Quick Reference MA (eCaps)

Enterprise Coordination and
Approvals Processing System
(eCAPS)
Preparing an Electronic Mission Assignment
(MA)

Quick Reference Guide
eCAPS Version 3.00
April, 2007

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Table of Contents

Chapters
1. Introduction ....................................................................................... 5
2. Start eCAPS ...................................................................................... 7
3. Prepare a new Mission Assignment (MA) ..................................... 10
4. Approvals ........................................................................................ 22
5. Search for an Existing Task ........................................................... 26
6. Amending a Mission Assignment.................................................. 29
7. Preferences...................................................................................... 31
8. Reports............................................................................................. 32

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Enterprise Coordination and Approvals Processing System

(eCAPS)
Version 3.00

Introduction

eCAPS provides electronic coordination and approval of the Requisition and Commitment for
Services And Supplies (FEMA Form 40-1) and Mission Assignments (MA). This electronic
processing has been built as a Web-based service and will support all disaster-related 40-1s
and MAs. Data is entered directly into screen forms.
This guide will explain the electronic process and provide screen shots for visual clarity. It is not
intended to instruct the programmatic process involved with either of these forms. It is divided
into chapters to provide easy and quick access to the portion of the process you need. It serves
as a quick reference to address entry and processing of an MA form and the amendment of an
MA. A separate guide is available to address the entry, processing, and amendment of a FF
40-1.

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Start eCAPS
This process is the same for a 40-1 or an MA.
1.

Double-click on the Internet
Explorer shortcut on the
desktop.

2.

Type the following
Address
line
http://nemis.fema.net

3.

Click on the eCAPS button on
the left hand side of the screen.

4.

Supply your NEMIS User ID and
Password on the Login screen.

on

the
:

The Release Notes, listed below
the
Login
box,
contain
information about changes to
eCAPS since the last update.
Click on the date to read the
specific Release Notes.
Click Login.

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5. Your Inbox will display. Click on
the menu item on the left side of
the screen to proceed with:
a. Inbox
See Approval on
page 15.

b. Drafts
See page 12.

c. Search for an
existing task.

List of items routed
to you for approval/
processing.
The
list may be sorted
by clicking on a
column title.
View tasks still in
Draft status that
have been created
by you.
Select filters to
narrow the search
and print results.

See Search on
page 18.

d. Blank Forms

Allows you to print
a blank 40-1 form
or
Mission
Assignment (MA).

e. Reports

Select
various
reports to view on
the screen or print.

See Reports on
page 23.

f. Create a New
FF40-1,
Mission
Assignment
(MA)

MAs are explained
in
this
Quick
Reference Guide.
Creating FF40-1 is
explained
in
a
separate
Quick
Reference Guide.

g. Check
Notifications

Alerts you that
items have been
routed to you for
processing/
approval.

h. Set
user
Preferences.

See
Preferences
section on page 22.

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i.

Quick
Reference

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Link to this Quick
Reference Guide. It
is a large document
and may take a
while to download.

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Prepare a New Mission Assignment (MA)
1.

Locate the New option on the
left side of the screen. Select
MA/RFA from the drop-down
list. Click on New.

2.

Select the Financial Program
Type (Declared Disaster or PreDisaster Surge) for the MA.
LTRO Disaster, Projects, and
No Specific Authority are not
functional at this time.

3.

Scroll down the list OR type the
first number of the disaster and
then scroll, if necessary, to the
appropriate number. Click on
the number.
Then click
Continue.

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Using Surge Account

NOTE:
If you need to create a MA
using the surge account, select
Pre-Disaster Surge instead of
Declared Disaster from the
Financial Program Type list.
Since the surge account
applies to all incidents, you
must select the appropriate
incident before creating the
new MA so the funds will be
applied correctly.
The list defaults to all incidents
within the last 30 days and
displays 10 to a page. If you
need an incident that is not
displaying on this screen and
it’s within the last 30 days,
select Show All (just above the
list). If the desired incident is
still not displayed, select one
or more of the 5 criteria
options on the top of the
screen. Then click Retrieve.
To ensure you have the
correct incident, check the
Incident ID #. That number is
assigned by NEMIS at the time
tracking of the incident begins
in NEMIS. The first 4 digits are
the year, the next 2 are the
month, the next 2 are the day
of the month and the last 2 are
the consecutive numbers of
the incident(s) on that date.
For instance, the first one on
the list to the right is
2007040601. This is the first
incident to be tracked in
NEMIS on April 6, 2007.

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Using Surge Account
NOTE: (Cont.) Click Select in
the far left column when you
find the incident. A new MA
will be created. Follow the rest
of the steps in this section to
finish creating the MA.

Prepare a New Mission Assignment (MA) (cont.)
4.

Select Yes to create a new
task.

5.

