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Utah Grants platform to add program tagging and consolidated pre-application; storage and license costs flagged as risk

2250686 · February 9, 2025

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Summary

USBE staff briefed the committee on Utah Grants enhancements, including program tagging, consolidated pre-application workflows and a PDF comparison tool. Staff said they plan a March 31 rollout for the next release but flagged storage limits and potential licensing costs as risks.

The Office of Grants presented an update on Utah Grants, the agency’s Salesforce-based grants management platform, and previewed functionality planned for the coming release.

Rebecca Nielsen, director of grantee administration, said upcoming features include program tagging (letting LEAs opt into notifications for programs they administer), a PDF side-by-side submission comparison tool, and a consolidated pre-application workflow that should let staff produce substantially approvable federal applications earlier in the process. The release also includes consolidated award workflow changes and improved functionality for allowable fund transfers between federal programs.

Nielsen said the project’s customer-support work and some framework updates required a pause and additional testing, which delayed an initial January rollout; the vendor and agency resumed development after addressing priority customer-service issues. The vendor (REI) handles both customer support and separate development channels; USBE staff said they are testing the current build in user acceptance testing and plan a public rollout at the end of March.

The grants team flagged two operational risks: growing data storage usage after six-plus years of system use and the potential need for additional paid user licenses as functionality expands. Nielsen said each LEA user account carries a license cost that USBE currently pays, so further expansion of active users may increase contract costs.

Staff said they are meeting more frequently with the vendor and users to close outstanding items and will continue to monitor risks and provide updates to the committee.