The Challenge
One of the primary objectives of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is saving lives on Texas Highways. A large part of TxDOT’s success in this area centers on the Texas Traffic Safety Program (TTSP). The mission of the TTSP is to identify traffic safety problem areas and implement safety programs to reduce the number and severity of vehicular crashes throughout the state. In Fiscal Year 2007, 313 grants totaling $53.9 million were awarded to state, local, and non-profit agencies in Texas to fund a variety of programs ranging from police traffic services to pedestrian and bicycle safety.

Prior to Fiscal Year 2007, the enormous amount of paperwork and effort associated with the application and management of grants through the TTSP required an inordinate amount of time to complete, discouraging many entities from applying for grants. Entities that did apply used valuable time that was better spent on education and enforcement efforts, and TxDOT personnel spent a large amount of time managing paperwork and scoring between 400 new grant applications each year.

In the spring of 2004, the TxDOT Traffic Operations Division (TRF) addressed the need to streamline the grant application and management process by assembling a project management team to investigate options for the development of an electronic Web-based system for the application and management of traffic safety grants in Texas.

The Solution
The eGrants system allows users (including TxDOT staff and subgrantees) to manage the entire grant process lifecycle including (1) Create and submit grant proposals; (2) Manage and monitor grant projects and programs; (3) Submit performance reports; and (4) Submit requests for reimbursement (RFRs).

Specific features include:

• A comprehensive Web-based Electronic Grants Management Solution that provides for all aspects of the grants program, electronically
• A standard workflow for the proposal submission & review, RFR, and Performance Reporting processes
• The ability to support multiple subgrantees, multiple program types and multiple grant programs in different divisions of the agency by implementing independent templates, business flows, profiles etc. that leverage a single underlying platform, a “role-based” security and encryption facility that allows all levels of access to administrators, peer reviewers, and end users while protecting sensitive data from unauthorized access
• The ability for the generation of all required reports (including performance reports)
• A more efficient and consistent format, making the grant process easier for staff and subgrantees; a user-friendly system that will be used by staff, subgrantees and other customers (i.e. state and federal agencies)
• A framework to manage and collect information in a centralized relational database with data accessible through commonly available technology, such as Web browsers
• Reduces or eliminates the need for duplicate data entry, mailing, distribution, and storage of mass amounts of hardcopy documentation
• Applies business rules, automatic error checking and automatic calculations
• Improved communication via e-mail notification, system messages, and online notes/checklists.

The Benefits
Before the development of the eGrants system, the Traffic Safety Section was using a manual process that included the use of an internally-written Microsoft Access database. However, the functionality of, and access to, this database were very limited. The eGrants Project, and subsequent system, have allowed for the automation of the entire grants process lifecycle, as well as putting the entire "file of record" online.

Texas eGrants went live on January 12, 2007 after months of testing and development, and effectively streamlined all phases of the grant application and management process. Users can now create and submit grant proposals, manage grant projects, and submit performance reports and requests for reimbursement through the TxDOT Website. Since it went live, eGrants has saved countless hours of labor associated with reviewing, scoring, and managing traffic safety grants. Also, because of the effectiveness of the system in providing a user-friendly interface for entering data and eliminating errors, the number and quality of grant proposals received through the TTSP has significantly increased.

By streamlining and automating the grant application and management process, the eGrants System has reduced the need to create, duplicate, mail, handle and store the large amounts of paper documents that were previously required. This has resulted in less staff hours to complete the necessary procedures (for both subgrantees, and state staff), less storage space requirements, and more efficient use of the grant funds.

The Feedback

"After the implementation of eGrants, there was a 22% increase in the number of grant proposals submitted for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 over FY 2007, and a 15 % increase in the number of proposals submitted for FY 2009 over FY 2008. The program has been so successful that an internal TxDOT audit of grant services has recommended that eGrants be expanded across other major grant programs within TxDOT. The eGrants system has also resulted in the reduction of 10 file cabinets of stored records."

- Terry Pence, Traffic Safety Section Director, and eGrants Project Sponsor.