Appian Introduces Grants Portfolio Management Solution to Provide Unprecedented Control of the Process Lifecycle; Web-based Solution Enables Government Agencies to Automate, Monitor and Manage the End-to-End Grants Process

Business Wire, April 25, 2006

VIENNA, Va. -- Appian, the leading provider of human-centric business process management suites (BPMS), today announced the availability of its Grants Portfolio Management solution designed to give government agencies a single point of access for comprehensive visibility and control of the grants lifecycle. Government agencies can now leverage Appian's web-based, process-driven solution to better define and measure performance goals, automate the exchange of funding, budget, and expense information, validate applicant-reported performance measurement, and deliver better end-to-end tracking of grant applications.

Government agencies that process grants face significant challenges in managing the end-to-end process with limited resources. Processing grant applications, monitoring recipients, and disbursing funds are costly and people-intensive. In addition, agencies are under continued pressure to justify the expense and show tangible return on investment to secure additional funding. With resources focused on individual grants, agencies often lack the ability to define performance standards and track measurable results across various programs. These challenges are compounded by the fact that most agencies rely on multiple disparate systems to support the various stages of the grants lifecycle. Appian's Grants Portfolio Management solution provides agencies with a unified system to automate, track and measure their grant information.

Built on the award-winning Appian Enterprise BPM suite platform, Appian's Grants Portfolio Management solution provides process automation for all pre-award, award, and post-award activities throughout the grants lifecycle. It also complements Appian's Government Sourcing Process Management solution, which is currently in use at several government agencies and quasi-government organizations including the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Army, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the World Bank, and others.

Appian's standards-based architecture facilitates easy integration with grants.gov, FPDS-NG, FedBizOpps, CCR and financial systems. If necessary, agencies can rapidly configure Appian's pre-built grants process templates and define business rules to support unique agency requirements. Appian's flexible, extensible Grants Portfolio Management solution provides:

--Real-Time Performance Measurement. Provides detailed dashboard views of all grant programs, including key performance indicators based on grant type and user-defined criteria.

--Single, Integrated Grants Environment. Integrates seamlessly to existing portfolio management functionality used by grant-making agencies. The solution integrates with JFMIP-compliant financial systems to make fund drawdown requests, obligate or de-obligate funds, track current balance and conduct other financial transactions.

--Rules-Based Exception Handling. Supports flexible, adaptable scenarios where users may pre-set conditions or events that automatically trigger exception processes.

--Advanced Analytics. Generates reports for spend analysis, budget tracking, invoice processing, performance measurement, contract compliance, and other configurable reports.

--Grant Application Tracking and Data Repository. Tracks the status of grant applications, views associated documents and searches for grants information.

--Optional Remote Video Conferencing. Enables peer review meetings to be held remotely in a secure and accessible environment though advanced collaborative tools that include video, sound and document whiteboarding.

"With limited resources and aggressive deadlines, government agencies are finding it more difficult to effectively manage and monitor the entire end-to-end grants process," said Kevin Spurway, Vice President of Marketing at Appian. "With Appian's BPM suite at its core, Appian's Grants Portfolio Management solution stands apart from traditional software offerings because it is a single, unified solution that delivers comprehensive visibility into the entire grants lifecycle. With its process-centric approach, Appian's solution enables agencies to make better informed award recommendations, and effectively measure the grant programs in line with government standards."

Appian's Grants Portfolio Management solution is a component of Appian's Government Process Management (GPM) Suite. This suite is comprised of government-specific solutions focused on driving improvements in productivity and work quality by automating complex government processes, and providing real-time access to critical information and applications.

About Appian

Appian is the first business process management (BPM) company to deliver advanced process, knowledge, and analytics functionality in a fully integrated suite. Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations are deploying Appian's award-winning software, Appian Enterprise, to drive continuous process improvements and build next-generation, composite process solutions. For more information, visit www.appian.com.