USDA to give grant-making a makeover

Turner Consulting Group (TCG), a Washington, D.C.-based information technology consulting firm, will help the Agriculture Department modernize its grants-management processes under a new contract, the company announced May 1.Under the contract, the company will use Lean Six Sigma techniques to analyze and streamline USDA's grants businesses processes and align them with the Office of Management and Budget's Grants Management Line of Business initiative.OMB is developing plans under the LOB to consolidate and standardize grants-management activities governmentwide.TCG President Daniel Turner said that in addition to improving grant-making at USDA, the project will "demonstrate the value of Lean Six Sigma techniques by applying them to grant-making."TCG's work will be supported by T3 Technologies, which specializes in GMLOB alignment and systems development projects, TCG officials said.