oppEP-HIT-18-002-cfda93.835-cidEP-HIT-18-002-062638-instructions.docx

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (Critical Infrastructure Protection Program)

Funding Opportunity Announcement and Grant Application Instructions

ASPR FUNDING FOR HEALTHCARE AND PUBLIC HEALTH (HPH) SECTOR INFORMATION SHARING AND ANALYSIS ORGANIZATION (ISAO): Supporting HHS’ Responsibilities as Sector- Specific Agency to Engage and Coordinate with HPH Sector Partners During Steady-State and Response Operations

(CFDA #93.835)

Funding Opportunity Number: EP-HIT-18-002 All Applications must be submitted by: September 11, 2018 at 11:59pm EDT

Table of Contents

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

II. AWARD INFORMATION

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

VIII. OTHER INFORMATION

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

Executive Summary and Background

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) announces a cooperative agreement funding opportunity for an information sharing and analysis organization (ISAO) within the Health Care and Public Health (HPH) Sector. The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to build the capacity of HHS as the HPH Sector-Specific Agency to coordinate with private sector during steady-state and emergency response, provide outreach and education to HPH Sector stakeholders on preparedness and risk mitigation activities, and enhance the ability of bi-directional information-sharing related to open and closed data streams. Under this FOA, the awardee will receive Federal grant funds to develop the infrastructure needed to independently support the Private Sector Coordinating Council (SCC) operational functions required to successfully engage with the Federal government, explore and establish best practices for data usage related to health system supply chain, and enhance the capabilities of the Federal government in emergency response situations through exercises, operational enhancements, and information-sharing. This initiative is designed to leverage existing financial and technical resources from Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR).

ASPR anticipates providing funds over a five year period (subject to availability of appropriations and satisfactory performance of the recipient during the previous budget period).

Funding under this award will not be sufficient to, and is not intended to, fund the awardee’s entire operation. Rather, ASPR intends that the successful awardee will use the funding to expand the awardee’s scope of bi-directional information sharing and outreach, exercise and response capabilities, and risk mitigation communications to include HHS and the entire HPH Sector, where the awardee has demonstrated that they are currently functioning as an ISAO within the HPH Sector. Thus, in order to qualify for this funding, applicants are expected to be currently functioning as an organization that is sharing information, planning and executing exercises and response coordination activities, and promoting risk mitigation within the HPH Sector and have the capability to expand under this cooperative agreement.

The awardee will have the opportunity to work with and receive technical assistance from ASPR, including a combination of staff time, funding, subject matter expertise and technical assistance to one awardee for the qualifying project. The Funding Office anticipates providing a total of a maximum of $2.75 million over five years in federal support, subject to the availability of funds and satisfactory performance of the recipient during the previous budget period. After the funding period has ended, ASPR will continue to work closely with the recipient to ensure that coordination and information-sharing continues.

Background Information:

State of the HPH Sector and Existing Challenges

U.S. Critical Infrastructure is comprised of “systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that the incapacity or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination of those matters.” Under the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) for 2013, government and private sector entities share responsibility for securing and enhancing the resilience of HPH Sector critical infrastructure. The NIPP partnership framework is built upon the imperative to bring together public and private sector partners to coordinate security and resilience efforts at the sector-level. To accomplish this aim, in accordance with PPD-21, HHS serves as the Sector-Specific Agency (SSA) for the HPH Sector and is responsible for managing and coordinating broad-based sector security and resilience activities.

The HHS Secretary has delegated leadership responsibility for PPD-21 implementation and other activities under the NIPP 2013 to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). ASPR serves as the Secretary’s principal advisor on public health emergencies and leads a collaborative approach to the department’s preparedness, response, and recovery portfolio. ASPR is also the lead office responsible for all Federal public health and medical response to public health emergencies and incidents covered by the National Response Framework (NRF) and National Disaster Recovery Framework.

