foa postal model for medical countermeasures delivery and distribution final posted 2-26.doc

U.S. Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response

FY 2011

Funding Opportunity Announcement and Cooperative Agreement Application Instructions Postal Model for Medical Countermeasures Delivery and Distribution

Table of Contents

3I.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

8II.

AWARD INFORMATION

10III.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

101.

Eligible Applicants

102.

Cost Sharing or Matching

103.

Screening and Responsiveness Criteria

11IV.

APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

111.

Address to Request Application Package

132.

Content and Form of Application Submission

203.

Submission Dates and Times

204.

Intergovernmental Review

215.

Funding Restrictions

216.

Other Submissions Requirements

21V.

APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

211.

Criteria

222.

Funding Preferences

233.

Review and Selection Process

234.

Anticipated Announcement Award Date

23VI.

AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

231.

Award Notices

242.

Administrative and National Policy Requirements

243.

Reporting

25VII.

AGENCY CONTACTS

26VIII.

OTHER INFORMATION

261.

Application Elements

262.

The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (P.L. 104-13)

27ATTACHMENTS

28Attachment A: Instructions for Completing Required Forms

38Attachment B: Budget Narrative/Justification – Page 1 – Sample Format

41Attachment C: Budget Narrative/Justification –– Sample Template

42Attachment D: Project Work Plan, Page 1 – Sample Template

45Attachment E: Instructions for Completing the Project Summary/Abstract

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Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR)

ASPR Center: Office of Preparedness and Emergency Operations Funding Opportunity Title: Postal Model for Medical Countermeasures Delivery and Distribution

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: EP-PMC-11-001 Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 93.016 Key Dates: The deadline date for submission of applications is 9:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on March 18, 2011.

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

General Objectives/Purpose of the Program

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is intended to help metropolitan areas augment their capabilities to respond to a large-scale bioterrorism attack. The primary focus is on developing and testing collaborative arrangements whereby the United States Postal Service (USPS) and local law enforcement agencies, under the direction of the local or State public health authority, would deliver self-administrable medical countermeasures (specifically, antibiotic drugs) to every residence in the at-risk area – potentially the entire community – with the goal of preventing disease and death and thus avoiding a public health catastrophe.

The objective is to initiate direct residential delivery of antibiotics as soon as possible after detection of the attack and to complete delivery within 12 hours. This envisioned quick strike could do much to meet the immediate wide-area need for life-saving drugs. In so doing, it also could help to reduce the likelihood of panic and civil disorder while local authorities put into operation their plans for dealing with post-attack needs for disease prevention and emergency health care services during the ensuing weeks or months.

The primary bioterrorism threat consideration underlying this FOA is the agent that causes anthrax, Bacillus anthracis. That is because of its ready availability, the ease with which it can be weaponized and dispersed, the high mortality rate of untreated anthrax (>90%), and the ability of common antibiotics to prevent anthrax in at-risk individuals if administered before the appearance of symptoms and sustained for up to 60 days.

The planning framework for creating direct residential delivery capability in metropolitan areas is the National Postal Model for the Delivery of Medical Countermeasures. Applicants should download the National Postal Model under the “Full Announcement” link in Grants.gov. This announcement lays out a two-phase process whereby applicants can seek financial and technical assistance to develop and test venue-specific Postal Plans based on the National Postal Model.

Phase I involves completion of three milestones that are also deliverables for the program: A) Development of a preliminary venue-specific Strategic Security Plan, B) Comprehensive development of a functionally broader venue-specific Postal Plan, C) The conduct of a table-top exercise (TTX) of that Postal Plan culminating in revision of it to incorporate lessons learned.

Please note that the Strategic Security Plan does not represent a comprehensive Postal Plan; it is the first step towards such a plan. In accord with the adoption process cited in the aforementioned National Postal Model, the work necessary to prepare an application should provide the applicant the greater part of the content for a valid Strategic Security Plan. The second milestone represents not only the completion of tactical level planning, and signed confirmation of its acceptance by all the collaborating parties, but also the completion of the preparatory steps necessary to create a screened and equipped Postal volunteer corps and Postal Plan command capability. The third milestone ensures that the comprehensive Postal Plan is put through its paces during a TTX; the After Action Report for that TTX, inclusive of a corrective action plan, and the subsequent submittal of a modified venue-specific Postal Plan based on those lessons learned, will signify completion of the third milestone.

If applicants have already completed deliverable A (venue-specific Strategic Security Plan), they must submit that plan as part of their application, and their budget must reflect funding requests for the remaining Phase I deliverables that have not yet been completed.

Phase II involves the preparations for and conduct of an in-field operational exercise (referred to as a Full Scale Exercise or FSX) of the revised venue-specific Postal Plan throughout a substantial portion of the pertinent metropolitan area (e.g., an area corresponding to 5 Postal Zip Codes) culminating in a comprehensive FSX After Action Report and further refinement of that Postal Plan based on lessons learned.

