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When users first access the EPIC system, they are assigned a default role based on their employment type—Federal or Contractor. These roles determine the level of access and available actions within the system. The information below outlines the default roles, including how they are assigned, what permissions they grant, and who is responsible for approving them (if applicable). Understanding these roles ensures users can navigate EPIC effectively and in accordance with system policies. |
Default Roles
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Federal Staff
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Initial Role: Office Staff (Federal) Description: Permissions:
User Type: Federal |
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Contractor Staff
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Initial Role: Office Staff (Contractor) Description: Permissions:
User Type: Contractor |
Office Level Roles
This page provides an overview of the different user roles within the EPIC system, including default roles assigned at registration and roles associated with specific functions. It covers all role categories—Default and roles for Technology Offices, Servicing Offices, and Applicants. For each role, you’ll find details on how it is assigned, what actions it permits, who it applies to, and whether approval is required. This information helps ensure users understand their access and responsibilities within EPIC. |
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Office-Level Roles: Each user should request Office-Level role(s) that correspond to their job function. Use the Request New Roles feature of EPIC. Each office has an Office Administrator who is responsible for approving role requests.
• Most Technology Office staff will need the EERE Project Lead Role (federal staff) or Contract Support (contractors).
• FAO/NETL staff need their job title (e.g., Contracting Officers need the Contracting Officer role)
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EERE PROJECT LEAD
- Description: Most Federal staff in a Technology Office should request this role. Responsible for managing announcements and EERE projects from post-selection negotiation to closeout.
- Actions: Create announcements, serve as an Announcement Manager, serve as a Topic Area Lead. Does not grant edit rights to announcements. To obtain edit rights, see Announcement-Level Roles.
- User Type(s): Federal Staff
- Approver: Office Administrator
CONTRACT SUPPORT – ANNOUNCEMENT (OFFICE-LEVEL)
- Description: All contractors supporting a technology office should request this role.
- Actions: Can view (but not edit) all announcements in their technology office. Although this role does not grant edit rights, contractors need this role in order to be in the list of available users the Announcement Manager can assign to a specific announcement (see Contractor Support – Announcement in Announcement-Level Roles section).
- User Type(s): Contractor
- Approver: Office Administrator
ANNOUNCEMENT EDITOR (OFFICE LEVEL)
- Description: Technology Office Operations Supervisors or staff who will contribute to all announcements in their technology office should request this role. This role shares many of the same access rights to announcements as the Announcement Manager (see Announcement-Level Roles section below), but will not be able to take certain actions, such as initiate approval workflow or request green light.
- Actions: Edit all announcements for their technology office
- User Type(s): Contractor or Federal
- Approver: Office Administrator
OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR
- Description: Every EERE office must have at least one Office Administrator. Responsible for managing user accounts for their office.
- Actions: Approve, deny, or modify new role requests for staff in their office only. Unlock, disable, or edit existing
user accounts for staff in their office only. - User Type(s): Federal
- Approver: Functional Administrator (i.e., EPIC development team and help desk)
OFFICE DIRECTOR
- Description: All Technology Office Directors should request this role.
- Actions: Automatically assigned as the Selection Official for all announcements in their office. Can cancel, reinstate, or place announcements on hold. Can view (but not edit) all announcements for their technology office. In order to obtain edit rights for a specific announcement, the Announcement Manager must assign them to that announcement (see Announcement-Level Roles section below).
- User Type(s): Federal
- Approver: Office Administrator
TECHNOLOGY OFFICE COMMUNICATIONS LEAD
- Description: All Technology Office Comms Leads should request this role. Contractors with the Tech Office Comms Lead function also need the Contract Support – Announcement role (see above). Other EERE staff who manage funding questionnaires and press releases/progress alerts, respond to comments regarding communications materials, or manage items in the policy calendar can also request this role.
- Actions: Request green light for assigned NOFOs, NOIs, and RFIs. Can view (but not edit) all announcements in their technology office. In order to obtain edit rights for a specific announcement, the Announcement Manager must assign them to that announcement (see Announcement-Level Roles section below). Responsible for keeping the Communications page of assigned announcement up-to-date on a weekly basis.
- User Type(s): Contractor or Federal
- Approver: Office Administrator
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GRANTS MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST (GMS)/CONTRACTING SPECIALIST (CS) (OFFICE-LEVEL)
- Description: All GMS/CS in Golden and NETL should request this role. Responsible for the day-to-day administration of an announcement on behalf of the Contracting Officer. This official serves as the routine interface between applicants and the U.S. Government.
- Actions: View and edit all announcements (regardless of servicing office). Add STRIPES number to EPIC NOFOs, RFIs, and NOIs. Note: the GMS/CS will not receive notifications for a specific announcement unless they are also assigned as the GMS/CS at the announcement level (see Announcement-Level Roles section below).
- User Type(s): Federal
- Approver: Office Administrator
CONTRACTING OFFICER (CO) (OFFICE-LEVEL)
- Description: All Contracting Officers in Golden and NETL should request this role. Responsible for overseeing the lifecycle of announcements, applications, and Financial Assistance (FA) awards from inception to closeout to ensure that contracting procedures are followed appropriately.
- Actions: View and edit all announcements (regardless of servicing office). Indicate if business clearance review is required for an announcement. The CO role can also perform GMS/CS responsibilities (see above). Note: the CO will not receive notifications for a specific announcement unless they are also assigned as the CO at the announcement level (see Announcement-Level Roles section below).
