fy 2012-biowatch-foarequestjan2012.pdf

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)

OVERVIEW INFORMATION

Issued By

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/ The Office of Health Affairs (OHA)/ Health Threats Resilience Division/Detection Branch

Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number 97.091

CFDA Title Homeland Security BioWatch Program

Funding Opportunity Announcement Title BioWatch Program: Field Operations & Sample Collection Activities

Authorizing Authority for Program

P.L. 107-296; Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 188(b)(1)(C), which reads distribute funds through grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts.

Appropriation Authority for Program FY12 appropriations citation is P.L. 112-74, Consolidated Appropriations Act:

http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.2055.enr:#

H. R. 2055—174

OFFICE OF HEALTH AFFAIRS

For necessary expenses of the Office of Health Affairs, $167,449,000; of which $29,671,000 is for salaries and expenses and $90,164,000 is for BioWatch operations: Provided, That $47,614,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2013, for biosurveillance, BioWatch Generation 3, chemical defense, medical and health planning and coordination, and workforce health protection:

Provided further, That not to exceed $2,500 shall be for official reception and representation expenses: Provided further, That the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Health Affairs shall submit an expenditure plan for fiscal year 2012 to the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act.

FOA Number DHS-XX-XXX-XXX-XXX-XX (Provided by GPD)

Key Dates and Time Application Open Date: 01/03/2012

Application Deadline Date: Rolling Application Deadlines

Award Date: Rolling Application Award Dates Other Key Dates

Other Key Dates:

http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.2055.enr:�

• Applicants with a continuation application end date of 6/30/2012 are required to submit a continuation application by 04/30/2012.

• Applicants with a continuation application end date of 7/30/2012 are required to submit a continuation application by 05/30/2012.

• Applicants with a continuation application end date of 8/30/2012 are required to submit a continuation application by 06/30/2012.

Application Submission Extension Is an extension to the application submission deadline permitted? Yes No

If yes, briefly describe how applicants could apply for an extension and how such request should be submitted.

Intergovernmental Review Is an intergovernmental review required? Yes No

If yes, applicants must contact their State’s Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to find out about and comply with the State’s process under Executive Order 12372. Name and addresses of the SPOCs are maintained at the Office of Management and Budget’s home page at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc to ensure currency.

FOA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Program Type

Select the applicable program type: New Continuing One-time

Date of origin for Program: 01/21/2003 (if available)

This section indicates whether this announcement is the initial (i.e., New) announcement of a funding opportunity or a continuation (i.e., Continuing) of an existing funding announcement. If the funding opportunity is a result of a one-time supplemental funding issued by Congress, then select “One-time.”

Opportunity Category Select the applicable opportunity category: Discretionary/Competitive Mandatory/Non-competitive Both

Select “Discretionary/Competitive” if funding will be determined fully based on a competitive and effectiveness review of submitted applications. Select “Mandatory/Non-competitive” if funding is fully pre-determined as a result of a legislatively mandated formula (i.e., population-based, minimum) or as a result of risk analysis. Select “Both” if funding is determined using a combination of competitive analysis and pre-determined formula/risk-based analysis. Only provide a brief explanation if “Both” is selected.

Application Process

1. To submit an application, please visit applicant resources on the Grants.gov website at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/resources.jsp .

2. The Funding opportunity number at Grants.gov has two groups of forms – mandatory and optional.

3. Failure to complete all of the required elements of a mandatory form means you will not be able to submit your application package.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc� http://www.grants.gov/applicants/resources.jsp�

4. Please submit the following items as part of your application (the Grants.gov forms provide places to electronically attach these documents).

a. Project Narrative for the BioWatch project, including a narrative of planned activities and milestones. DHS does not anticipate significant changes in Recipients’ current BioWatch programs or operations. Your continuation application should address current operations.

b. Budget Narrative : -- Use the following cost categories to group items of cost in your budget justification.

• PERSONNEL

• FRINGE BENEFITS

• TRAVEL

• EQUIPMENT

• SUPPLIES

• CONTRACTUAL

• OTHER DIRECT COSTS

• INDIRECT COSTS

c. Please include a copy of your most recent Indirect Cost Rate Agreement used in formulating your budget.

d. Please include sub awards proposed in formulating your budget.

e. Inventory Report/Equipment List: The inventory report shall include a description of the property; manufacturer model number, serial number or other identification number; the source of property; name on title; acquisition date; and cost of the unit; the address of use (no site specific information); operational condition of the property; and, disposition data, if applicable. Please submit this form using the optional “Attachments” form.

