HUD picks TRW for grant tracking

TRW Inc. has been awarded a $2 million contract to design and build a software system that will help the Department of Housing and Urban Development keep track of more than $26 billion in annual grants.

TRW's Systems and Information Technology Group, Reston, Va., received the contract for the first phase of the Departmental Grants Management System program, which will streamline and standardize HUD's grants procedures.

The software will help HUD keep track of grants for projects ranging from lead paint removal to rodent control to rehab plans for housing, according to Ken Uffelman, TRW's program manager for grants management.

TRW is working in partnership with HUD to make sure the grants management system is built to the standards set up by the Inter-Agency Electronic Grants Committee, which encourages federal grant-making agencies to use electronic processes.

Until now, HUD has used a mix of manual and automated processes to track grants, a sometimes spotty and inaccurate system. But now, the agency is determined to become efficient.

"One of HUD's goals is to achieve commonality, efficiencies, better reporting and tracking [of] monies to other agencies," Uffelman said.