- User Type(s): Federal
- Approver: Office Administrator
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE OFFICE DIRECTOR, DIVISION DIRECTOR (GFO), BRANCH CHIEF/TEAM LEAD (NETL)
- Description: Federal staff in the servicing office (Golden/NETL) responsible for managing workload assignments in EPIC for COs and GMS/CS. Additionally, this role is responsible for reviewing/concurring on NOFOs with funding of $25M or more and 301 congressional notifications.
- Actions: View and edit all announcements within your servicing office. This role can also perform all actions of the Contracting Officer and GMS/CS (see above) and assign GMS/CS and Contracting Officers to the Announcement Level role for assigned announcements in their servicing office.
- User Type(s): Federal
- Approver: Office Administrator
LEGAL COUNSEL (OFFICE-LEVEL)
- Description: Federal staff in the Office of Chief Counsel that are responsible for reviewing/concurring on FRDs and NOFOs. Additionally, if cost share waivers or determinations of restricted eligibility (DREs) are applicable to a NOFO, Legal Counsel will review and concur on those documents.
- Actions: Lock Authorizing Programmatic Statute. If applicable to the NOFO, can also indicate if a Blanket Cost Share Reduction/Waiver is applicable for each fiscal year and upload the document for Announcement Managers to use where applicable. View and edit all announcements (regardless of servicing office).
- User Type(s): Federal
- Approver: Office Administrator
IP COUNSEL
- Description: Federal staff in the Office of Chief Counsel that advise on Intellectual Property matters.
- Actions: Able to view (but not edit) all announcements.
- User Type(s): Federal
- Approver: Office Administrator
OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR
- Description: Every EERE office must have at least one Office Administrator. Responsible for managing user accounts for their office.
- Actions: Approve, deny, or modify new role requests for staff in their office only. Unlock, disable, or edit existing user accounts for staff in their office only.
- User Type(s): Federal
- Approver: Functional Administrator (i.e., EPIC development team and help desk)
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Industry, Academia, Non-Profit, Government Affiliation
The Industry, Academia, Non-Profit, Federal / State /Local Government affiliation is for individuals associated with a commercial or government organization that is not associated with DOE, such as the Dept. of Transportation, IBM, or George Mason University. To register with this account affiliation, the organization must be registered in SAM.gov. Associated roles for this affiliation are listed below.
Authorized Organization representative (AOR)
- Description: If you are an AOR, you will see the role automatically selected on the screen based on the organization’s POCs in SAM.gov. If you are not an AOR, you will not see that role listed. In addition to managing user accounts and role requests, an AOR can also view all in-process and submitted applications from their organization, as well as start, edit, and submit applications.
- Approver: This role is automatically approved upon the completion of registration.
Account Administrator (AA)
- Description: Select the AA role if your responsibilities include managing user account and role requests for your organization. The AA role cannot create new applications or view other applications from their organization.
- Approver: AOR or another AA
Business Point of Contact (POC)
- Description: Select the Business Point of Contact (POC) role to create new applications in response to open opportunities. Additionally, you can view, edit, and/or submit applications to which you are assigned, on behalf of your organization. Typically, the Business POC role is provided to the person responsible for the administrative aspects of an application.
- Approver: AOR or AA
Technical Point of Contact (POC)
- Description: Select the Technical POC role to create new applications in response to open opportunities. Additionally, you can view, edit, and/or submit applications to which you are assigned, on behalf of your organization. Typically, the Technical POC role is provided to the Principal Investigator associated with the proposed project.
- Approver: AOR or AA
DOE Federal Funded Research Centers (FFRDC) Affiliation
The DOE Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) affiliation is for users associated with one of the DOE National Labs such as Ames Laboratory, or Livermore National Laboratory. Users who are affiliated with the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and will be applying to opportunities should use this affiliation as well. An AOR designated by DOE, or an AA, is required to approve your account request. Associated roles for this affiliation are listed below.
Authorized Organization representative (AOR)
- Description: If you are an AOR, you will see that role automatically selected on the screen based on the list of FFRDC AORs established in the system. If you are not an AOR, you will not see that role listed. In addition to managing user accounts and role requests, an AOR can also view all in-process and submitted applications from their organization, as well as start, edit, and submit all application types.
- Approver: This role is automatically approved upon the completion of registration.
Account Administrator (AA)
- Description: Select the AA role if your responsibilities include managing user accounts and role requests for your organization. The AA role cannot create new applications or view other applications from their organization.
- Approver: AOR or AA
Business Point of Contact (POC)
- Description: Select the Business Point of Contact (POC) role to create new applications in response to open opportunities. Additionally, you can view, edit, and/or submit applications to which you are assigned, on behalf of your organization. Typically, the Business POC role is provided to the person responsible for the administrative aspects of an application.
- Approver: AOR or AA
Technical Point of Contact (POC)
- Description: Select the Technical POC role to create new applications in response to open opportunities. Additionally, you can view, edit, and/or submit applications to which you are assigned, on behalf of your organization. Typically, the Technical POC role is provided to the Principal Investigator associated with the proposed project.
- Approver: AOR or AA
Individual Affiliation
The Individual affiliation is for users representing their own organization, such as a self-employed individual applying to opportunities. An individual registrant does not have an AOR or AA approval step and accounts are automatically approved. Associated roles for this affiliation are listed below.
Independent Principal Investigator (PI)
- Description: Select the PI role if you are not associated with any organization to view open announcements and apply where Independent PIs are eligible. PIs can also be Technical and Business POC for their applications and projects.
- Approver: Automatically approved upon request submission