Transition to FY2007: Focus on Critical Year End ProTracts Activities

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Transition to FY2007 Focus on Critical Year End
ProTracts Activities

• September 7, 2006
• 2-4 PM EDT

Call 888-455-0032 PASSCODE
8630021 Please use 6 or Mute during recording
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Agenda

• Introduction (Vrana)
• ProTracts Shutdown (All)
• Roll-over of the Adjusted Gross Income and
  Eligibility databases (Oaks)
• End of FY Obligations (Grande)
• Cost-overrun Accounts (Vrana)
• New Appendix (Slawter)

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Agenda

• New Contract Numbers (Grande)
• Crops Livestock Data Entry (Brzostek)
• New Home Page (Grande)
• Revised Contracting Forms (Ramsey)
• Contract Modifications (Slawter)
• WHIP Prior Year Contracts (Cerna)
• Questions and Answers (Vrana)

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ProTracts Shutdown

• The whole gang

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Roll Over Activities NB 440-6-10

• Obligations
• Bulletin No new obligations will be processed in
  ProTracts after 9/15.
• Sign Contract Button will be disabled.
• Need to close the fund accounts for FY2006 and
  closing new obligations is the first step in
  tiered activities to close the fiscal year books.

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Roll Over Activities NB 440-6-10

• Modifications
• Bulletin Modifications are discouraged after
  9/15/06.
• Modifications that arent needed to make payments
  should be delayed until FY07.
• Bulletin All (non-CSP) modifications, not
  approved in ProTracts by 9/25/06, will be rolled
  back to their pre-modification status.
• Modify Contracts will be disabled onn 9/25.
• These modifications can be re-entered in
  ProTracts, beginning 10/9/06.

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Roll Over Activities NB 440-6-10

• Payments
• Bulletin No payments will be approved in
  ProTracts from 10/1/06 to 10/8/06.
• 9/25 at 430 MST last obligations and payments
  transmitted to FFIS from ProTracts
•  9/ 26 to 9/27 States process payment approvals
  in FFIS.
•  9/27 Last day for payments to be approved and
  transmitted from FFIS to treasury for payment
  this FY.
• Payment and Certification will be disabled in
  ProTracts as of 4 pm MST 9/25 to facilitate
  transmission of data to FFIS to meet the 9/27
  deadline.

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Roll Over Activities NB 440-6-10

• Shutdown is scheduled
• ProTracts will be shutdown for all activities on
  September 30.
• Full ProTracts operations will resume October 9,
  2006.

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Roll Over Activities 440-6-10

• Eligibility
• FSA will begin roll-over of eligibility data on
  9/22. 9/6 Newsflash not applicable.
• Roll-over defaults in the 2006 data into 2007
  where continuous certification is in effect.
  Exceptions generally include entity members.
• FSA system 36 will likely be live again for
  2007 data entry by the resumption of ProTracts
  activity on 10/9.

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Changes in FY 2007 for CSP
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Eligibility Matrix
AMA
CSP
EQIP
WHIP
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End of Year Obligations and 2007 Cost Over
Accounts

• Mary Grande
• Jon Vrana

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Fund Manager Reports
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Fund Manager Reports

• Access to these Fund Manager reports is through
  the State Fund Manager role.
• This role can be granted by the state IAS
  coordinator through their IAS role access
  management menu or if they are not available
  contract mary.grande_at_ftc.usda.gov and provide
  user id (s) that need this expanded Fund Manager
  access.

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Obligation Support Assistance

• Send critical 2006 obligation assistance requests
  to FundManagerSupport_at_ftc.usda.gov
• With subject line
• ltstate abbreviationgt Critical Obligation
  ltcontract numbergt

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Access to ProTracts

• ProTracts will be off line on Saturday, September
  9 for a critical system update.

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Cost-overrun Accounts

• At end of FY06, State-specific un-obligated
  funds, by program, will be rolled over to FY06
  State-specific cost-overrun accounts.
• Account amounts will be reviewed and minor
  adjustments may be made between States.
• Cost-run accounts will be available for use when
  ProTracts is available on Oct. 9th.

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Cost-overrun Accounts

• Accounts will be monitored by NHQ.
• Final adjustments to program-specific
  cost-overrun accounts will be made after year-end
  balancing of the books in November.
• Emphasis is to minimize the need for States to
  request changes to funds.

