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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOverview InformationOVERVIEW INFORMATION issued By: U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS): Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 97.025 CFDA Title: National Urban Search & Rescue Response System Funding Opportunity Announcement Title: National Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) Response System Readiness Cooperative Agreement (CA) Authorizing Authority for Program: Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §§ 5144, and 44 CFR Part 208, National Urban Search and Rescue Response System ; Appropriation Authority for Program: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 12/23/11, — Public Law 112-74 , Division D: Homeland Security, Title III, Federal Emergency Management Agency FOA Number: DHS-12-DOD-025-000-01 Key Dates and Time: Application Start Date: 06/06/2012 Application Submission Date: 06/29/2012 at 11:59:59 PM EDT Funding Selection Date: N/A Award Date: 08/01/2012 Other Key Dates: N/A 1 Application Submission Extension: Is an extension to the application submission deadline permitted? ® Yes ❑ No Intergovernmental Review: Is an intergovernmental review required? ❑ Yes ® No This funding opportunity is not subject to Executive order (EO) 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs". 2 FOA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Program Type: Select the applicable program type: ❑ New i1 Continuing ❑ One-time Date of origin for Program: Fiscal year 1991 Opportunity Category: ❑ Discretionary/Competitive ® Mandatory/Non-competitive ❑ Both Application Process: DNS makes all funding opportunities available through the common electronic "storefront" grants.gov, accessible on the Internet at http://www.grants,gov. If you experience difficulties accessing information or have any questions please call the customer support hotline at (800) 518-4726. Application forms and instructions are available at Grants.gov. To access these materials, go to http://www.grants.gov , select "Apply for Grants," and then select "Download Application Package." Enter the CFDA and/or the funding opportunity number located on the cover of this announcement. Select "Download Application Package," and then follow the prompts to download the application package. To download the instructions, go to "Download Application Package" and select "Instructions.' Additional information pertaining to funding will be provided in an email to the designated Task Force Representatives in each of the 28 US&R Task Forces. The information provided will assist each Task Force when completing their application package. Eligible Applicants: This solicitation is open only to FEMA's 28 designated US&R Task Forces. 3 For additional information, see the Eligibility Criteria section of this FOA. Type of Funding Instrument: Select the applicable funding instrument ❑ Grant ® Cooperative Agreement ❑ Loan The US&R Readiness Cooperative Agreement with the designated 28 US&R Task Forces requires substantial involvement from FEMA throughout the period of performance. FEMA's direct involvement with this program includes, but is not limited to, training curriculum development as well as team structure and direction regarding concepts of operation when deployed. Cost Share or Match: ❑ Cost Match ❑ Cost Share 1 None Required Maintenance of Effort: Is there a Maintenance of Effort (MOE) requirement? ❑ Yes No Management and Administration: The US&R Readiness Cooperative Agreement allows administration costs to be paid out of the CA as direct costs. Task Forces that have an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement in place at this time must account for this expense in their application and provide proof of a current negotiated indirect cost rate from their cognizant agency. 4 FULL ANN Funding Opportunity Description Program Overview and Priorities: OUNCEIVIENT The U. S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) maintain a high level of accountability and provide support and funding to maintain the readiness of the National Urban Search & Rescue Response System. The purpose of this funding opportunity is to establish yearly Cooperative Agreements with the 28 State and local emergency management Sponsoring Agencies currently designated by FEMA as members of the National Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Response System. The Cooperative Agreement funding will assist the US&R Response System resources to be prepared for mission response and provide qualified personnel in support of Emergency Support Function-9 (ESF-9) activities under the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the National Response Framework (NRF). Specifically, these Cooperative Agreements will provide a mechanism for distribution of Cooperative Agreement funding to prepare the 28 designated Task Forces for US&R disaster response, including response to incidents involving weapons of mass destruction (WMD) that would require a limited hazmat capability for the core structural collapse mission, National Special Security Events (NSSE) or other designated disasters or emergencies. US&R Task Force Sponsoring Agencies are directed to use the funding to meet the following objectives: provide task force administration and management, training, equipment cache procurement, and maintenance and storage. Program Objectives: Details of Program Objectives and Priorities are provided in Appendix A: Statement of Work. National Preparedness Goal (NPG): This program supports Mission Area: Response, Mass Search and Rescue Operations, with the target of conducting search and rescue operations in order to locate and rescue persons in distress, based on the requirements of the state and local authorities. For additional details on the NPG, please refer to http://www.fema.gov/pdf/prepareclinpg.pdf. II. Funding