A Mission Assignment (MA)
form will display with Section I,
Tracking
Information
autofilled:
•
State
•

Action Request # - this is
the system generated
consecutive
task
ID
number

•

Program Code/Event #

•

Date/Time Rec’d

This form is now in Draft status.
It can be edited or deleted by
you until you submit it to the
approval process.

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NOTE: The task ID# will be displayed
at the top center of the screen
as well as just above the left
side menu. Make a note of it
for future reference.
All fields designated with a red
asterisk are required fields.
If you need additional instructions for
completing the form, there is a link at
the top center of the form to the
instructions that are printed on the
back of the OMB form.
6.

Click on Section II, Assistance
Requested.
Fill out the
information on the data entry
window.
Enter a short
description of the assistance
being
requested
in
the
Assistance Requested field.
The Statement of Work will be
entered later.
Enter the
Quantity (defaults to 1), Unit of
Measure (defaults to Each),
and Unit Price. Type in the
Date Required. Use the format
shown including the slashes.
The Internal Control Number is
used if cross-referencing this
request with another tracking
system.

7.

Complete the Delivery Location
information by entering the
address where the work will be
performed and the Contact
data (usually the Agency POC
on site). The zip code must be
a valid zip code for that state or
enter five zeroes.

8.

The Requestor is the person
who made the request.
Before selecting the POC, the
FEMA Project Officer, use the
Change Project Officer field
drop-down list to choose HQ,

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Region, or Disaster.
Then
select the name from the dropdown list. The list contains the
names of those people rostered
at HQ, at the Region, or in that
disaster with a role of Project
Officer. Notice that their phone
# populates automatically.

9. If this is an activation MA you can
select ACT Letters from the
menu on the left to generate a
template Activation Letter which
may be edited and printed.
To attach the edited letter to the
MA, save it to your computer and
then
attach
it
using
the
Attachment menu option.

10. Click on
• Save /Cont. to save your
entries and return to the
form,
•

Reset to erase the entries in
the window but keep the
window open, or

•

Close to close the window
without saving the data.

11. Click on Section III, Initial
Federal Coordination.
The
entry window contains only the
assigned priority radio buttons.
Select the Priority level for this
task. The system will default to
Normal.

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12. You will note, in addition to the
Priority, Section III of the form
contains fields for Action to: and
Date/Time, even though they do
not display in the entry window.
Date/Time is autofilled. There
are two check boxes for Action
to: one for ESF # and one for
Other.
NOTE: The system defaults to
Other. To “check” the ESF #
box, an entry must be made
in the Agency POC field in
Section
IV,
Description,
beginning with the letters
ESF.
13. Section IV, Description is for
entry of the Mission Statement,
the dates, Assigned Agency
selected from the drop-down
list, and the Action Officer
(Agency POC) name and
phone. If the SOW is too long
for the 4,000-character field, it
can be provided as an
attachment.
The Mission Statement field
has a character counter just
above the field so you will know
when you’ve reached the
character limit.
Note that the End Date is a
required field.
If needed, select Attachments
from the menu options on the
left side of the screen and follow
the directions on the entry
window. A list of attachments
for the task will be listed by
Description at the bottom of the
screen below the form.

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14. The
Mission
Assignment
Coordinator (MAC) usually
completes Section V. Begin by
selecting the Type of Mission
Assignment.
The standard
State Cost Share percentages
are shown in parentheses after
each mission type. Once the
Type is chosen, the Object
Class will autofill.

15. Next, enter the State Cost
Share if this is a Direct
Federal Assistance mission.

HINT

When entering the State Cost Share, be sure
the decimal point is in the correct place.

16. Enter the Commodity/
Activity Category, Fiscal
Year. The Organization
code defaults to the
Response and Recovery
Division for the Region
where the disaster is
located.
17. Select
Section
VI
Approval or Route from
the menu options on the
left side of the screen to
choose the names and
positions of those who
must approve this MA.

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18. The Initiator and the Project
Officer are entered on the
routing list automatically.
Add the names of others
who will approve this
mission in Section VI
Approvals.
Select the
Level of approval needed
and the Scope from the
drop-down lists.
Note: The Initiator on the Route
is the person who entered the
MA and will not necessarily be
the same as the requester of the
action entered previously on the
form.
19. Select the name of the
person and then click
Append to add the person
to the list at the bottom of
the entry window.

Notice that clicking on the
“Move” arrows to the left of
the list can change the
order of the names. Since
the MAC should be first on
the route, click on the up
arrow next to their name so
they will be listed before the
Project Officer.
A name can be deleted by
using the Delete button at
the right side of the list.
These features are only
available for those whose
“signatures” have not been
obtained.
As the task is processed
through Approval, each
signature will display on the
form.

