FY_2019_THSGP_NOFO_FINAL_508.pdf

FY 2019 THSGP NOFO

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

Fiscal Year 2019 Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program (THSGP)

NOTE: If you are going to apply for this funding opportunity and have not obtained a

Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and/or are not currently registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), please take immediate action to obtain a DUNS

Number, if applicable, and then to register immediately in SAM. It may take four weeks or more after you submit your SAM registration before your registration is active in SAM, then an additional 24 hours for Grants.gov to recognize your information. Information on obtaining a DUNS number and registering in SAM is available from Grants.gov at:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html.

A. Program Description

Issued By

Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Grant Programs Directorate (GPD)

Assistance Listing Number (formerly Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number)

97.067

Assistance Listings Title (formerly CFDA Title)

Homeland Security Grant Program

Notice of Funding Opportunity Title

Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program

NOFO Number

DHS-19-GPD-067-00-01

Authorizing Authority for Program

Section 2005 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Pub. L. No. 107-296, as amended) (6 U.S.C.

§ 606)

Appropriation Authority for Program

Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2019 (Pub. L. No. 116-6)

Program Type

New

Program Overview, Objectives and Priorities

Overview http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html

One of the core missions of DHS/FEMA is to enhance the ability of state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks and other disasters. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s comprehensive suite of grant programs is an important part of the Administration’s larger, coordinated effort to strengthen homeland security preparedness. The THSGP is one tool among a comprehensive set of initiatives authorized by Congress and implemented by the

Administration to help strengthen the Nation against risks associated with potential terrorist attacks. Funding under THSGP is provided to strengthen tribes’ capacity to prepare for and respond to emergency situations. The 2018-2022 FEMA Strategic Plan creates a shared vision for the field of emergency management and sets an ambitious, yet achievable, path forward to unify and further professionalize emergency management across the country. The

Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program supports the goal of Readying the Nation for

Catastrophic Disasters. We invite all of our stakeholders and partners to also adopt these priorities and join us in building a more prepared and resilient Nation.

Objectives

THSGP provides funding directly to eligible Tribes to support the building, sustainment, and delivery of core capabilities to enable Tribes to strengthen their capacities to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from potential terrorist attacks.

Performance Metrics

Performance metrics for this program are as follows:

• Percentage of funding building new capabilities

• Percentage of funding sustaining existing capabilities

Priorities

DHS/FEMA continually assesses changes to the threat landscape to further the National

Preparedness Goal (the Goal) of a secure and resilient nation. This analysis provides a perspective on critical preparedness trends for whole community partners to use to inform program priorities, allocate resources, and communicate with stakeholders about issues of shared concern. DHS/FEMA have identified the following as national priority areas:

• Emerging Threats, including Cybersecurity

• Lifelines (more information found in this fact sheet and toolkit)

• Safety and Security

• Food, Water, Sheltering

• Health and Medical

• Energy

• Communications

• Transportation

• Hazardous Material https://www.fema.gov/strategic-plan https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1544469177002-251a503b3717f0d6d483bae6169f4106/Revised_Community_Lifelines_Information_Sheet.pdf https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1550596598262-99b1671f270c18c934294a449bcca3ce/Tab1b.CommunityLifelinesResponseToolkit_508.pdf

In addition to addressing gaps identified by Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk

Assessments (THIRA)/Stakeholder Preparedness Reviews (SPR), recipients should consider funding projects that address the above priorities of DHS/FEMA.

B. Federal Award Information

Award Amounts, Important Dates, and Extensions

Available Funding for the THSGP: $10,000,000

Period of Performance: Thirty-six months

Extensions to the period of performance are allowed. For additional information on period of performance extensions, please refer to the Preparedness Grants Manual.

Projected Period of Performance Start Date(s): September 1, 2019

Projected Period of Performance End Date(s): August 31, 2022

Funding Instrument: Grant

C. Eligibility Information

Eligible Applicants

Directly eligible Tribes

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to receive THSGP funding, recipients must be directly eligible Tribes. Directly eligible Tribes are Federally recognized Tribes that meet the criteria set forth in Section 2001 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as amended (6 U.S.C. § 601).

Federally recognized Tribes are those Tribes appearing on the list published by the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (Pub. L. No. 103-

454) (25 U.S.C. § 5131).

