Center Dynamics SBA NEXUS
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Entrepreneurial Development (OED)
SBA Nexus is SBA OED's new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and reporting solution. SBA expects to launch Nexus in FY2024.SBA Nexus (formerly known as EDMIS) allows SBA OED Program offices and Agency field offices to track counseling, training and technical services. SBA funded Resource Partners including Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), SCORE, and Women’s Business Centers (WBC) typically utilize their own CRM systems (such as Center IC) and upload their client and event data to Nexus via XML on a quarterly basis. SBA is contemplating offering an API in FY2025 and Center Dynamics has been expediting this option.
Center Dynamics is proud to be participating in bi-weekly SBA Nexus Subject Matter Expert (SME) planning meetings since May 2023. Target implementation of the new system and its revised data collection forms, sf641 for counseling and sf888 for training events, is October 1st 2023. The first data export/upload by Resource Partners into Nexus would be January 2024.
Changes to Nexus from EDMIS include new demographic fields based on the SBA Equity Action Plan and other system optimizations. Nexus will track resource partner goals including Unique Clients Served and Advised, Businesses Starts, Capital Infusions, and impact for Underserved Communities. Center IC is poised to track these critical metrics as well as other important state & local economic development analytics.
While Nexus allows for direct data entry, there is strong logic for Resource Partners to use separate systems such as the Center Dynamics Center IC, these include:
- protecting the personal and confidential information of clients
- direct use of Nexus requires entering PII into the federal database;
- tracking other state and local grant activity not part of the Nexus scope;
- custom organizational branding, data collection, and data specification; and
- improved management processes, workflow, and analytics.
- Significant experience supporting SBA Programmatic Reporting/Audits
- Online SBA Form 641 for new clients with all required fields
- Flexible and dynamic locations and contacts
- Online Event publishing & registration
- Client location geocoding with county, congressional district, census tract, etc.
- Visual Analytics and Boards
- Robust Center level permissions (we we're built for Nexus)
- Vanity domain name options including yourorganization.org
- Integrated tasks, resource library, bulk email, automated survey engine, scheduled reports, IC Inbox
- Share Boards and Surveys between peer Resource Partners
- They can be exported and imported across Center IC systems
- Secure and User friendly system -- staff get up to speed quickly in a secure and authenticated environment
- Monthly community user group meeting with regular Nexus updates
Center Dynamics track-record in supporting SBA Nexus/EDMIS includes:
- fewer issues and fewer errors compared to other systems (90% fewer in one ASBDC study);
- a design concept that makes the SBA Nexus requirements transparent to staff using the system, i.e. we collect the required Nexus data but staff don't need to learn or understand Nexus system nuances;
- direct and personal customer service to support the data uploads and report reconciliation;
- a through understanding of the resulting SBA grant audit processes and requirements related to counseling and training, and
- tracking other federal/state/local grants along with SBA grants in the same system.