Eligible Applicants The following entities are eligible to apply directly to OHA under this solicitation:

City or township governments County governments For-profit organizations other than small businesses Independent school districts Individuals Native American tribal government (federally recognized) Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments)

Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS status, other than institution of higher education Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS status, other than institution of higher education Others (see text field entitled “additional information on eligibility” for clarification) Private institutions of higher education Public & State controlled institutions of higher education Public Housing Authorities/Indian housing authorities Small businesses Special district governments State governments

Type of Funding Instrument

Select the applicable funding instrument: Grant Cooperative Agreement Loan

Cooperative Agreement - Federal role will qualify as substantial involvement in that the Program Office actively tracks the progress and status of awardees, reviews/approves all program materials.

The recipient will be required to maintain close and regular interaction with the Program Office, including:

A. DHS will provide technical assistance in reference to the Standard Operating Procedures (Field

Operations SOP), including the technologies being evaluated in the program, Recipient’s security procedures, network design and collector siting.

B. DHS Program Officer will provide technical guidance, assistance, and direction in the form of email and teleconferences (to include regularly scheduled teleconferences), as the Program Officer deems necessary.

C. DHS will review and provide a final determination for changes requested in collector network design and siting.

D. DHS will provide national guidance for notification protocols and post-BioWatch Actionable Result (BAR) activities.

E. DHS will notify the Recipient when special event monitoring and/or increased sampling is required for periods of elevated security threat.

F. DHS will review and approve publications developed under this project prior to their submission for publication.

G. DHS will provide the Recipient the opportunity to comment on any proposed changes to the

Field Operations SOP. If these documents are revised, the Recipient will be notified by the DHS Grants Officer 60 days prior to the effective date of the implementation.

H. DHS will review and provide approval or comments on any feedback from the applicant regarding findings of the annual BioWatch Exercise and Evaluation Program.

I. National Incident Management System (NIMS). Each state is coordinating the implementation of NIMS and can provide assistance and guidance to local jurisdictions. The applicant should contact the State Administrative Agency responsible for homeland security for information about how NIMS is being implemented in your state. Further information on compliance and guidance is attached to this announcement.

Cost Share or Match

Select the applicable requirement: Cost Match Cost Share None Required

Maintenance of Effort None Required

Management and Administration None Required

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT

• Funding Opportunity Description

Program Overview and Priorities The BioWatch Program is a cornerstone of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) comprehensive strategy for countering biological terrorism. The BioWatch Program is an early warning system that is designed to detect the intentional release of select aerosolized biological agents. The BioWatch Program’s mission is to provide and maintain a continuous bio-terrorism air monitoring system in large metropolitan areas and coordinate with state and local public health communities to prepare for and respond to a bioterrorist event.

Linkage to the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) The objectives of this program are: to provide a comprehensive strategy for countering biological terrorism. The BioWatch Program is an early warning system that is designed to detect the intentional release of select aerosolized biological agents. The BioWatch Program’s mission is to deploy, sustain, and maintain a national 24x7x365 operational ability to detect, respond to, mitigate, and recover from a bioterrorist event. The DHS Office of Health Affairs (OHA) administers the BioWatch program and is currently engaged in advanced development, test, evaluation and operations to improve sampling technologies, collection procedures, sample analysis, and develop and implement a next generation BioWatch system.

These goals are aligned with the DHS Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) Mission 1:

Preventing Terrorism and Enhancing Security and Mission 5: Ensuring Resilience to Disasters.

