What We Do
From inception to completion, GMS supports clients in filling financial gaps for transformative community and economic development projects.
Positioning Quality Projects
Positioning Quality Projects
The GMS team identifies the most competitive attributes of proposed projects and uses those points to develop compelling stakeholder briefing materials, customized for each public funding source.
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With clients, GMS meets with select key stakeholders to discuss a project’s merits, receive and respond to any project-specific questions or concerns, and offer talking points for stakeholders to use in their own advocacy efforts going forward.
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Stakeholders may include affected property owners, municipal governments, county governments, state elected officials, planning organizations, and funding agencies. The objective of this outreach is to address, and ultimately eliminate, any objections to a project or its requested funding.
Economic Impact Analysis
GMS develops Economic Impact Analyses for proposed projects by employing the Impact Analysis for Planning V3.1 Modeling System, known as IMPLAN©. These analyses provide compelling estimates that allow funding agencies to assess their own returns on investments.
WHAT IS IMPLAN©? IMPLAN© is a matrix-based software and data tool. The modeling system provides region-specific data to enable GMS to examine projected changes within state or regional economies, including:
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variations in industry spending
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industry production
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employment
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employment compensation
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wage and consumer spending
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WHAT DOES AN ECONOMIC IMPACT ANALYSIS FROM GMS INCLUDE?
For every tax payer-funded grant requested, GMS generates reports of the estimated resulting temporary construction jobs supported and permanent jobs created, private investment leveraged, and recurring state and local tax revenue to be generated.
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Economic Impact
Analysis
Developing Persuasive Applications
Developing Persuasive Applications
"A funding request is not one-size-fits-all."
Compelling and professional applications must be submitted to appropriate funding agencies. GMS customizes messaging to most appropriately align with each agencies priorities.
GMS uses all available materials, including master concept plans, engineered construction drawings, local and regional comprehensive plans, newspaper articles, and any other relevant resources to develop credible and persuasive applications. Applications highlight certain key elements of a proposed project, ensuring they align with the goals and objectives of each specific funding source.
The GMS team prides itself on submitting complete, professional and persuasive applications, on time and every time.
Grants Administration
Securing a notice of grant award is only half the battle in public funding. Each program has unique compliance requirements, some of which are discretionary and can change regularly, depending on the evolving policies of the funding agencies. Depending on the program, extensive oversight may be needed just to secure a fully-executed grant agreement. GMS coordinates all required materials with the funding agencies, the grantee and the sub-grantee (if applicable).
Grants Administration
Compliance and Drawdown
Compliance and Drawdown
Once a grant agreement is secured, GMS works with a project's design consultant to ensure all proper bidding procedures are followed and required contracting provisions are included. We advise the project team on how to ensure that the construction contract adheres to all applicable laws, such as:
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Trade Practices Act
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Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act
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Americans with Disabilities Act
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Public Works Contractors' Bond Law
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Finally, GMS prepares all payment requests for submission to the applicable funding agencies. If a public sponsor is utilized as a pass-through grantee, GMS coordinates these activities with the public sponsor directly to ensure that grant reimbursements are received in a timely fashion, minimizing interest carry costs if interim financing is utilized.
GMS provides a full-service grants management package that positions clients for seamless closeout audits.