Grant Contract Management Software

Grant contract software, like B2Gnow’s BlackCat solution, is a specialized digital solution designed to help public agencies and organizations efficiently manage the full lifecycle of grants, from application and award to monitoring, compliance, and closeout.

In practical terms, BlackCat grant and contract management software enables agencies to:

• Track grant applications, awards, and funding sources
• Automate contract creation and approvals
• Monitor project performance and deliverables
• Ensure regulatory compliance
• Streamline reimbursements, reporting, and auditing
• Provide transparency for internal teams, subrecipients, and oversight entities

BlackCat is purpose-built for transportation departments, state agencies, MPOs, and similar grant-funded organizations. Its centralized, cloud-based system replaces spreadsheets and siloed systems, giving agencies a real-time, end-to-end view of both financial and programmatic performance.

Implementing grant contract software like BlackCat offers significant operational, financial, and compliance benefits to public sector organizations, especially those managing complex funding streams and federally regulated programs.

1. Centralized Grant and Contract Oversight

BlackCat consolidates all grant-related activities, including applications, contracts, budgets, reports, and asset management, into one cloud-based platform. This provides real-time visibility across funding programs and ensures nothing falls through the cracks.

2. Improved Compliance and Audit Readiness

Designed with federal and state regulations in mind, BlackCat ensures organizations stay compliant through automated workflows, approvals, documentation tracking, and audit trails.

3. Faster, More Transparent Processes

Automating tasks like application intake, contract routing, and reimbursement requests cuts down processing time and reduces errors. Staff and subrecipients benefit from faster turnaround times and clear status visibility.

4. Stronger Grant Performance and Outcomes

BlackCat tracks performance indicators, deliverables, and project milestones, empowering agencies to measure impact, flag underperformance, and reallocate funding proactively to maximize results.

5. Reduced Administrative Burden

BlackCat minimizes manual data entry, eliminates duplicative work, and streamlines communication between grantors, grantees, and finance teams, freeing up staff time to focus on strategic work, not paperwork.

6. Better Financial Oversight

With integrated budget tracking, expenditure monitoring, and reimbursement workflows, BlackCat improves fiscal control and helps ensure every dollar is properly spent and reported.

7. Data-Driven Decision Making

BlackCat’s built-in dashboards and reporting tools allow leadership to analyze trends, identify funding gaps, and make informed decisions that support long-term program success.

In short, BlackCat helps grant-funded organizations operate with greater efficiency, transparency, and accountability, all while reducing risk and enhancing program delivery.

When selecting contract management software, especially for public agencies, transportation departments, or organizations managing grant-funded projects, it’s important to look for features that support compliance, transparency, and efficiency. B2Gnow’s BlackCat grant compliance management software includes many of the critical features that agencies rely on:

1. Centralized Contract Repository

A single, searchable location to store and manage all contracts, amendments, and associated documents, ensuring staff and stakeholders can easily access what they need, when they need it.

2. Automated Workflow and Approvals

Configurable routing for contract creation, internal reviews, legal approvals, and signatures. BlackCat supports custom workflows that reflect your organization’s unique review processes and approval hierarchies.

3. Integrated Grant and Financial Tracking

Track the funding source, contract value, obligated and spent amounts, and reimbursement activity, ensuring contracts align with grant budgets and funding rules.

4. Performance and Deliverables Monitoring

Track project milestones, deliverables, and outcomes tied to each contract, so you can monitor performance in real-time and take corrective action when needed.

5. Built-In Compliance Tools

Support for federal and state regulations and documentation required for audits or oversight.

6. Role-Based Access and Security

BlackCat provides granular user permissions so different stakeholders (finance, legal, project leads, subrecipients) can see and edit only what’s relevant to their role, supporting both data integrity and confidentiality.

7. Version Control and Audit Trails

Maintain a full history of contract changes, user actions, and document versions. This is crucial for transparency, accountability, and audit-readiness.

8. Real-Time Dashboards and Reporting

Built-in dashboards and configurable reports give leadership a clear, real-time view into contract status, fund utilization, and performance metrics.

9. Integration Capabilities

Ability to integrate with finance, ERP, or document management systems, eliminating duplicate data entry and ensuring alignment between contract and financial systems.

 10. Easy Vendor and Subrecipient Collaboration

BlackCat includes external portals where contractors or subrecipients can submit applications, documents, and progress reports, streamlining communication and improving data quality. 

By automating much of the process using stored and pre-populated data, contracts can be generated and sent in a fraction of the time compared to manual methods. Our federal contract management software also reduces risk of error and ensures compliance with built-in alerts and tracking. 

