FY24 NGWSGP NOFO.pdf

FY 2024 NOFO Template – FEMA Version 24-02

The U. S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

Fiscal Year 2024 Next Generation Warning System Grant Program

All entities wishing to do business with the federal government must have a unique entity identifier (UEI). The UEI number is issued by the system. Requesting a UEI using System for Award Management (SAM.gov) can be found at https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration.

Updates in Grant Application Forms:

The Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number was replaced by a new, non-proprietary identifier requested in, and assigned by, SAM.gov. This new identifier is the Unique Entity Identifier.

Additional Information can be found on Grants.gov: https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-development/planned-uei-updates https://sam.gov/content/entity-%20%20registration https://sam.gov/content/entity-%20%20registration https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-development/planned-uei-updates https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-development/planned-uei-updates

Table of Contents Updates in Grant Application Forms:

A. Program Description

1. Issued By

2. Assistance Listings Number

3. Assistance Listings Title

4. Funding Opportunity Title

5. Funding Opportunity Number

6. Authorizing Authority for Program

7. Appropriation Authority for Program

8. Announcement Type

9. Program Category

10. Program Overview, Objectives, and Priorities

11. Performance Measures

B. Federal Award Information

1. Available Funding for the NOFO: $40 million

2. Projected Number of Awards: One

3. Maximum Award Amount: $40 million

4. Period of Performance: 36 months

5. Projected Period of Performance Start Date(s): Oct. 1, 2024

6. Projected Period of Performance End Date(s): Sept. 30, 2027

7. Projected Budget Period(s)

8. Funding Instrument Type: Grant

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

2. Applicant Eligibility Criteria

3. Subawards and Beneficiaries

4. Cost Share or Match

D. Application and Submission Information

1. Key Dates and Times

a. Application Start Date: Aug. 20, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. ET

b. Application Submission Deadline: Sept. 18, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. ET

c. Anticipated Funding Selection Date: No later than Sept. 20, 2024

d. Anticipated Award Date: No later than Sept. 29, 2024

e. Other Key Dates

2. Agreeing to Terms and Conditions of the Award

3. Address to Request Application Package

4. Requirements: Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and Register in the System for

Award Management (SAM.gov)

5. Steps Required to Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier, Register in the System for Award

Management (SAM), and Submit an Application

6. Electronic Delivery

7. How to Register to Apply through FEMA GO

a. General Instructions:

b. Obtain an UEI Number:

c. Obtain Employer Identification Number

d. Create a login.gov account:

e. Register with SAM:

f. Register in FEMA GO, Add the Organization to the System, and Establish the AOR:

8. Submitting the Final Application in FEMA GO

9. Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission

10. Content and Form of Application Submission

a. Standard Required Application Forms and Information

b. Program-Specific Required Forms and Information

11. Intergovernmental Review

12. Funding Restrictions and Allowable Costs

a. Prohibitions on Expending FEMA Award Funds for Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services

b. Pre-Award Costs

c. Management and Administration (M&A) Costs

E. Application Review Information

1. Application Evaluation Criteria

a. Programmatic Criteria

b. Financial Integrity Criteria

c. Supplemental Financial Integrity Criteria and Review

2. Review and Selection Process F. Federal Award Administration Information

1. Notice of Award

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

a. DHS Standard Terms and Conditions

b. Ensuring the Protection of Civil Rights

c. Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation (EHP) Compliance

d. Mandatory Disclosures

3. Reporting

a. Financial Reporting Requirements

b. Programmatic Performance Reporting Requirements

c. Closeout Reporting Requirements

d. Additional Reporting Requirements

4. Monitoring and Oversight G. DHS Awarding Agency Contact Information

1. Contact and Resource Information

a. Program Office Contact

b. FEMA Grants News

c. Grant Programs Directorate (GPD) Award Administration Division

d. Civil Rights

f. Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation

2. Systems Information

FEMA GO

H. Additional Information

1. Termination Provisions

a. Noncompliance

b. With the Consent of the Recipient

c. Notification by the Recipient

2. Program Evaluation

3. Period of Performance Extensions

4. Disability Integration

5. Conflicts of Interest in the Administration of Federal Awards or Subawards

6. Procurement Integrity

a. Important Changes to Procurement Standards in 2 C.F.R. Part 200

b. Competition and Conflicts of Interest

c. Supply Schedules and Purchasing Programs

d. Procurement Documentation

7. Financial Assistance Programs for Infrastructure

a. Build America, Buy America Act

b. Waivers

c. Definitions

8. Record Retention

a. Record Retention Period

b. Types of Records to Retain

9. Actions to Address Noncompliance

10. Audits

11. Payment Information

12. Whole Community Preparedness

13. Report issues of fraud, waste, abuse

14. Hazard-Resistant Building Codes

A. Program Description

1. Issued By

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)/Office of National Continuity Programs

