Monitoring Types

How Does the Department Monitor and Measure Our Economic Development Partners’ Success?

Monitoring has a wide variety of meanings, and all of them relate to providing oversight and guidance to Department of Commerce grantees during the course of the grant life cycle.  The Department monitors every step of the grant process.

Types of monitoring performed by the Department may include:

• Review and evaluation of grant applications:  The Department of Commerce monitors/reviews grant applications for quality, content, and adherence to eligibility requirements.
• Review of performance measures:  The Department of Commerce monitors/collects information on your progress toward completion of the project’s objectives using performance measures.
• Approval of grant-required reports:  The Department of Commerce monitors/tracks reports submitted.  We will notify you of report due dates and will examine the submitted reports for timelines, content, accuracy and supporting documentation.
• Ongoing Communication:  The Department of Commerce monitors provide guidance to grantees by providing contact information for agency grant managers, Office of Accountability staff, and other agency staff to facilitate improved communication and cooperation between the Department of Commerce and grantees, and to provide better technical assistance to grantees.
• Conduction of desk reviews:  The Department of Commerce may conduct this type of review to further monitor/evaluate the information required for your grant.
• Conduction of on-site reviews:  The Department of Commerce may schedule this type of review to monitor/observe how you maintain the grant records related to grant expenditures and required activities or to provide technical assistance as needed.
• Conduction of on-site visits:  The Department of Commerce may schedule an occasional site visit to monitor/observe a grantee’s facility, meet with the grantee, view the physical plant and operations, or discuss the project progress.
• Review of independent audits:  The Department of Commerce may require an independent audit to be submitted in order to monitor/assess your fiscal and programmatic compliance to applicable laws and regulations.

The Department’s monitoring activities provide many opportunities to give you assistance in keeping your grant on a successful and productive track during the entire grant life cycle.