To fulfill in part the responsiveness criteria for applications for Phase II funding as described below, applicants either must have met the three objectives for Phase I prior to the receipt date of the application under this FOA or must have received and completed successfully a Phase I award under this FOA.

Applicants for Phase I funding are encouraged to respond to this FOA by providing information on each of the following topics:

· Existing municipal plan for emergency mass distribution of medical countermeasures through Points of Dispensing and/or other means

· Objectives for the venue-specific Postal Plan

· The lead agency for the venue-specific Postal Plan

· Local Law Enforcement participation in the venue-specific Postal Plan

· Local Emergency Management participation in the venue-specific Postal Plan

· Other participants in the venue-specific Postal Plan

· If deliverable A has been completed, submission of a venue-specific Strategic Security Plan Detailed instruction regarding what should be included in the application regarding each of these topics is presented below under “Project Narrative for Phase I Applications”.

Applicants for Phase II funding are encouraged to respond to this FOA by providing information on each of the following topics:

· Venue-specific Postal Plan

· Geographic scope of the FSX

· Lead local agency for the coordination of the FSX

· Primary Local Law Enforcement Agency for the FSX (coordination across participating Law Enforcement agencies)

· Other agencies participating in the FSX

· Command and Control of the FSX

· Envisioned injects for the FSX- i.e., deliberate introduction into the exercise of simulated events designed to complicate or otherwise interfere with the execution of the Postal Plan, thereby potentially increasing the rigor and informational value of the exercise

· Performance data to be collected during the FSX

· Public information program associated with the FSX

· Relationship of the FSX to other emergency preparedness exercises involving agencies of the municipality

Detailed instruction regarding what should be included in the application regarding each of these topics is presented below under “Project Narrative for Phase II” Applications.

Background/History

President Obama issued Executive Order (EO) 13527 on December 30, 2009, directing the establishment of a Federal capability for the timely provision of medical countermeasures (MCM) following a biological attack. Among other instructions, this EO directed the establishment of a national U.S. Postal Service (USPS) model (hereafter referred to as the Postal Model) for residential delivery of MCM following a biological attack. This Postal Model is one potential option that States or Municipalities (cities or counties) could consider as a method for rapid MCM distribution to supplement traditional Points of Dispensing and other means.

The capacity of USPS to deliver self-administrable MCM within one day to every residence in an at-risk geographic area, as defined by the Incident Commander, is a unique response asset. The USPS, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and interested local and State partners, has been working toward a national model since 2004 under the auspices of the Cities Readiness Initiative, or CRI.

The CRI is a HHS effort to accelerate the response capacity of those population centers that are considered to be at highest risk for a terrorist attack using a biological weapon (for which MCM are authorized and appropriate). The CRI program uses the scenario of an outdoor aerosolized release of anthrax as the baseline for planning related to bio-attacks requiring the deployment of post exposure prophylaxis. The goal of these efforts is to provide preventive antibiotics to 100 percent of the potentially exposed population within 48 hours of the decision to deploy. In such an event, HHS, through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of the Strategic National Stockpile (DSNS), will promptly provide MCM to help protect the entire affected community. CRI was initially rolled-out as a grant program to 21 cities in early FY2005. These cities were chosen based on population, threat feasibility and status as a BioWatch jurisdiction. CDC funding for the pilot group was expanded in FY2006 to include their greater Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), and 15 other MSA were also added. In FY2007, 36 more MSA were added for a total of 72.

The EO called for a national model to be developed to guide local planning for venue-specific Postal Plans, in cooperation with Federal Departments and Agencies. The national model now is available for venue-specific application. The model is replicable in any United States metropolitan area whose jurisdictions are willing to engage in the local pre-event preparations necessary to establish such a capability. The objective of each venue-specific Postal Plan should be to augment and supplement existing or evolving public health MCM distribution systems, not replace them; therefore it cannot be activated without integration into existing State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) plans. Postal Plan capabilities must be established by each jurisdiction through collaborative planning and deployment processes. For participating States or Municipalities, venue-specific Postal Plans created in such an environment ensure coordination of USPS assets with Federal and SLTT emergency response mechanisms.

The national Postal Model provides the framework for cooperative responsibilities among the contributing Federal organizations and the participating SLTT agencies in both the creation of standing capabilities and in delivering MCM to victims of such a catastrophic incident. A venue-specific Postal Plan will assist in the delivery of antibiotics from the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), as well as accompanying informational material to be provided from State and/or local public health sources, to the general population affected by a life-threatening act of biological terrorism.