2. Assistance Listings Number

97.138

3. Assistance Listings Title Next Generation Warning System Grant Program

4. Funding Opportunity Title Fiscal Year 2024 Next Generation Warning System

5. Funding Opportunity Number

DHS-24-IPAWS-138-00-99

6. Authorizing Authority for Program

Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2024, Pub. L. No. 118-47, Title III, Protection, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Federal Assistance, subparagraph 11

7. Appropriation Authority for Program

Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2024, Pub. L. No. 118-47, Title III, Protection, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Federal Assistance, subparagraph 11

8. Announcement Type

Initial

9. Program Category

Preparedness & Emergency Management

10. Program Overview, Objectives, and Priorities

a. Overview Having in place a secure and effective system for warning and informing the public of impending natural and man-made disasters is an essential part of America's emergency preparedness. FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) is the national system for local alerting that provides authenticated emergency and life-saving information to the public. Local radio and TV stations, along with cable, direct broadcast satellite, and wireless service providers disseminate the public safety messages they receive from IPAWS. This grant supports projects that aid in creating and maintaining a resilient public alert and warning system that provides timely and effective warnings, especially including areas that are traditionally underserved by broadcast providers. This public alert and warning system is built on the Common Alerting Protocol standard (CAP) that permits a single CAP compatible message to activate multiple compliant warning systems and a station’s’ ability to maintain continuity of operations during emergencies.

The Next Generation Warning System includes all available radio and television technology in the alert and warning ecosystem to expand and enhance emergency information dissemination to the public. The grant is intended to replace aging infrastructure to enhance alerting capabilities, improve resiliency, operational continuity, and security through new technology for qualified rural, tribal, and other stations who support underserved public broadcast audiences. Broadcasters may use funding to replace aging equipment and improve cybersecurity hygiene. This program supports investments that improve resiliency, continuity of broadcast operations, and security of public broadcasting networks and systems. In addition, broadcasters may upgrade to the Advanced Television Systems Committee broadcast standard (ATSC 3.0) or digital radio, allowing broadcasts to reach a greater number of different types of communication devices, incorporating multimedia in alert and warning messaging, and making alerts more accessible.

FEMA intends to award this grant to a single awardee. That awardee will then manage a competitive process to solicit sub-grant applications from eligible subrecipients to use these funds in accordance with the requirements and priorities set forth in this notice. The recipient and the subrecipients shall comply with applicable Federal Communications Commission guidance, 47 Code of Federal Regulations Part 11, and telecommunications prohibitions set forth in Section 889 of the John S.

McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019. In addition, subrecipients are expected to transmit alert and warnings from IPAWS that are relevant to their service area.

b. Goals, Objectives, and Priorities

Goal Create and maintain a resilient public alert and warning system that provides timely and effective warnings, especially including areas that are traditionally underserved by broadcast providers.

Objectives

• Enhance and expand capacity, resilience, continuity of broadcast operations, operational readiness and cybersecurity of local broadcast stations to receive, broadcast, and redistribute emergency alert messages from the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System using IPAWS Specification for Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) to fill gaps in alert and warning to people in underserved areas;

• Improve station resiliency, emergency alerting, ATSC 3.0 and digital radio through training;

• Implement upgrades to the ATSC 3.0 and digital radio broadcast standard to ensure local broadcast stations can launch new, enhanced broadcast services to expand the distribution of public alert and warnings; and

• Increase the ability for underserved communities, individuals with disabilities and those with access and functional needs, to receive emergency information by purchasing and distributing consumer receivers where there is a public need.

Priorities The ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard enables television stations to receive and display emergency information from IPAWS CAP messages. Using the additional content available in IPAWS CAP messages, television stations can present more comprehensive, interactive, and detailed emergency information to viewers such as the name of the agency that sent the alert, the specific location the alert is directed to, information from links provided in the alert, images, pictures, maps, multiple languages, etc. Similarly, digital radio broadcasts enable radio stations to utilize additional information provided in IPAWS CAP messages to provide emergency alert information using Enhanced Digital Radio Emergency Alerting. This provides listeners with rich and detailed content such as multiple languages, full emergency message text as written by the alerting agency, pictures and maps.

Enhancing the emergency information and effectiveness of emergency alerting by using new technologies to present the additional content provided in IPAWS CAP messages are within the priorities of this grant. Projects that enable broadcasters to better alert, warn and provide equivalent information to individuals with disabilities, individuals with access and functional needs, and individuals with limited-English proficiency are within the priorities of the Next Generation Warning System Grant Program (NGWSGP).

Investments in technology, training, and support equipment creates financial burdens, especially for stations serving rural, tribal, territorial, and underserved areas. This grant is intended to alleviate these financial burdens for public broadcast stations needing to upgrade their equipment or improve their resilience during disasters. In these communities, public broadcast stations often serve as a primary source of critical emergency information compared to other areas with greater concentrations of private broadcasters.

