TrAMS Frequently Asked Questions
TrAMS: FTA’s New Grants System
This page is a compilation of questions and answers resulting from a series of webinars and changes made to TrAMS resulting from your feedback. Learn more by selecting from the list of questions below.
- How do I access TrAMS?
- What is a TrAMS User Manager Role?
- What happened to awards and information previously in TEAM?
- Can I Amend my TEAM awards in TrAMS?
- Can new funds be added TEAM awards?
- Why restrict Amendments on TEAM awards?
- Will I be able to implement budget revisions to my grants that have been migrated from TEAM to TrAMS?
- Will the FPC codes used in TEAM translate in TrAMS?
- What’s different about TrAMS Grants?
- Will TrAMS include the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers in the grant award?
- Does TrAMS replace Grants.gov?
- Can I submit my Federal Funding Accountability in Transparency Act (FFATA) reports in TrAMS?
- Will information in TrAMS migrate to www.usaspending.gov?
How do I access TrAMS?
Only authorized users can access TrAMS. If you were an active TEAM user at the time of TrAMS deployment you should have received access to TrAMS. If you were not active at the time of deployment, you must work with your organizations User Manager to obtain a new Username and password.
What is a TrAMS User Manager Role?
To learn about the TrAMS User Manager role and how to assign a user for your organization, please review the associated guidance documents on the TrAMS Guidance page.
TEAM Awards in TrAMS
What happened to awards and information previously in TEAM?
All TEAM information was migrated over to TrAMS including all recipient organization information and any active and closed awards. Recipient Organizations should be aware that some application information was modified to accommodate the migration to TrAMS. For more information, please see the presentation titled Recipient Profile Management & Migrated TEAM Information.
Can I Amend my TEAM awards in TrAMS?
There are four cases where amendments may be considered:
- Recipients can create a “zero dollar” amendment to TEAM awards to move funds between existing scope codes, including adding new ALIs to existing scope codes. The amendment may include zeroing out funds from existing scope codes. The action should not increase the overall award budget. For example, a balance of funds remain after the original scope of work is complete; an amendment to utilize the balance is acceptable. The application may require DOL if applicable to the fund program and/or the action adds new scope of work. Amendments are acceptable when funds have lapsed and cannot be reobligated in a new award.
- Recipients can create amendments to deobligate funds from TEAM grants. This is preferred when funds have not lapsed and a balance remains and can be applied to a new application.
- Recipients can create close-out amendments.
- In limited cases, recipients can create amendments to obligate additional funds (see below questions).
Can new funds be added TEAM awards?
Except in several limited cases outlined below, recipients must initiate new grants in TrAMS rather than amending TEAM grants to add additional funding. When in doubt as to whether an amendment to a TEAM award meets the limitations below, please contact your FTA point of contact for additional direction. FTA limits amendments to add funds to TEAM awards as follows:
Recipients can create amendments to TEAM awards to add funds associated with existing Full Funding Grant Agreements (FFGA) or larger capital investments covered under a similar Project Construction Grant Agreement. Funds may include prior year and FY 2016 and beyond funding necessary to satisfy the FFGA.
Recipients may create amendments to TEAM awards to complete the original scope of work. . These actions must use existing scope codes and existing ALIs. No new scope codes and no new ALIs may be added to increase the scope of work of a TEAM award. Recipients may not increase TEAM awards for operating or preventive maintenance. Apportioned funds starting in FY 2016 and forward must be obligated in a new application.
Why restrict Amendments on TEAM awards?
With the passage of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, new cross-cutting requirements apply to all funds not obligated by February 16, 2016. (See FTA’s Notice of Transit Program Changes, Authorized Funding Levels and Implementation of Federal Public Transportation Law as Amended by the FAST Act and FTA Fiscal Year 2016 Apportionments, Allocations, Program Information and Interim Guidance, published in the Federal Register February 16, 2016). This restriction therefore ensures FTA and the recipients can appropriately track requirements based on the type of award and prevents combining funds with different requirements.
Will I be able to implement budget revisions to my grants that have been migrated from TEAM to TrAMS?
Yes, you will still be able to make budget revisions, consistent with rules of Circular 5010, to any active TEAM grant migrated into TrAMS.
Will the FPC codes used in TEAM translate in TrAMS?
Yes. TrAMS will recognize the FPC codes that are associated TEAM awards migrated over to TrAMS. Additionally FPC codes will continue to exist for new TrAMS created awards. You will still be able to make FPC fund transfers to TEAM grants migrated to TrAMS. (Updated 5/20/2015)
What’s different about TrAMS Grants?
You can combine funding from multiple programs in a single grant application:
In TrAMS you may have the opportunity to consolidate grant application that contains funding from multiple programs. When an application contains more than one fund program it is referred to as a “super grant.” FTA will issue guidance outlining when you might consider using a super grant option and what you might consider. To review the draft guidance on super grants, visit the TrAMS Guidance page. (Revised 1/2015)
TrAMS allows you to define projects:
Individuals drafting applications in TrAMS will be asked to identify the Projects that will receive FTA financial assistance. An application created in TrAMS must identify at least one Project, or have more than one Project, if necessary. Each Project is a record; therefore in TrAMS you can run reports and search on the Project record. (Revised 1/2015)
TrAMS includes more validation checks to ensure information is more complete before transmitting an application FTA:
TrAMS will include “hard stops” to ensure that an application has met all requirements before FTA can process the application. In other instances, TrAMS will provide “soft stops” or warning messages to indicate you may be missing information. FTA will issue guidance to list out where each might occur.
TrAMS document upload can accept larger files
TEAM allows document uploads up to 6 MB; in TrAMS you will be able to upload attachments up to 1 Gig. Large file sizes that are extremely voluminous ones (such as large Environmental Impact Statements) you may consider breaking into several files. (Revised 1/2015)
Will TrAMS include the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers in the grant award?
Yes. You can see it when you populate the view print of your awards.
Does TrAMS replace Grants.gov?
No. If your organization interested in applying for any one of FTA’s discretionary grants opportunities published in one of FTA’s Notices of Funding Availability, you will need to continue to submit your application via www.grants.gov.
Can I submit my Federal Funding Accountability in Transparency Act (FFATA) reports in TrAMS?
No. Organizations, such as State Departments of Transportation, who are required to submit subaward reports pursuant to FFATA, will continue to submit this information via www.fsrs.gov. This is an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requirement.
Will information in TrAMS migrate to www.usaspending.gov?
Yes. TrAMS will automatically transmit information on awarded grants to www.usaspending.gov.