Per 6 U.S.C. § 601(4), a “directly eligible Tribe” is any Federally recognized Indian Tribe that meets the following criteria:

(A) Any Indian Tribe―

(i) that is located in the continental United States;

(ii) that operates a law enforcement or emergency response agency with the capacity to respond to calls for law enforcement or emergency services;

(iii) https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/178291

(I) that is located on or near (50 miles) an international border or a coastline bordering an ocean (including the Gulf of Mexico) or international waters;

(II) that is located within 10 miles of a system or asset included on the prioritized critical infrastructure list established under section

[2214(a)(2) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as amended (6

U.S.C. § 124l(a)(2)] or has such a system or asset within its territory;

(III) that is located within or contiguous to one of the 50 most populous metropolitan statistical areas in the United States; or

(iv) the jurisdiction of which includes not less than 1,000 square miles of Indian country, as that term is defined in section 1151 of title 18, United States Code; and

(iv) that certifies to the Secretary [of Homeland Security] that a State has not provided funds under [section 2003 (UASI) or 2004 (SHSP) of the Homeland

Security Act of 2002, as amended (6 U.S.C. § 604 or 605, respectively)] to the

Indian Tribe or consortium of Indian Tribes for the purpose for which direct funding is sought; and

(B) A consortium of Indian Tribes, if each Tribe satisfies the requirements of subparagraph (A).

In summary, directly eligible Tribes must meet each of the requirements set forth in (A)(i), (A)(ii), and (A)(iv). Tribes must also meet at least one of the requirements set forth in (A)(iii), that is either (A)(iii)(I), (A)(iii)(II), (A)(iii)(III), or (A)(iii)(IV). Finally, under subparagraph (B), a consortium may also be eligible to be a recipient if each Indian Tribe in the consortium meets the criteria for a directly eligible Tribe under subparagraph (A).

In FY 2019, applicants must self-certify as to whether they meet the eligibility requirements.

Self-certification will be provided on the THSGP Eligibility Certification Form as part of the application Investment Justification (IJ). Additionally, DHS/FEMA will verify grant recipient eligibility against these criteria. Any questions regarding an applicant’s proximity to a Critical

Infrastructure (CI) site, as described in the eligibility criteria, may be directed to the State

Administrative Agency (SAA) for the State with which the Tribe shares a border. The State

Administrative Agency Contacts List can be found at http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/28689?id=6363.

Other Eligibility Criteria

National Incident Management System (NIMS) Implementation

Prior to allocation of any Federal preparedness awards in FY 2019, recipients and subrecipients must ensure and maintain adoption and implementation of NIMS. Detailed information on

NIMS requirements are in the Preparedness Grants Manual.

Cost Share or Match

Cost share or cost match is not required under this program.

http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/28689?id=6363 http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/28689?id=6363

D. Application and Submission Information

Key Dates and Times

Date Posted to Grants.gov: April 12, 2019

Application Submission Deadline: May 29, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. ET

All applications must be received by the established deadline. The Non-Disaster (ND)

Grants System has a date stamp that indicates when an application is submitted. Applicants will receive an electronic message confirming receipt of the full application. DHS/FEMA will not review applications that are received after the deadline or consider these late applications for funding. DHS/FEMA may, however, extend the application deadline on request for any applicant who can demonstrate that good cause exists to justify extending the deadline. Good cause for an extension may include technical problems outside of an applicant’s control that prevent submission of the application by the deadline or other exigent or emergency circumstances.

Applicants experiencing technical issues must notify the FEMA Headquarters (HQ)

Program Analyst prior to the application deadline. If applicants do not know their FEMA

HQ Program Analyst or if there are programmatic questions or concerns, please contact the

Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk (CSID) by phone at (800) 368-6498 or by e-mail at askcsid@fema.gov, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET.

Anticipated Funding Selection Date: August 2, 2019

Anticipated Award Date: No later than September 30, 2019

Other Key Dates:

Agreeing to Terms and Conditions of the Award

By submitting an application, the applicant agrees to comply with the requirements of this

NOFO and the terms and conditions of its award should it receive an award.

