Federal Energy and Water Management Awards: Frequently Asked Questions

The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) sponsors the annual Federal Energy and Water Management Awards to recognize individuals and organizations for significant contributions to energy and water efficiency within the federal government. Below are answers to frequently asked questions by Agency Coordinators about the nomination and selection process.

How do I access FEMP's nomination site to review and approve award nominations?

Go to https://fempcentral.energy.gov. If you previously created a Google account associated with your federal email address (same address FEMP uses to send emails related to this program), click "Sign in with Google," and use your Google account to access FEMP Central. If you are new to the Awards program and FEMP Central and do not already have a Google account associated with your federal email address, create a Google account using your federal email address. Once you create an account, use it to sign into FEMP Central. If you have questions, refer to the FEMP Central Log In Guide or contact Pardeep Toor. If your agency is restricted from logging into the system using Google, contact FEMP.

I created my own user account. Why can't I find the list of my agency's nominations for review?

Agency Coordinators require special permissions to review and approve submitted nominations. You will not be able to access these nominations through a FEMP Central account that uses a different email address from your federal email address. 

I have logged in using a Google account associated with my federal email address. Why can’t I see any nominations?

Once you're logged in, you have access to your personal dashboard that shows any nominations started or submitted for your agency. If no nominations appear in the dashboard, none have been started. If your dashboard does not include a header showing a nomination deadline, a review deadline, and a subheading with your agency’s name, make sure you're logged into FEMP Central using your federal agency email address. Contact Pardeep Toor for assistance.

I see the list of nominations on my dashboard. How do I review them?

From your list of nominations, click on "View" to see the nomination details. The "Attachments" section will include the narrative and optional attachments. Click the filename to view a file in your browser, or right click to download. At the top right of the page, click "Download PDF" to save the on-screen nomination information as a PDF file.

How do I know when a nomination is ready for my review and approval?

As soon as a nomination is started by someone in your agency, the nomination will appear on your dashboard while it's under development (it will show "Started" as the status). FEMP Central allows you to edit and submit a "started" nomination just in case a nominator is unable to complete and submit a nomination before your agency's and FEMP's deadline. Once the nominator has completed and submitted a nomination, you will receive a notification e-mail that includes the nomination title, letting you know that nomination is ready for review. The nomination will now show "Nominator Submitted" as the status. 

I am reviewing a nomination and would like to make some changes. What should I do?

If you'd like to make the edits yourself, scroll to the top of the review screen and click the "Edit Nomination" button at the top left. This will restore the nomination to edit mode, and you may make changes prior to approving the nomination for FEMP review. If you prefer to return a nomination to the nominator for edits, select the "Return" radio button at the bottom of the review screen. FEMP Central provides a text box for a brief note on the reason for the return and the changes requested. Click the "Confirm Review" button to finalize the return. The nominator will receive an email alert and be able to access the nomination and resubmit after making edits. If you wish to contact a nominator directly via email to discuss your recommendations prior to returning a nomination, the nominator's name appears in the "Nominator" column of your dashboard nomination table and is linked to their email address.

What is the difference between Return and Decline? Aren’t they the same thing?

FEMP Central differentiates between "Return" and "Decline." Select "Return" to return a nomination to the nominator for edits. Select "Decline" if you determine a nomination is ineligible for the current competition and will not be submitted to FEMP. Upon selecting "Decline", a text box is provided for a brief note back to the nominator and the nomination is permanently closed.

Note: when selecting "Decline" and closing the nomination, no further edits can be made by you or the nominator.

What is the Leadership Nomination Approval Form, and who should sign it?

The intent of the Leadership Nomination Approval Form is to confirm that your agency's senior leadership has awareness of nominations being submitted to FEMP. The form must be signed by your agency's "headquarters director for energy programs" for each nomination (or one form can be signed that lists all the agency's nominations). If the Agency Coordinator for the Awards is also considered your headquarters director for energy programs, the next highest level of signature is required. Consider this step when developing your internal deadlines and review schedules.

As the Agency Coordinator, I have contractors assisting with entering pre-approved nominations into FEMP Central. Do I need to obtain Federal Lead Certification forms for every nomination?

No, contractors who directly support the Agency Coordinator's review process are not subject to this requirement. Contractors and private sector partners who develop nominations for federal staff are required to submit the Federal Lead Certification form. This form ensures federal staff leading the effort agree with the information provided. If your process includes collecting nominations outside of FEMP Central, the forms should be provided alongside all nominations developed by private sector partners and uploaded when entering the approved nominations into FEMP Central (as if the private sector partner submitted the nomination). When HQ support contractors are entering nominations on behalf of federal nominators, they may select the "I am a federal employee" radio button. Contact Pardeep Toor with the names and email addresses of HQ support contractors on your review team.

I have reviewed my agency's completed nominations. How do I approve them?

When you are ready to approve nominations for FEMP review and evaluation, you must open each nomination by first clicking "Perform Review." For each nomination, select the "Approve" radio button, upload a signed and dated Leadership Nomination Approval Form, then and click the "Confirm Review" button at the bottom of the review screen. FEMP Central does not allow approval of multiple nominations at the same time. You must approve each nomination before FEMP will review and approve them for evaluation.

An award nomination was submitted to me after FEMP's nomination deadline. Can I still approve the nomination for FEMP review? 

FEMP Central shows two deadlines on your dashboard – the nomination deadline and the approval deadline. The nomination deadline is the final deadline for all nominators to submit nominations into FEMP Central. Agency Coordinators have until the approval deadline to review and approve nominations. No new nominations can be submitted after the nomination deadline passes.

What if FEMP's approval deadline is close and I do not have the signed Agency Leadership Nomination Approval Form? Can I still approve the nomination for FEMP review?

FEMP recommends taking this approval step into consideration when developing an internal deadline and review schedule. The signed form must be received by FEMP prior to approving a nomination for FEMP review.

What if FEMP's deadline passes and I forgot to review/approve my agency's nominations?

Prior to FEMP’s approval deadline, the system administrator will send you an e-mail notification reminding you to approve any completed nominations that are still outstanding in your account. FEMP cannot accept late nominations.