As the SSA, HHS is responsible for bringing together leaders in business and government to prepare for and protect against all hazards facing the Sector. The HPH Sector partnership identifies and prioritizes the most critical elements of the Nation’s HPH infrastructure, shares information on risks impacting that infrastructure, and implements activities to protect and enhance the resilience of the Sector. The partnership consists of a Government Coordinating Council (GCC) made up of government partners and a Sector Coordinating Council (SCC) made up of private sector partners. The two councils collaborate through a number of joint working groups. This model works by organizing individual SCC and GCC working groups and then creating jointing working groups which convene to cover matters of joint concern.

The SCC is a self-governing body made up of representatives of privately owned and operated healthcare facilities, nongovernmental organizations, trade associations, and professional societies that operate within the healthcare arena. The SCC provides a forum for partners to discuss private sector interests and perspectives in the public-private effort to protect and enhance the resilience of HPH critical infrastructure. The SCC mission is two-fold: first, to service the needs of owners and operators in regard to preparing for, responding to, and recovering from all hazards; and second, to represent the interests of the private sector to FSLTT agencies and to inform government policy, plans, and programs relevant to HPH infrastructure security and resilience. The SCC is currently organized into six standing subcouncils that represent the major HPH private subsectors: Direct Patient Healthcare; Health Information Technology; Health Plans and Payers; Mass Fatality Management Services; Medical Materials; and Laboratories, Blood, and Pharmaceuticals.

The HPH GCC is the public sector component of the Sector’s public-private partnership framework. The mission of the GCC is to provide effective coordination of HPH Sector risk management strategies and activities, policies, and communication across government agencies and between the government and the private sector.

Key activities are supported by a number of joint working groups. Members of the SCC and GCC participate in standing workgroups (WGs) that monitor and manage issues of relevance to the Sector, such as risk management, cybersecurity, and supply chain. The WGs undertake long-term projects that produce concrete deliverables to help inform and advise the SCC Executive Committee.

To achieve infrastructure security and resilience, critical infrastructure partners must collectively identify national priorities; articulate clear goals; mitigate risk; measure progress; and adapt based on feedback and the changing environment. The HPH Sector Partnership must reflect changes in the critical infrastructure risk, policy, and operating environments and be informed by the need to integrate the cyber, physical, and human elements of critical infrastructure in managing risk.

Recent national and international responses such as the WannaCry and Petya/notPetya cyber events, the 2017 California wildfires, and Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria have demonstrated the need for improved information sharing and coordination of efforts between public and private sector organizations, agencies, and stakeholders in the HPH Sector. These organizations require access to timely and accurate information in order to manage resources, respond to imminent threats to the nation’s health system, and establish proactive measures to effectively enhance risk mitigation capabilities within the HPH Sector.

As part of HHS’s evaluation criteria, applicants shall demonstrate their knowledge of PPD-21, the National Infrastructure Protection Plan, and the HPH Sector Specific Plan (2016).

Authority

Division H, title II of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018, P.L. 115-141 National Infrastructure Protection Plan 2013 Presidential Policy Directive 21

Purpose

During steady-state and normal operations, HHS, as the HPH SSA, relies on the SCC and GCC to identify priority risk areas, promote risk mitigation activities across the sector, identify industry and government members of the partnership, and share information during disaster response and recovery. The partnership is only as strong as its members and ability to coordinate activities during steady state and response. This Funding Opportunity Announcement enhances HHS’ ability to support the activities of the partnership and more effectively mitigate risk across the HPH Sector in the following areas:

1) Technical and administrative support to the SCC/GCC

a. Analyze current and identify key new membership of the Councils’ 6 subsectors

b. Develop and distribute outreach materials to new members at the request of Sector leadership

c. Administrative support for communications mechanisms including email and teleconference lines and up to 6 teleconference meetings per month, including SCC and Joint Working Group

d. Planning and administrative support for 2 in-person Joint Meetings of the SCC and GCC

e. Administrative support for management of SCC rosters, email management, and any additional systems as applicable

f. Explore mechanisms to allow the SCC to be self-sufficient through the course of this award period and transition responsibilities to those mechanisms

g. Assist SCC leadership in implementing mechanisms to coordinate activities and share information during steady-state and disaster