Event Suggested Deadline For Completion Obtain DUNS Number May 1, 2019

Obtain a valid Employer Identification

Number (EIN) May 1, 2019

Update SAM registration May 1, 2019

Submit initial application in

Grants.gov May 22, 2019

Submit final application in ND Grants May 29, 2019, 5:00 p.m. ET mailto:askcsid@fema.gov

Address to Request Application Package

See the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on requesting and submitting an application.

Content and Form of Application Submission

See the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on requesting and submitting an

Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

See the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on Unique Entity Identifier and SAM.

Electronic Delivery

DHS/FEMA is participating in the Grants.gov initiative to provide the grant community with a single site to find and apply for grant funding opportunities. DHS/FEMA requires applicants to submit their initial applications online through Grants.gov and to submit final applications through ND Grants.

How to Register to Apply through Grants.gov

Please see the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on requesting and submitting an

How to Submit an Initial Application to DHS/FEMA via Grants.gov

Please see the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on requesting and submitting an

Submitting the Final Application in the Non Disaster Grants System (ND Grants)

Please see the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on preparing and submitting an application in ND Grants.

THSGP Application Instructions

Prior to the application deadline, all THSGP applicants must submit the following as attachments in ND Grants:

• THSGP Investment Justification (OMB Control Number: 1660-0113/FEMA Form:

089-22), which is located in the “Related Documents” tab on Grants.gov; and

• Self-certification form stating the Tribe’s eligibility per the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as amended (the self-certification is contained within the THSGP

Investment Justification).

For assistance registering for the ND Grants system, please contact ndgrants@fema.gov or (800)

865-4076. For step-by-step directions on using the ND Grants system and other guides, please see https://www.fema.gov/non-disaster-grants-management-system.

https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/178291 http://www.grants.gov/ https://portal.fema.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/178291 https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/178291 https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/178291 http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:ndgrants@fema.gov https://www.fema.gov/non-disaster-grants-management-system

Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission

As application submission is a two-step process, the applicant with the Authorized Organization

Representative (AOR) role who submitted the application will receive an acknowledgement of receipt, a tracking number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) from Grants.gov, and an Agency Tracking

Number (EMX-2019-XX-XXXX) with the successful transmission of the initial application.

This notification does not serve as proof of timely submission as the application is not complete until it is submitted in ND Grants. All applications must be received in ND Grants by 5:00 PM

Eastern Time on May 29, 2019. Proof of timely submission is automatically recorded by ND

Grants. An electronic date/time stamp is generated within the system when the application is successfully received by ND Grants. Additionally, the applicant(s) listed as contacts on the application will receive a system-generated email to confirm receipt.

Intergovernmental Review

An intergovernmental review may be required. Applicants must contact their State’s Single

Point of Contact (SPOC) to comply with the State’s process under Executive Order 12372 (See https://www.archives.gov/Federal-register/codification/executive-order/12372.html;

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/SPOC-Feb.-2018.pdf).

Funding Restrictions

Federal funds made available through this award may be used only for the purpose set forth in this award and must be consistent with the statutory authority for the award. Award funds may not be used for matching funds for any other Federal award, 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.

For additional information on allowable costs and Funding Restrictions, please refer to the

Preparedness Grants Manual.

Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation (EHP) Compliance

Information on Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation (EHP) compliance can be found in the Preparedness Grants Manual.

Emergency Communications and Resilience

All entities using THSGP funding to support emergency communications investments are required to comply with the SAFECOM Guidance on Emergency Communications Grants

(SAFECOM Guidance). More information on Emergency Communications can be found in the

Pre-Award Costs

Pre-award costs are not allowable and will not be approved, with the exception of costs resulting from pre-award grant writing services provided by an independent contractor that shall not exceed $1,500.00. See the Authorized Use of Contractual Grant Writers and/or Grant Managers below for additional details and restrictions.

https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12372.html https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/SPOC-Feb.-2018.pdf https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/178291 https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/178291 https://www.dhs.gov/safecom/funding https://www.dhs.gov/safecom/funding

Cost Principles

Costs charged to this award must be consistent with the Cost Principles for Federal Awards located at 2 C.F.R. Part 200, Subpart E. For more information on 2 C.F.R. Part 200, please visit https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1419366341862-

296dd0cc30bbf64a6b45581afe9d8b17/InformationBulletin400_2CFRPart200_FINAL.pdf.