Information 5 Award Amounts, Important Dates, and Extensions: Available Funding for the FOA: Projected Award Start Date(s): Projected Award End Date(s): Period of Performance: $ 36,448,524 08101/2012 1/31/2014 18 See Appendix C: Cooperative Agreement Funding - Recommended Allocations for funding amounts by Task Force. Number of anticipated awards: 28. Period of Performance: Is an extension to the period of performance permitted? ® Yes ❑ No Extensions to the period of performance will be considered upon receipt of the following information, at the time of request: 1. Requested Period of Performance 2. Brief status of ongoing activity under the cooperative agreement 3. Outline of remaining funds available and necessary to finish activity during extension 4. Explanation of why activity could not be completed within the established period of performance, including actions taken to resolve any problems, how these circumstances were/are beyond the Task Force's control, and justification of the new period of performance date requested I[I. Eligibility Information Eligibility Criteria: 28 Task Forces within the US&R System IV. Funding Restrictions Restrictions on Use of Award Funds: 6 DHS grant funds may only be used for the purpose set forth in the grant, and must be consistent with the statutory authority for the award. Grant funds may not be used for matching funds for other Federal grants/cooperative agreements, lobbying, or intervention in Federal regulatory or adjudicatory proceedings. In addition, Federal funds may not be used to sue the Federal government or any other government entity. Pre -award costs are allowable only with the written consent of DHS and if they are included in the award agreement. Federal employees are prohibited from serving in any capacity (paid or unpaid) on any proposal submitted under this program. Federal employees may not receive funds under this award. This Cooperative Agreement may not be used for funding new capital construction. However, costs associated with leasing, upgrading, minor renovations and modifications of existing warehouse facilities that do not change the footprint of the structure are permitted. Refer to Appendix A, Statement of Work, for further guidance. V. Application Review and Selection Information Application Review information: Applications will be reviewed and recommended for funding by DHS/FEMA based on the program criteria identified in this announcement. The applications will be reviewed to ensure the items listed have costs that are reasonable, allowable, and allocable to the program. Any questions will be submitted to the applicants for discussion. This is not a competitive program. Use of provided Budget Narrative Template (Appendix B) will assist Task Forces in providing appropriate level of information when applying for this Cooperative Agreement solicitation. Once complete applications are received, members of the FEMA US&R Branch staff (Program Office) will review each application to ensure all items included are within scope (see Appendix A) and have sufficient detail to ensure basis of the costs that are provided (e.g., when providing travel cost estimates, include information on how this total figure was derived or if certain cost estimates are based on historical data) Once applications have been reviewed by the Program Office, they will then be reviewed by FEMA Grant Programs Directorate (GPD) and routed through the process for approval and award. Application Selection Process: The applications will be reviewed by the US&R Program Office and the Grant Programs 7 Directorate, and the awards will be made by the Grant Programs Directorate Assistance Officers. Funds will not be made available for obligation, expenditure, or drawdown until the applicant's budget and budget narrative have been approved by FEMA. The applicant must provide a detailed budget for the funds requested. The detailed budget must be submitted as an attachment to the grant application package in the ND Grants System. The budget must be complete, reasonable, and cost-effective in relation to the proposed project. The budget should provide the basis of computation of all project -related costs, any appropriate narrative, and a detailed justification of Management and Administrative (M&A) costs. VI. Post -Selection and Pre -Award Guidelines Notice of Award: Upon approval of an application, the award will be made in the form of a cooperative agreement. The date of approval of award entered into the system is the "award date". Notification of award approval is made through the ND Grants system through an automatic email to the Task Force point of contact listed in the initial application. Once an award has been approved and recorded in the system, a notice is sent to the authorized grant official. Follow the directions in the notification to accept your award documents. The authorized grant official (Task Force rep) should carefully read the award package for instructions on administering the grant and to learn more about the terms and conditions associated with responsibilities under Federal awards. Awarded funds will, be loaded into the Payment and Reporting System (PARS) and available for drawdown by the Task Force, unless otherwise instructed. Administrative and Federal Financial Requirements: AU successful applicants for all DHS grant and cooperative agreements are required to comply with DHS Standard Administrative Terms and Conditions available on page 6 (beginning on page 1 in Part 6.1.1) of http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/cfo-financial- management-policy-manual.pdf. Grantees are obligated to submit various financial and programmatic reports as a condition of their award acceptance. Please see below for a summary of financial and/or programmatic reports as required. Future awards and fund drawdowns may be withheld if these reports are delinquent, 1. The Quarterly Federal Financial Report (FFR) — SF-425, due within 30 days after the end of each quarter: January 30th, April 301h, July 30th, October 30th 8 2. The Final Federal Financial Report (FFR), SF-425, due within 90 days after the Period of Performance expires. 