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All
MAs
require
the
signatures of a Mission
Assignment
Coordinator
(MAC), a Project Officer, and
a Federal Approving Officer
(FAO).
If the MA is for
Technical Assistance (TA) or
Direct Federal Assistance
(DFA), a State Approving
Official (SAO) must also
approve.
Other coordinating officials
may be added to the route. If
2 approvers in the same
capacity, such as Project
Officer/ Branch Chief, are
added to the route, only the
last signature is displayed on
the form.
A print option is available so
that the entire approval chain
can be printed and attached
to the form in the MA file.
20. When all the names have
been added, click Close.
NOTE: The Federal Approving
Official (FAO) should
always be the last
person on the routing
list.
You
must
designate only one FAO
on the routing.

21. Section
VII,
Obligation
displays the entry screen for
the Mission Assignment #,
Amendment #, Amount this
Action, Cumulative Amount,
Date/Time Obligated, and
Initials. The first field, which
is the MA Sequence #,
defaults to the first available
number
for
that
organization. It may be
edited here if necessary.

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22. The Amount This Action
field autofills from Section
IV. The Cumulative Amount
displays the total funding for
this mission once the funds
have been obligated.
23. Once all the information is
entered and you are ready
to process the Mission
Assignment (MA) through
the approval system, click
Validate. A list of missing
information will be displayed
at the top of the screen
above the form. If there is
any missing information
listed, except the approvals,
add it by selecting that
section on the form and
adding/editing
the
information.
24. After the form has been
completed and validated,
and it is ready to begin the
Approval process, click
Submit.
It is recommended that you
print a copy for your file.
Selecting the Print button
will generate the OMB MA
form in PDF format. If the
SOW is longer than the
space provided on the OMB
form, the remainder will
print on an additional
page(s).

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25. You will be prompted to
Confirm Action. Click Yes.
This will move the task from
a Draft status to Open.
NOTE: Once a task has
been
submitted,
the
information may be edited
by the MAC if the task is in
their Inbox and they’re first
on the route, or by a user
that has ATOPS authority,
but only when the task is in
an Open status.
26. You will be notified that the
action has been sent to the
Project Officer (or whoever
is next on the routing list).

27. Once the MA has been
submitted,
it
can
be
accessed
through
the
Search screen.
See page 27 for detailed
instructions.
28. A Log will be available,
once the task is created, to
enter pertinent information
regarding this task. The
Log button is available for
all tasks. Highlight the task
by clicking the radio button
to the left of the task and
then click Log. The Log is
available for the life of the
task. If you have selected
View Form, the Log is a
menu option on the left side
of the screen.

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If the task is not in your
Inbox, locate it by using the
Search option. Select the
appropriate task by clicking
on the radio button to
highlight the task. Click on
the Log button at the top of
the list.
If the search brings back
too large a list, you can
narrow your search by
clicking the Refine button to
be more specific with your
search criteria.

29. Notes can be added to a
task at any time by
selecting the task and
clicking View Form. Select
the Notes option on the left
side of the screen.
You may have view only
rights to the form depending
on your role, but will still be
able to add Notes.

30. Any notes added to a task
will be displayed below the
form at the bottom of the
screen.

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Approvals
1.

Log in to eCAPS.
Inbox will display.

Your

If new tasks are sent to you
while you are working in
eCAPS,
they
will
not
automatically display in your
Inbox. The Inbox can be
refreshed at anytime by
clicking on the Refresh
button.
The Inbox will display 10
tasks at a time. If your Inbox
contains more than that, you
may use the drop down list
to select a range or select
Show All.
At the top of the Inbox there
are totals for the number of
40-1’s and the number of
MA’s in your box.
If you wish to print a list of all
of the tasks in your Inbox,
scroll all the way to the right
and there is a Print List
option at the top of the
screen.

2.

Highlight the appropriate
task by clicking the radio
button next to it and
selecting View Form.
You may Approve a task
directly from your Inbox by
clicking the radio button next
to the task and clicking
Approve, however it is
recommended that you view
the task before approving it.

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3.

The task will display. The
Approve button is located at
the top of the screen.
Once the task has been
reviewed, and any additions
or corrections have been
made, click on:
Validate – correct any items
necessary if you have
sufficient authority. If not,
reject it back to the MAC
with comments on the
corrections needed.
Approve – you will be
prompted to Confirm Approval
and enter Remarks.
Reject – you will be prompted
to Confirm Rejection and
enter Remarks. Please enter
a reason for the rejection.
Cancel − this button will
cancel the task and remove it
from the routing. It will no
longer be visible in eCAPS
after 30 minutes. (To restore
see Step 8)
Print – to generate a copy of
the OMB form for printing.

4. When you select Approve, a
validation check is run by the
system and you are asked to
Confirm Approval. You may
enter
Remarks
before
approving.

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5. Once you select Yes, the task
is forwarded to the next person
on the routing.

