Grants.gov Applications Processed

Grants.gov has experienced and unprecedented volume on the website. The hits on the site have increased 115% from December 08 (800K) to March 09 (1.8M).

In the three week period from March 2 - 22 Grants.gov processed 27,576 applications which is by far and away the largest submissions processed in any 3 week period since Grants.gov began.

We are continuing to work towards enhancing system performance due to the increased activity on the system.

Recovery Act Opportunities

On March 6, 2009 Grants.gov began capturing Recovery Act specific grant opportunities posted by Agencies. We created the following page http://www.grants.gov/applicants/recovery.jsp with information on the Act as well as access to the opportunities.

From March 6 through March 29 this page has been accessed 94,227 times.

Grants.gov Build 2009 - 01 Successfully Deployed

Grants.gov successfully deployed Build 2009 – 01 on March 29, 2009. This build impacted Grantors only. At this time we have no issues reported. If you are experiencing any issues please contact the Grants.gov PMO staff.

If a Grantor is experiencing an issue with the username and/or password please remember from last week’s discussions there is a work around the Super User can execute. The Super User can delete the Grantor and then have them re-register.

Regards,
Grants.gov PMO

Grants.gov System Downtime

Due to the implementation of Build 2009-01 the Grants.gov system and website will be unavailable Saturday, March 28, 2009 through Sunday, March 29, 2009. The system is scheduled to be back online at 11:59 p.m. EDT March 29, 2009. This build only impacts Grantors, there is no impact to applicants.

We appreciate your patience. If you have any questions or issues during the system downtime, please contact support@grants.gov the Contact Center will address your inquiry during business hours (Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., EST).


Regards,
Grants.gov

UPDATE: Grantor Login Only

The USDA E-Auth portal is now functioning. Grantors should have no issues logging in.

This issue had no impact on applicant login.

Grantor Login Only

The USDA E-Auth portal is experiencing system difficulties. This impacts Grantors only. Applicants are able to successfully login.

The issues experienced yesterday have been resolved. This USDA E-Auth issue is separate from yesterday’s system issues.

RESOLVED: Limited System Availability Monday, 3/16/09, Starting at 8am

UPDATE:

Full functionality has been restored to Grants.Gov as of 4:10 pm on 3/16/09. Grant Search, Grant Application Download, and Grant Application Submission are now operational. We apologize for any inconvenience.

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THE ISSUE DESCRIBED BELOW HAS NOW BEEN RESOLVED:
Grants.Gov is offering limited functionality at this time related to a database server issue we experienced this morning. The server went offline at approximately 8am, 3/16/09, and will not be returned to service until it has been quality checked by the Grants.Gov System Integrator. The functional areas affected by this database server issue include Grant Search, Grant Application Download, and Grant Application Submission. There may also be other functions affected by this issue.

The Grants.Gov Program Management Office will keep our user community informed by updating this blog as information on system status becomes available.

We do not know the specific time that full functionality will be restored. Currently we expect Grants.Gov to be restored by Monday evening, 3/16/09.

Central Contractor Registration Issue Resolved

The CCR data extract issue has been resolved. All CCR data has been updated into the Grants.gov system and is current. Tonight we will begin the daily data extract which keeps the CCR information up to date in Grants.gov.

The issue at hand was that Grants.gov was unable to pull updated or new CCR registrants from the CCR database. All CCR registrants who registered or modified their information since December 31, 2008 have now been updated into the Grants.gov database therefore the applicant login is now active.

High User Volume continues

Grants.gov continues to experience system slowness due to the high volume of users. We have over 2500 users logged-on and over 1200 users conducting searches. We will continue to provide updates.

Regards,
Grants.gov PMO

Experiencing System Slowness

At the present time the Grants.gov system is experiencing slowness due to the volume of users. We have 3000+ persons logged-on at the moment and 1000+ conducting searches. We will provide continuing updates as the day continues.

Regards,
Grants.gov PMO

ALERT: E-business Login

We are currently experiencing an intermittent issue with the E-business login. When some applicants go to login they are getting either a blank page or an "Error 403--Forbidden" message.