With the formalization of the HHS/USPS Joint Program Enterprise (JPE) for implementation of the national Postal Model in early 2010, the opportunity now exists to provide cooperative agreements to interested States or Municipalities for the establishment of operational Postal Plans. The program’s primary objective is to develop operational capability in these cities which can be exercised and maintained. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between HHS and USPS sets forth the understanding between the two agencies regarding planned areas of cooperation to develop this capability. HHS and USPS have entered into specific interagency agreements (IA) as needed to carry out activities anticipated under this MOU supporting the joint program enterprise.

These cooperative agreements would allow for the development of a framework to define the individual and shared responsibilities of the interested municipality, HHS/ASPR, and the USPS.

These cooperative agreements would complement the cooperative agreements granted, respectively, by CDC for public health emergency preparedness and by DHS through Urban Area Security Initiative grants for law enforcement security.

Technical Assistance Call

On Wednesday, February 16, 2011 from 1:00 pm-2:30 pm, Eastern Time, the Department of Health and Human Services/Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response/Office of Preparedness and Emergency Operations (OPEO) and United States Postal Service, with support by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will host a Technical Assistance (TA) conference call for applications to OPEO's "The Postal Model for Medical Countermeasures Delivery and Distribution" Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). During the TA conference call, staff from the above named groups will highlight information found in the FOA and respond to callers’ request for clarification. All entities considering submitting applications in response to this FOA are welcome to attend this TA call. Callers should consider the inclusion of key personnel who may have a vested interest in obtaining information. They would include but not be limited to health department, law enforcement and emergency management officials. Those who cannot attend are encouraged to view the transcript of the TA call available by email request.

Call-in Details for the TA conference call

Registration is not required.

Call In Number: 888-322-1487

Participant Passcode: 106510

Transcript

By February 21, 2011, a transcript of the TA call, including OPEO's answers to questions posed on the call, will be available by email request to Delaine.Black@hhs.gov.

Website Information

More information about the program including Frequently Asked Questions can be found at the following website: http://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/planning/postal/Pages/default.aspx The following url is a direct link to the Frequently Asked Questions: http://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/planning/postal/faq/Documents/postal-model-faqs.pdf Statutory Authority

The statutory authority for grants under this Funding Opportunity Announcement is contained in Section 1703 (a), 42 U.S.C. § 300u-2. Grants and contracts for community health programs.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

· New applications sought

· Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement

· Project Period Length: 1 year

· Budget Period Length: 1 year

· Anticipated start date = June 1, 2011

· Phase I:

· Aggregate amount of Federal funds expected to be available for Phase I: $250,000

· Anticipated number of awards: 5

· Average Amount Per Award: $50,000 one-time cooperative agreement

· Award Floor Amount: $1

· Award Ceiling Amount: $50,000

· Phase II:

· Aggregate amount of Federal funds expected to be available for Phase II: $200,000 (subject to increase should additional funds become available during the funding period)

· Anticipated number of awards: 1 (additional awards available if funding allows)

· Average Amount Per Award: $200,000 one-time cooperative agreement

· Award Floor Amount: $1

· Award Ceiling Amount: $200,000 Cooperative Agreement The administrative and funding mechanism used for this program will be the cooperative agreement for which substantial ASPR programmatic involvement with awardees is anticipated during the performance period. This award is subject to the awardee(s) and collaborative requirements and responsibilities set forth in the Cooperative Agreement outlined in the program announcement under this funding opportunity and are hereby incorporated by reference as terms and conditions of this award.

1. ASPR responsibilities – The office of the ASPR will be responsible for coordination of JPE activities including, but not limited to coordinating HHS and USPS policies and planning to support venue-specific Postal Plan operational capability and mass prophylaxis activities; conducting outreach to and engagement of State and local authorities; tailoring the National model for and with interested municipalities; training HHS and USPS personnel to serve as program representatives on the collaborative working groups which will be established for planning and other preparatory activities in each of the participating cities; planning and conducting meetings and workshops. As stated in the Model, ASPR is also responsible for developing, coordinating and executing health safety programs for USPS volunteers and their families including the procurement, packaging, and dispensing of Home Antibiotic Kits (HAK) and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); development, execution and maintenance of screening programs and electronic medical records for the HAKs and PPE; and fit testing for the PPE. Additionally, in partnership with the municipalities, ASPR will assist in the development, planning, facilitation and evaluation of table-top and (if funding is available), full-scale exercises.

2. Awardee responsibilities -- The Awardee will be responsible for coordinating the network of State, local, Tribal, and Territorial collaborators necessary for Postal Plan participation, typically city and/or State public health, local volunteer medical entities such as the Medical Reserve Corps, law enforcement, and emergency management. For Phase 1, the awardee will be responsible for creation and management of the formal multidisciplinary working group who will participate in the development and submission of a strategic security plan. They will also be responsible for tactical planning and submission of a venue-specific Postal Plan to carry out the capability in the particular locality and completion of a table-top exercise, signified by the completion of a relevant After Action Report to include a corrective action plan, and submittal of a modified venue-specific Postal Plan based on the lessons learned in the table-top. For Phase 2, the awardee will be responsible for the design, development, execution, and after action evaluation of a FSX.