Broadcast capability is only effective if the public has devices to receive the information, including those with disabilities and access and functional needs. Rural, tribal, and underserved communities may lack equipment to receive emergency information. Therefore, the scope of this grant includes the purchase of consumer receivers that work with ATSC 3.0 and HD radio, technologies that receive alerts from public broadcast stations, and technologies that are adaptable for future development for those with access and functional needs. To use funds for this purpose, FEMA requires that subrecipients work in collaboration with alerting authorities to develop operational best practices for aural and visual displays of alerts using ATSC 3.0 and digital radio technologies. Investments in receivers must be targeted, since there is not sufficient grant funding to provide receivers for large portions of the population. This equipment supports rural, tribal, and underserved communities’ access to emergency information.

FEMA IPAWS has established priority areas for grant awards to authorized sub-recipients. This grant helps public media entities replace aging infrastructure that is essential to their role in alert and warning. This grant also supports investments in new technology needed to enhance alert, warning, and other public safety communications systems. Addressing these priority areas support resilience, improve cybersecurity, service to underserved populations, and the ability to meet the evolving nature of public alerting challenges. This grant is guided by Executive Order 13985 on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.

FEMA and the awardee will review these priorities quarterly and refine them as needed based on evolving understanding of overall needs and opportunities. It is not FEMA’s intent for the awardee to undertake risky or low-value grant investments simply to favor a sub-grant application in a higher-priority investment area.

Grant funding shall only be given to subrecipients who plan to participate in the IPAWS Emergency Alert System (EAS).

Across the overall objectives, the program has established priorities to provide:

1. Advanced Technology for Public Broadcast Entities o Upgrading to ATSC 3.0, digital radio, or other emerging broadcast technology to redistribute CAP messages o Use of Advanced Emergency Information in ATSC 3.0 and/or Enhanced

Digital Radio Emergency Alerting

2. Resilience-related Equipment for Public Broadcast Entities o Replace aging equipment and/or improve cybersecurity hygiene o Purchase necessary resilience equipment including generators

3. Training for Technology and Resilience o Training in using NGWS and related technology to improve the distribution of emergency messages from IPAWS and in techniques to increase station resilience during emergencies

4. Consumer Receivers o Purchase and distribution of consumer receivers that help rural, tribal, and underserved communities access emergency information o Purchase and distribution of consumer receivers where broadcasters are close to or ready to transmit in ATSC 3.0 or HD Radio, requiring collaboration with alerting authorities to develop operational best practices for aural and visual displays of alerts using ATSC 3.0 and digital radio technologies

c. Alignment to Program Purpose and the DHS and FEMA Strategic Plan

The Next Generation Warning System Grant Program (NGWSGP) makes federal funds available to enable the adoption of emerging digital broadcast technology and standards and furthers the 2020-2024 DHS Strategic Plan Goal 5 (Strengthen Preparedness and Resilience). It also supports the 2022-2026 FEMA Strategic Plan Goal 1: Instill Equity as a Foundation of Emergency Management and Goal 3:

Promote and Sustain a Ready FEMA and a Prepared Nation.

11. Performance Measures

The awardee is subject to the following performance metrics for the Next Generation Warning System Grant Program :

• The number of stations whose resiliency was increased due to the replacement of aging generators or other infrastructure purchases using NGWSGP funds, including those that promote the operational readiness and security of equipment;

• The number of public broadcasting staff members trained in ATSC 3.0, HD Radio, or related digital broadcast technologies and station resilience using NGWSGP funds;

• The number of stations that used NGWSGP funds to enhance emergency alerting capabilities through ATSC 3.0, digital radio, and other emerging technologies;

• The percentage of projects awarded and estimated procurement completion within the period of performance aligned to the milestone schedule (submitted quarterly); and

• The percentage of public broadcasting entities that identify as rural and tribal (as defined by CPB) or underserved (defined by FEMA) that received grant funding.

In addition to the measures above focused on NGWSP outcomes, FEMA will track implementation performance as follows:

• Accomplishment of training and outreach prior to and during solicitation of sub-grants;

• Meeting the target date for the start of sub-grant solicitation;

• Meeting the target date for initial selection of sub-grants (ready for FEMA Office of

Environmental and Historic Preservation (OEHP) review);

• Meeting the target date for sub-awards (except for those sub-awards that OEHP determine to need a detailed Environmental Assessment); and,

• Meeting the target date for completion of work https://www.dhs.gov/publication/department-homeland-securitys-strategic-plan-fiscal-years-2020-2024

FEMA will track implementation performance against the following milestone deadlines:

FEMA will calculate and analyze the above metrics through a review of the recipient’s required quarterly financial and programmatic reports. FEMA will review and update performance measures as necessary to adequately track the success of this program.

