With the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (“ARRA”), a level of infrastructure investment not seen in multiple decades is unfolding with a heightened emphasis on accountability. For agencies receiving ARRA funds or managing public sector capital programs/projects, an unprecedented level of transparency will be required so Americans will be aware of where their tax dollars are going and how they are being spent.

Specifically, recent guidance issued by the Office of Management and Budget* includes the following requirements:

• Funds are awarded and distributed in a prompt, fair, and reasonable manner;
• The recipients and uses of all funds are transparent to the public, and the public benefits of these funds are reported clearly, accurately, and in a timely manner;
• Funds are used for authorized purposes and instances of fraud, waste, error, and abuse are mitigated;
• Projects funded under this Act avoid unnecessary delays and cost overruns;
• Program goals are achieved, including specific program outcomes and improved results on broader economic indicators.

Agencies receiving ARRA funds will be required to report information back for posting on the website recovery.gov and in the very near term have a program in place for automated data feeds. Following, all agencies receiving ARRA funds will be required to report data back in a specified format. Time is of the essence to have a system in place to meet federal requirements.