ePMA Frequently Asked Questions
ePMA Project QuestionsWhat does ePMA stand for?
If I need to use ePMA, how and where will I be trained?
Will ePMA replace the National Laboratories' R&D program
management systems?
Will ePMA replace existing financial or procurement
systems?
Who is leading the ePMA project at the DOE?
How does ePMA fit into the Department's enterprise architecture?
How does ePMA comply with the Capital Planning and Investment
Control (CPIC) Process?
What are ePMA's project management controls?
What are the benefits of ePMA?
How can I keep informed of the ePMA project as it progresses?
Is the National Nuclear Security Administration participating
in the ePMA project, and if so, what is NNSA's role?
How does ePMA relate to the President's Management Agenda
(PMA)?
Who can I contact to discuss my concerns or questions about
ePMA?
Does ePMA assign a unique proposal number?
Can you revise/change a proposal after it
has been uploaded through the eIDK?
Who pays for the ePMA (PDMLink) licenses?
When I search for proposals, can I see all proposals,
or just those from my lab?
We don't allocate our full R&D budget until
January. Does ePMA allow for updating funding?
How do I recommend a change to the ePMA system?
Can I submit milestone and abstract information
as attachments instead of putting that information in the data fields?
When a laboratory is ready to send a proposal, how does
the system know who to send it to?
How much time does the online training take?
Can two Top Officials be assigned to the same task?
How are users put into the system?
Who is responsible for keeping user information
up-to-date?
What if the Top Offical has delegated authority to
someone else or multiple people over a period of time?
Is the role of "budget reviewer" just
for people from the budget office?
The workflow assumes the Top Official is final. What if
another person needs to take action?
The Department of Energy's Electronic Proposal Management Application.
Prior to each deployment, the ePMA team will conduct Site Administration Manager (SAM) on-line and classroom training. SAMs will be responsible for training end users at their location/organization. Specific SAM training locations and schedules will be coordinated and announced beforehand.
No.
No. ePMA will not replace existing financial or procurement systems.
Click here for the project team page.
ePMA is a direct outgrowth of the Secretary of Energy's Innovative DOE e-Gov Applications (IDEA) project, introduced in October 2002. Click here for a complete listing of DOE E-gov initiatives.
Enterprise Architecture is the information or data an organization needs to manage its business or the technology it needs to utilize that information, and the processes it has in place to change or upgrade that technology as its business or mission changes. ePMA complies with and is fully compatible with DOE's Enterprise Architecture.
To ensure effective and efficient management and acquisition of information technology, the Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996 (ITMRA, also known as Clinger-Cohen) mandates that each government agency create and maintain a Capital Planning and Investment Control (CPIC) process. ePMA is collaborating with the CIO's office to ensure that ePMA addresses the CPIC process's three essential components: selection, control, and evaluation.
ePMA complies with all governmental and Departmental regulations and guidelines, follows DOE Order 413.3 for project execution, uses an Earned Value Management System (EVMS) to manage project performance, holds monthly project updates and quarterly status reviews. ePMA Project and Managers maintain Level 1 Certification and have extensive experience in R&D and IT Management. The ePMA contractor follows SEI CMM Level III and uses Rational Tool Set for ePMA configuration management and software development activities.
ePMA reduces the administrative burden associated with responses to the Field Budget Call by providing a uniform electronic format for the submission, review and approval of R&D proposals.
ePMA uses Spotlight (the ePMA newsletter) and the project Web site (http://epma.energy.gov) to keep all interested parties informed of the project's status.
For more information contact the ePMA Communication and Outreach Manager.
NNSA is not participating in the ePMA project at this time.
ePMA supports Expanded e-Government, which is one of the five government-wide initiatives outlined in the PMA. ePMA also supports Better R&D Investment Criteria, which is one of the eight program initiatives outlined in the PMA.
Visit our Contact Us page to communicate with the ePMA team.
Yes, the system assigns a unique number, however you can also give the proposal an internal lab number.
Yes, once the proposal is uploaded in the system, you can use the system to edit the proposal.
The ePMA project will pay for the initial purchases of licenses. There will be provisions in the licensing agreement to allow organizations to purchase additional licenses.
Just your lab's proposals.
Yes.
The ePMA project team has instituted a process to receive and evaluate software change requests (SCRs). Please note that only ePMA Site Administration Managers (SAMs) may submit SCRs to the ePMA project team. If you are a system user and want to submit an SCR, please contact your organization's SAM.
Yes, however you need to verify with the appropriate HQ program manager who is going to review the proposal and get their approval first.
The person(s) identified in the Site Office Administrative role will receive the proposal. The Site Office determines who that person(s) will be.
It depends on your role in the system. There are currently 12 online training modules. Not all users need to take all modules. The modules are self paced and do not need to be completed all at one time. The following are approximate online training times by role:
Yes, you can assign more than one Top Official, however, it is only in an "either/or" capacity. Once one of the Top Official's takes action, the task will automatically be deleted from the other Top Officials task list. The same is true for budget reviewers.
SAMs (Site Administration Managers) will communicate user information to the ePMA Helpdesk via the appropriate forms.
SAMs are responsible for sending user information changes to the ePMA Helpdesk.
The system has a delegation button that can accommodate those changes.
Primarily, a budget reviewer will be from the budget office. However, others can have the role of Budget Reviewer.
The Top Official has many types of approvals that allow others to review and take action.
Privacy Policy :: U.S. Department of Energy
Requests (SCRs) 