IPAWS and the recipient shall meet at least twice per month to discuss grant program progress, risks and issues, and improvements to grant administration.

B. Federal Award Information

1. Available Funding for the NOFO: $40 million

2. Projected Number of Awards: One

3. Maximum Award Amount: $40 million

4. Period of Performance: 36 months

Extensions to the period of performance are allowed. For additional information on period of performance extensions, please refer to Section H of this NOFO.

5. Projected Period of Performance Start Date(s): Oct. 1, 2024

6. Projected Period of Performance End Date(s): Sept. 30, 2027

7. Projected Budget Period(s)

There will be only a single budget period with the same start and end dates as the period of performance.

8. Funding Instrument Type: Grant

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

Project Milestone Milestone deadline Develop Request for Application FY 2025 Q2 Accomplish training and outreach to potential subrecipients FY 2025 Q2

Start to solicit sub-grant applications FY 2025 Q3 Initial selection of projects FY 2026 Q1 Grant sub-awards FY 2026 Q2 Complete work (procurement of equipment, training, and other services and issue reimbursements to subrecipients)

FY 2027 Q4

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is the only eligible applicant.

2. Applicant Eligibility Criteria The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is the only eligible applicant.

3. Subawards and Beneficiaries

a. Subaward allowability Subawards are allowed under this grant program.

b. Subrecipient Eligibility Eligible subrecipients include those entities that meet the definition of “public broadcast entities” as defined in the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (47 U.S.C. §397(11)). To receive sub-grant awards, these sub-applicants shall follow a competitive application process designed by the primary awardee and approved by

FEMA.

c. Beneficiaries or Participants This NOFO and any subsequent federal awards create no rights or causes of action for any participant or beneficiary.

The public may be third-party beneficiaries of the program if subrecipients purchase and distribute consumer receivers. The subrecipient assesses the needs of their communities and submits an application stating how the receivers will benefit their listeners.

4. Cost Share or Match There is no cost share/match requirement.

D. Application and Submission Information

1. Key Dates and Times

a. Application Start Date: Aug. 20, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. ET

b. Application Submission Deadline: Sept. 18, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. ET

All applications must be received by the established deadline.

FEMA’s Grants Outcomes System (FEMA GO) automatically records proof of timely submission and the system generates an electronic date/time stamp when FEMA GO successfully receives the application. The individual with the Authorized Organization Representative role that submitted the application will also receive the official date/time stamp and a FEMA GO tracking number in an email serving as proof of their timely submission. For additional information on how an applicant will be notified of application receipt, see the subsection titled “Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission” in Section D of this NOFO.

FEMA will not review applications that are received after the deadline or consider these late applications for funding. 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 the applicant’s control that prevent submission of the application by the deadline, other exigent or emergency circumstances, or statutory requirements for FEMA to make an award.

Applicants experiencing technical problems outside of their control must notify FEMA as soon as possible and before the application deadline. Failure to timely notify FEMA of the issue that prevented the timely filing of the application may preclude consideration of the award. “Timely notification” of FEMA means the following: prior to the application deadline and within 48 hours after the applicant became aware of the issue.

A list of FEMA contacts can be found in Section G of this NOFO, “DHS Awarding Agency Contact Information.” For technical assistance with the FEMA GO system, please contact the FEMA GO Helpdesk at femago@fema.dhs.gov or (877) 585-3242, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Eastern Time (ET). For programmatic or grants management questions, please contact your Program Analyst or Grants Management Specialist. If applicants do not know who to contact or if there are programmatic questions or concerns, please contact the fema-grants-news@fema.dhs.gov, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET.

c. Anticipated Funding Selection Date: No later than Sept. 20, 2024

d. Anticipated Award Date: No later than Sept. 29, 2024

e. Other Key Dates

2. Agreeing to Terms and Conditions of the Award By submitting an application, applicants agree to comply with the requirements of this NOFO and the terms and conditions of the award, should they receive an award.

Event Suggested Deadline for Completion Obtaining Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number

Four weeks before actual submission deadline

Obtaining a valid Employer Identification Number (EIN) Four weeks before actual submission deadline

Creating an account with login.gov Four weeks before actual submission deadline Registering in SAM or updating SAM registration Four weeks before actual submission deadline

Registering Organization in FEMA GO Prior to beginning application

Submitting complete application in FEMA GO One week before actual submission deadline mailto:femago@fema.dhs.gov mailto:fema-grants-news@fema.dhs.gov

3. Address to Request Application Package Applications are processed through the FEMA GO system. To access the system, go to https://go.fema.gov/.

Hard copies of the NOFO can be downloaded at Grants.gov or obtained via email from the Awarding Office points of contact listed in Section G of this NOFO, “DHS Awarding Agency Contact Information” or by TTY (800) 462-7585.

