HomeMy WebLinkAbout29-CIty Manager
CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO - REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION
Dept:
Charles McNeely,
City Manager
City Manager's Office
Subject: Review of eCivis Grants Network
Software
Council Date:
December 20,2010
From:
Date: December 13,2010
Synopsis of Previous Council Action:
11/1/2010 Mayor and Common Council directed the City Manager to address funding
sources and personnel issues and bring the item back in 30 days.
Recommended Motion:
That should the Mayor and Common Council desire to purchase the eCivis software, that option
one be selected, which includes the purchase of all three components of eCivis and the funding
of the grants coordinator position, and direct the City Manager to take actions necessary to
implement the selected option, including authorizing the Director of Finance to amend the
budget as appropriate.
Contact person:
Tait Ecklund
Phone:
Ext 3644
Supporting data attached: Staff Reoort
Ward: All
FUNDING REQUIREMENTS:
Amount:
Source: (Acct. No.) -0-
(A cd ne5;criptinn) -0-
Finance:
Council Notes:
Agenda Item No.
CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION
STAFF REPORT
Subject:
Review of the eCivis Grants Network software.
Back2round:
eCivis is an online grants management software designed specifically for local governments and
community based organizations to help accurately obtain, track, report, and manage grant
information in a "one-stop shop" manner. This software assists municipalities in the
organizational aspects of finding, applying for, and managing grants. eCivis offers three Grants
Network products: Research, Tracking & Reporting, and Knowledge Base. Each of these
components can be purchased separately.
· The Grants Network: Research product will assist in researching and finding funding
opportunities, and obtaining necessary information (i.e. brief summaries of grants, total
grants available, grant amounts, eligibility requirements, deadlines, etc.) regarding
available grants. This product streamlines the application process by providing online
applications which then can be submitted directly to the grantor. Copies of previous
winning grant proposals are also available for eCivis subscribers to use as a template.
· The Grants Network: Tracking & Reporting product will enable city staff to track and
follow the steps of the grant application process after the grant proposal has been
submitted. It is an organizational tool to be used after the grant has been submitted. If the
grant is not awarded, this product will store all information on that grant to be used for
future references. If the grant is awarded, then this product becomes a tool for all reports
which will be needed in administering the grant. It will allow all pertinent staff to have
access to the grant's compliance (e.g. due dates for reports) requirements by creating
transparency and accountability in the managing of the grant.
· The Grants Network: KnowledgeBase product is for those employees who may not know
everything, or anything, about grants. It provides tutorials on researching, writing
proposals for, and anything else having to do with grants. This product also provides one
centralized location designated for the necessary forms which are commonly used in
writing many grants proposals, and allows staff to utilize them instantaneously resulting
in an increase in work efficiency.
With its three components, eCivis has no direct competitors. There are many online grants
management software systems that specialize in each portion of the eCivis software system, but
none possess all three products in one system. It is important to note that eCivis does not assist in
writing or reviewing grants.
eCivis offers three different licensing packages: 10 licenses, 20 licenses, and unlimited licenses.
One license is allotted to each employee working with any particular grant within the
organization. The amount of licenses needed to be purchased by the City would depend on the
components of eCivis the City purchases. If the City purchased only the Research component, a
10 license agreement would be sufficient to accommodate the employees in various departments
who search for grants on a regular basis. However, if the City were to purchase the Research and
Tracking and Reporting components of eCivis, it would be best to have an unlimited license
agreement. This is because any employee who does any type of reporting or oversight with a
grant would need to have a license to have access to the eCivis system. For example, the City has
between 55 to 60 different grants at any particular time, with an average of three different
employees working on and administering each grant. See Attachment 1 for a breakdown of
eCivis costs based on various components and licensing packages.
Findin2S
Upon surveying several cities and speaking with several grants professionals that use eCivis,
there are key points that can be derived from the information gathered. Of the cities that have
eCivis, the majority have a grants coordinator or other staff member who administers the
program. All cities stated that eCivis was a very good program, but the cities with grants
coordinators demonstrated that their grants programs achieved stronger results than the cities that
did not have a grants coordinator. For example, one city, which has a grants coordinator, stated
that the Tracking and Reporting function alone reduced the time required to audit the city-wide
grants from three months to three weeks, enabling them to apply for and track even more grants
opportunities. This type of feedback was typical of cities with grants coordinators; they were
able to easily quantify the benefits of eCivis. Cities that did not have a grants coordinator were
not able to readily quantify the benefits of eCivis because there was not a centralized grants
professional overseeing their grants database.
