|
GENERAL QUESTIONS
When was the ARRA enacted?
Where can I obtain the most current ARRA
information?
What is the importance of transparency and
accountability for ARRA?
Will there be timeframes for the expenditure of funds from
ARRA? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARRA ECONOMIC STIMULUS BENEFITS
What are some of the benefits from ARRA for
FDOT's economic stimulus?
Will the ARRA legislation fund county and municipal
transportation projects?
Will the ARRA provide opportunities for Disadvantaged
Business Enterprises and Minority Business Enterprises? |
| |
|
|
|
ARRA EMPLOYMENT REPORTING SYSTEM
How do I access the electronic ARRA
Employment Reporting System computer-based training modules?
On the Inspector
General's website is a link to a Monthly Employment Report
form. Who do I submit this form to?
What is required to access the electronic
ARRA Employment Reporting System?
How do I access the electronic ARRA
Employment Reporting System?
What if I experience problems?
What must be reported?
Who must be reported?
When are monthly employment reports due?
How
long do I report employment information even if the project
was only partially funded with ARRA dollars?
What if an employee works on multiple jobs?
How do I assign a Project Manager to a
contract?
How do I report the Construction, Engineering & Inspection (CEI)
Manager and contractor if they are both on the same
contract?
The contractor obtained a Notice to Proceed (NTP) within the
month, but no work has been done. Does the prime contractor
need to submit an ARRA report?
Why is my contract number not listed
under Submit Monthly Report?
The
system continues to tell me that the vendor ID format is
wrong but will not tell me the correct format to use. What
is the correct way to enter our FEIN?
An incorrect DUNS number, vendor ID number and contract
number were entered on the report, what can be done to
correct the problem?
Some prime contractors attempted to submit their ARRA monthly
report(s) and noticed their ARRA contracts did not come up
for reporting. Will they need to register their company
again?
Once
a report has been submitted, is it possible to go back and
edit, specifically add subcontractors?
Who
do I contact if I have questions or problems with my monthly
submission?
What
happened to my ARRA Monthly Report submission notification?
What
information or documentation do I need to keep for support
of my entries into the electronic ARRA Employment Reporting
System? |
| |
|
|
|
MONTHLY EMPLOYMENT REPORT
What is: Employees
What is: Hours
What is: Payroll
How does the contractor or consultant report
the number of employees when an employee works just a few
hours per week/month or overtime on the project? |
| |
|
|
|
COMPLIANCE AND NON-COMPLIANCE WITH THE ARRA REPORTING SYSTEM
If
I
fail to report in a timely manner, what should I do to avoid
project non-payment?
Will this ARRA reporting data be audited? |
| |
|
|
|
|
FUNDS THROUGH OTHER SOURCES
If projects are let by a Local Agency Program agreement, are
contractors and consultants required to report?
What if I received ARRA funds directly from
the federal government?
What if I received ARRA funds from both FDOT
and the federal government? |
| |
|
|
|
SINGLE AUDIT
What are the Single Audit requirements for
ARRA?
Who do I contact if I have questions on
Single Audit? |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
GENERAL
QUESTIONS |
|
back to top |
| |
|
|
|
When was the ARRA enacted? |
|
|
|
The ARRA of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) was enacted on February
17, 2009. |
| |
|
|
|
Where can I obtain the most current ARRA
information? |
|
|
Websites have been created by FDOT and other government
agencies to track the implementation of ARRA and inform the
public of where funds are spent.
FDOT:
http://www.dot.state.fl.us/planning/economicstimulus/
Federal Highway Administration:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/index.html
and
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/economicrecovery/index.htm
Federal Recovery:
www.recovery.gov |
| |
|
|
|
What is the importance of transparency and
accountability for ARRA? |
|
The President made it clear that every
taxpayer dollar spent on our economic recovery must be
subject to unprecedented levels of transparency and
accountability. He identified five crucial objectives for
federal agencies to ensure:
• Recovery funds are awarded and distributed in
a prompt, fair, and reasonable manner;
• The recipients and uses of all recovery funds
are transparent to the public, and that the public benefits
of these funds are reported clearly, accurately, and in a
timely manner;
•
Recovery funds are used for authorized
purposes and every step is taken to prevent instances of
fraud, waste, error, and abuse;
•
Projects funded under the recovery
legislation avoid unnecessary delays and cost overruns; and,
• Programs meet specific goals and targets, and
contribute to improved performance on broad economic
indicators.
