On April 15, Treasury provided direction to counties and other entities that will be receiving Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds directly from the federal government as to steps that should be taken in advance of the release of funds.
The guidance may be found at this link: https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/coronavirus/assistance-for-state-local-and-tribal-governments/state-and-local-fiscal-recovery-fund – the guidance is listed under the heading “Pre-Award Requirements.”
Key steps that are required of counties:
- Ensure that the county has a valid DUNS number, which is a unique nine-character number used by the federal government to track funding distribution. Registering for the number is free and may be accomplished by visiting https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/ or calling 1-866-705-5711 to begin the registration process.
- Ensure that the county has an active registration with SAM.gov. Treasury’s website notes, “All Federal financial assistance recipients must register on SAM.gov and renew their SAM registration annually to maintain an active status to be eligible to receive Federal financial assistance. There is no charge to register or maintain your entity SAM registration. If an entity does not have an active SAM registration, please visit SAM.gov to begin the entity registration or renewal process. Please note that SAM registration can take up to three weeks; delay in registering in SAM could impact timely payment of funds.” An overview of SAM.gov registration is available at this link.
- Gather payment information, including Entity Identification Number (EIN), name, and contact information; name and title of the county’s authorized representative; and financial institution information.
Treasury recommends that counties begin the process to register with DUNS and SAM.gov, as it may take several business days to complete registration.
Further guidance from Treasury on allowable uses of Fiscal Recovery Funds and other details about the process are expected in the coming weeks. VACo is sharing materials related to the Fiscal Recovery Fund, as well as other sources of funds in the American Rescue Plan Act, on its American Rescue Plan Act Toolkit.
VACo Contact: Katie Boyle