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Preparation for 2007

• Mary Grande

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Prepare for FY 2007

• Prepare all cost lists in preparation for
  processing FY 2007 applications per NB 440-6-11.
• Cost type is AC or FR for practice codes 100,
  300-799 and unit cost is greater than zero.
• Cost type is AM only for practice codes 910,
  911,912,913 and unit cost equals zero.
• Items CCIA and CCIB are not permitted.
• AA is not permitted.
• NC is permitted in WHIP cost lists only.
• Cost lists can be uploaded for 2007 starting
  10/9.

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New Incentive Payment Option

• Choice by practice keep existing method of
  annual payments for up to 3 years or use new
  payment option.
• New Option Single payment for period of
  adoption.
• Front loading entire incentive practice payment
  for encouragement of capital investment by
  participant and to streamline NRCS administrative
  burden on mgt. practices.
• Memo forthcoming with details.

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New Incentive Payment Option

• These front loaded incentive payments will need
  to be included in the cost list prior to upload
  for 2007.
• They are entered in the cost list as a component
  with the appropriate cost for the front loaded
  payment using component name that clearly states
  it is a multiple year period of adoption item.

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Prepare for FY 2007

• Coordinate the activation of new or replacement
  practice codes in Conservation Practice Standards
  (CPS) that will be used in FY 2007 ProTracts
  contracting activities with appropriate State
  staff.
• States need to be moving to the new
  residue management series codes 329, 345, and 346
  that will expire on Dec 8, 2006.  This could be
  an issue for setting up ranking tools and cost
  lists for the entire fiscal year.

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Prepare for FY 2007

• Customize ProTracts letters for submission to
  ProTracts Support.
• States will need to download the new letterhead
  template attached to the NB 260-6-5 before you
  send your optional custom letters to ProTracts
  for the following Application Status Pending,
  Pre-Approved, Ineligible or Deferred. 

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Prepare for FY 2007

• Initiate revisions to Program Ranking Criteria.
• Permission button to Manage Ranking Criteria have
  been re-activated for DC role.
• Permission is defaulted to no.
• States must control access to this permission and
  provide training on appropriate changes to
  ranking criteria (local issues). 

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Enter Estimated Cost

• Estimated cost must be manually entered for all
  applications to show potential commitment of
  funds.

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Program Changes for 2007

• Harry Slawter
• Mary Grande

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Changes in ProTracts in 2007

• Posting of new appendices for each program with
  greater consistency between programs.
• EQIP and WHIP will be identical
• AMA
• CSP
• New appendix must be signed for FY07

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Changes in ProTracts in 2007

• Implementation of new modification procedures for
  minor changes and major modifications over
  10,000 or 20 of contract obligation (AMA, WHIP
  EQIP).
• See CPM 512.50
• Phased in changes with minor change at payment
  implemented today
• Change No Signature
• Modifications will implement approval check for
  major modifications
• Major Modifications over 10,000 or 20 of
  contract obligation will require state program
  manager approval.

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Contract Changes for EQIP, AMA, WHIP

• Deployed on 9/7
• 1000 cost change at payment
• Changes to be deployed in FY07
• Change of contract item
• Change planned year or extent
• Change practice component extent
• Add/delete a component

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Payment Change up to 1000

• If the applied amount of the practice is greater
  than the amount planned, the applied amount of
  the component (s) may be changed using the Change
  button.

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Minor Changes at Payment
Payment Change up to 1000
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Indicates the minor change at payment is
accepted and additional 540 for extra practice
units is being added at payment.
Statement relates to unlinked data for NCP
integration reporting of practice completion not
that the payment is not accepted.
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Payment Change up to 1000

• Can only be done once per contract item number.
• Additional changes must be by modification.
• Changes are stored in database and incremented
  1,2,3. Will be visible in upcoming History
  Module.
• Training issue for voucher examiners.

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New Contract Numbers

• Y7K problem 748D437A123 Is this a 1997
  contract or a 2007 contract?
• New numbering schemas be as follows
• 2 digit program code
• 4 digit GSA Requisition Number
• 2 digit fiscal year for contract
• 3 digit contract number (letters numbers)

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New Contract Numbers

• 748D437A123 is a 1997 contract
• 748D4307AA1 is a 2007 contract
• Applications already entered for 2007 will follow
  previous convention and will not need to be
  changed.
• New applications will follow new schema.