4. Requirements: Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and Register in the System for

Award Management (SAM.gov) Each applicant, unless they have a valid exception under 2 CFR §25.110, must:

a. Be registered in Sam.Gov before application submission.

b. Provide a valid UEI in its application.

c. Continue to always maintain an active SAM registration with current information during the federal award process. Note: Per 2 C.F.R. § 25.300, subrecipients are NOT required to go through the full SAM registration process. First-tier subrecipients (meaning entities receiving funds directly from the recipient) are only required to obtain a UEI through SAM, but they are not required to complete the full SAM registration in order to obtain a UEI. Recipients may not make subawards unless the subrecipient has obtained and provided the UEI.

Lower-tier subrecipients (meaning entities receiving funds passed through by a higher-tier subrecipient) are not required to have a UEI and are not required to register in SAM.

Applicants are also not permitted to require subrecipients to complete a full registration in SAM beyond obtaining the UEI.

5. Steps Required to Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier, Register in the System for Award

Management (SAM), and Submit an Application Applicants are encouraged to register early as the registration process for this program can take four weeks or more to complete. Therefore, registration should be done in sufficient time to ensure it does not impact your ability to meet required submission deadlines.

Please review the table above for estimated deadlines to complete each of the steps listed.

Failure of an applicant to comply with any of the required steps before the deadline for submitting an application may disqualify that application from funding.

To apply for an award under this program, all applicants must:

a. Apply for, update, or verify their UEI number and Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service;

b. In the application, provide an UEI number;

c. Have an account with login.gov;

d. Register for, update, or verify their SAM account and ensure the account is active before submitting the application;

e. Register in FEMA GO, add the organization to the system, and establish the AOR.

The organization’s electronic business point of contact (EBiz POC) from the SAM registration may need to be involved in this step. For step-by-step instructions, see https://www.fema.gov/grants/guidance-tools/fema-go/startup https://go.fema.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://sam.gov/content/home https://www.login.gov/ https://www.fema.gov/grants/guidance-tools/fema-go/startup

f. Submit the complete application in FEMA GO; and

g. Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a federal awarding agency. As part of this, applicants must also provide information on an applicant’s immediate and highest-level owner and subsidiaries, as well as on all predecessors that have been awarded federal contracts or federal financial assistance within the last three years, if applicable.

Applicants are advised that FEMA may not make a federal award until the applicant has complied with all applicable SAM requirements. Therefore, an applicant’s SAM registration must be active not only at the time of application, but also during the application review period and when FEMA is ready to make a federal award. Further, as noted above, an applicant’s or recipient’s SAM registration must remain active for the duration of an active federal award. If an applicant’s SAM registration is expired at the time of application, expires during application review, or expires any other time before award, FEMA may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a federal award to another applicant.

Per 2 C.F.R. § 25.110(c)(2)(iii), if an applicant is experiencing exigent circumstances that prevents it from obtaining an UEI number and completing SAM registration prior to receiving a federal award, the applicant must notify FEMA as soon as possible by contacting fema-grants-news@fema.dhs.gov and providing the details of the circumstances that prevent completion of these requirements. If FEMA determines that there are exigent circumstances and FEMA has decided to make an award, the applicant will be required to obtain an UEI number, if applicable, and complete SAM registration within 30 days of the federal award date.

6. Electronic Delivery DHS 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 encourages or requires applicants to submit their applications online through Grants.gov, depending on the funding opportunity.

For this funding opportunity, FEMA requires applicants to submit applications through

FEMA GO.

7. How to Register to Apply through FEMA GO

a. General Instructions:

Registering and applying for an award under this program is a multi-step process and requires time to complete. Read the instructions below about registering to apply for FEMA funds. Applicants should read the registration instructions carefully and prepare the information requested before beginning the registration process.

Reviewing and assembling the required information before beginning the registration process will alleviate last-minute searches for required information.

mailto:fema-grants-news@fema.dhs.gov

The registration process can take up to four weeks to complete. To ensure an application meets the deadline, applicants are advised to start the required steps well in advance of their submission.

Organizations must have an UEI number, an EIN, an active SAM registration and Grants.gov account to apply for a federal award under this funding opportunity.

b. Obtain an UEI Number:

All entities applying for funding, including renewal funding, must have a UEI number. Applicants must enter the UEI number in the applicable data entry field on the SF-424 form.

For more detailed instructions for obtaining a UEI number, refer to: SAM.gov

c. Obtain Employer Identification Number All entities applying for funding must provide an Employer Identification Number (EIN). The EIN can be obtained from the IRS by visiting:

https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/apply-for-an-employer-identification-number-ein-online.

d. Create a login.gov account:

Applicants must have a login.gov account in order to register with SAM or update their SAM registration. Applicants can create a login.gov account here:

https://secure.login.gov/sign_up/enter_email?request_id=34f19fa8-14a2-438c-8323-a62b99571fd3.