The grants professionals who were surveyed indicated that eCivis is a good program that helped
streamline and organize the process of researching, applying for, and reporting on grants.
However, they also stated that if given the choice between having a grants administrator or
having the eCivis program, a qualified grants administrator would be more beneficial to a city's
grants program. These grants professionals indicated that the Research component of eCivis
could easily be utilized by a broad range of employees and departments, but that the Tracking
and Reporting component would best be utilized by a grants professional (ie. eCivis
administrator). The majority of the cities without a grants coordinator only utilize the Research
component of eCivis. (See Attachment 2)
The advantages of eCivis:
· Reduces the amount of staff time necessary to search for relevant grants.
· Streamlines the process of applying for grants by providing pertinent information and
documents needed in the grants application process.
· Provides a centralized system for applying for, and tracking grants through a grant's
entire life cycle.
· Reduces staff time necessary for reporting programmatic aspects of a grant to awarding
agencIes.
The disadvantages of eCivis:
. Cost.
· eCivis will not assist in the writing of grants.
· A grants coordinator/Administrator is the best way to maximize the functions of eCivis.
Summary
eCivis offers the potential to increase organizational efficiency and reduce costs through its
grants management functions. However, it is important to reiterate that eCivis staff does not
assist in the writing of grants, nor will they review any grant proposal. The preparation of grant
proposals will continue to be a labor-intensive process requiring staff resources; however, eCivis
will provide a tool to help the City streamline the administration of its grants.
The majority of local governments agencies that use eCivis have some type of a grants
coordinator position which also becomes the eCivis Administrator, and is responsible for
overseeing grant research, writing, tracking, and administration. In order to be most effective, the
eCivis software would need to be incorporated into a comprehensive grants program. However,
the grants coordinator position was not funded in FY 2010-11 to meet budget reductions.
Staff has identified three options in regards to addressing the needs of the administration of city-
wide grants:
Option 1:
· Purchase all three components (Research, Tracking and Reporting, and
KnowledgeBase) of the eCivis program with unlimited licenses.
· Add a grants coordinator position to become the eCivis administrator.
Analysis - This option would provide the foundation for a comprehensive grants program
which would maximize the functions of eCivis and allow the City to develop even more
competitive grants proposals.
Option 2:
· Add a grants coordinator position without purchasing eCivis.
Analysis - Based on the information provided by the grants professionals surveyed for
this staff report, a qualified grants coordinator can build a grants program, whereas a
grants software system alone is not sufficient.
Option 3:
· Purchase the Research component of eCivis with 10 user licenses.
Analysis - This would provide a tool for staff members who search for grants resulting in
streamlining their grants research and submittal process. This option complements the
City's current decentralized structure for grants administration.
Option 4:
· Maintain the status quo and not purchase the eCivis software or add a grants
coordinator position until such time as City revenue improves.
Analysis - This option would not increase City expenditures, but potentially the City
could lose opportunities to seek additional grants to fund City services.
Financial Impact:
The following provides the annual fiscal impact of each option:
Option 1: Adding a grants coordinator position would cost $91,900 annually, and
purchasing all three components of eCivis would cost $41,616 annually for a
total annual cost of$133,516.
Option 2: Adding a grants coordinator would cost $91,900 annually.
Option 3: Purchasing 10 licenses of the eCivis Research component would cost $15,228
annually
Option 4: No financial impact.
As these program enhancements were not included in the FY 2010-11 budget, funding for the
selected option will need to be appropriated from the City's reserves or savings from other
accounts. In the future, a portion of the grant awards can be appropriated to partially offset these
administration costs. Currently, though, all City grants have earmarked funds for other purposes,
precluding them from offsetting the initial costs.
Recommendation:
Should the Mayor and Common Council desire to purchase the eCivis software, that option one
be selected, which includes the purchase of all three components of eCivis and the funding of the
grants coordinator position, and direct the City Manager to take actions necessary to implement
the selected option, including authorizing the Director of Finance to amend the budget as
appropriate.