Consistent
with the President's commitment, FDOT and other agencies
plan to provide heightened levels of monitoring and
oversight activities which should enhance accountability.
The results of our oversight efforts (including reporting)
are available to federal and state governments as well as
the citizens of Florida at the following websites:
FlaRecovery.com:
http://flarecovery.com/about/state-and-local-projects/infrastructure/florida-department-of-transportation-federal-highway-administration
Federal Highway Administration:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/index.html
and
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/economicrecovery/index.htm
Federal Recovery:
www.recovery.gov
Recovery database on:
FedSpending.org
|
| |
|
|
|
Will there be timeframes for the expenditure
of funds from ARRA? |
|
FDOT is required to receive FHWA authorization for 50
percent of funds allocated to FDOT projects within 120 days
of apportionment by FHWA, or the balance will be
redistributed among other states. All remaining funds must
be authorized by FHWA for expenditure within one year.
|
| |
|
|
|
ARRA ECONOMIC
STIMULUS BENEFITS |
|
back to top |
| |
|
What are some of the expected benefits from ARRA for FDOT's
economic stimulus? |
|
The ARRA will provide urgently needed transportation funding
to address Florida's aging infrastructure and create jobs to
spur our economy.
•
An estimated 28,000 jobs for every $1 billion spent on
transportation;
•
The economy
benefits $5.60 for every $1 invested;
•
FDOT's Work
Program has already suffered a reduction of $7.2 billion
since November 2006; ARRA provides improvements;
•
FDOT has
nearly $7 billion in ready-to-go projects; ARRA provides
$1.347 billion allocated for highways and bridges;
•
An estimated
$50 million of FDOT funding for airport improvements;
and,
•
An estimated
$290 million of FDOT funding for urban transit systems;
$20 million for rural transit systems; and $5.4 million
for fixed guide-ways systems.
|
| |
|
Will the ARRA legislation fund county and municipal
transportation projects? |
|
Yes. Approximately $404 million is available for local
enhancement projects. In addition to this funding, counties
and municipalities can apply for grants under the $1.3
billion discretionary program (subject to criteria
established by the USDOT). |
| |
|
|
|
Will the ARRA provide opportunities for
Disadvantaged Business Enterprises and Minority Business
Enterprises? |
|
Yes. Opportunities for small, minority and women-owned
businesses are provided. Projects funded by the stimulus
package will be subject to the existing annual goals for
disadvantaged business enterprises. |
| |
|
|
|
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS |
|
back to top |
| |
|
What are the reporting requirements for FDOT? |
|
FDOT is responsible for filing reports with the Federal
Highway Administration (FHWA) every month. For more
information, go to:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/economicrecovery/index.htm
Additionally, the Congressional Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure requested FDOT provide monthly reports on
ARRA activities. For more information go to:
http://transportation.house.gov/singlepages/singlepages.aspx?NewsID=852 |
| |
|
|
|
What are the reporting requirements for local
agencies, contractors, consultants and subcontractors? |
|
On a monthly basis, local agencies, contractors, consultants
and subcontractors are required to maintain and report to
FDOT the total number of employees, total hours and total
payroll on ARRA projects. FDOT has developed an
online application to capture the data at:
http://www2.dot.state.fl.us/ARRAEmploymentReporting/ |
| |
|
|
|
What are the consequences to local agencies,
contractors, consultants and subcontractors for not
reporting? |
|
FDOT will withhold payment for failure to comply with the
reporting requirements. |
| |
|
|
|
If projects are not fully funded by ARRA, are contractors
and consultants subject to the same reporting requirements? |
|
Yes. Regardless of the amount, contractors and consultants
on projects receiving ARRA funds are expected to fully
comply with the reporting requirements. |
| |
|
|
|
When are my reports due? |
|
Reports are due by the 10th of each month. (See
FAQ on Compliance and Non-Compliance with the ARRA
Reporting System). |
| |
|
|
|
What are the ARRA requirements for the
economic stimulus and what is the penalty for failure to
maintain the effort? |
|
According to The Act, Title XV - Accountability and
Transparency, Subtitle A, Section 1511 Certifications and
Title XII - General Provisions (for) Department of
Transportation, Section 1201 Maintenance of Effort:
With respect to covered funds made available to State or
local governments for infrastructure investments, the
Governor, mayor, or other chief executive, as appropriate,
shall certify that the infrastructure investment has
received the full review and vetting required by law and
that the chief executive accepts responsibility that the
infrastructure investment is an appropriate use of taxpayer
dollars. Such certification shall include a description of
the investment, the estimated total cost, and the amount of
covered funds to be used, and shall be posted on a website.