3. Final PaymentiUnexpended Funds: due within 90 days after the Period of Performance expires. Programmatic Reporting Requirements: 1. Task Force Self -Evaluation: on or about June 1st, or as directed by the US&R Branch (Task Forces shall return the forms 45 days after receipt from the US&R Branch) 2. Personnel and Equipment Database CD: due June 1st to US&R Branch only. 3. The Semi -Annual Performance Report: due by January 30 and July 30 each year during the Period of Performance. 4. Final Performance Report: due to DHS/FEMA within 90 days after the Period of Performance expires. 5. Equipment Inventory and Inventory of Unused or Residual Supplies due within 90 days after the Period of Performance expires. Additional information regarding these requirements are provided in Appendix A. Monitoring: Grant recipients will be monitored periodically by FEMA staff, both programmatically and financially, to ensure that the project goals, objectives, performance requirements, timelines, milestone completion, budgets, and other related program criteria are being met. Programmatic monitoring may also include the Regional Federal Preparedness Coordinators, when appropriate, to ensure consistency of project investments with Regional and National goals and policies, as well as to help synchronize similar investments ongoing at the Federal, State, and local levels. Monitoring will be accomplished through a combination of office -based desk reviews and on -site monitoring visits. Monitoring will involve the review and analysis of the financial, programmatic, performance and administrative issues relative to each program and will identify areas where technical assistance and other support may be needed. The recipient is responsible for monitoring award activities, to include sub -awards, to provide reasonable assurance that the Federal award is administered in compliance with requirements. Responsibilities include the accounting of receipts and expenditures, cash management, maintaining adequate financial records, and refunding expenditures 9 disallowed by audits. VII. DHS FEMA Contact Information Contact and Resource information: This section describes several resources that may help applicants in completing a FEMA grant application. 1. Grants.gov. For assistance with grants.gov, please call the grants.gov customer support hotline at (800) 518-4726, 2. ND Grants. For assistance registering with the ND Grants system, please contact FEMA's Enterprise Service Desk at (888) 457-3362. 3. FEMA, Response Directorate, Operations Division, US&R Branch will provide fiscal and programmatic support, including pre- and post -award administration and technical assistance to the cooperative agreement included in this solicitation: Catherine Deel, Project Manager 500 C Street, SW, Room 214 Washington, D.C., 20472 202-646-3796 Catherine.Deel(c�fema.dhs.gov or FEMA-USR-Grants(@,fema.dhs.gov Rayna Bal: (202) 646-7933 Email: Rayna.Bal(a�dhs.gov Doretha Herald: (202) 646-4332 Email: Doretha.Herald(Rdhs.gov 4. Grant Programs Directorate (GPD). FEMA GPD's Grant Operations Division Business Office will provide fiscal support, including pre- and post -award administration and technical assistance, to the cooperative agreement included in this solicitation. Tawana Mack: (202) 786-9863 Email: Tawana.MackRfema.dhs.gov 10 Additional guidance and information can be obtained by contacting the FEMA Call Center at (866) 927-5646 or via e-mail to ASK-GMD(a,dhs.gov_ 5. Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk (CSID). CSID is a non -emergency comprehensive management and information resource developed by DHS for grants stakeholders. CSID provides general information on all FEMA grant programs and maintains a comprehensive database containing key personnel contact information at the Federal, State, and local levels. CSID can be reached by phone at (800) 368-6498 or by e-mail at ASKCSID@dhs.gov, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM — 5:30 p.m. (EST). VIII. Other Critical Information Additional Information: National Incident Management System Implementation Compliance In accordance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-5, Management of Domestic Incidents, the adoption of NIMS is a requirement to receive Federal preparedness assistance, through grants, contracts, and other activities. Federal FY 2011 NIMS implementation must be considered prior to allocation of any Federal preparedness awards in FY 2012. The list of objectives against which progress and achievement are assessed and reported can be found at http://www. fema. gov/emergency/nims/ImplementationG uidanceStakeholders. shtm#item 2. IX. I -tow to Apply All US&R Readiness Cooperative Agreement applicants are to use the template provided in Appendix B (FEMA Form 089-10) to submit a budget narrative that is within the scope of this cooperative agreement (as outlined in Appendix A). 11 X. Application and Submission Information Applicants will obtain FOA Overviews and Full Announcement information from the Grants.gov website where the full FOA is posted. For a hardcopy of the full announcement, please email your request to FEMA-USR- Grantst fema.dhs.gov. In addition, the following Telephone Device for the Deaf (TDD) and/or Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) number available for this Announcement is: Catherine Deel, Project Manager 500 C Street, SW, Room 214 Washington, D.C., 20472 202-646-3796 Catherine.Deel(c�fema.dhs.gov or FEMA-USR-Grants(a�fema.dhs.gov Applications will be processed through the Grants.gov portal and the ND Grants System. Hard copies of the application will not be accepted. 12