Contract management features, such as the features in BlackCat’s grant management compliance software, should go beyond basic document storage. It should help you stay compliant, manage risk, track funding, and deliver measurable outcomes across all contracts and programs.

Integration with other systems is a key success factor in modern grant and contract management. When platforms like B2Gnow’s BlackCat are connected to your organization’s existing tools, such as finance, ERP, HR, or document management systems, you unlock significant advantages in efficiency, accuracy, and transparency.

1. Eliminates Redundant Data Entry

Without integration, staff often re-enter the same data (e.g., contract amounts, vendor info, payment status) in multiple systems. Integration ensures data flows automatically between BlackCat and other platforms, saving time and reducing errors.

Example: A contract approved in BlackCat can automatically update a financial system like Oracle or SAP, reducing lag and ensuring alignment.

2. Improves Financial Accuracy and Reconciliation

Linking BlackCat with your financial or ERP system enables real-time tracking of obligations, reimbursements, and expenditures, so your grant and contract data always reflects true budget status.

3. Strengthens Compliance and Audit Readiness

Integrated systems create a complete and traceable record of all transactions, approvals, and documentation. This is especially critical for compliance with state-specific funding requirements.

4. Streamlines Vendor and Subrecipient Management

Integrating with procurement and HR systems means contractor and subrecipient data stays up to date, including insurance, certifications, or eligibility, reducing risk and improving oversight.

5. Enables Cross-Department Collaboration

Different teams (grants, legal, finance, project management) often work in siloed systems. Integration helps break down those silos, enabling real-time visibility and collaboration across departments.

 6. Powers Real-Time Dashboards and Decision Making

When BlackCat pulls live data from integrated systems, dashboards and reports reflect current status, not stale snapshots, supporting faster, data-driven decision-making.

 7. Enhances User Experience and System Adoption

Users spend less time switching between systems or reconciling discrepancies, which leads to greater trust in the data, smoother workflows, and higher adoption rates.

With B2Gnow’s BlackCat solution, system integration transforms grant and contract management software from a reactive, manual process into a proactive, data-driven function. It supports your agency’s ability to deliver on mission, maintain compliance, and optimize public funds.

1. Engage Stakeholders Early and Often

Involve internal users (grant managers, finance teams, program officers) and external stakeholders (grantees, subrecipients) from the start. With BlackCat’s customizable workflows and reporting, early feedback ensures the configuration reflects the reality of your processes, grant, funding, data and compliance needs.

2. Map Current Processes and Identify Gaps

Document how grants and contracts are currently managed, including intake, eligibility review, contract execution, monitoring, and reporting. Use this to identify bottlenecks or compliance risks. BlackCat’s modular design can align with your existing structure while modernizing inefficient areas.

3. Leverage Built-in Compliance Features

BlackCat is built to support state and federal compliance. Make full use of its documentation, audit trails, approval paths, and performance tracking to stay ahead of compliance requirements.

4. Standardize Data and Terminology

Ensure consistent use of fields, definitions, and codes across departments. BlackCat offers robust configuration tools to define funding sources, performance metrics, and contract types so everyone is speaking the same language system-wide.

5. Train Thoroughly and Provide Role-Based Support

Offer tailored training by role (e.g., grant coordinator, reviewer, finance approver). Use BlackCat’s documentation and support resources, and consider building custom quick-reference guides for frequent tasks to reinforce adoption.

6. Integrate with Other Systems Where Possible

If you use financial, HR, or document management platforms, explore API or data exchange capabilities to reduce double entry. BlackCat supports data import/export functions and system integrations that streamline cross-functional processes.

7. Define KPIs and Use Real-Time Dashboards

Establish clear metrics for grant cycle time, fund utilization, and project performance. BlackCat’s dashboards and reporting features allow agencies to visualize impact and ensure timely corrective action where needed.

8. Establish Governance and Change Management

Create a governance structure to manage system configuration, user permissions, and update protocols. BlackCat offers permission-based access and audit logs to support secure system administration.

9. Plan for Continuous Improvement

After go-live, schedule regular reviews to assess system performance, gather user feedback, and roll out updates. BlackCat’s flexible architecture allows agencies to continuously adapt to evolving grant program needs and funding requirements.

B2Gnow’s BlackCat Grant Management system is purpose-built to help public agencies maintain compliance with complex federal, state, and local regulations throughout the grant and contract lifecycle. Here’s how it ensures your organization stays audit-ready and aligned with funding requirements:

1. Tracks Funding Source Rules and Requirements

BlackCat allows agencies to assign specific rules and compliance criteria to each funding source), ensuring that every contract or grant is tied to the right set of regulations or other state-level mandates.