Applicants only have to create a login.gov account once. For applicants that are existing SAM users, use the same email address for the login.gov account as with SAM.gov so that the two accounts can be linked.

For more information on the login.gov requirements for SAM registration, refer to:

https://www.sam.gov/SAM/pages/public/loginFAQ.jsf.

e. Register with SAM:

All applicants applying online through FEMA GO must register with SAM. Failure to register with SAM will prevent an applicant from completing the application in FEMA GO. SAM registration must be renewed annually. Organizations will be issued a UEI number with the completed SAM registration.

For more detailed instructions for registering with SAM, refer to https://apply07.grants.gov/help/html/help/Register/RegisterWithSAM.htm

Note: Per 2 C.F.R. § 25.200, applicants must also provide the applicant’s immediate and highest-level owner, subsidiaries, and predecessors that have been awarded federal contracts or federal financial assistance within the last three years, if https://sam.gov/content/home https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/apply-for-an-employer-identification-number-ein-online https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/apply-for-an-employer-identification-number-ein-online https://secure.login.gov/sign_up/enter_email?request_id=34f19fa8-14a2-438c-8323-a62b99571fd3 https://secure.login.gov/sign_up/enter_email?request_id=34f19fa8-14a2-438c-8323-a62b99571fd3 https://www.sam.gov/SAM/pages/public/loginFAQ.jsf https://apply07.grants.gov/help/html/help/Register/RegisterWithSAM.htm applicable.

I. ADDITIONAL SAM REMINDERS

Existing SAM.gov account holders should check their account to make sure it is “ACTIVE.” SAM registration should be completed at the very beginning of the application period and should be renewed annually to avoid being “INACTIVE.”

Please allow plenty of time before the grant application submission deadline to obtain an UEI number and then to register in SAM. It may be four weeks or more after an applicant submits the SAM registration before the registration is active in SAM, and then it may be an additional 24 hours before FEMA’s system recognizes the information.

It is imperative that the information applicants provide is correct and current.

Please ensure that your organization’s name, address, and EIN are up to date in SAM and that the UEI number used in SAM is the same one used to apply for all other FEMA awards. Payment under any FEMA award is contingent on the recipient’s having a current SAM registration.

II. HELP WITH SAM

The SAM quick start guide for new recipient registration and SAM video tutorial for new applicants are tools created by the General Services Administration (GSA) to assist those registering with SAM. If applicants have questions or concerns about a SAM registration, please contact the Federal Support Desk at https://www.fsd.gov/fsd-gov/home.do or call toll free (866) 606-8220.

f. Register in FEMA GO, Add the Organization to the System, and Establish the

AOR:

Applicants must register in FEMA GO and add their organization to the system. The organization’s electronic business point of contact (EBiz POC) from the SAM registration may need to be involved in this step. For step-by-step instructions, see

Note: FEMA GO will support only the most recent major release of the following browsers:

• Google Chrome

• Internet Explorer

• Mozilla Firefox

• Apple Safari

• Microsoft Edge

Users who attempt to use tablet type devices or other browsers may encounter issues with using FEMA GO.

8. Submitting the Final Application in FEMA GO https://www.fsd.gov/fsd-gov/home.do

Applicants will be prompted to submit the standard application information and any program-specific information required as described in Section D.10 of this NOFO, “Content and Form of Application Submission.” The Standard Forms (SF) may be accessed in the Forms tab under the https://grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family Applicants should review these forms before applying to ensure they have all the information required.

After submitting the final application, FEMA GO will provide either an error message or a successfully received transmission in the form of an email sent to the AOR that submitted the application. Applicants using slow internet connections, such as dial-up connections, should be aware that transmission can take some time before FEMA GO receives your application.

For additional application submission requirements, including program-specific requirements, please refer to the subsection titled “Content and Form of Application Submission” under Section D of this NOFO.

9. Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission All applications must be completed in FEMA GO by the application deadline. FEMA GO automatically records proof of timely submission and the system generates an electronic date/time stamp when FEMA GO successfully receives the application. The individual with the AOR role that submitted the application will also receive the official date/time stamp and a FEMA GO tracking number in an email serving as proof of their timely submission on the date and time that FEMA GO received the application.

Applicants who experience system-related issues will be addressed until 3:00 PM ET on the date applications are due. No new system-related issues will be addressed after this deadline. Applications not received by the application submission deadline will not be accepted.

10. Content and Form of Application Submission

Generally, applicants have to submit either the non-construction forms (i.e., SF-424A and SF-424B) or construction forms (i.e., SF-424C and SF-424D), meaning that applicants that only have construction work and do not have any non-construction work need only submit the construction forms (i.e., SF-424C and SF-424D) and not the non-construction forms (i.e., SF-424A and SF-424B), and vice versa. However, applicants who have both construction and non-construction work under this program need to submit both the construction and non-construction forms.

a. Standard Required Application Forms and Information The following forms or information are required to be submitted via FEMA GO.

