GPRA Data Collection FAQs For Grantees

Technical FAQs

1. Will I need to set up an account in Qualtrics?
   1. Answer: No, grantees will not need to set up an account in Qualtrics.


2. How can I identify the email from Qualtrics and how do I know it’s legit?
   1. Our current Qualtrics from address is edaprogramevaluation@qemailserver.com. We are working to update this address to a “.gov” domain. If you need to verify, please contact us at programevaluation@eda.gov.


3. What should I do if I’m not sure how to answer one of the questions on the questionnaire?
   1. Please reach out to programevaluation@eda.gov with any questions you have about the questionnaires.


4. Once I receive the link to complete the questionnaire, how long do I have to submit?
   1. Grantees will have 1 month after receipt to complete the questionnaires. The responses are automatically saved so grantees can exit the questionnaire and return to complete the questionnaire later.


5. What happens when an award has multiple organizations on it (i.e. University Center with multiple partner Universities)? Who will be responsible for responding and submitting?
   1. Just like our current processes in Grants Online, there will be one primary recipient of the questionnaire. The consortium should coordinate prior to submission of the questionnaire because only one individual can submit.


6. Who exactly within the awardee organization will be required to fill out the questionnaire?
   1. Grantee organizations should assign someone responsible for completing the questionnaires and share that contact with their regional point of contact. We want the emails to go directly to the person responsible for completing the questionnaire and this may be different from the Authorized Representative or the Principal Investigator.


7. We will complete the questionnaires separately for each award we have received, correct?
   1. Yes, that is correct. The questionnaires apply to a specific award number and therefore a specific scope of work. If you have two awards at the same time, you will be reporting separately for each award.


8. I have multiple awards and they are all due to report around the same time. How do I know what award to report on?
   1. The award number for which the distribution is intended for is pre-filled in Qualtrics. If for some reason it’s not, please contact programevaluation@eda.gov.


9. I have multiple awards due to report at the same time. Can I report on both using the same link?
   1. No. If you have multiple awards due to report at the same time, we will send you two different links, one for each award. You should only be reporting on one award per link.


10. I received a link for my CARES Act Award but did not receive a link for my Planning award. When will I receive the link for my Planning award?
    1. The new GPRA process only applies to new awards made on or after June 1, 2020. This means that your FY19 Planning award, or amendments, will not be included in this data collection effort. Please reach out to your EDR or Project Officer on what to do about your Planning award.


11. Can I edit my questionnaire after submitting?
    1. Once you submit your questionnaire, your link will no longer be valid. We can provide you a retake link to make edits and corrections; however, we encourage you to only submit your questionnaire when you are completely ready. Please note that you have a month to complete the questionnaire.


12. Will we have access to the reports after submission?
    1. You can download your responses after submission. We will share aggregated data with your EDA regional point of contact.


13. I get that we can download the information we enter, but will be able to access Qualtrics to be able to run year-over-year comparisons and trend reports for our own use?
    1. While not available immediately, we will provide aggregated data to your EDA regional point of contact. You can reach out to them to request that information if you’d like.


14. Is Internet Explorer Required or can we use other browsers?
    1. Qualtrics is compatible with Apple Safari, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and Mozilla Firefox.

General FAQs

1. I am a current grantee and my award began in 2018. Will I be required to complete these questionnaires?
   1. No. Non-infrastructure awards that began prior to June 1, 2020 will not be subject to GPRA reporting for that award. Grantees should continue normal grant reporting as instructed by their EDA Project Officer.


2. Are the CARES Act awards subject to this new reporting?
   1. Yes.


3. Is there a printed version of what will be on the website that can be circulated for review before jumping on the site to input data?
   1. Yes, there are PDF versions of the questionnaires on the website. We encourage you to look through the questions and determine which ones apply to your award scope of work ahead of time.


4. Can I draft my responses in Qualtrics before submitting my questionnaire?
   1. We have PDF versions of all the questionnaires on our Performance Data Collection Instruments and Processes webpage. If you need to review the questions before completing the questionnaire, please reference the PDFs.