6. Once the FAO approves the
task moves to ES for the
Comptroller to certify funds.
The status changes to Closed
(C). Once the Comptroller
certifies funds, the status
changes to IFMIS Closed (I).

Cancelled Task
7. To restore a cancelled task
within 30 minutes of the
cancellation, the Project officer
will Search for and highlight
the task.
When a task is cancelled, the
status changes to “X”.

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8. Click on the Restore button at
the top or bottom of the list.

9. You will be asked to confirm
your action. Click Yes and Add
Notes as needed.

10. Reject
When a task is rejected by
someone on the route, they
are asked to confirm the
rejection. Enter a reason for
the rejection. The task will then
be routed back to the MAC.

11. At this point, you may go
back to the form, print a copy
of the form, go back to the
Inbox by clicking Home, or
Logout of eCAPS.

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Search for an Existing Task
1.

From the main eCAPS
screen, click on Search
from the menu on the left
side of the screen.

2.

Select the criteria for the
search. If you know the
task ID#, enter it and click
on Search at the bottom
of the screen. If not, then
select the criteria from the
drop-down lists. It is not
necessary
to
select
something from every list,
but be as specific as
possible. Narrow down
the search so the system
will not slow down trying
to return large amounts of
data. Click on Search.

HINT

If you need to locate a task that has not started the approval process, do not narrow
the search by selecting a specific status. The resulting list will include Drafts entered
by others but not submitted yet.

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3.

The resulting list may
be sorted by clicking
on a column title.
Click again to sort in
reverse order.

4.

Highlight
the
appropriate task by
clicking the radio
button at the left side
of the Task.
You
may select:

•

View Form to View
the task.

•

Log
to
record
pertinent
information for the
processing of the
task.

•

Copy
is
not
applicable to MA’s.

•

Print a copy of the
MA.

•

Refine takes you
back to the Search
screen.

•

Print List – at the
top far right of the
Results
screen
will
print
the
search results in a
report format. This
makes the Search
option an effective
ad hoc reporting
tool. You can
specify
parameters
and

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return a subset of
tasks
matching
the criteria you
specified.
5.

When finished, click
on:
•

Home (located at
the bottom of the
screen) – to return
to the main eCAPS
screen.

•

Logout (located on
the left and bottom
of the screen) – to
log out of eCAPS.

•

Any of the options
on the left side of
the
screen
to
process
other
tasks.

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Amending a Mission Assignment
1.

To
amend
a
Mission
Assignment, use the Search
option to locate the MA to be
amended. Highlight the task
and click View Form.

NOTE: An amendment cannot be
created until the status of the
original MA and all previous
amendments to this task are
Closed or IFMIS Closed.

2.

Click on the Amend button.
There is one at the top of the
form.
The screen will
confirm creation of an
amendment MA. Jot down
the new task ID# and verify
that the original task ID# is
the one you want to amend.
Click OK then View Form to
view the amendment.

3.

The amendment form will
display with all the original
MA information. The MA
number(s) for the original
and all existing amendments
will display above it. The
original
MA
will
be
designated with a
. To
view the original or one of
the amendments, click on
the task ID.
The new amendment form
will display with all the
original information minus
the approval signatures.
However,
the
original
approval list will be attached
so that the same people can
approve the amendment.
The list may be edited if
changes are needed.

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4.

Edit the fields required to
reflect the changes; i.e.
additional funds, change of
Project Officer, de-obligation
of funds, etc. Verify dates to
ensure they are correct.

5.

When all changes have
been
completed,
click
Validate.
If no further
changes are required by the
validation procedure, click
Submit
to
begin
the
approval process.

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Preferences
1. You can set the method of
notification and frequency of
notification updates by using the
Preferences option on the
menu at the left side of the
screen.

2. Enter your email address and/or
your pager number, then click
the appropriate box(es). Set the
frequency for notification by
selecting from the drop-down
list.

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Reports

1. Select Reports from the menu on
the left side of the screen.
2. Highlight the Financial Program,
then the desired Report Type.
Click the Display button.
Caution: The reports will take some
time to load and it may appear as
though nothing is happening. Be
patient.

3.

Here is a list of the Reports
available in this version.
The following are sample displays
of each of the reports.

4.

The Activities Log will list
everything in eCAPS for that
disaster. You can sort columns by
clicking 4 on the column header.

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5.

If MA Allocated/Obligated is
selected, this report will display.
Use your browser toolbar to print
a hard copy of any of the
following reports.

6. If Mission Assignment is selected,
this report will display.

7. If MA Log is selected the report
will display on the screen. Notice
that the description field has been
expanded. The SOW will only be
displayed on the original. There is
a check mark in the left column to
denote the original MA and the
related amendments are listed
below that.

8. For example, if MA To Date Chart
is selected, this report will
display.

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9. The MA Amend Log

10. The MA Expired List

11. The MA Amend Log with State
Cost

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