The BioWatch Program currently operates nationwide, focusing on major population centers. At the heart of the system is a team of field, laboratory, and response personnel from federal, state, and local organizations. DHS collaborates with all of the team members to identify program requirements and to develop resources to meet the operational needs. Federal leadership and support, both technical and financial, ensures the continued operation of the BioWatch Program, which supports the following Goals and Objectives:

Goal 1.1: Prevent Terrorist Attacks Objective 1.1.1: Understand the threat Objective 1.1.2: Deter and Disrupt Operations Goal 5.1: Mitigate Hazards Goal 5.2: Enhance Preparedness Objective 5.2.2: Strengthen capabilities Goal 5.4: Rapidly Recover Objective 5.4.1: Enhance recovery capabilities

• Funding Information

Award Amounts, Important Dates, and Extensions Available Funding for the FOA: $30,908,249

Projected Award Start Date(s): Rolling Start Dates(See Other Key Dates)

Projected Award End Date(s): Rolling End Dates (See Other Key Dates)

Period of Performance: 12 Months Period of Performance

Is an extension to the period of performance permitted? Yes No

If extensions to the period of performance will be considered, indicate what steps grantees must follow and what information must be included in the justification for such request to be considered.

Additional Funding Information If applicable, indicate if there is a funding ceiling and/or floor cap levels (to include dollar amount). For competitive programs, provide a brief statistical overview of how many applicants apply for funding, to include requested amount, and how many are selected for funding. For mandatory/non-competitive programs, provide a description of formula or statutory funding minimums that are used to determine how funds are allocated.

DHS will invite current BioWatch cooperative agreement recipients to apply for continuation funding under this FOA. In addition, as part of ongoing improvements in the BioWatch Program, DHS will evaluate requests by current cooperative agreement recipients for some direct support of laboratories that analyze samples collected under the Program.

• Eligibility Information

Eligibility Criteria

A. Eligible Applicants: Current recipients of BioWatch cooperative agreements. Applicants must be invited by DHS to apply.

B. Cost Sharing: Cost sharing is not required.

• Funding Restrictions

Restrictions on Use of Award Funds Identify any information alerting applicants of programmatic funding restrictions or other limitations necessary for applicants to develop an application and budget consistent with program requirements. This includes any allowable and unallowable activities associated with the program.

1. DHS cooperative agreement funds may only be used for the purpose set forth in the cooperative agreement, and must be consistent with the statutory authority for the award.

Cooperative agreement funds and non-monetary support may not be used for matching contributions for other federal grants or cooperative agreements, lobbying, or intervention in federal regulatory or adjudicatory proceedings. 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. In addition, federal funds may not be used to sue the Federal Government or any other government entity.

2. Equipment. Prior to the purchase of equipment in the amount of $5,000 or more per unit cost, the Recipient must obtain the written approval from DHS.

3. Profit/Fee is not allowable except when subcontracting for routine goods and services with commercial organizations.

4. Travel: Foreign travel is not included in this award.

5. Construction costs are not allowable under this funding opportunity. Construction costs include expansion, new construction, or activities that change the “footprint” (relocation of existing exterior walls, roofs or floors, footings, etc.). Costs to modify a monitoring site platform to allow the installation of BioWatch collectors are not considered construction costs so long as those modifications do not change the footprint of the existing platform.

6. Pre award costs are allowable only with the written consent of DHS and included in the award agreement.

7. Costs incurred as a result of non-DHS directed sample collection and analysis must not be charged to the Cooperative Agreement.

8. Laboratory costs related to direct salaries, direct fringe benefits, indirect costs, and

BioWatch Program-related travel within the local project area (to include travel within the state) and approved training for laboratory staff working on BioWatch sample analysis and reporting are the only allowable costs attributable to laboratory operations under this funding opportunity announcement, regardless of any sub award arrangements made by a recipient of a primary award. Other laboratory-related costs will be provided through Federal non-monetary assistance.

9. BioWatch laboratory research, including publications, will not be funded under this funding opportunity announcement.

• Application Review and Selection Information

Application Review Information Indicate the criteria used to evaluate submitted applications. Provide the appropriate level of information to grant applicants visibility into the evaluation process. This will allow applicants to make an informed decision when preparing their applications while ensuring the program office remains transparent.

A. NOT APPLICABLE: CONTINUATION APPLICATIONS

• Post-Selection and Pre-Award Guidelines

Notice of Award In addition to program-specific administrative, financial, and reporting requirements outlined below, successful applicants for all DHS grant and cooperative agreements are required to comply with DHS Standard Terms and Conditions available at: [placeholder for active link].

