Sneak Preview: ED Updates Application Instructions to Address UEIs
Nonfederal entities seeking discretionary awards under notices inviting applications (NIAs) from the Department of Education (ED) will be following a new set of common instructions going forward to incorporate changes referencing the unique entity identifier (UEI).
In a Dec. 27, 2021, Federal Register notice, ED states that the revised instructions will supersede a Feb. 13, 2019, set of common application instructions, which the department implemented as part of a broader effort to reduce barriers for applicants. Exceptions to these instructions will “rarely” be required, ED explains, and the department will note such exceptions in an individual competition NIA.
The new common instructions address the governmentwide transition from the requirement to register in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) using a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number to the use of a UEI. Although the DUNS number is still used as the award identifier for SAM.gov, Grants.gov and other federal websites and repositories for information on recipients of financial assistance and contracts, the General Services Administration’s Integrated Award Environment (IAE) is working to complete the transfer whereby all federal agencies will require the use of a SAM.gov-generated UEI by April 4, 2022, as directed by the Office of Management and Budget. Until then, entities new to federal awards are required to register with Dun and Bradstreet to obtain a DUNS number to then register with SAM.gov. Entities currently registered with SAM.gov have been designated a UEI. IAE is a governmentwide initiative administered by GSA to manage the suite of systems that are a part of the federal awards lifecycle.
Due to these developments, ED has specifically revised section 4 of its common instructions, and made other related changes throughout the document. In section 5(b), ED has revised the instructions for the submission of paper applications (see below). The department also made other technical updates.
The common application states that nonfederal entities may obtain an application package from ED’s website (http://ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.html) or Grants.gov. Requirements concerning the content and form of an application, together with the forms an entity must submit, are in a specific program’s application package.
(The full version of this story has now been made available to all for a limited time here.)
Join us for our following Thompson Grants event:
Thompson Grants Workshop: Managing Key ARPA Programs, their Relation to the Uniform Guidance Addendum| Jan. 27, 2022 | Washington, D.C.
Nonprofit Legal, Finance, and Grants Conference| March 22, 2022 | Washington, D.C.
