Method of Payment

The Award Notice, Form CSREES-2009, identifies the method of payment that will be utilized for grant payments under the award.

BACKGROUND
Since February 1991, the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) has been utilizing the Payment Management System (PMS) operated by Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to conduct financial transactions with award recipients.  CSREES is transitioning from PMS to the Automated Standard Applications for Payment System (ASAP) operated by the Department of the Treasury’s Financial Management Service to provide improved customer service, greater transparency, and more efficient reconciliations.   The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) (to whom all of CSREES’ authorities are to be transferred as to October 1, 2009) will continue with the implementation and transition to ASAP.

WHAT IS ASAP?
ASAP is a web based electronic payment and information system developed by the Department of Treasury, Financial Management Service (FMS) and the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.  ASAP allows recipient organizations receiving federal funds to draw from accounts preauthorized by federal agencies.  ASAP is a role based application in which access is granted based on the assigned role of the user.  For more information about ASAP visit http://www.fms.treas.gov/asap/.

IMPLEMENTATION OF ASAP
In FY 2010, CSREES will include ASAP as the method of payment in:
●ALL Biomass Research and Development Initiative Competitive Grants Program (BRDI) awards. 
●NEW awards for formula, competitive, and non-competitive programs. 
●Continuation awards, renewal awards, and supplemental awards will use the method of payment [Payment Management System] that was included in the initial award; however, there will be an initiative to move the awards with a PMS designation to ASAP.  This initiative will not involve awards in their final year (these awards will maintain the PMS designation until closeout of the award).  The initiative will be accomplished through a phase-in approach [currently under construction].  Prior to moving an award from PMS to ASAP the awardee will be contacted with instructions, as appropriate, for the set-up of an ASAP account.  The awardee also will need to certify the award balance to be transferred to ASAP.

HELPFUL INFORMATION TO GET STARTED
●ASAP New Recipient Letter – this is correspondence that will be provided to awardees that currently do not have an ASAP account.
●Guides and Forms
●Common Questions
        - those received by ASAP staff
        - those received by CSREES and/or NIFA [under construction]