DHS issues formal award notification documents following fulfillment of DHS congressional notifications. Address what successful applicants can expect to receive from the program office following selection. Additionally, indicate if there are any pass-through obligations that successful applicants are required to meet upon receiving grant funds, to include specific timeline requirements.

Application Selection Process Discuss any program policy or other factors or elements, other than merit criteria, that the selecting official may use in selecting applications for award. This can include statutory/regulatory preference, technical merit, and/or geographical consideration. Also include who is responsible for evaluation against the merit criteria (e.g., DHS component, peer-level subject matter experts) and/or who makes the final selection for award.

1. NOT APPLICABLE: CONTINUATION APPLICATIONS

Administrative and Financial Requirements Identify administrative and financial reporting requirements successful applicants must comply with once they have received funds. This will allow potential applicants to identify any requirements they will have difficulty in meeting if selected for an award.

Administrative and Financial Reports A. Quarterly Federal Financial Reports. Recipients shall submit a Federal Financial Report

(SF 425) to the DHS Grants Officer no later than 30 days after the end of the reporting Period end date. Reports are due January 30, April 30, July 30, and October 30. The reports may be emailed to DHS-GrantReports@dhs.gov; include the grant program name and number in the subject line.

B. Final Federal Financial Report. The Recipient shall submit the final Federal Financial

Report (SF 425) to the DHS Grants Officer no later than 90 days after the Project Period end date. The FFR shall be emailed to DHS-GrantReports@dhs.gov and include the grant program name and number in the subject line.

C. Quarterly Federal Financial Reports (Cash Transaction). The Recipient shall submit the FFR

(SF 425) Federal Cash Transaction Report to the Department of Health and Human Services, Payment Management System, Smartlink. Quarterly Cash Transaction reports shall be submitted no later than 1/30, 4/30, 7/30 and 10/30.

Programmatic Reporting Requirements Identify any programmatic reporting requirements successful applicants must comply with during the award’s period of performance. This includes required data elements, types of reports, frequency of reports, and location of where such reports can be accessed (i.e., website address).

Programmatic Reporting A. Quarterly Performance Reports. The Recipient is required to submit performance reports to the

DHS Grants Officer. Electronic submissions should be sent to DHS-GrantReports@dhs.gov.

1. Performance reports are due within 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter. Reports are due January 30, April 30, July 30, and October 30.

2. Performance reports must provide information on the overall progress by quarter. These reports shall include:

a. a discussion of problems encountered and proposed resolution; this information can include, but is not limited to: maintenance, coordination, security, and/or natural disasters;

b. a comparison of actual accomplishments to the approved project objectives;

c. the number of collectors that are operational, the number of collectors that are deployed, and the number of spare collectors;

mailto:DHS-GrantReports@dhs.gov�

d. the performance and utility of newly introduced DHS approved technologies e.g., new sample management system (software or hardware technology), or a new filter-based collector, or a new real-time biological agent analyzer;

e. documentation of Quarterly Leak Check, Flowrate Verification, and Timer checks for each collector as outlined in the DHS SOP;

f. where available, information on DHS-approved special events or surge monitoring conducted during the quarter; information to be included, but not limited to: location, number of collectors used, dates of collections, and sampling and analysis frequency;

g. expectations for how field and laboratory operations will proceed for the next quarter;

h. if the Recipient participated in BioWatch exercises or exercises related to BioWatch during the quarter, a description of lessons learned, as well as the outcome of the exercise; and,

i. report the availability of the collectors during the quarter, where availability is defined as the total time (hours) that each collector was operating properly within BioWatch specifications as specified in the Field Operations SOP divided by the total time (hours) that each collector was deployed.