2) Information-sharing and analysis for the HPH Sector

a. Identify essential elements of information needed to develop a Common Operating Picture across government and private sector during disaster response

b. Explore and implement (as requested) best mechanism for information-sharing and/or data collection, as appropriate, between SCC members and/or with the Federal government

c. Support development of Common Operating Pictures for specific infrastructure, such as supply manufacturing and distribution, or cross-sector interdependencies for use in steady-state and response

d. Develop a strategy for updating and maintaining list(s) of HPH Sector critical infrastructure

3) Exercise, Response, and Recovery Operations

a. Plan and participate in 1 Sector-wide exercise of information-sharing capabilities per year; engage a majority of SCC membership in National Level Exercises 2020 and 2022

b. Represent SCC in the HHS Secretary’s Operations Center during response operations as requested by SSA

c. Coordinate response operations with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to include coordination of requests for or offers of donations through the National Voluntary Organizations Assisting in Disasters (NVOAD) and private sector request for information through the National Business Emergency Operations Center (NBEOC) or other Federal Agencies as requested

d. Advance efforts to identify which private sector HPH Sector facilities are open in disaster-affected areas; arrange necessary data-sharing agreements;

4) Goal-setting for the HPH Sector

a. Lead 2019 refresh of 2016 HPH Sector-Specific Plan

b. Implement mechanism for Sector review of goals and measurement of success on a quarterly and annual basis

5) Support specific projects on HPH Sector Goals at the request of the SSA

a. Topics may include the risk assessment, crisis re-entry credentialing, medical product supply chain resilience, cybersecurity, active shooter, energy resilience, and/or access to prescription medications and durable medical equipment during disasters Meetings

Awardee will be expected to become a member of the HPH SCC, if not already, and participate in SCC functions as a member in addition to any support provided as part of this cooperative agreement.

Awardee will also attend either in-person or virtually meetings of SCC and/or GCC leadership as requested; which will include at least the monthly SCC/GCC Leadership Coordination Meetings held in Washington, DC and the two annual Joint Councils Meetings (varying locations).

Awardee will also coordinate with staff from the ASPR Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Program on a bi-weekly basis to ensure administrative management of this cooperative agreement.

Implementation

Applicants must address all activities and strategies listed below in their application.

Evaluation and Performance Measurement

Progress reports are due quarterly. The progress reports will address, to the extent applicable:

· Degree to which performance goals were attained (actual performance versus targeted performance)

· Data source and validation method for performance measures

· Opportunities to address performance deficiencies

· Accomplishments

· Next steps

· Challenges/ Barriers

· Recommendations to address challenges and barriers

ASPR will provide specific guidance regarding the content and format of the progress reports.

Eligibility and Funding Strategy

Eligibility is limited to U.S. organizations. Eligible applicants that can apply for this funding opportunity are listed below:

· Nonprofit with 501(c)3 IRS status (other than institution of higher education)

· Nonprofit without 501(c)3 IRS status (other than institution of higher education)

· Universities

· Colleges

· Research institutions

· Hospitals

· Community-based organizations

· Faith-based organizations

Organizations must currently be participating in healthcare and/or public health information sharing and analysis activities in order to be eligible for this cooperative agreement.

Applications will be reviewed by a review panel of Federal Government and Private Sector subject matter experts.

Cooperative Agreement Award

The Federal Grant and Cooperative Agreement Act of 1977, 31 U.S.C. 6305, defines the cooperative agreement as similar to a grant in that a thing of value is transferred to a recipient to carry out a public purpose. However, a cooperative agreement is used whenever substantial federal involvement with the recipient during performance is anticipated. The difference between grants and cooperative agreements is the degree of federal programmatic involvement rather than the type of administrative requirements imposed.