3. Arbitration Process -- Once a cooperative agreement is in place, requests to modify or amend it or the work plan may be made by ASPR or the awardee at any time. Modifications and/or amendments of the Cooperative Agreement or work plan shall be effective upon the mutual agreement of both parties, except where ASPR is authorized under the Terms and Conditions of award, 45 CFR Part 74 or 92, or other applicable regulation or statute to make unilateral amendments.

Additional Award Information ASPR recognizes that, so long as the threat of bioterrorism exists, preparedness efforts will need to continue and, where particular aspects of readiness are achieved, they will need to be maintained. ASPR also recognizes that the duration of the threat - and therefore the duration of the need to achieve and maintain readiness - almost certainly will extend beyond the term of the agreements resulting from this solicitation. Therefore, with respect to venue-specific Postal Plans, ASPR will consider offering future competitive opportunities whereby municipalities can seek funds to refine and maintain their Plans. Any such future funding opportunities will be subject to lessons learned from the initial experiences in developing and exercising the Plans and the availability of Federal appropriations for this purpose.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants

Domestic public or private non-profit entities including state and local governments, Indian tribal governments and organizations (American Indian/Alaskan Native/Native American), faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, hospitals, and institutions of higher education.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

Matching or cost sharing is not required.

3. Screening and Responsiveness Criteria

Application Screening Criteria

All applications will be screened. Applications that fail to meet the three screening criteria described below will not be reviewed and will receive no further consideration.

In order for an application to be reviewed, it must meet the following screening requirements:

1. Applications must be submitted electronically via http://www.grants.gov by 9 p.m., Eastern Time, March 18, 2011

2. The Project Narrative section of the Application must be double-spaced, on 8 ½” x 11” plain white paper with 1” margins on both sides, and a font size of not less than 11.

3. The Project Narrative must not exceed 20 pages. NOTE: The Project Work Plan, Letters of Commitment, and Vitae of Key Project Personnel are not counted as part of the Project Narrative for purposes of the 20-page limit.

Application Responsiveness Criteria

Phase I:

Applications that do not meet the following responsiveness criteria will be administratively eliminated and will not be reviewed:

The successful applicant has:

· Provided a copy of the existing municipal plan for emergency mass distribution of medical countermeasures through Points of Dispensing or other means

· Described objectives for its envisioned venue-specific Postal Plan

· Identified its key personnel for the project and provided resumes on their relevant training and experience

· Identified the primary municipal law enforcement agency and any other law enforcement partners responsible for developing a Strategic Security Plan in support of the venue-specific Postal Plan OR provided a Strategic Security Plan (deliverable A) if it has been completed.

Phase II:

Applications that do not meet the following responsiveness criteria will be administratively eliminated and will not be reviewed:

The successful applicant has:

· Submitted and received approval for their:

· Strategic Security Plan

· Venue-specific Postal Plan

· TTX After Action Report, to include a corrective action plan

· Venue-specific Postal Plan modified based on the TTX AAR

· Specified the geographic scope of the FSX

· Identified the Lead Local Agency for the coordination of the FSX

· Identified the Primary Local Law Enforcement Agency for the FSX

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

4. Address to Request Application Package

Application materials can be obtained from http://www.grants.gov .

Contact person regarding this Funding Opportunity Announcement:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response

DeLaine E. Black Office of Preparedness and Emergency Operations

Washington, D.C. 20201

Or by calling: 202-401-5829 Or e-mailing: Delaine.Black@hhs.gov Please note, ASPR is requiring applications for all announcements to be submitted electronically through http://www.grants.gov. The Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov) registration process can take several days. If your organization is not currently registered with http://www.grants.gov, please begin this process immediately. For assistance with http://www.grants.gov, please contact them at support@grants.gov or 1-800-518-4726. The contact desk is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is closed on Federal holidays. At http://www.grants.gov, you will be able to download a copy of the application packet, complete it off-line, and then upload and submit the application via the Grants.gov website (http://www.grants.gov).

Applications submitted via http://www.grants.gov:

· You may access the electronic application for this program on http://www.grants.gov. You must search the downloadable application page by the Funding Opportunity Number EP-PMC-11-001 or CFDA number (93.016).

· At the http://www.grants.gov website, you will find information about submitting an application electronically through the site, including the hours of operation. ASPR strongly recommends that you do not wait until the application due date to begin the application process through http://www.grants.gov because of the time delay.