B. Final Performance Report. The Recipient shall submit the Final Performance Report to the DHS

Grants Officer within 90 days after the expiration date of the Performance Period. This final report shall include the same information as the quarterly performance reports. Electronic submissions should be sent to DHS-GrantReports@dhs.gov.

mailto:DHS-GrantReports@dhs.gov�

• DHS OHA Contact Information

Contact and Resource Information Provide a list of point(s) of contact available to applicants to answer questions or assist with technical problems while the funding opportunity is open. If possible, provide specific individual names with the best phone number available to reach that person. In addition to providing a brief description of various resources available to prospective and successful applicants, also include the following when providing contact information:

• Hours of operation, to include specific time zone

• Telephone and fax number(s)

• E-mail and website address

• Physical mailing address, if applicable

The OHA Program Officer shall be the DHS staff member responsible for monitoring the completion of work and technical performance of the projects or activities:

LCDR Dawn Thomas Cooperative Agreements Manager Detection Branch Office of Health Affairs Department of Homeland Security O 703-647-2749 Email: dawn.e.thomas@dhs.gov

• Other Critical Information

Additional Information

This section includes additional information that will assist potential applicants in:

• Obtaining information about procedures and protocols to ensure the safekeeping of information (i.e., marking applications as Sensitive Security Information)

• Locating subsequent amendments to the FOA to include website links

• How to Apply

Application Instructions Upon the review of the full solicitation, this section includes information that will assist potential applicants in applying for grant funds if they wish to proceed with the application process. Please include types of application(s) applicants have to complete (i.e., budget detail worksheet, investment justification, operations order) as well as any specific formatting requirements applicants must adhere to. If formal templates are available for applicants to utilize, please indicate where such templates may be accessed and OMB Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) number.

1. SF424 Application for Federal Assistance (SF424-V2.0) – please complete this form in its entirety.

a. If you fill this form out first, other required forms will populate with basic data such as name, address, etc. Signature and date will auto-fill when you submit the application package through Grants.gov.

b. Block 1, Type of Submission – please check “Application”

c. Block 2, Type of Application – please check “Continuation”

d. Block 17, Proposed Project – please provide the start and end dates for your BioWatch project.

e. Block 18, Total Estimated Project Funding – this amount should correspond to your budget justification and the Budget form’s total for the requested budget period.

f. Block 19 (E.O. 12372 review question): Please contact your State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to determine whether you are required to submit this noncompeting continuation application for review, and then check the appropriate box in Block 19. Find your State SPOCs:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc

g. Regarding Block 21: By submitting this application, your organization is providing certifications and assurances regarding:

i. Drug-Free Workplace Requirements

ii. Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters—Primary Covered Transactions

iii. Information regarding the certifications on drug-free workplace; and debarment, suspension, and other responsibility matters; is attached for your reference as Attachment A.

h. If you are requesting Indirect/Fringe Costs, please attach your indirect cost rate agreement, fringe benefit rate agreement, or a description of how fringe rates are calculated, using the “Add Attachments” button at the end of the 424.

2. Budget Information, Non Construction Programs (SF424A-V1.1) – http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc�

Filling out the Budget Form – please ensure that funds requested on the Budget form correspond to the same items in your budget justification and that the total requested corresponds to Block 18 on the SF 424 form.

3. Budget Narrative (Budget-V1.1) (also known as the “budget justification”) (See Attachment B)

a. Attach your budget narrative justification to this form.

b. If you need to attach more than one file to fully capture your budget justification, you may use the optional “Attachments” form (Attachments-V1.1).

c. Please use the following guidance when assembling your budget justification:

-- Use the following cost categories to group items of cost in your budget justification:

• PERSONNEL

• FRINGE BENEFITS

• TRAVEL

• EQUIPMENT

• SUPPLIES

• CONTRACTUAL

• OTHER DIRECT COSTS

• INDIRECT COSTS

d. Please submit separate sub award or subcontract budgets to the Attachments form.

4. Project Narrative Form (Project-V1.1)

Attach your project narrative to this form.

5. Certification Regarding Lobbying (GG_Lobbying Form-V1.1).

Submit this form. It will be electronically signed upon submission to Grants.gov as part of your application. If paragraph two of the certification applies, then complete and submit the SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying, which is provided as an optional form in the application package.

Optional forms

1. Attachments Form – use this form to attach other documents if you need another place to electronically attach portions of your application.

2. SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities – fill out and submit this form ONLY if Condition 2 in the Lobbying Certification applies.

• Application and Submission Information

Application and Submission Information

1. Applicants will obtain FOA Overviews and Full Announcement information from the

Grants.gov web site.

2. For a hardcopy of the full announcement, please write or fax a request to:

Sean Lilly Sean.lilly@hq.dhs.gov

FAX: (202) 447-5600

3. Applications will be processed through the Grants.gov portal.