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

Total availability of funds: $2,950,000 Approximate number of awards given: 1 Approximate award: $450,000

ASPR Activities

ASPR will be responsible for the review and approval of program activities including, but not limited to, the proposed use of funds and activities to meet the terms and conditions of the award. ASPR will also approve timelines and review progress of the program as well as monitor reporting requirements. Progress evaluation will include the development of timelines and milestones and the oversight of proposed activities through quarterly reports and on-site joint visits with principal investigator / program managers and others in the United States Government (USG) as needed.

HHS – ASPR Activities:

ASPR staff collaborator(s) and/or designee(s) activities for this program are as follows:

· Participate in orientation and/or summary update meetings with the grantee(s) on expectations, regulations and key management requirements, as well as reporting requirements, formats and contents.

· Participate in the development, review and approval of the awardee’s annual work plan, detailed budget, and monitoring and evaluation plan.

· Meet via teleconference on a bi-weekly basis with the awardee to assess technical and financial progress.

· Participate in periodic site visits to the awardee(s) and provide the awardee(s) with requested input and expert assistance as appropriate.

· Provide awardee with technical assistance and consultation in identification of appropriate resources outside of both the awardee and HHS to support awardee activities.

· Coordinate activities and synergies with the awardee for this FOA with other ASPR awardees.

· Work cooperatively with the awardee to assure that all necessary information and progress resulting from this cooperative agreement is provided to APSR in a format that will allow the Department of Health and Human Services to assess the continuing benefits and communicate the successes of the cooperative agreement to the general public. Collaborate with the awardee on designing and implementing the activities listed above, including, but not limited to the provision of technical assistance to develop program activities, participation on expert assessment panels (as appropriate) the presentation and possibly publication of program results and findings, and the management and tracking of finances related to the projects in conjunction with ASPR.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

FOA Title ASPR FUNDING FOR HEALTHCARE AND PUBLIC HEALTH (HPH) SECTOR INFORMATION SHARING AND ANALYSIS ORGANIZATION (ISAO): Supporting HHS’ Responsibilities as Sector- Specific Agency to Engage and Coordinate with HPH Sector Partners During Steady-State and Response Operations

Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement

Fiscal Year Funds: 2018

Approximate Total Funding: $2,950,000 (over five (5) years) This amount is subject to availability of funds. Includes direct and indirect costs.

Approximate Number of Awards: 1

Approximate Average Award: $450,000

Floor of Individual Award Range: $282,000

Ceiling of Individual Award Range: $700,000

Anticipated Award Date: September 30, 2018

Budget Period Length: September 30, 2018 through September 29, 2019

Project Period Length: September 30, 2018 through September 29, 2023

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Eligible Applicants

The following recipients may submit an application:

· Nonprofit with 501(c)3 IRS status (other than institution of higher education)

· Nonprofit without 501(c)3 IRS status (other than institution of higher education)

· Universities

· Colleges

· Research institutions

· Hospitals

· Community-based organizations

· Faith-based organizations

Cost Sharing/Match and/or Maintenance of Effort/Funding

There is no cost sharing or match requirement for this project.

Maintenance of effort/funding is not required for this program.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Address to Request Application Package

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

Contact person regarding this FOA is:

Laura Wolf Director, Division of Critical Infrastructure Telephone: 202-260-0666 Email: cip@hhs.gov

Applicants must download the application package associated with this funding opportunity from grants.gov. If the applicant encounters technical difficulties with grants.gov, the applicant should contact grants.gov customer service. The grants.gov contact center is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with the exception of all federal holidays. The contact center provides customer service to the applicant community. The extended hours will provide applicants support around the clock, ensuring the best possible customer service is received any time it is needed. You can reach the grants.gov support center at 1-800-518-4726 or by email at support@grants.gov. Submissions sent by email, fax, CDs, or thumb drives of applications will not be accepted.

Applicants are encouraged to submit their application prior to the due date of September 11, 2018.

