The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA)
The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), enacted on September 26, 2006, requires that information on federal awards be made available to the public via www.USASpending.gov. For more detailed information regarding the legislation, please go to www.fsrs.gov and click on FAQs.
At this time, the impact of this data collection requirement on the University is limited to the collection and reporting of information about first-tier sub-recipients under federal assistance awards and first-tier sub-recipients and vendors under federal contracts. Although the law is imprecise on the applicability of these provisions to further tiers, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) may require reporting on second-tier awards in the future.
The data required for FFATA reporting comes directly from the awarding agency and the award itself. Principal investigators and departments are NOT required to provide any information about their awards. FFATA reporting is administered internally by the Office of Sponsored Research. For more information, review the presentation made to SMART on 4-5-11.
Overview and Applicability of FFATA
Under federal grants – reporting of sub-recipients:
- Applies to any newly awarded prime grants greater than or equal to $25,000 with an issue date of Oct. 1, 2010 or later.
- Excludes vendor agreements.
- Excludes ARRA grants.
Under federal contracts – reporting of sub-recipients:
- From July 8, 2010 through September 30, 2010, FFATA applied only to newly awarded prime contracts in the amount of $20,000,000 or more.
- From October 1, 2010 through February 28, 2011, FFATA applied to any newly awarded prime contract in the amount of $550,000 or more.
- Beginning March 1, 2011, FFATA applies to any newly awarded prime contract in the amount of $25,000 or more.
- Includes vendor agreements.
- Includes ARRA contracts.
- Federal contracting officers have the option of amending existing contracts to include FFATA reporting requirements.
FFATA vs. ARRA Reporting
FFATA is different from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in several ways. The table below summarizes the key legislative reporting requirements.
FFATA |
ARRA |
Reported once (at time of issuance or with additional funding) |
Reported quarterly |
Reported by OSR |
Reported by OSR/PIs/Finance Managers |
Subawards > $25,000 |
Award progress and status (% completed) |
| Vendor agreements > $25,000 |
Jobs created and/or retained |
Executive compensation (if applicable) |
Expenditures |
|
Subawards |
|
Vendor payments |
|
Executive compensation (if applicable) |
For more information, please contact:
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