Grant Reporting and Compliance for an Investor-Owned Utility
ScottMadden routinely helps clients document and plan for funding requirements and remain in compliance with funders and regulatory bodies.
Established a comprehensive compliance framework to support execution of a multimillion-dollar DOE GRIP-funded grid modernization project
Enabled timely and complete DOE reporting by developing custom templates, guides, and procedures for monthly, quarterly, and annual submissions
Strengthened internal controls and governance by aligning utility processes with complex federal grant requirements, including procurement, labor standards, and equipment tracking
Challenge
In 2024, a large, investor-owned utility in the south-central United States secured tens of millions of dollars in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program to modernize its electric grid across a 30,000 square-mile portion of its service area. The vast majority of the funds was dedicated to deploying autonomous grid controls, with the remaining portion directed toward mobile battery energy storage systems. ScottMadden was engaged to support the utility’s grant office in navigating the award’s complex compliance landscape, including DOE’s rigorous reporting obligations and federal requirements related to labor standards, procurement, cost accounting, and equipment management.
Process
- Reviewed all grant award documentation and mapped required reporting deliverables
- Developed templates and process guides to support monthly, quarterly, and annual submissions to DOE
- Reviewed applicable sections of the Code of Federal Regulations and cataloged compliance requirements
- Updated supply chain procedures to align with federal procurement standards
- Designed project-level key governance tools and approval structure
- Developed processes for budget tracking, scope change and allowable cost reviews, equipment management, and Davis-Bacon Act compliance, among other topics
Result
- Ensured regular reports to DOE were submitted on time and met all articulated content requirements
- Developed internal infrastructure and processes required to ensure project execution complied with all federal requirements
- Supported successful responses to extensive additional data requests from DOE
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