Required Registrations

Applicants must register with the System for Award Management (SAM) and Grants.gov (see below for all registration requirements).

1. GET REGISTERED

You are required to complete three (3) registration processes:

1. Dun & Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (to obtain a DUNS number);

2. System for Award Management (SAM);and

3. Grants.gov If this is your first time submitting an application, you must complete all three registration processes. If you have already completed registrations for DUNS and SAM, you need to ensure that your accounts are still active, and then register in Grants.gov. If your organization is not registered by the deadline, the application will not be accepted.

The organization must maintain an active and up-to-date SAM and DUNS registrations in order for ASPR to make an award.

1.1 Dun & Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Registration Applicants are required to obtain a valid DUNS Number, also known as the Unique Entity Identifier, and provide that number in the application. Obtaining a DUNS number is easy and there is no charge.

To obtain a DUNS number, access the Dun and Bradstreet website at: http://www.dnb.com or call 1-866-705-5711. To expedite the process, let Dun and Bradstreet know that you are a public/private nonprofit organization getting ready to submit a federal grant application. The DUNS number you use on your application must be registered and active in the System for Award Management (SAM).

1.2 System for Award Management (SAM) Registration

You must also register with the System for Award Management (SAM) and continue to maintain active SAM registration with current information during the period of time your organization has an active federal award or an application under consideration by an agency. To create a SAM user account, Register/Update your account, and/or Search Records, go to https://www.sam.gov.

It is also highly recommended that you renew your account prior to the expiration date. SAM information must be active and up-to-date, and should be updated at least every 12 months to remain active (for both recipients and sub-recipients). Once you update your record in SAM, it will take 48 to 72 hours to complete the validation processes. Grants.gov rejects electronic submissions from applicants with expired registrations.

1.3 Grants.gov Registration

Grants.gov is an online portal for submitting federal grant applications. It requires a one-time registration in order to submit applications. While Grants.gov registration is a one-time only registration process, it consists of multiple sub-registration processes (i.e., DUNS number and SAM registrations) before you can submit your application.

You can register to obtain a Grants.gov username and password at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html.

If this is your first time submitting an application through Grants.gov, registration information can be found at the Grants.gov “Applicants” tab.

The person submitting your application must be properly registered with Grants.gov as the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) for the specific DUNS number cited on the SF-424 (first page). See the Organization Registration User Guide for details at the following Grants.gov link: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html.

All entities must register and/or renew registration with grants.gov prior to submitting an application. Grantees previously registered must assure that the registration is still valid and up-to-date. Registration and re-registration take up to 10 working days to process. Failure to submit the application on time due to late registration will result in ASPR not accepting the application.

Application Screening Criteria

Applications must be submitted electronically via http://www.grants.gov by September 11, 2018 at 11:59 pm EST.

Content and Form of Application Submission

The following required documents and sections must be included in the application package in order to be considered for funding. Please note, applicants must submit a discrete project abstract and project narrative for which they are submitting. Please also ensure that the budget request associated with various activities is clearly delineated.

Cover Letter (optional) Cover letters should be addressed to the following:

Virginia Simmons Chief Grants Management Officer Acquisition Management Contracts and Grants Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 200 Independence Ave. S.W.

Washington, DC 20201 Telephone: (202) 260-0400 E-mail: asprgrants@hhs.gov

Project Abstract A project abstract must be completed in the grants.gov application forms. The project abstract must contain a summary of the proposed activity suitable for dissemination to the public. It should be a self-contained description of the project and should contain a statement of objectives and methods to be employed. It should be informative to other persons working in the same or related fields and insofar as possible understandable to a technically literate lay reader. This abstract must not include any proprietary or confidential information.

Project Narrative A project narrative must be submitted with the application forms. The project narrative must be uploaded in a PDF file format when submitting via grants.gov. The narrative should address activities to be conducted over the entire project period, with a more detailed work plan for the first year (when applicable). Each of these project narratives should be succinct, self-explanatory, and in the order outlined in this section.