A State or local agency may not receive infrastructure
investment funding from funds made available in this Act
unless this certification is made and posted.
a) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT: Not later than 30 days after the
date of enactment of this Act, for each amount that is
distributed to a State or agency thereof from an
appropriation in this Act for a covered program, the
Governor of the State shall certify that the State will
maintain its effort with regard to State funding for the
types of projects that are funded by the appropriation. As
part of this certification, the Governor shall submit to the
covered agency a statement identifying the amount of funds
the State planned to expend from State sources as of the
date of enactment of this Act through September 30, 2010,
for the types of projects that are funded by the
appropriation.
(b) FAILURE TO MAINTAIN EFFORT: If a State is unable to
maintain the level of effort certified pursuant to
subsection (a), the State will be prohibited by the (U.S.)
Secretary of Transportation from receiving additional
limitation pursuant to the redistribution of the limitation
on obligations for Federal-aid highway and highway safety
construction programs that occurs after August 1 for fiscal
year 2011. |
| |
|
|
|
How
do I obtain a DUNS number? |
|
Federal reporting on projects funded by ARRA requires
contractors to report their Data Universal Numbering System
(DUNS) number. The DUNS number is issued by Dun and
Bradstreet. If you do not know your DUNS number, go to
www.dnb.com. According to the D&B website, it takes a
minimum of 30 business days for a new D&B DUNS number
to be processed. |
| |
|
What is FHWA's reporting timeline for ARRA? |
|
For FHWA's indirect employment model, data from FDOT is
required by the 20th of each month. FHWA uses
information from the regular monthly state reports and
existing FHWA data programs to meet their quarterly and
periodic reporting requirements. |
| |
|
ARRA EMPLOYMENT REPORTING SYSTEM |
back to top |
| |
|
How do I access the ARRA Employment Reporting
System computer-based training modules? |
|
For external DOT:
http://wbt.dot.state.fl.us/ois/ARRA/
For internal DOT:
http://cbt.dot.state.fl.us/ois/ARRA/ |
| |
|
On the Inspector General's website is a link to a Monthly
Employment Report form. Who do I submit this form to?
http://www.dot.state.fl.us/inspectorgeneral/ARRA.shtm |
|
The Monthly Employment Report (Form No. 700-011-20) is not
formally submitted to FDOT. The form helps you gather
information needed for entering data into the electronic
ARRA Employment Reporting System. It is important to keep
the form as part of your records, since your data may be
subject to review. |
| |
|
What is required to access the electronic
ARRA Employment Reporting System? |
|
A
valid User ID (ISA account link to the system) and a web
browser. |
| |
|
How do I access the electronic ARRA
Employment Reporting System? |
|
Enter the ISA information. Link to the computer-based
training (CBT) modules.
External users, such as local agencies and prime
contractors, must access the ARRA Employment Reporting
System via the Internet:
www2.dot.state.fl.us/ARRAEmploymentReporting |
| |
|
What if I experience problems? |
|
Confirm that you attempted to login with a valid User ID and
password. If you attempted to login with the same password
three times, it is possible that you have revoked your own
User ID; contact your Project Manager. If you are receiving
a message regarding System User access, inform your Project
Manager of the message received. |
| |
|
What must be reported? |
|
On a monthly basis, local agencies, contractors,
consultants, and subcontractors are required to maintain and
report to FDOT the total number of employees, total hours
and total payroll on ARRA projects even if the totals
are zero. Reporting will continue through the duration of
the contract or September 2012. |
| |
|
Who must be reported? |
|
Recipients should include all direct labor associated with
the Recovery Act project such as design, construction, and
inspection provided they are funded by Recovery Act funds.
The recipients' reports should include their own direct
project labor, including permanent, temporary, and contract
project staff.