Direct Costs

Planning

Planning costs are allowed under this program only as described in this NOFO and the

Organization

Organization costs are allowed under this program only as described in this NOFO and the

Equipment

Equipment costs are allowed under this program only as described in this NOFO and the

Training

Training costs are allowed under this program only as described in this NOFO and the

Exercise

Exercise costs are allowed under this program only as described in this NOFO and the

Personnel Activities

Personnel hiring, overtime, and backfill expenses are permitted under this grant in order to perform allowable THSGP planning, training, exercise, and equipment activities. Please see the Preparedness Grants Manual for additional details.

Travel

Domestic travel costs are allowed under this program, as provided for in this NOFO and the

Preparedness Grants Manual. International travel is not an allowable cost under this program unless approved in advance by DHS/FEMA.

Construction and Renovation

Construction and renovation costs to achieve capability targets related to preventing, preparing for, protecting against, or responding to acts of terrorism are allowed under this program. For construction costs to be allowed, they must be specifically approved by

DHS/FEMA in writing prior to the use of any program funds for construction or renovation.

https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1419366341862-296dd0cc30bbf64a6b45581afe9d8b17/InformationBulletin400_2CFRPart200_FINAL.pdf https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1419366341862-296dd0cc30bbf64a6b45581afe9d8b17/InformationBulletin400_2CFRPart200_FINAL.pdf https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/178291 https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/178291 https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/178291 https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/178291 https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/178291

Additionally, recipients are required to submit a SF-424C Form and Budget detail citing the project costs.

Operational Overtime

Operational Overtime costs are allowed under this program only as described in this NOFO and the Preparedness Grants Manual.

Maintenance and Sustainment

Maintenance and Sustainment costs are allowed under this program only as described in this

NOFO and the Preparedness Grants Manual.

Critical Emergency Supplies

Critical emergency supply costs are allowed under this program only as described in this

Secure Identification

Secure Identification project costs are allowed under this program only as described in this

Management and Administration (M&A)

Management and administration costs are allowed. Recipients may use up to 5 percent of the amount of the award for M&A. Where applicable, subrecipients may use up to 5 percent of the amount they receive for M&A. M&A activities are those defined as directly relating to the management and administration of THSGP funds, such as financial management and monitoring. Management and administrative expenses must be based on actual expenses or known contractual costs. M&A requests that are simple percentages of the award, without supporting justification, will not be allowed or considered for reimbursement.

M&A costs are not operational costs, they are the necessary costs incurred in direct support of the grant or as a consequence of the grant and should be allocated across the entire lifecycle of the grant. Examples include preparing and submitting required programmatic and financial reports, establishing and/or maintaining equipment inventory, documenting operational and equipment expenditures for financial accounting purposes, and responding to official informational requests from State and Federal oversight authorities.

Authorized Use of Contractual Grant Writers and/or Grant Managers

A grant applicant may procure the services of a contractor to provide support and assistance for pre-award grant development services (grant writing) or post-award grant management and administrative services (grant management). As with all Federal grant-funded procurements, grant writer or grant management services must be procured in accordance with the Federal procurement standards at 2 C.F.R. §§ 200.317 – 200.326.

See FEMA/GPD Preparedness Grants Manual regarding Procurement Integrity, particularly the sections applicable to non-State entities that discuss organizational https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/178291 https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/178291 https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/178291 conflicts of interest under 2 C.F.R. § 200.319(a) and traditional conflicts of interest under

2 C.F.R. § 200.318(c)(1).

DHS/FEMA considers a contracted grant-writer to be an agent of the recipient for any subsequent contracts the recipient procures under the same Federal award for which the grant-writer provided grant writing services. Federal funds and funds applied to the award’s cost share generally cannot be used to pay a contractor to carry out the work if that contractor also worked on the development of such specifications. A State must follow the same policies and procedures it uses for procurements of its non-Federal funds, pursuant to 2 C.F.R. § 200.317.

Regardless of whether an applicant or recipient uses grant writing and/or grant management services, the recipient is solely responsible for the fiscal and programmatic integrity of the grant and its authorized activities and expenditures. The recipient must ensure adequate internal controls, including separation of duties, to safeguard grant assets, processes, and documentation, in keeping with the terms and conditions of its award, including this NOFO, and 2 C.F.R. Part 200.