The narrative must be submitted in the following format:

The project narrative must be double-spaced, on 8 ½” x 11” paper with 1” margins on both sides, and a font size of not less than 11. You may use smaller font sizes to fill in the Standard Forms and Sample Formats. Forms do not need to be double spaced.

The components of the project narrative counted as part of the 100 page limit include:

· Background

· Current capacity

· Approach and work plan

· Budget narrative and justification

· Performance measurement and evaluation strategy

Any other relevant additional information that does not count toward the 100 page limit including:

· Curricula vitae for key project personnel

· Letters of commitment

· Copy of the applicant’s most recent indirect cost agreement, if requesting indirect costs

· Other documents, as needed

The project narrative is the most important part of the application, since it is the primary basis on which ASPR determines whether or not a project meets the minimum requirements for grants under division H, title II, of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018. The project narrative should provide a clear and concise description of the project. The following is a brief description of each required component:

Background Applicants must describe the core background information relative to the specific Part. The core background information must help reviewers understand how the applicant's response to the FOA will address the health care system problem and support health care system priorities.

Current Capacity For each Part applied for, address the current capacity to successfully implement the proposed project and associated activities, including describing staff and other infrastructure already in place in which to build upon, to meet project period outcomes.

Approach and Work Plan Applicants must clearly identify the outcomes they expect to achieve by the end of the project period and provide a clear and concise description of the strategies and activities they used to achieve the project’s outcomes. Briefly introduce the activities being proposed and describe what the expected outputs (e.g., milestones) will be over the first 12-months of the project and a higher-level description for each subsequent year.

Budget Narrative and Justification A detailed budget with supporting justification must be provided and be related to recipient activities that are stated in awardees’ work plans. Awardees must note the following budget-related issues:

· If indirect costs are requested, it will be necessary to include a copy of the organization’s current negotiated Federal Indirect Cost Rate Agreement or a Cost Allocation Plan for those awardees under such a plan.

· Travel for program implementation should be justified and related to implementation activities.

· Budgets that include costs for equipment (e.g., laboratory or waste management equipment) must be detailed in the budget narrative and justification.

The budget narrative or justification should be provided using the instructions included in Attachment A (Instructions for Completing Required Forms) of this FOA. Applicants are encouraged to pay particular attention to Attachment B (Budget Narrative/Justification Sample Format), which provides an example of the level of detail sought.

Performance Measurement and Evaluation Strategy Awardees will be required to report on a small set of ASPR-defined performance measures that will demonstrate, or show progress toward, the accomplishment of program outcomes.

As part of this application, awardees should describe in a brief narrative a plan to affirm and acknowledge the awardee’s ability to collect and respond to required ASPR-defined performance measures. For example, awardees may describe who will be monitoring and responding to required performance measures, potential data sources, and anticipated barriers and challenges and how this will be resolved. Awardees may also describe how evaluation data will be shared with key stakeholders and used by the awardee to improve program quality and demonstrate the value of this funding.

Additional Information Additional information may be included in the application appendices. The appendices must be uploaded to the "Other Attachments Form" of application package in grants.gov. Note: appendices will not be counted toward the narrative page limit.

Submission Deadline Dates and Times

The deadline for the submission of applications under this FOA is 9/11/18 at 11:59 pm EST. Applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on 9/11/18. Applications that are submitted after the deadlines will not be processed for consideration.

Intergovernmental Review

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

Funding Restrictions

Restrictions, which must be taken into account while writing the budget, are as follows:

· Recipients may not use funds for clinical care.

· Recipients may only expend funds for reasonable program purposes, including personnel, travel, supplies, and contractual services.

· The direct and primary recipient in a cooperative agreement program must perform a substantial role in carrying out project objectives and not merely serve as a conduit for an award to another party or provider who is ineligible.

· Recipients may not use funds to carry out any program of distributing sterile needles or syringes for hypodermic injections of any illegal drug.

