The Department of Health & Human Services unveiled a toolkit website for challenge that provides HHS employees with experience, guidance documents, best practices, templates and other tools, along with a “winner’s circle” that celebrates successful challenge and solutions providers, agency CTO Todd Park announced.
The site provides background on government challenges – where the government offers awards and prizes for citizens submitting solutions to fill various government needs – along with resources for those wishing to conduct or learn about challenges and competitions.
Resources
We’ve gathered a number of resources that may be useful for those wishing to conduct or learn about challenges and competitions. The resources provided below may be useful for those wishing to conduct or learn about challenges or competitions.
Relevant Authorities
Relevant OMB and GSA Guidances and Frequently Asked Questions
- OMB Guidance on the Use of Challenges and Prizes to Promote Open Government (PDF) – Guidance issued by OMB on implementing prizes and challenges
- PRA Guidance (PDF) – GSA’s guidance regarding the relation between PRA and challenge.gov
- PII Guidance (PDF) – GSA’s guidance regarding the relation between privacy issues, personally-identifiable information (PII) and challenge.gov
- Security Guidance (PDF) – GSA’s guidance regarding the security of challenge.gov to host challenges
- Children’s Privacy Guidance (PDF) – GSA’s guidance regarding the protection of young user’s participating in challenges on challenge.gov
- Cookie Guidance (PDF) – GSA’s guidance regarding the use of persistent cookies safely to enhance user’s experience on challenge.gov
HHS Guidance and Documents
- HHS Delegation of Authority (PDF) – Document delegating authority vested in the HHS Secretary under the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 to the heads of operating and staff divisions and chairs of the HHS Innovation Council to administer and fund prize competitions
- HHS Competition Judging Guidelines [COMING SOON] – Guidelines for the selection and appointment of judges for challenges and competitions
- Guidance for Federal Register Notices – Guidance for the mandatory Federal Register notice announcing requirements and registration for challenges and competitions at HHS
- Liability and Insurance Requirements – Q&A on liability and insurance requirements in the America COMPETES Act.
- Managing Intellectual Property Rights – Q&A on managing intellectua property rights in challenges and competitions at HHS
- Template for Annual Challenge and Competition Reporting Requirements at HHS – Contains the reporting information that will be required annually of challenge managers about their competitions
- Approval of Prizes of $500,000 or Greater – Challenges and competitions offering prizes that are $500,000 or greater require Secretarial approval. The procedure to obtain this approval in HHS is addressed in this document.
Payment Forms
In circumstances where challenge winners have not had a previous financial relationship with the government, agencies should consult with their financial manager to determine the preferred route of payment of cash prizes. One method to consider is PSC-59 (PDF).
Challenge Platforms
Agencies can choose platforms that best meet their needs for specific challenges. Please note that all HHS challenges, even if run by an outside vendor, must be advertised on challenge.gov/hhs.
- Challenge.gov is a no-cost government platform administered by GSA.
- Additional free tools with negotiated federally-compatible Terms of Service that can be used for online challenges are available on apps.gov.
- In addition, there are a number of providers that offer fee-based challenge platforms, specialized solver communities , and the technical assistance to plan, design, implement, and evaluate challenges.
Networks for Federal Employees
- Federal Challenge Listserv – For federal employees, this group discusses challenge and competition activities occurring at federal agencies and within our stakeholder communities. For more information, contact karen.trebon@gsa.gov.
- HHS Prize and Challenge Portal – HHS employees are also eligible to join the HHS Prize and Challenge Portal, which contains useful resources such as a wiki, discussion boards, and other resources for HHS employees engaged in running challenges and competitions. For more information, contact Michael Yea at HHS.
Additional Resources
- Challenge.gov – Access all previous and current challenges from across the federal government
- GSA’s Innovation Challenges & Contests page – Provides important resources for those wishing to host challenges and competitions in collaboration with federal agencies
- ONC’s Investing in Innovations (“i2”) – Website created in conjunction with Health 2.0
- “And the Winner is…” (PDF) – Report by McKinsey & Company that explores how incentive prizes are a unique and powerful tool and discusses 6 prize archetypes
- Promoting Innovation through Challenges – On April 30, 2010, the White House and the Case Foundation hosted an event on promoting innovation.
- President Obama’s updated Strategy for Innovation – 2011