2. Automates Approval Workflows and Role-Based Reviews

With configurable workflows, BlackCat ensures required reviews and approvals happen in the correct order. This reduces human error and ensures internal controls are enforced.

3. Maintains a Full Audit Trail

BlackCat automatically logs all user actions, status changes, document uploads, and approvals, creating a verifiable and time-stamped audit trail that satisfies oversight and grantor agencies.

4. Ensures Timely Reporting and Documentation

BlackCat provides automated reminders and dashboards to track upcoming deadlines, missing documentation, or overdue reports, keeping your program aligned with grantor timelines and preventing lapses in compliance.

5. Standardizes Contract Language and Templates

By housing approved contract templates and clauses within the system, BlackCat helps ensure that every contract includes required legal and regulatory language, reducing the risk of non-compliance.

6. Supports Subrecipient Monitoring and Risk Management

BlackCat enables agencies to evaluate subrecipient risk levels, track performance, and collect required monitoring documentation—aligning with Uniform Guidance requirements for subrecipient oversight.

7. Provides Real-Time Oversight and Reporting for Audits

During audits or reviews, BlackCat makes it easy to produce real-time, system-generated reports showing financial status, performance metrics, contract progress, and documentation history—all in one place.

BlackCat doesn’t just track grants and contracts, it embeds compliance into every step of the process. From budget alignment and regulatory approvals to subrecipient oversight and audit readiness, it ensures agencies meet the letter and spirit of their funding obligations.

In grant and contract management, data security is not optional, it’s essential. Public agencies and organizations handling federal, state, and local funding must safeguard sensitive financial, contractual, and personally identifiable information (PII). B2Gnow’s BlackCat Grant Management solution is built with this responsibility in mind.

As a SOC 2 Type 2 certified organization, B2Gnow complies with rigorous reporting standards set by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). This certification confirms that B2Gnow has strong controls in place to manage customer data with the highest level of security, availability, and confidentiality.

B2Gnow undergoes an independent annual audit and has surpassed all SOC 2 Type 2 requirements. A copy of the SOC 2 report can be made available to potential customers upon request through our Sales team.

Why It Matters for Grant and Contract Management

1. Protects Sensitive Data
   BlackCat stores information related to funding, contracts, subrecipients, certifications, and more. SOC 2 compliance ensures this data is protected from unauthorized access, breaches, and misuse.

2. Supports Regulatory Compliance
   For agencies managing federal funds, protecting data isn’t just good practice—it’s often a requirement. BlackCat helps you meet compliance expectations tied to cybersecurity standards in federal and state grant programs.

3. Reduces Organizational Risk
   Data breaches or security failures can result in funding clawbacks, audit findings, or public trust issues. With a SOC 2-certified system, agencies significantly reduce these risks.

4. Builds Confidence with Stakeholders
   Whether you’re reporting to grantors, auditors, or the public, using a secure platform like BlackCat reinforces your commitment to transparency, accountability, and trust.
   

Data security is foundational to effective grant and contract management. B2Gnow’s BlackCat solution not only delivers powerful functionality but also backs it with SOC 2 Type 2-certified infrastructure, ensuring that your sensitive program data is protected to the highest standards.

Automation plays a critical role in improving efficiency for public agencies managing grants and contracts. B2Gnow’s BlackCat Grant Management solution leverages automation to streamline processes, reduce errors, and accelerate timelines, allowing staff to focus on mission-critical work instead of manual tasks.

1. Faster Contract Generation Using Stored Data

BlackCat automates much of the contract creation process by using stored and pre-populated data from applications, funding sources, and vendor profiles. This eliminates repetitive data entry and allows contracts to be generated and sent in a fraction of the time.

2. Automated Document Compilation Reduces Errors

Instead of manually gathering and formatting files, BlackCat automatically compiles required documents—such as scopes of work, certifications, and funding terms—saving time and minimizing the risk of human error during submission or review.

3. Electronic Signature Capabilities Expedite Execution

BlackCat integrates with electronic signature tools, allowing agencies and external partners to sign and execute contracts digitally. This removes delays caused by printing, mailing, or scanning documents, and ensures contracts are finalized quickly and securely.

Automation in BlackCat significantly reduces administrative overhead by accelerating contract creation, improving accuracy, and enabling faster execution. The result is a more streamlined, responsive, and efficient grant and contract management process from start to finish.