If you encounter an issue with the E-business login please contact the Contact Center (800-518-4726) and we will work to resolve your issue.

Applicant System-to-System (S2S)

NOTICE: Applicant System-to-System Endpoint Access Limitation

The system is currently experiencing strain due to frequent user access. Applicant System-to-System users are asked to limit their entry into the system for querying opportunities and checking application submission status to NO MORE THAN ONCE PER HOUR to reduce the load on the LDAP server.

We appreciate your consideration.

Contact Center - Phone Line

Due to the increased call volume on the Grants.gov Contact Center number (1-800-518-4726) the current phone lines are running at capacity which is intermittently causing a busy signal. The vendor has identified additional resources to expand capacity. We will continue to monitor this closely and provide updates as necessary.

If you receive a busy signal when calling in please send an e-mail: www.support@grants.gov and we will respond.

System-to-System Information

All agencies have successfully transitioned from PureEdge to Adobe. This evening, March 5, 2009, we will be turning off the 2006 endpoint for System-to-System (S2S).

TURNING OFF
Agency S2S 2006 system: https://ws.grants.gov:446/agency-s2s-server/services/AgencyIntegrationSoapPort

Applicant S2S 2006 system: https://ws.grants.gov:446/app-s2s-server/services/

If you have not already made the switch you now need to point to the 2007 endpoints only:

2007 ENDPOINTS

Agency S2S 2007 system: https://ws07.grants.gov:446/agency-s2s-server/services/AgencyIntegrationSoapPort

Applicant S2S 2007 system: https://ws07.grants.gov:446/app-s2s-server/services/


Regards,
Grants.gov PMO

Individual Applicants Only

Individuals applying for individual grants only. If you receive the below message or any other error message please contact the Grants.gov Contact Center (800-518-4726) with your Grants.gov Tracking # (If you received one) and we will assist you. In the case of this error message we are able to re-process your application to ensure it is successfully in the system for Agency retrieval. Any other error messages will need to be specifically addressed by our support team.
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REASON FOR REJECTION

1. The grant opportunity for which you have applied is designated for individuals submitting on their own behalf. However, your application for a grant/grants was submitted on behalf of a company, organization, institution, or government. An individual submits a grant on their behalf, and not on behalf of a company, organization, institution or government. Individuals sign the grant application and its associated certifications and assurances that are necessary to fulfill the requirements of the application process.

PureEdge to Adobe

The last day to submit a PureEdge application package was Wednesday, March 4, 2009. Grants.gov has moved to Adobe application packages for all agencies.

Enhancements to LDAP Planned. Improved System Responsiveness is the Goal.

Grants.gov is experiencing an extraordinarily high volume of users. The point of entry into the Grants.gov system for applicant log-in is called “the LDAP” - an application protocol for querying directory services. The LDAP is presently configured to handle a peak of 2,000 simultaneous users. Lately, we are confronting upwards to 3,000 simultaneous users by mid-day. When the LDAP is engaged by such a high number of queries, it continues to operate but more slowly. Moreover, accessing the LDAP is extremely difficult. Grants.gov customers are naturally frustrated by these technical challenges.

We understand that entities engaging Grants.gov early in the morning experience minimal difficulty; whereas those entities which wait until later in the day are experiencing significant difficulty.

Our recommendation is two-fold: whenever possible, please do not wait until the last minute of the last day for submissions and please engage the Grants.gov system during its non-peak hours, outside of 11:00 AM EDST to 8:00 PM EDST timeframes to increase your opportunity for a satisfactory experience.

Grants.gov is actively working with the Grants Executive Board on a proposal for increased LDAP capacity.

ALERT: Applicant Login

Applicants are experiencing issues logging into the system. One of the causes of this is the large volume of users on the system. The increase is causing error messages and intermittent inability to log in.

The Grants.gov Contact Center call volume is three times above normal so when you call the Contact Center to report your issue you will experience delayed wait times. We are in the process of bringing 25 additional Custoemer Support Representatives on the phone once training is complete which should alleviate the wait time.