· All applicants must have a Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and register in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). You should allow a minimum of five days to complete the CCR registration (also see Central Contractor Registration (CCR) and Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Requirements below).

· You must submit all documents electronically, including all information included on the SF424 and all necessary assurances and certifications.

· Prior to application submission, Microsoft Vista and Office 2007 users should review the http://www.grants.gov compatibility information and submission instructions provided at http://www.grants.gov (click on “Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 Compatibility Information”).

· Your application must comply with any page limitation requirements described in this Funding Opportunity Announcement.

· After you electronically submit your application, you will receive an automatic acknowledgement from http://www.grants.govthat contains http://www.grants.gov tracking number. The Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response will retrieve your application form from http://www.grants.gov.

· After the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response retrieves your application form from http://www.grants.gov, a return receipt will be emailed to the applicant contact. This will be in addition to the validation number provided by http://www.grants.gov.

· Each year organizations registered to apply for Federal grants through http://www.grants.gov will need to renew their registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). You can register with the CCR online and it will take about 30 minutes (http://www.ccr.gov).

Central Contractor Registration (CCR) and Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Requirements:

Except for those entities exempt from requirements listed at 2 CFR Part 25 (e.g., individuals), effective October 1, 2010, HHS requires all entities that plan to apply for and ultimately receive Federal grant funds from any HHS Operating/Staff Division (OPDIV) or receive subawards directly from recipients of those grant funds to:

· Be registered in the CCR prior to submitting an application of plan;

· Maintain an active CCR registration with current information at all times during which it has an active award or an application or plan under consideration by an OPDIV; and

· Provide its DUNS number in each application or plan it submits to the OPDIV.

An award cannot be made until an applicant has complied with these requirements. At the time an award is ready to be made, if the intended recipient has not complied with these requirements, the OPDIV:

· May determine that the applicant is no qualified to receive an award; and

· May use that determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant.

Additionally, all first-tier subaward recipients (i.e., direct subrecipient) must have a DUNS number at the time the subaward is made.

CCR registration may be made online at http://www.ccr.gov or by phone at 1-877-252-2700.

Due to the possibility of heavy traffic at the CCR website, applicants are strongly encouraged to register at the CCR well in advance of the application due date.

5. Content and Form of Application Submission

a. Letter of Intent Applicants are requested to submit a letter of intent to apply for this funding opportunity to assist ASPR in planning for the application independent review process. The deadline for submission of the letter of intent is February 25, 2011. Letters of intent should be to the attention of:

DeLaine E. Black

Office of Preparedness and Emergency Operations

Email: Delaine.Black@hhs.gov

Fax: 202-260-5520

b. Project Narrative

The Project Narrative must be double-spaced, on 8 ½” x 11” paper with 1” margins on both sides, and a font size of not less than 11. You can use smaller font sizes to fill in the Standard Forms and Sample Formats. The suggested length for the Project Narrative is ten to twenty pages; twenty pages is the maximum length allowed. ASPR will not accept applications with a Project Narrative that exceeds 20 pages. The Project Work Plan, Letters of Commitment, and Vitae of Key Personnel are not counted as part of the Project Narrative for purposes of the 20-page limit, but all of the other sections noted below are included in the limit.

The Project Narrative is the most important part of the application, since it will be used as the primary basis to determine whether or not your project meets the minimum requirements for the program. The Project Narrative should provide a clear and concise description of your project. ASPR recommends that your project narrative should include the following components:

PHASE I:

The components of the Project Narrative counted as part of the 20 page limit include:

· Existing municipal plan for emergency mass distribution of medical countermeasures through Points of Dispensing and/or other means

· Objectives for the venue-specific Postal Plan

· Lead Agency

· Local Law Enforcement Participation OR a completed venue-specific Strategic Security Plan

· Local Emergency Management Participation

· Other Participants These topics are described serially in more detail below.

Existing municipal plan for emergency mass distribution of medical countermeasures through Points of Dispensing and/or other means

Describe the existing plan for using Points of Dispensing (POD) and/or other mechanisms to provide self-administrable medical countermeasures to the entire at-risk population in response to a bioterrorism event.

Has the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention evaluated the municipal plan? Has the lead agency submitting the proposal performed, or had another third party perform, an evaluation of the municipal plan? If yes, please include a copy of any evaluation(s) as an addendum to the proposal.

Objectives for the Venue-Specific Postal Plan

What is the rationale for seeking to augment the existing distribution plan with a venue-specific Postal Plan based on the National Postal Model that pertinent Federal Government Departments developed in response to Executive Order 13527?