Grant Writers

Grant writing contractors may assist the applicant in preparing, writing, and finalizing grant application materials and assisting the applicant with handling online application and submission requirements in Grants.gov and ND Grants. Grant writers may assist in a variety of ways up to and including the actual submission of the application. Ultimately, however, the applicant that receives an award is solely responsible for all grant award and administrative responsibilities.

By submitting the application, applicants certify that all of the information contained therein is true and an accurate reflection of the organization and that regardless of the applicant’s intent, the submission of information that is false or misleading may result in actions by DHS/FEMA. These actions include but are not limited to the submitted application not being considered for award, temporary withholding of funding under the existing award pending investigation, or referral to the DHS Office of Inspector

General.

To assist applicants with the cost of grant writing services, DHS/FEMA is permitting a one-time pre-award cost of no more than $1,500 per applicant per year for contractual grant writing services as part of the recipient’s M&A costs. This is only intended to cover costs associated with a grant writer and may not be used to reimburse an applicant for its own time and effort in the development of a grant application. Additionally, the applicant may be required to pay this fee with its own funds during the application preparation and submission period; if the applicant subsequently receives an award, it may then request to be reimbursed once grant funds become available for that cost, not to exceed $1,500. If the applicant does not http://www.grants.gov/ receive an award, this cost will not be reimbursed by the Federal government. The applicant must understand this risk and be able to cover this cost if an award is not made.

If an applicant intends to request reimbursement for this one-time pre-award cost, it must include this request in its application materials, including in the budget section in each Investment Justification. Failure to clearly identify this as a separate cost in the application may result in its disallowance. This is the only pre-award cost eligible for reimbursement. Recipients must maintain grant writer fee documentation including, but not limited to, a copy of the solicitation, such as a quote request, rate request, invitation to bid, or request for proposals, if applicable; a copy of the grant writer’s contract agreement; a copy of the invoice or purchase order; and a copy of the cancelled check or proof of payment. These records must be made available to

DHS/FEMA upon request.

Pursuant to 2 C.F.R. Part 180, recipients may not use Federal grant funds to reimburse any entity, including a grant writer or preparer, if that entity is presently suspended or debarred by the Federal Government from receiving funding under

Federally funded grants or contracts. Recipients must verify that the contractor is not suspended or debarred from participating in specified Federal procurement or non-procurement transactions pursuant to 2 C.F.R. § 180.300. FEMA recommends recipients use SAM.gov to conduct this verification.

Furthermore, regardless of whether any grant writer fees were requested, unless a single contract covering both pre- and post-award services was awarded to the grant writer and procured in compliance with 2 C.F.R. §§ 200.317 – 200.326, Federal funds and funds applied to the award’s cost share cannot be used to pay the grant writer to provide post-award services.

Grant Managers

Grant management contractors provide support in the day-to-day management of an active grant and their services may be incurred as M&A costs of the award.

Additionally, grant recipients may retain grant management contractors at their own expense.

Indirect (Facilities & Administrative [F&A]) Costs

Indirect costs are allowable under this program as described in 2 C.F.R. § 200.414. With the exception of recipients who have never received a negotiated indirect cost rate as described in 2

C.F.R. § 200.414(f), recipients must have an approved indirect cost rate agreement with their cognizant Federal agency to charge indirect costs to this award. A copy of the approved rate

(that is, a copy of a fully executed agreement negotiated with the applicant’s cognizant Federal agency) is required at the time of application and must be provided to DHS/FEMA before indirect costs are charged to the award.

E. Application Review Information

Application Evaluation Criteria

Programmatic Criteria

FY 2019 THSGP applications will be evaluated through a three-part review and selection process:

1. Applications will first be reviewed by a FEMA HQ Program Analyst to ensure that the applicant meets all eligibility requirements. To determine eligibility, the

FEMA HQ Program Analyst will review submitted applications for completeness.

Completeness is determined by the FEMA HQ Program Analyst by confirming:

• The applicant has submitted the self-certification form stating the

Tribe’s eligibility per the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as amended

(see Section C. Eligibility Information, for further information);

• The information provided in the self-certification form is accurate;

• Activities under each investment are allowable; and

• The application meets all of the administrative criteria identified in this

NOFO, to include the required submission of an IJ by the established due dates.

