Rural Community Assistance Partnership

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ARRA Registering and Reporting Guide for Water/Wastewater Systems with Loans/Grants from the USDA-Rural Utilities Service

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Important notice that pertains to Section 2 of this guide (namely CCR registration for borrowers)

CCR is Going Away -- What to Expect (UPDATE)

At the end of July 2012, the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) system is going away. CCR, along with Federal Agency Registration (FedReg), the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA), and the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS), will be migrated into the new System for Award Management, or SAM.

For those of you familiar with this effort, you know it will reduce the number of passwords you need to remember, reduce the number of systems you need to enter and interact with, and reduce data redundancy by sharing the data across the award lifecycle. To help you better understand how this will work, SAM training will be available online in early May. Please visit SAM.gov for more information.

What does the transition to SAM mean for you? Here are answers to a few of your most pressing concerns.

I have a current CCR registration.

  • What do I do?
    You do not need to do anything right away. When it is time to renew your current CCR registration, you will do it in SAM.
  • What will happen to my data?
    Your data will be migrated from CCR into SAM. It will be in SAM when you are ready to access it. When it is time to renew your registration, you will go to SAM.gov, create a simple SAM user account, and follow the online instructions to validate and update your information.
  • When do I need to register for a user account in SAM?
    You only need to register for a user account in SAM when it is time to begin updating your current registration. You do not need to do anything right away.
  • What is the timeline for the CCR transition to SAM?
    The transition to SAM will be at the end of July. We will provide more information as that date approaches.
  • Wasn't SAM scheduled to 'go-live' on May 29, 2012? What does the delay mean for me?
    Yes. The delay means we will continue with business as usual with CCR/FedReg, ORCA, and EPLS until the end of July. You will continue to manage your registration in CCR. There will be no change until the end of July.• 
  • Where can I find more information about SAM?
    Some training material is already posted to SAM.gov and will be updated closer to the implementation date. System overview briefings are there now. Please visit SAM.gov to learn more.

The above announcement was taken directly from the CCR News and Announcements section on the CCR website. You can visit that site for updates as they are given.


Walks communities that received loans of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds through USDA Rural Utilities Service (RUS) (for water and wastewater projects) through the special reporting processes that must be followed for ARRA funds. Written in clear and understandable language and in a Q&A format. Includes common mistakes to be avoided that the authors have seen in communities they have assisted and many tips for each part of the registering and reporting process to make it easier.

Intended for use by the leader or staff person of a small community water system who is responsible for registering the utility and reporting on its use of ARRA funds with various federal and related agencies.

A hard copy of the guide was mailed free to all communities receiving ARRA funds through USDA RUS in early March (both those communities that have/are working with RCAP and those that are not). For additional copies, click on the link below (only available electronically now).

Download PDF (8.57 MB)

Format: 
Printed guide
Topic: 
Finance
Reporting
Source: 
RCAP
Audience: 
Board/council member
Mayor/town manager/elected official (local)
Financial manager/accountant/bookkeeper