What is the geographic scope of the envisioned venue-specific Postal Plan, expressed in terms of USPS 5-digit ZIP Codes? Applicants that identify a large ZIP Code set (for example, larger than a 20 ZIP Code footprint) may require pacing or phasing of deployments. Applicants that identify a small ZIP Code footprint will need to justify the rationale for seeking a cooperative agreement to augment the existing distribution plan.

What considerations led the responsible municipal officials to choose this particular geographic scope (e.g., population density, capacity of local law enforcement assets, limits of transportation infrastructure)? Note that this scope need not be limited to contiguous areas.

Lead Public Health Agency

Identify the public health agency that will lead and coordinate its municipal and State partners in working with HHS and USPS to develop the venue-specific Postal Plan. Note that the lead agency may be either a municipal public health agency or the State public health agency.

Identify and provide contact information and resumes for those individuals who will represent the lead agency in the aforementioned collaborative effort to develop the venue-specific Postal Plan.

If the municipal public health agency is the lead agency, identify and provide contact information and resumes for those individuals who will represent the public health agency serving the State. If the State public health agency is the lead agency, identify and provide contact information and resumes for those individuals who will represent the city and/or county public health agency(s) serving the municipality.

Local Law Enforcement Participation OR a completed venue-specific Strategic Security Plan Identify the primary municipal law enforcement agency – i.e., the agency that will lead the development of the strategic security program for postal carriers that must be part of a venue-specific Postal Plan.

Identify and provide contact information and resumes for those senior individuals who will represent the primary municipal law enforcement agency.

In addition, identify all of the other law enforcement agencies that will participate in developing the security program – e.g., agencies that serve nearby cities or counties and/or the State law enforcement agency

For each of these other law enforcement agencies, identify and provide contact information for those individuals who will represent them.

For the primary municipal law enforcement agency, provide a statement of assurance that agency officials (a) understand and will comply with the security requirements stipulated in the National Postal Model developed in response to Executive Order 13527, and (b) will work with pertinent municipal and State counterparts to develop a Strategic Security Plan (SSP) consistent with the capacity of municipal and State law enforcement assets.

Note that as stated in the Model, the United States Postal Inspection Service will review and advise on municipal Strategic Security Plans and during follow-on tactical planning during the award period.

If applicants have completed the venue-specific Strategic Security Plan, then they should note this in the narrative and submit the Plan with their application.

Local Emergency Management Participation

Identify the municipal emergency management agency, if unique from law enforcement, designated to coordinate Postal Plan integration into greater response command / control and operational structures within the desired coverage area.

Identify and provide contact information and resumes for those individuals who will represent the municipal emergency management agency.

Other Participants

Identify all of the other entities that will participate in development of the venue-specific Postal Plan. This may include, but is not limited to:

· Other municipal public health agencies (e.g., nearby counties or cities)

· State Emergency Management Agency

· State National Guard

For each of the other participating entities, identify and provide contact information for those who will represent them in developing the venue-specific Postal Plan.

PHASE II:

The components of the Project Narrative counted as part of the 20 page limit include:

· Geographic Scope of the FSX

· Lead Local Agency for the coordination of the FSX

· Primary Local Law Enforcement Agency for the FSX

· Other Agencies Participating in the FSX

· Command and Control for the FSX

· Envisioned Injects for the FSX

· Performance Data to be Collected during the FSX

· Public Information about the FSX

· Relationship of the FSX to Other Emergency Preparedness Activities

These topics are described serially in more detail below.

Geographic Scope of the FSX

Describe the geographic scope of the proposed exercise, expressed in terms of the particular Zip Codes to be covered. If only contiguous Zip Codes are involved, explain why. If one or more non-contiguous Zip Codes are involved, explain why.

Lead Local Agency for the coordination of the FSX

Identify the lead agency for the exercise. Note that, as part of its responsibilities defined elsewhere in this FOA, ASPR will be responsible for facilitating the exercise.

Provide contact information and resumes for two individuals (primary and backup) who will represent the agency in collaborative discussions with ASPR, USPS, and other partners to develop the final schema for the exercise. Identify other key personnel and their respective roles.

Primary Local Law Enforcement Agency for the FSX

Identify the primary municipal law enforcement agency participating in the exercise and providing coordination in the affected law enforcement community. Provide contact information and resumes for two individuals (primary and backup) who will represent the agency in collaborative discussions with ASPR, USPS, and other partners to develop the final schema for the exercise. Identify other key personnel and their respective roles.

Other Agencies Participating in the FSX

Identify any other agencies that are to participate in the exercise. For each agency, identify its key personnel, their respective roles, and contact information.

Command and Control of the FSX

Describe the composition and responsibilities of the Command Center for the FSX – i.e., the team that is to guide and coordinate the activities comprising the exercise, collect and analyze performance data, and perform an immediate after-action assessment (“hot wash”). This team should be led and staffed jointly by USPS and the primary local law enforcement agency and include representatives of other participating agencies as appropriate.