The Standard Forms (SF) are also available at https://grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family

• SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance

• Grants.gov Lobbying Form, Certification Regarding Lobbying

• SF-424A, Budget Information (Non-Construction) o For construction under an award, submit SF-424C, Budget Information (Construction), in addition to or instead of SF-424A https://grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family https://grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family https://grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family

• SF-424B, Standard Assurances (Non-Construction) o For construction under an award, submit SF-424D, Standard

Assurances (Construction), in addition to or instead of SF-424B

• SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

b. Program-Specific Required Forms and Information

The following program-specific forms or information are required to be submitted in

FEMA GO:

• Work Plan Narrative. A summary (narrative) of an applicant’s Work Plan for the grant funding that identifies the proposed Allowable Activities, tasks, schedule and deliverables, and the project management strategy

• Budget. The applicant must provide a budget for the funds requested

• Master Schedule/Deliverable Table. This document will combine a schedule of planned activities with milestones and expected dates for completion, along with their associated deliverables (e.g., people trained, publications distributed, conferences/workshops/drills held, policies made, website improvements, etc.)

• Competitive Sub-grant Process Description. A description, including a planned schedule and evaluation criteria, of how the awardee plans to solicit, review, and award sub-grants using these funds to focus sub-award funding at the areas of greatest need and greatest likely benefit to communities

• Milestone Schedule. How the recipient plans to manage approval and distribution of funds over the period of performance.

• Overall approach for managing the purchase and redistribution of consumer receivers. The applicant shall describe how they intend to evaluate subgrant applications that include consumer receivers. FEMA understands that innovative uses and applications may be proposed by sub-applicants, so this section should describe the general evaluation approach rather than trying to account for all approaches for the use of consumer receivers. Transparency and frequent program reporting helps FEMA assess performance of the sub-grant process and of subrecipients effective use of funds.

11. 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;

Intergovernmental Review (SPOC List) (whitehouse.gov)

12. Funding Restrictions and Allowable Costs All costs charged to federal awards (including both federal funding and any non-federal matching or cost sharing funds) must comply with applicable statutes, rules and regulations, and policies, this NOFO, and the terms and conditions of the federal award. They must also comply with the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements at 2 C.F.R. Part 200 unless otherwise indicated in the NOFO or the terms and conditions of the federal award. This includes, among other requirements, that costs must be https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12372.html https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/SPOC-4-13-20.pdf incurred and products and services must be delivered within the budget period. 2 C.F.R. § 200.403(h). The following identifies a list of activities for which a recipient may not use federal funds and any cost sharing or matching funds under federal awards:

• Matching or cost sharing requirements for other federal grants and cooperative agreements (see 2 C.F.R. § 200.306)

• Lobbying or other prohibited activities under 18 U.S.C. § 1913 or 2 C.F.R. § 200.450

• Prosecuting claims against the federal government or any other government entity

(see 2 C.F.R. § 200.435) See subsections below for information on any other funding restrictions.

As noted in Section A.10 (Program Overview, Objectives, and Priorities), this funding is intended to replace aging equipment, software, and services to improve emergency alert transmission and provide advanced technology, resilience equipment, and training. As noted in Section A.10 (Program Overview, Objectives, and Priorities), this funding is intended to provide:

1. General Transmission and Reception Hardware and Software

• EAS encoders and decoders

• Transmitters

• HVAC equipment

• Software that can issue locally generated emergency alerts and warnings

• Translators

• Routing and production switchers

• Antennas

• Tower Install and Modifications

• Studio transmission lines

• Studio to Transmitter Links

• Emergency backup studio systems at tower site

• IP Networking

• Receivers

• Automatic transfer switches

• Consumer receivers

If a subrecipient intends to purchase consumer receivers, their subgrant application must include their approach for managing the purchase and distribution of devices.

2. Advanced Technology to enable IPAWS alerting capability For television stations, this includes ATSC 3.0 and related technologies and equipment.

Television Transmission and Reception Facilities Related costs may include:

• ATSC 3 Exciter

• Scheduler/Broadcast Gateway

• Monitoring, Test and Measurement

• A3SA Certificates for Digital Rights Management (DRM) Licensing

• Distribution to Multi-channel Video Programming Distributor (MVPD)

• Field Engineering

• Fees for FCC licensing and reporting requirements

• Broadcaster Application for Advanced Emergency Information (AEI)

For radio stations, this includes digital broadcast technology and equipment.