Total employees is based on the prime
contractor or consultants report of direct, on-the-project
jobs for their workforce and the workforce of their
sub-contractors active during the reporting month. These
jobs data include employees actively engaged in projects who
work on the jobsite, in the project office, in the home
office or telework from a home or other alternative office
location. This also includes any engineering personnel,
inspectors, sampling and testing technicians, and lab
technicians performing work directly in support of the
Recovery Act funded project and charging to an ARRA project
on their timesheet. This does not include material suppliers
such as steel, culverts, guardrail and tool suppliers.
The following individual should not be reported if they are
not directly charging time on their timesheets such as:
President, Vice President, Controller, HR personnel, Project
Manager, Contract Administration and Accounts Payable
clerk. Home office staff who are not charging their hours
directly to the ARRA project should not be reported. |
| |
|
When are monthly employment reports due? |
|
Employment data for the prior month must be entered into the
system by the 10th of the current month. |
| |
|
How long do I report employment information
even if the project was only partially funded with ARRA
dollars? |
|
ARRA employment information needs to be reported for all
ARRA contracts until the contract is complete or until the
project is "closed for reporting" by your District
Coordinator. This includes projects that were partially
funded with ARRA dollars. Once ARRA funds are depleted and
other funds are being used to complete the project, local
agencies, contractors and subcontractors must
continue reporting employment information for the life of
the contract. This supersedes previous FHWA
guidance ending reporting in September 2012. |
| |
|
|
|
What if an employee works on multiple jobs? |
|
The employee should be counted for each project he/she works
on, including total hours and wages. |
| |
|
|
|
How
do I assign a Project Manager to a contract? |
|
Go to the internal DOT electronic ARRA Employment Reporting
System:
http://webapp02.dot.state.fl.us/ARRAEmploymentReportingAdmin/
Select the Admin tab, then Manage Project Managers.
You will receive a lookup project for the contract number.
Proceed to assign a Project Manager to the contract. |
| |
|
How do I report the Construction, Engineering
& Inspection (CEI) Manager and contractor if they are both
on the same contract? |
|
The CEI Manager will handle the primary responsibilities
(entering all the employment data and confirmation of
entries into the electronic ARRA Employment System) and the
various contractors will be reported in the subcontractor
roles. |
| |
|
The contractor obtained a NTP within the
month, but no work has been done. Does the prime contractor
need to submit an ARRA report? |
|
Yes. If the prime contractor receives a NTP between the 1st
and 31st of that month, the prime contractor
needs to submit an ARRA report. |
| |
|
Why is my contract number not listed
under Submit Monthly Report? |
|
To have your contract listed under SUBMIT
MONTHLY REPORT, you must first add the vendor number under
MY ACCOUNT. Click on MY ACCOUNT and type the primary vendor
number in the vendors box using the following example as a
format guideline: F123456789-006. Click on the VERIFY AND
ADD VENDOR link. The vendor number will now appear under
CURRENT VENDORS. Before leaving this page, click
UPDATE located above the vendors box. You should see a
message stating YOUR ACCOUNT HAS BEEN UPDATED. Once you see
this message, you may return to SUBMIT MONTHLY REPORT and
the contract number will appear. If not, send an e-mail
with your contract number and the vendor ID number you used
to
FDOT.ServiceDesk@dot.state.fl.us
and this office will contact you shortly. |
| |
|
The system continues to tell me that the
vendor ID format is wrong but will not tell me the correct
format to use. What is the correct way to enter our FEIN? |
|
Before attempting to register with a vendor ID (FEIN)
number, refer to the input box for an example of the format. |
| |
|
An incorrect DUNS number, vendor ID number
and contract number were entered on the report, what can be
done to correct the problem? |
|
If the ARRA reporting information was not yet saved, then it
is best to start over and enter the correct information. |
| |
|
Some prime contractors attempted to submit
their ARRA monthly report(s) and noticed their ARRA
contracts did not come up for reporting. Will they need to
register their company again? |
|
No. The prime contractors should review their anticipated
contracts and determine the correct vendor number prior to
reporting. Prime contractors can update and edit vendor
numbers by selecting the My Accounts tab. |
| |
|
Once a report has been submitted, is it
possible to go back and edit, specifically add
subcontractors? |
|
In the electronic ARRA Employment Reporting System, you have
the capability of reviewing and editing your report after
you Save the Monthly Report. However, once you
Submit the Report for Review, you lose all edit
capabilities because the report is passed on to the Project
Manager to review and accept or reject.
If the Project Manager rejects the report, you will be
notified by email. You then have the ability to edit the
report for any omissions or corrections needed.
