In preparation for the U.S. Office of Management and Budget’s October review of federal procurement and other policies, the White House recently issued an invitation for colleges and universities to offer feedback about simplifying federal grant reporting requirements.
The Federal Government’s partnership with America’s colleges and universities through a variety of research grant programs remains strong but perhaps not as efficient and beneficial for American taxpayers as it could be. University management of Federal contracts, grants, and other awards requires several layers of reporting to multiple agencies, and the costs of unnecessary duplication within and across colleges and universities can be substantial. Resources that should be going to education and research are thereby diverted to less productive activities. Some of this duplication and inefficiency results from a lack of clear compliance standards, while in other cases the burdens result from accrued legacy requirements and processes that need to be reviewed and updated. Removal of unnecessary reporting burdens could free universities to further focus their resources on vital research and educational missions; to achieve this objective we need your help and engagement.