Radio Transmission and Reception Facilities Related costs

• HD Radio Importer/Exporter

• Radio Data Systems (RDS) or HD Radio

• Field Engineering

• Software license

• Monitoring, Test and Measurement

• Upgrades to compatible digital encoders for Enhanced Digital Radio Emergency

Information

3. Resilience-related equipment and technology costs

• Emergency generators and emergency generator backups

• Fiber backhaul

4. Historic and Environmental Preservation studies and Environmental Assessments, as deemed necessary by FEMA Office of Environmental and Historic Preservation reviews

5. Geotechnical studies, as deemed necessary by FEMA Office of Environmental and Historic Preservation reviews

6. Training in using NGWS and related technology to improve the distribution of emergency messages from IPAWS and in techniques to increase station resilience during emergencies

Grant funds are not to be used for:

• Vehicles;

• Funding staff positions; and

• General cosmetic and structural station upgrades and maintenance unrelated to technologies and equipment described in section A.10 and above.

There is a FEMA-approved list of allowable equipment to purchase under the NGWSGP.

The recipient can request to add equipment to this list, which is reviewed by FEMA IPAWS.

FEMA does not endorse, approve, or recommend any specific contractors or manufacturers’ product.

The awardee and subrecipients shall follow requirements set forth in 2 C.F.R. § 200.313, 2 C.F.R. § 200.439 and related guidance related to allowable costs and management requirements for equipment purchased through this program. These include requirements to maintain records and conduct inventories until equipment is disposed of.

a. Prohibitions on Expending FEMA Award Funds for Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services Recipients, subrecipients, and their contractors must comply with the prohibitions set forth in Section 889 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, Pub. L. No. 115-232 (2018) (FY 2019 NDAA) and 2 C.F.R. §§ 200.216, 200.327, 200.471, and Appendix II to 2 C.F.R. Part 200. The FY 2019 NDAA and these regulations, as they apply to recipients, subrecipients, and their contractors and subcontractors, provide for two distinct prohibitions: (1) prevent the use of federal award funds to procure or obtain covered telecommunications equipment or services; and (2) prevent the use of federal award funds to contract with an entity that uses such covered telecommunications equipment or services.

Guidance is available at FEMA Policy #405-143-1 - Prohibitions on Expending FEMA Award Funds for Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services

Additional guidance is available at Contract Provisions Guide: Navigating Appendix II to Part 200 - Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards (fema.gov).

FEMA recipients and subrecipients may not use any FEMA funds under open or new awards to:

• Procure or obtain any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology of any system;

• Enter into, extend, or renew a contract to procure or obtain any equipment, system, or service that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology of any system; or

• Enter into, extend, or renew contracts with entities that use covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system.

I. REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES

FEMA grant funding may be permitted to procure replacement equipment and services impacted by this prohibition, provided the costs are otherwise consistent with the requirements of the NOFO.

II. DEFINITIONS

Per section 889(f)(2)-(3) of the FY 2019 NDAA and 2 C.F.R. § 200.216, covered telecommunications equipment or services means:

i. Telecommunications equipment produced by Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation, (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities);

ii. For the purpose of public safety, security of Government facilities, physical security surveillance of critical infrastructure, and other national security purposes, video surveillance and telecommunications equipment produced by Hytera Communications Corporation, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/COMPS-15483/pdf/COMPS-15483.pdf https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_policy-405-143-1-prohibition-covered-services-equipment-gpd.pdf https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_policy-405-143-1-prohibition-covered-services-equipment-gpd.pdf https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_contract-provisions-guide_6-14-2021.pdf https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_contract-provisions-guide_6-14-2021.pdf https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_contract-provisions-guide_6-14-2021.pdf

Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company, or Dahua Technology Company (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities);

iii. Telecommunications or video surveillance services provided by such entities or using such equipment; or

iv. Telecommunications or video surveillance equipment or services produced or provided by an entity that the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence or the Director of the FBI, reasonably believes to be an entity owned or controlled by, or otherwise connected to, the People’s Republic of China.

Examples of the types of products covered by this prohibition include phones, internet, video surveillance, and cloud servers when produced, provided, or used by the entities listed in the definition of “covered telecommunications equipment or services.” See 2 C.F.R. § 200.471.

b. Pre-Award Costs

Pre-award costs are not allowable.

c. Management and Administration (M&A) Costs Management and Administration costs are allowed under this program. Management and Administration costs are activities directly related to implementing the award.

FEMA will allow recipients to use up to 5% of the amount of the award for their M&A and sub recipients may use up to 5% of the amount they receive for M&A.

Funding levels for these costs must be negotiated on a per-project basis with the appropriate awarding office and should include an itemized listing of specific costs associated with M&A.

M&A costs include direct charges to the grant related to the administration aspects of implementing the award, such as salaries and benefits of human resources, administrative or finance personnel who support the execution of the grant but are not completing specific project activities.

Costs such as travel, meeting-related expenses, and salaries in direct support of the administration of the award are also examples of typically allowable M&A costs.

Other M&A costs might include general operating costs when direct billed. However, M&A costs are not allowable as direct charges to the award when these costs are included in a recipient’s negotiated indirect cost rate agreement.

Certain administrative costs are not…