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The Recovery Act in Oregon

Federal Reporting Q&A
When is the reporting period for Recovery Act funds?

 
The reporting period captures information through either March 31, June 30, September 30, or December 31 of each quarter. Initial data reports are due to the federal government on the 10th day of the following month. Federal agencies review the submitted data from the 10th to the 30th of that month and follow up with any additional questions.  Recipient data is posted on Recovery.gov on the last day of the month following the end of the quarter.

 
What fields are required by the federal government?

 
The federal government requires recipients to provide an extensive level of data. For prime recipients alone, there are more than 50 data fields required. Some examples of fields that are required include:
 
  • Amount Awarded
  • Amount Expended
  • Number of Jobs Created (see Jobs Created for clarification on methodology)
  • Sub-recipients Information
  • Vendor Names
  • Congressional District
  • Award Description
  • Quarterly Activities
  • Project Status
 
For a full list of what the federal government requires, click here (PDF 168 KB).

 
How will data be displayed on the Oregon Recovery Act website?

 
In order to provide greater accountability and transparency to Oregonians, the state has developed a comprehensive tool for state agencies to collect data from their sub-recipients and vendors and then report back to the Governor's office. This will allow our state to report data on our website with more detail and in a quicker manner.
 
The Recovery Act website is equipped with a mapping feature that allows users to click on a single project and find out specific details. For example, users can view all the transportation projects across the state and then click on a single point to find out how much the award was for, how much money has been spent, how many jobs have been created for that project, and what vendors were hired.
 
Additionally, the state will provide the raw data of the information that Oregon has reported to the federal government.
 
Note: Oregon's Recovery Act website only includes funding that flows through state agencies.

 
How/When will the data be presented on the federal Recovery site?

 
The federal Recovery.gov website went live on February 17, 2009, the day President Obama signed the Act into law, and displays nationwide information about how Recovery Act funding is being spent. Data collected from state and local governments will be available on the federal website on the last day of the month following the end of the quarter.

 
How are jobs being counted & reported to the federal government?

  
The federal formula requires that prime recipients will report to the federal government the number of jobs funded using one standard calculation, translating both full and part time employees into "full-time equivalents," or FTEs. This calculation is performed by adding the total hours worked by all employees in the quarter, and dividing by the total quarterly hours in a full-time schedule.
 
Note: The number of jobs formally reported through this reporting period will not fully represent the number of people that have obtained paying work directly through the Recovery Act, nor the additional jobs created indirectly by this infusion of money into local economies.
 
Jobs Activity Formula:
 
                         Quarterly Total Hours Worked
       -------------------------------------------------------     =    Quarterly FTE Reported
                  Quarterly Hours in a Full-Time Schedule
 

 
What is the Governor responsible to report to the federal gov't?

 
The Governor is responsible for ensuring that state agencies who receive Recovery Act funds report back to the federal government accurately, comprehensively, and on time. The Governor has certified to the White House that state agencies comply with the reporting requirements of the federal government.

 
How is the Governor ensuring accuracy of the data?

 
Since the inception of the Recovery Act, the Governor has remained committed to ensuring an unprecedented level of public accountability and transparency for how the dollars are spent, and assurance that these funds produce the expected outcomes. In order to ensure the accuracy of data and the correct implementation of Recovery funds, the Governor established the Economic Recovery Executive Team to oversee, implement, and track Recovery funds. This team worked closely with state agencies to develop a data collection tool for state agencies to collect data from their sub-recipients and vendors. Additionally, the Governor requested that all state agency directors sign certification letters ensuring that their agency would report accurate and complete information.

 
What defines a prime recipient, sub-recipient and a vendor?

 
Prime Recipients - Organizations that receive Recovery Act awards (federally awarded contracts, grants, loans) directly from federal agency and are responsible for collecting data from their sub-recipients and vendors.
 
Sub-Recipients - Organizations that receive Recovery Act awards from Prime Recipients and administer programs and/or projects.
 
Vendors - Defined as a dealer, distributor, merchant, or other seller providing goods or services that are required to conduct work on Recovery Act programs or projects. Prime recipients or sub-recipients may purchase goods or services needed to carry out the project or program from vendors.

 
What does Section 1512 mean?

 
Section 1512 refers to the specific section of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) that addresses the information and data that must be reported to the federal government. Most Recovery Act awards are subject to Section 1512 reporting requirements which are new and specific to the Recovery Act.
 
The data collected through Section 1512 of the Recovery Act will answer important questions, such as:
  1. Who is receiving Recovery Act dollars and in what amounts?
  2. What projects or activities are being funded with Recovery Act dollars?
  3. What is the completion status of such projects or activities and what impact have they had on job creation and retention?