2. Eligible and complete applications will then be reviewed using a process to individually score each proposed investment. Scoring is based on the following four criteria:

• Overview (description of the investment);

• Baseline (goals/objectives/capabilities of the investment);

• Project management and milestones (funding amount/core capabilities/projects); and

• Accomplishments and impacts (outcomes).

3. FEMA HQ Grants Management Specialists will conduct a financial risk assessment of the top scoring investments using the following criteria:

• Allowability, allocability, and financial reasonableness of the proposed budget and investment information; and

• Whether the recipient meets the financial and legal requirements listed in 2 C.F.R. Part 200.

Financial Integrity Criteria

Prior to making a Federal award, FEMA is required by 31 U.S.C. § 3321 note, 41 U.S.C.

§ 2313, and 2 C.F.R. § 200.205 to review information available through any OMB-designated repositories of government-wide eligibility qualification or financial integrity information. Therefore, application evaluation criteria may include the following risk based considerations of the applicant:

1. Financial stability.

2. Quality of management systems and ability to meet management standards.

3. History of performance in managing Federal award.

4. Reports and findings from audits.

5. Ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements.

Supplemental Financial Integrity Review

Prior to making a Federal award where the anticipated Federal share of a Federal award will be greater than the simplified acquisition threshold, currently $250,000 (see Section 805 of the

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, Pub. L. No. 115-91, OMB

Memorandum M-18-18 at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/M-18-

18.pdf; see also FEMA GPD Information Bulletin No. 434, Increases and Changes to the Micro-

Purchase and Simplified Acquisition Thresholds):

i. DHS/FEMA is required to review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through the System for Award Management (SAM), which is currently the

Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) and is also accessible through the SAM website.

ii. An applicant, at its option, may review information in FAPIIS and comment on any information about itself that a Federal awarding agency previously entered.

iii. DHS will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to the other information in FAPIIS, in making a judgment about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 2 C.F.R. §

200.205.

Review and Selection Process

A panel of reviewers will analyze and score the investments from all applications that the

Program Analysts determine to be complete and eligible. DHS/FEMA will assign reviewers who meet one or more of the following criteria:

• Experience working with tribes and tribal professionals;

• Federal employees experienced in a variety of disciplines, including homeland security, emergency management, law enforcement, fire and rescue, etc.; and/or

• Familiar with applications for funding and the application review process.

The reviewers will analyze and score the anticipated effectiveness of each individual proposed investment. Effectiveness is determined based on completeness and adherence to programmatic guidelines.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/M-18-18.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/M-18-18.pdf https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1535477410796-10abe5c8fc5bb73f170e3025c6fbfc6a/IB_Changes_to_the_Micro_Purch_and_Simp_Acquisition_Thresholds_signed_508.pdf https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1535477410796-10abe5c8fc5bb73f170e3025c6fbfc6a/IB_Changes_to_the_Micro_Purch_and_Simp_Acquisition_Thresholds_signed_508.pdf https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/#1

Reviewers will score each investment individually using six questions to assess how well the investments satisfy the four criteria sections in the Investment Justification template: Overview, Baseline, Project Management and Milestones, and Accomplishments and Impact.

The questions the reviewers will score are:

A. Overview Section of Investment

• How well are the activities described, including any activities that include planning, organization, equipment, training, and/or exercises?

B. Baseline Section of Investment

• How well does this identify existing capability levels and address capability gaps?

C. Project Management and Milestones Section of Investment

• How well does the activity support the selected core capabilities outlined in the Goal?

• Does the budget narrative provide a clear explanation of why funds are needed and the outcomes the recipient wants to achieve?

• Will the projects/activities achieve progress during the grant’s period of performance towards achieving the Investment?

D. Accomplishments and Impact Section of Investment

• Do the outcome(s) demonstrate progress towards building the capability gap(s) identified in the Investment?

Each of the six questions that the reviewers score is worth a maximum of five points. Using their subject-matter expertise, the reviewers will provide a score from 1-5 for each question.