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TA Funds in Contracts

• CPM 512.63 states "All work to be performed by a
  TSP must be "substantially complete" during the
  same fiscal year that funds are obligated in a
  CPC for TSP assistance." 
• Use a "zero" placeholder to reflect a
  participant's future interest in using TSP
  assistancedo not enter NTE rates for future
  years.
• In 2007 this will be enforced in ProTracts but
  remains a training issue that needs to be
  addressed at the state level. 

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Data Collection on Crops and Livestock

• Ed Brzostek

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Data Collection

• It is very important that both livestock and
  crops data tables have entries completed for all
  FY 2007 applications.
• WHY?
• The Department has requested that NRCS track crop
  type in addition to livestock type ( required by
  statute) to assess the types of producers that
  USDA programs are assisting.

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Data Collection

• Data will be required to be completed before
  application
• approval.
• AMA, CSP, EQIP, and WHIP will all use the same
  livestock and crops tables.
• AMA, EQIP, and WHIP will only require the
  predominant crop type to be checked.
• CSP will require crop type, acres and organics to
  be filled in.

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Crop Type Instructions for AMA,EQIP and WHIP

• Crop type will be determined by the one
  predominant crop type that the program contract
  is assisting.
• Where multiple crops are grown in rotation,
  report the crop with the largest acres under
  contract in the year the contract is signed.
• This will be a very high cut tracking, the
  conservationist should use their best judgment on
  this decision and not conduct a detailed
  analysis.

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Livestock Types AMA,CSP,EQIP,WHIP

• In order to reduce excessive numbers of the
  other livestock type being reported, a few
  additional types will be added for FY 2007.
• New Livestock types (17)
• Aquaculture, Beef, Bees, Bison, Dairy, Deer, Elk,
  Goats, Horses, Poultry, Llamas, Mules, Other
  Livestock, Rabbits, Sheep and Swine
• No Livestock

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Livestock Type - Instructions

• Livestock type will be determined by the one
  predominant type of livestock that the program
  contract is assisting.
• Where multiple livestock types are being
  assisted the one with the largest number of
  animal units will be used.
• Again the conservationist should use their best
  judgment without a detailed analysis.

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Modified Forms

• Chip Ramsey

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MODIFIED CONTRACTING FORMS

• NRCS-CPA-152 Conservation Program Contract
  Transfer Agreement
• NRCS-CPA-153 Agreement Covering Non-Compliance
  with Provisions of Contract
• NRCS-CPA-1155 Conservation Plan or Schedule of
  Operations
• NRCS-CPA-1156 Revision of Plan/Schedule of
  Operations or Modification of a Contract
• NRCS-CPA-1200 Conservation Program Contract
  Application
• NRCS-CPA-1202 Conservation Program Contract
• NRCS-CPA-1236 Assignment of Payment
• NRCS-CPA-1245 Practice Approval and Payment
  Application

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• APPROVED FOR USE BY OMB
• NRCS-CPA-1200 Is An E-Form
• EXPIRATION DATE OF 9/30/09

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Prior Year WHIP ContractMigration

• Albert Cerna

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WHIP Contract Migration

• There were 5,921 WHIP contracts as of 8/29/06.
• Entry of prior-year WHIP contracts per National
  Bulletin 440-6-6 (61F fund code) NO
• ProTracts will not be programmed until possibly
  2nd Quarter.
• Until then payments will continue outside of
  ProTracts.

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WHIP Contract Migration

• Any attempts at loading contracts prior to
  notification that ProTracts is ready for prior
  year WHIP entry will probably be lost.
• Tentative process will is to back-fed from FFIS
  all available data (contract number, unpaid
  obligation, vendor, fund code).
• Input into ProTracts recommended to be done by
  State Teams for consistency.
• States should work to complete as many contracts
  as possible prior to entry.

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Field Focus Team

• Zona Beatty, Alabama
•     Mark Parsons, California
•     Jim Dunaway, Indiana
•     Richard Martin, New York
•     Monica Holley, Michigan
•     Drenda Williams, Missouri

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Questions