Archived: Letter to Chief Financial Officers

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Letter to Chief Financial Officers

January 21, 1998
Dear Chief Financial Officer:

The U.S. Department of Education is in the process of converting its principal procurement, accounting and financial management systems to a single, integrated platform. Using state-of-the art technology, the new Education Central Automated Processing System (EDCAPS), will be implemented beginning on March 16, 1998. During the transitional period commencing on February 25, 1998, the Department's existing Payment Management System (PMS) will be unavailable to users. Recipients will have access to the new EDCAPS Grant Administration and Payment System (GAPS) for draw downs starting March 16, 1998. Please plan your organization's draw downs accordingly.

The following is a schedule of events:

February 25, 1998	All final requests for ACH payments for all programs, including Direct Loan, must be placed with the Department's Service Bureau (NCS) no later than 3:00 PM EST in order for the payment to be processed prior to conversion to GAPS. NCS will not accept ACH payment requests between 3:00 PM EST February 25, 1998 and March 13, 1998. NCS will remain in place to support ED's payment process after conversion to GAPS. They will begin taking requests through GAPS on March 16, 1998.
February 26, 1998	FEDWIRE recipients requesting next day payments must place final payment requests by 6:00 PM EST. (Future payment requests cannot be made which have a payment date beyond February 26th). No additional FEDWIRE payments will be honored after this date.
March 16, 1998	FEDWIRE or ACH users must request funds on-line by grant PR/Award Number by connecting directly to GAPS through the Internet using a Web browser, or by calling the NCS Service Bureau at 1-800-654-8341. Users will employ their current PMS ID and Password to log onto GAPS initially. A new GAPS user ID and Password will be automatically assigned at that time. Procedures for first time GAPS log on and establishing permanent user ID and Password are explained in Enclosure A. Users may call their ED Account Representative, which are listed in Enclosure B for information and/or assistance.

The current 10 character field representing the PR/Award (Document Number) will be increased to 11 characters. This change is necessary to assure compliance with new standards for designating years as we approach the year 2000. Even though only 2 digits appear in the fiscal year field, all four digits are stored in the database.

Another major change associated with GAPS will be the replacement of the Department's Entity Identification Number (EIN) to the Data Universal Numbering Scheme (D-U-N-S) number. This D-U-N-S number will be used for grant award and payee assignment. A letter explaining the D-U-N-S process will be sent to you under separate cover.

March 31, 1998

A GAPS Quarterly Confirmation Statement will be sent to your business office for the Quarter ended March 31, 1998. This report should be compared to the last EDPMS272 report that your business office received to verify that all your grant awards in EDPMS were converted to GAPS properly. It will also be the responsibility of your business office to notify the Department of Education if there are any discrepancies in the data that has been converted.

A GAPS training website has been developed so you can familiarize yourself with the payment request process prior to March 16, 1998. You will be able to download the training tutorial, which will walk you through the external access screens. This training website is located at http://e-grants.ed.gov/egWelcome.asp. The NEW Department of Education Payee's Guide is also available at http://e-grants.ed.gov/egWelcome.asp. The guide will provide detailed instructions on all new GAPS processes. If you are not Internet capable, please contact Sandra Rush at (202) 401-2102 to request a hard copy of the guide.

My office will do everything possible to facilitate your conversion to GAPS and to ensure timely delivery of funds during this transitional period. A hot line is being established to provide technical assistance and will be available starting on March 16, 1998. The Toll Free Hot Line Telephone Number is 1-888-336-8930. You may also obtain further information by accessing the Department's home page at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OCFO/ or calling your Account Representative.

I understand that some users may encounter difficulties during the transition to the new GAPS system. Hopefully, this information will ease your business office's conversion to this new technology. Once operational, EDCAPS/GAPS will provide your organization with rapid access to detailed information that has not been previously available on-line and will provide you greater flexibility and accessibility to your funds.

Sincerely,

Donald Rappaport

Enclosures
cc: Grantee Project Directors