5. Can we test the questionnaire before we are due to report?
   1. Awardees can look through the PDF versions of the questionnaires on the website as well as the demo videos, however we cannot provide links to the questionnaire ahead of when you are due to report.


6. Our CEDS activities are funded through a different Partnership Planning award. Do I report on these activities even though the CARES Act award is not funding the CEDS?
   1. Please report only on activities sponsored under your current award.


7. How can we track the necessary data that we will need to report on? Is there a spreadsheet available for us to use?
   1. We encourage awardees to look through the PDF versions of the questionnaire, identify the questions applicable to your scope of work, and use whatever tools and resources (i.e. Excel spreadsheets, CRM, etc.) available to them to track this data throughout their award.


8. For these new requirements, it sounds like everyone (for those these requirements apply to) will do the ED-916 on a semi-annual basis, and additionally, depending on the type of project you're doing, you would do either the ED-917 or ED-918 on an annual basis as well? Is this correct?
   1. Yes, this is correct.


9. Will I be reporting cumulatively?
   1. The reporting period will be included in the distribution email and in Qualtrics. You are to complete the questionnaires for the stated reporting period.


10. Will I receive reminders for reporting?
    1. Reminders will be sent to the EDA Regional point of contact a week before the awardee is due to report. The EDA regional office point of contact will follow up with the awardees ahead of the distribution to make sure the awardee is aware. Reporting due dates will vary depending on the award start date (for non-RLFs) or fiscal year end date (for RLFs).


11. When will I be expected to report using the questionnaires?
    1. For non-RLF awards, distribution will follow the cadence listed below, using award start dates of June and July 2020 as examples:

       Start date in June 2020: ED-916 (1): Dec 2020 ED-916(2): June 2021 ED-917(1) June 2021

       Start date in July 2020: ED-916 (1): Jan 2020 ED-916(2): July 2021 ED-917(1) July 2021

    2. RLF GPRA reporting is based on the RLF recipient’s fiscal year. RLF recipients will be due to report near their fiscal year-end (FYE) and near mid-fiscal year. The first semiannual questionnaire will be distributed either near FYE or near mid-year, whichever comes first, and every six months thereafter. The first annual questionnaire will be due along with the second semiannual questionnaire and every 12 months thereafter.


12. Why we are now being asked to do an additional report on top of the other reports that we have to do? This seems like it will only increase our workload and won't be providing much new information that isn't in our original reports.
    1. With the introduction of the Evidence Based Policymaking Act, there is increasing demand and more requirements for federal agencies to produce evidence-based reports and policies. The new metrics will help EDA meet this requirement. EDA uses data from awardees to meet reporting requirements, increase transparency with the public, and support its value proposition to the US taxpayers. Without this data, we risk understating the value of EDA to the country which could impact Congressional funding decisions. 2. The expired forms that awardees previously used to report did not capture the breadth of the activities and impact of EDA’s programs, and would not have met the new requirements for reporting.


13. Will the grantee be able to route the survey to other members of their staff for input?
    1. As long as other members are within the same organization, the link for the questionnaire can be shared and completed questions will be saved. Please keep in mind that only one person can submit the questionnaire. Once the questionnaire has been submitted, the link will become inactive, and no one will be able to access the questionnaire. We encourage awardees to track the data ahead of time and share this with relevant colleagues before completing the questionnaire.


14. Does this reporting take the place of the required performance progress report? Will we complete the new questionnaire in GOL?
    1. No, GPRA reporting is separate from performance progress reports. You must still comply with your award reporting requirements (progress and financial). The new GPRA questionnaires are not in GOL, they are completed using Qualtrics.


15. When we include census tracts, does it matter where the program is located or where every client in the program is located?
    1. Location information should indicate where your activities are taking place and where the outcomes are expected. If you expect outcomes throughout an entire county, you can just put the name of the county. Please provide any location information available to you.


16. You mentioned the ED-917 and ED-918 are for a 5-year period starting from the award start date. Is this the case for awards that are less than 5 years?
    1. Yes. EDA is interested in short term outcomes as well as longer term realized outcomes. We are interested in knowing what effect if any EDA’s programs have on the regional/metro level. Additionally, for EDA to do any meaningful assessment/evaluation, we need years’ worth of data.