Also, identify other command/control entities that are participating in the exercise (at least nominally); and describe how the Postal Plan Command Center will coordinate its activities with them during the FSX. Examples of such other entities are public health emergency operations center, municipal joint information center, municipal emergency operations center, and State emergency operations center. Demonstrated ability to coordinate with other response elements is critical because, if the community is to be well served in an actual event, the Postal Plan must operate seamlessly within the Incident Command System established to direct and oversee the local response.

Envisioned Injects for the FSX

Identify injects that the applicant proposes to develop and introduce into exercise. For each inject, provide a description and explain how it is expected to add value to the exercise. Pertinent background information follows.

The effectiveness of even a well-developed procedure can be compromised by outside events that might occur during its execution. Injects are simulated situations that are intended to anticipate potential (perhaps likely) outside events that could require a mid-course adjustment during execution of the procedure. By deliberately complicating or otherwise interfering with execution of the procedure during an exercise, injects can increase the rigor and informational value of the test by shedding light on the resilience of procedure and/or the adaptability of those executing it.

In preparing for the FSX of the venue-specific Postal Plan, planners should decide upon possible injects in advance; and control staff within the Postal Plan Command Center should introduce some or all of them at their discretion as the exercise proceeds. The letter carrier/law officer teams should have no specific prior knowledge as to what injects might be involved or whether or when the controllers will introduce them.

Some examples of possible injects for an FSX of a venue-specific Postal Plan:

· recall/extraction of a letter carrier/ law officer pair from a simulated situation that threatens their safety – e.g., violent civil disorder along their designated route

· simulated illness/injury of a letter carrier or law officer during residential delivery, thereby necessitating transport of the ill/injured individual to an appropriate location for care and replacement of the affected individual as soon possible so that delivery along the designated route can resume and be completed

· simulated breakdown of a Postal vehicle involved in residential delivery, thereby necessitating replacement of that vehicle as soon as possible so that delivery of medical countermeasures along the designated route can resume and be completed

Performance Data to be collected during the FSX

Describe the types of performance data that are to be collected during the course of the FSX – e.g., time from initiation to completion of residential delivery for each designated route. For each type of data, explain how it is expected to contribute to assessing the efficacy of the venue-specific Postal Plan and improving it.

Public Information about the FSX

Describe how the lead agency and its collaborators plan to apprise the public regarding the FSX – before, during, and after. Because the exercise necessarily will be conducted throughout particular neighborhoods within the municipality and thus be highly visible, citizens need to be aware that the exercise is only a test and not a response to an actual terrorist event. Also, an important part of preparedness is helping community members understand specifically what the Postal Plan is, what significance it has for them, and how it relates to other preparedness efforts for the municipality.

Relationship of the FSX to Other Emergency Preparedness Activities

Describe how the FSX relates to other emergency preparedness activities in the municipality. For example, the Postal Plan FSX could be incorporated within an ongoing national exercise program such as those overseen by the Department of Homeland Security (e.g., Urban Area Security Initiative) or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HHS (e.g., Public Health Emergency Preparedness). Or, other local or State agencies (e.g., Emergency Management) could arrange to test some of their particular response procedures as an adjunct to the Postal Plan FSX. These two approaches are not mutually exclusive. Both offer opportunity to achieve economies of simultaneity and scale as well as to enlarge the scope of potential lessons learned.

c. Work Plan

The Project Work Plan should reflect and be consistent with the Project Narrative and Budget. It should include a statement of the project’s overall goal, anticipated outcome(s), key objectives, and the major tasks / action steps that will be pursued to achieve the goal and outcome(s). For each major task / action step, the work plan should identify timeframes involved (including start- and end-dates), and the lead person responsible for completing the task. Please use the Sample Work Plan format included in Attachment D.

d. Letters of Commitment from Key Participating Organizations and Agencies

Include confirmation of the commitments to the project made by key collaborating organizations and agencies in this part of the application. Any organization that is specifically named to have a significant role in carrying out the project should be considered an essential collaborator. For applications submitted electronically via http://www.grants.gov, signed letters of commitment should be scanned and included as attachments. Applicants unable to scan the signed letters of commitment may email them to asprgrants@hhs.gov or fax them to the ASPR Office of Grants Management at 202-245-0789 by the application submission deadline, March 18, 2011 In your fax, be sure to include the funding opportunity number and your agency name.

e. Budget Narrative/Justification

The Budget Narrative/Justification should be provided using the format included as Attachment C of this Funding Opportunity Announcement. Applicants are encouraged to pay particular attention to Attachment B which provides an example of the level of detail sought. Phase I applicants seeking additional phase II funding will be required to submit a separate budget Narrative/Justification at the time of their subsequent request for funding.

