Section 7000.70  Grantee Qualification Status

a)         Before to making an award, the State awarding agency is required by 31 U.S.C. 3321, 41 U.S.C. 2313 and Section 25(4)(C) of the Act to review information available through any GOMB- or OMB-designated repositories of government-wide eligibility qualification or financial integrity information, such as:

1)         Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS);

2)         SAM.gov, including the Federal Excluded Parties List; and

3)         Grantee Portal.

b)         Illinois grantee registration is centralized and automated through the Grantee Portal from https://grants.illinois.gov/portal/.

c)         An individual representing an organization must use the State of Illinois Public Authentication Portal as a cybersecurity check and to formally associate the individual with the organization represented by the individual.  Authentication is initiated from the Grantee Portal link above under subsection (b).

d)         An entity must provide the following information annually to be registered with the State of Illinois as an awardee: 

1)         Organization name and contact information;

2)         Federal Employee Identification Number (FEIN);

3)         Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number or Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), as applicable; and

4)         Organization type.

e)         Illinois prequalification is centralized and includes an automated verification through www.SAM.gov and the GATA implementation website based on information provided during registration.

f)         Based on the information provided, the entity is "qualified" to be an awardee if it:

1)         has an active DUNS number or UEI, as applicable;

2)         has an active SAM.gov public account;

3)         is in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State, if the Illinois Secretary of State requires the entity's organization type to be registered. Governmental entities, school districts and select religious organizations are not required to be registered with the Illinois Secretary of State. Refer to the Illinois Secretary of State Business Services website: https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/business_services/home.html;

4)         is not on the Illinois Stop Payment List;

5)         is not on the SAM.gov Exclusion List;

6)         is not on the Illinois Medicaid Sanctions List (https://www.illinois.gov/hfs/oig/Pages/SanctionsList.aspx).

g)         Upon registration, the Grantee Portal will list the status of each requirement. If a status is not "good", a link for technical assistance provides an explanation of how the issue can be corrected.  The status of all requirements must be "good" for the entity to be qualified. 

1)         If an entity is on the SAM.gov Exclusion List or in Permanent Stop Payment Status on the Illinois Stop Payment List, the entity is "Not Qualified".  There is no remediation available.  The State of Illinois cannot do business with entities on the SAM.gov Exclusion List or in Permanent Stop Payment Status on the Illinois Stop Payment List.

2)         If an entity is on the Illinois Stop Payment List, is not in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State, is on the Illinois Medicaid Sanctions List, does not have an active DUNS number or UEI as applicable, or has an expired SAM.gov account, the entity has a temporary "Not Qualified" status, but can remediate.  Technical assistance links through the Grantee Portal enable the entity to self-mediate the issue. 

3)         If an entity's verification confirmed all requirements under subsection (f) are met, the entity has a "Qualified" status.

h)         Qualified status is re-verified nightly.  If the entity's status changes, an email notice is sent to the designated representative with a link to the Grantee Portal.  The entity must use the link for technical assistance to seek remediation.

i)          Registration is required before an organization can apply for an award. State agencies shall use the State Staff Inquiry Screen to ensure an entity is "qualified" before reviewing the grant application.

j)          “Qualified” status is required at the application review date. Applications will not be reviewed if the applicant is not in “qualified” status.

k)         Local governments are responsible for determining how the governmental department or agency unit will register and prequalify.  In the case of a county government, the decision must be made by the individual with the highest level of fiscal and administrative authority. 

1)         An entity may register as a single county if the county and the departments or agency units within the county use the same FEIN and:

A)        Have one government-wide DUNS number or UEI, as applicable;

B)        Complete one government-wide ICQ; and

C)        Complete one government-wide indirect cost rate negotiation or election.

2)         If it is determined that the departments should register and prequalify separately, each department must:

A)        Have a separate DUNS number or UEI, as applicable, for each department or agency unit;

B)        Utilize a registration name that includes both the name of the local government and the governmental department or agency (e.g., Sangamon County, Public Health Department);

C)        Complete separate Internal Control Questionnaires (ICQs) for each department or agency unit; and

D)        Complete separate indirect cost rate negotiations or elections for each department or agency unit.

(Source:  Amended at 47 Ill. Reg. 7893, effective May 26, 2023)