Each investment will be reviewed by no less than two reviewers, who will use the following scoring scale to assess how well the information provided in each investment answers the question being scored:

1 = Little to None

2 = Inadequate

3 = Adequate

4 = Substantial

5 = Strong

To calculate the final score for each proposed investment, the scores from the six investment questions are first normalized by taking the average of the six scores, dividing this number by five, and multiplying the result by 100. For example, if an investment received the following scores for the six questions:

Question 1: 2

Question 2: 3

Question 3: 5

Question 4: 5

Question 5: 3

Question 6: 5

The sum of the scores is 23 (the average score is 3.8). The average score, 3.8 is then divided by five, and the result is multiplied by 100. The resulting normalized score is 76.67. The investment’s final score is determined by averaging the normalized scores from all reviewers of that investment.

Applicants who have not received funding in prior years will receive five additional points that will be added to the overall average normalized score for each investment submitted.

All final investment scores will be sorted in descending order and investments will be selected for recommendation from the highest score to lowest score until available FY 2019 THSGP funding has been exhausted. In the event of a tie during the investment recommendation determination process, DHS/FEMA will give priority to the tribal entity that has not received prior year funding.

DHS/FEMA will use the results of the review process to make funding recommendations to the

Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Final funding determinations will be made by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

F. Federal Award Administration Information

Notice of Award

Please see the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on Notice of Award.

Administrative and National Policy Requirements

Please see the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on Administrative and National

Policy requirements, including the DHS Standard Terms and Conditions.

Reporting

Please see the Preparedness Grants Manual for information on reporting requirements, including financial, programmatic, and closeout reporting and disclosing information per 2 C.F.R. §

180.335.

G. DHS Awarding Agency Contact Information

Contact and Resource Information

Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk (CSID)

CSID is a non-emergency comprehensive management and information resource developed by DHS/FEMA for grants stakeholders. CSID provides general information on all

DHS/FEMA grant programs and maintains a comprehensive database containing key personnel contact information at the Federal, State, and local levels. When necessary, https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/178291 recipients will be directed to a Federal point of contact who can answer specific programmatic questions or concerns. CSID can be reached by phone at (800) 368-6498 or by e-mail at askcsid@fema.gov, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET.

GPD Grant Operations Division

GPD’s Grant Operations Division Business Office provides support regarding financial matters and budgetary technical assistance. Additional guidance and information can be obtained by contacting the FEMA Grant Operations Help Desk via e-mail at ASK-

GMD@fema.gov.

FEMA Regional Offices

DHS/FEMA Regional Offices also may provide fiscal support, including pre- and post-award administration and technical assistance such as conducting cash analysis, financial monitoring, and audit resolution for the grant programs included in this solicitation. GPD will provide programmatic support and technical assistance. FEMA Regional Office contact information is available at https://www.fema.gov/fema-regional-contacts.

GPD Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation (GPD EHP)

The FEMA GPD EHP Team provides guidance and information about the EHP review process to recipients and subrecipients. All inquiries and communications about GPD projects or the EHP review process, including the submittal of EHP review materials, should be sent to gpdehpinfo@fema.gov. EHP Technical Assistance, including the EHP Screening

Form, can be found online at: https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/90195.

Systems Information

Grants.gov

For technical assistance with Grants.gov, please call the Grants.gov customer support hotline at (800) 518-4726.

Non-Disaster (ND) Grants

For technical assistance with the ND Grants system, please contact the ND Grants Helpdesk at ndgrants@fema.gov or (800) 865-4076, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET.

Payment and Reporting System

DHS/FEMA uses the Payment and Reporting System (PARS) for financial reporting, invoicing and tracking payments. DHS/FEMA uses the Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds

Transfer (DD/EFT) method of payment to recipients. To enroll in the DD/EFT, recipients must complete a Standard Form 1199A, Direct Deposit Form.

H. Additional Information

GPD has developed the Preparedness Grants Manual to guide applicants and recipients of grant funding on how to manage their grants and other resources. Recipients seeking guidance on policies and procedures for managing Preparedness Grants should reference the manual for mailto:askcsid@fema.gov mailto:ASK-GMD@fema.gov mailto:ASK-GMD@fema.gov https://www.fema.gov/fema-regional-contacts mailto:gpdehpinfo@fema.gov https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/90195 https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ mailto:ndgrants@fema.gov https://isource.fema.gov/sf269/execute/LogIn?sawContentMessage=true.

further information. Examples of information contained in the Preparedness Grants Manual include:

• Conflicts of Interest in the Administration of Federal Awards and Subawards

• Extensions

• Monitoring

• Procurement Integrity

• Other Post-Award Requirements