6. Submission Dates and Times

Applications must be submitted electronically by 9 p.m. Eastern Time, March 18, 2011. Applications that fail to meet the application due date will not be reviewed and will receive no further consideration.

Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov) will automatically send applicants a tracking number and date of receipt verification electronically once the application has been successfully received and validated in http://www.grants.gov. After the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response retrieves your application form from http://www.grants.gov, a return receipt will be emailed to the applicant contact. This will be in addition to the validation number provided by http://www.grants.gov.

7. Intergovernmental Review

This funding opportunity announcement is not subject to the requirements of Executive Order 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.”

8. Funding Restrictions

The following activities are not fundable:

Construction and/or major rehabilitation of buildings

Basic research (e.g. scientific or medical experiments)

Continuation of existing projects without expansion or new and innovative

Approaches

9. Other Submissions Requirements

Letters of intent should be emailed or faxed to:

DeLaine E. Black

Email: Delaine.Black@hhs.gov

Fax: 202-260-5520

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

10. Criteria

Phase I applications are scored by assigning a maximum of 100 points across six criteria:

f. Specificity and apparent feasibility (as indicated by the results of reviews performed by CDC and/or another entity) of existing municipal plan for emergency mass distribution of medical countermeasures through Points of Dispensing and/or other means, including the feasibility of the associated security plan - (20 points);

g. Reasonableness of the objectives for the venue-specific Postal Plan, in particular, the likelihood that sufficient public health, law enforcement, and other emergency management resources will be available to support USPS in direct residential delivery of medical countermeasures throughout the applicant's target geographic area (as expressed in terms of Zip Codes) - (20 points);

h. Extent to which lead public health agency personnel have expertise, experience, and authority relevant to developing the venue-specific Postal Plan – (10 points);

i. Extent to which primary municipal law enforcement officials and their law enforcement partners demonstrate a clear understanding of what is required of law enforcement to develop a realistic Strategic Security Plan in support of the venue-specific Postal Plan. If a Strategic Security Plan has already been completed, the extent to which that Strategic Security Plan supports the scope and objectives for the greater venue-specific Postal Plan. - (20 points);

j. Extent to which other participating agencies (beyond the lead agency and the law enforcement agencies) add value to the venue-specific Postal Plan by virtue of their assigned roles and responsibilities - (20 points); and

k. Capacity for continuity of the capability, i.e., acknowledged recognition of the ongoing commitment needed to ensure continuity for this capability into the foreseeable future - (10 points) Phase II applications are scored by assigning a maximum of 100 points across six criteria:

l. Extent to which the selected geographic scope allows for an accurate examination of the potential success of the venue-specific Postal Plan across different population densities, socioeconomic conditions, and security resourcing – (20 points);

m. Extent to which local lead agency personnel have expertise, experience, and authority relevant to coordinating multi-agency planning and execution of a FSX – (10 points);

n. Specificity, inclusivity and apparent feasibility of the command and control structure envisioned for the FSX, with a clear explanation of the essential functions of and crucial linkages between all command centers to be activated for the FSX – (20 points);

o. Extent to which the performance data types selected allow comprehensive analysis of any venue-specific Postal Plan shortcomings, so that improvements to the venue-specific Postal Plan can be made efficiently and cost-effectively – (20 points);

p. Specificity, inclusivity and apparent feasibility of the public information strategy for educating the populace on the planning and execution of the FSX – (20 points);

q. Extent to which conduct of the FSX serves to augment or reinforce concurrent emergency preparedness activities in the municipality – (10 points);

11. Funding Preferences

If two or more applicants receive identical scores, applicants representing municipalities that are participants in the Cities Readiness Initiative will receive preference over those that are not.

If two or more applicants representing municipalities that are participants in the Cities Readiness Initiative receive identical scores, the applicants will be ranked in order of decreasing municipal population size.

12. Review and Selection Process

ASPR envisions awarding up to 5 cooperative agreements of up to $50K each for Phase I and at least 1 additional $200K award for Phase II. The actual number of awards will depend upon the number of responsive proposals and the availability of funds.

An independent review panel of at least three individuals will evaluate applications that pass the screening and meet the responsiveness criteria. These reviewers are experts in their field, and are drawn from academic institutions, non-profit organizations, state and local government, and Federal government agencies. Based on the Application Review Criteria as outlined under section V.1, the reviewers will comment on and score the applications, focusing their comments and scoring decisions on the identified criteria.

Final award decisions will be made by the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). In making these decisions, the ASPR will take into consideration: recommendations of the review panel; reviews for programmatic and grants management compliance; the reasonableness of the estimated cost to the government considering the available funding and anticipated results; and the likelihood that the proposed project will result in the benefits expected.

Applicants have the option of omitting from the application specific salary…