must confirm that the recipient has completed all of the required grant work and all the applicable administrative tasks. Until the awarding agency confirms this, you are still responsible for fulfilling all the terms of the grant. The closeout process can take several months if there are financial concerns or questions to reconcile.  Lastly, you are typically required to retain your grant records for at least four years from the date of the final expenditure report.