Attachment 1: Cost breakdown of eCivis
Attachment 2: Matrix of City Comparisons
N
-
C
Q)
E
..c
u
ro
~
E
(1)
.....
tn
~
U)
tn
.-
>
.-
o
(1)
(1)
.t:
.....
(1)
tn
::::J
.....
co
.t:
.....
tn
(1)
.-
.....
.-
o
....
o
~
(1)
~
::::J
U)
....
o
....L-L-+oJ
~ ~~~
.! CO CO CO
C C C C
.- CO CO <(
E~~-
"tJ(/)(/)~
cd: C C"O
(I) co co c
.- L.. L.. "C
.~ <.9 <.9 a...
o
Q)
L-
~
co
c
co
~
~
o
+oJ
C
co
+oJ
(/)
(/)
(/)
<(
L-
o
+oJ
CO
C
"'C
L-
o
o
o
(/)
+oJ
C
co
L-
<.9
+oJ
~
co
c
<(
co
a.
"0
c
'C
a...
+oJ
~
co
c
<(
Q)
>
:+:::i
co
L-
+oJ
(/)
c
E
"'C
<(
~
C/)
L-
o
+oJ
CO
C
"'C
L-
o
o
o
(/)
+oJ
C
co
L-
<.9
L-
o
+oJ
CO
C
"'C
L-
o
o
o
+oJ
o
Q)
"0
L-
a...
L-
o
c
Q)
C/)
"tJ
Q) OJ C>
~ C C
~ Q) Q) Q) Q) t t
~ ..c ..c ..c ..c ~ ..c ~ ..c ~ ..c ~ ..c g..c &.
::s () 0 0 oCC oCC oCC oCC 0 Q) 0 Q)
c..rornrnroQ)L-Q)L-~rn~rnO::rnO::
(I) Q) Q) Q) Q) .g m .g m -OJ Q) -OJ Q) Q)
c(/)(/)(/)(/)Q)(/)Q)(/)Q)(/)Q)(/)~(/)~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ .~ ~ g>
o cccc~~
C. ~~~~oo
E ~ ~
o ~ ~
o
c
o T"""
:.;:iT"""T"""v
.!coffieX)
a 0 v 0;
o<.OvN
c..
~~Q)
"""'- - co "'C
.;:;' 1ij a. ~
.- +oJ 0 Q)
o ~.g"~
co coO::
LL~
f'-..
<.0
<.0
('I')
V
T"""
co
c
Q)
"'C
co
(/)
co
a...
V
f'-..
T"""
Q)
<.0
T"""
co
+oJ
"C
co
o
co
+oJ
C
co
C/)
Q)
o
eX)
T"""
f'-..
T"""
~
c
o
E
co
o
::J
o
o
..c
o
c
co
0::
N
eX)
eX)
<.0
Q)
T"""
Q)
co
"'C
C
Q)
<.9
<.0
LO
V
o
N
<.0
eX)
<.0
eX)
T"""
('I')
eX)
('I')
><
~
o
(/)
co
a...
w
(/)
Q)
Q)
C>
C
<(
(/)
o
.....J
+-'
c:
a.l
E
.c:
u
co
t:
<(
tn
.-
>
.-
(J
Q)
~
.....
.-
~
.....
(J
co
~
.....
C
o
(J
~
CO
Q)
~
M
CO
'Po
o
.....
tn
o
(J
-0 (J) CD CD
(J) (J) ~ L{)
:!: (J) CD ~
E c -
- (J) ~ 0
c .~ ~ (V)
:J....J fit fit
(J)
(J) 00 0
(J)
c CD ~
(J) I'- N
0 0 00
....J (V) ~
0 fit fit
N
(J)
(J) 00 00
(J)
C 0 N
(J) 00 N
() 0 L{)
....J N ~
0 fit fit
~
C)
c
t
o (J) (J)
Q.(J) (J)
(J) ro ro
0:: CO CO
..c06 (J) (J)
C) ..c C)
0 C) -0 0-0
L... C (J) L... (J)
CO .- - ro-
(J) ~ ~ (J) ~
(J) 0 0 (J) 0
(J) ~ C (J) C
O::I-~ O::~