If the Project Manager accepts the submitted reported, you
will not have the ability to modify it. The only
recourse will be to contact your Project Manager for
requesting "Help Desk" assistance.
Contact
your Project Manager, and they can arrange to have your
project rejected by the District Lap Coordinator or District
Construction Engineer. |
| |
|
|
|
Who do I contact if I have questions or
problems with my monthly submission? |
|
The electronic ARRA Employment Reporting System contacts are:
|
|
FDOT
Service Desk
Phone:
(850) 414-4357 or 1-866-955-4357 (HELP)
Email:
FDOT.ServiceDesk@dot.state.fl.us |
|
| |
|
What happened to my ARRA Monthly Report
submission notification? |
|
If the e-mail notification is not in your e-mail inbox,
review your junk e-mail for messages from ARRAStimulasAdmin@dot.state.fl.us.
These e-mail messages can be pulled into your e-mail inbox
for further processing and linking to the specific
requirement needed by the ARRA Employment Reporting System. |
| |
|
What information or documentation do I need
to keep for support of my entries into the electronic ARRA
Employment Reporting System? |
|
When submitting the report for review, you certify that the
information is true and correct. Supporting records and/or
documentation must be maintained in accordance with the
terms and conditions of the contract. Keep all detailed
listings of direct on the job employee names, hours, and
wages for each payroll cycle. This data should be available
for future audits. |
| |
|
MONTHLY EMPLOYMENT REPORT |
|
back to top |
| |
|
What is: Employees |
|
The total number of employees working directly on the
project that month for the contractor or consultant. Enter
separately the total number of employees working directly on
the project that month for the subcontractor. Do not
include material suppliers. |
| |
|
What is: Hours |
|
Total hours for all active employees reported on the ARRA
project by the contractor or consultant for that month.
Enter separately the total hours of all active employees
reported on the ARRA project by each subcontractor for that
month. |
| |
|
What is: Payroll |
|
Total dollar amount of wages paid by the contractor or
consultant for active employees' hours worked on the ARRA
project for that month. Enter separately the total dollar
amount of wages paid by the subcontractor for active
employee's hours worked on the ARRA project for that month.
Payroll only includes wages, not overhead or indirect cost. |
| |
|
How does the contractor or consultant report
the number of employees when an employee works just a few
hours per week/month or overtime on the project? |
|
Reporting of these employees is the same. Please see items
above -
What is: Employees
What is: Hours
What is: Payroll |
| |
|
COMPLIANCE AND NON-COMPLIANCE WITH THE ARRA REPORTING SYSTEM |
| |
|
|
|
If I fail to report in a timely manner, what
should I do to avoid project non-payment? |
|
It is very important to submit reports by the 10th.
If a situation prevents you from reporting, you should
notify the next reporting tier (FDOT Project Manager or
Local Agency Coordinator) as soon as possible to avoid
non-compliance to the ARRA requirements. Non-Compliance
will lead to non-payment for your project work. |
| |
|
Will this ARRA reporting data be audited? |
|
Yes. Due to the high levels of accountability, monitoring
and oversight, your data may be audited by state and federal
officials. |
| |
|
FUNDS THROUGH OTHER SOURCES |
|
back to top |
| |
|
|
|
If projects are let by a Local Agency Program
agreement, are contractors and consultants required to
report? |
|
Yes. Contractors and consultants must report their data
directly to the local agency that let the project. This
should be done in a timely manner to avoid non-compliance
with the ARRA reporting requirements. |
| |
|
What if I received ARRA funds directly from
the federal government? |
|
You are still required to report project employment
information. However, you must use the federal economic
stimulus reporting system available at:
www.recovery.gov |
| |
|
|
|
SINGLE AUDIT |
|
back to top |
| |
|
|
|
What are the Single Audit requirements for
ARRA? |
|
In 2009, the Office of Management and Budget provided
additional A-133 Single Audit guidance through the release
of a Compliance Supplement. Appendix 7 of the 2009
Compliance Supplement provides more detail and is available
at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/a133_compliance_supplement_2012
|
| |
|
Who do I contact if I have questions on
Single Audit? |
|
The Single Audit Coordinator is:
Helen Titoff
FDOT - Office of Inspector General
Phone: (850) 410-5827
E-mail:
helen.titoff@dot.state.fl.us
|
| |
|
back to top |
| |
|
|