· Recipients may not use funds to advocate or promote gun control.

· Salaries may not exceed the rate of $189,600 USD per year: the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (P.L. 115-141) limits the salary amount that you may be awarded and charge to HHS/ASPR grants and cooperative agreements. Award funds should not be budgeted to pay the salary of an individual at a rate in excess of Executive Level II. Currently, the Executive Level II salary of the Federal Executive Pay scale is $189,600. This amount reflects an individual’s base salary exclusive of fringe and any income that an individual may be permitted to earn outside of the duties to the applicant organization. This salary limitation also applies to sub-awards/subcontracts under an HHS/ASPR grant or cooperative agreement.

· Recipients may not use funds for lobbying activities: Pursuant to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (P.L.115-141), (a) you shall not use any funds from an award made under this announcement for other than normal and recognized executive legislative relationships. You shall not use funds for publicity or propaganda purposes, for the preparation, distribution, or use of any kit, pamphlet, booklet, publication, electronic communication, radio, television, or video presentation designed to support or defeat the enactment of legislation before the Congress or any State or local legislature or legislative body, except in presentation to the Congress or any State or local legislature itself, or designed to support or defeat any proposed or pending regulation, administrative action, or order issued by the executive branch of any State or local government, except in presentation to the executive branch of any State or local government itself. (b) You shall not use any funds from an award made under this announcement to pay the salary or expenses of any employee or sub-recipient, or agent acting for you, related to any activity designed to influence the enactment of legislation, appropriations, regulations, administrative action, or Executive order proposed or pending before the Congress or any State government, State legislature or local legislative body, other than for normal and recognized executive-legislative relationships or participation by an agency or officer of a State, local or tribal government in policymaking and administrative processes within the executive branch of that government. (c) The above prohibitions include any activity to advocate or promote any proposed, pending, or future Federal, State or local tax increase, or any proposed, pending, or future requirement or restriction on any legal consumer product, including its sale or marketing, including but not limited to the advocacy or promotion of gun control.

· Recipients may not use funds for fund raising.

· Recipients may not use funds for the cost of money even if part of the negotiated indirect cost rate agreement.

· Recipients may not use funds for vehicles.

· Recipients may not use funds for salaries for back filling of personnel.

· Recipients may not use funds for antibiotics for treatment of secondary infections.

· Funding under these awards may only be used for minor alteration and renovation (A&R) activities. Construction and major A&R activities are not permitted. A&R of real property generally is defined as work required to change the interior arrangements or installed equipment in an existing facility so that it may be more effectively utilized for its currently designated purpose or be adapted for an alternative use to meet a programmatic requirement. The work may be categorized as improvement, conversion, rearrangement, rehabilitation, remodeling, or modernization, but it does not include expansion, new construction, development, or repair of parking lots, or activities that would change the “footprint” of an existing facility (e.g., relocation of existing exterior walls, roofs, or floors; attachment of fire escapes). Minor A&R may include activities and associated costs that will result in:

· Changes to physical characteristics (interior dimensions, surfaces, and finishes); internal environments (temperature, humidity, ventilation, and acoustics); or utility services (plumbing, electricity, gas, vacuum, and other laboratory fittings);

· Installation of fixed equipment (including casework, fume hoods, large autoclaves, biological safety cabinets);

· Replacement, removal, or reconfiguration of interior non-load bearing walls, doors, framed, or windows in order to place equipment in a permanent location;

· Making unfinished shell space suitable for purposes other than human occupancy, such as storage of pharmaceuticals; or,

· Alterations to meet requirements for accessibility by physically disabled individuals.

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

ASPR FUNDING FOR HEALTHCARE AND PUBLIC HEALTH (HPH) SECTOR INFORMATION SHARING AND ANALYSIS ORGANIZATION (ISAO): Supporting HHS’ Responsibilities as Sector- Specific Agency to Engage and Coordinate with HPH Sector Partners During Steady-State and Response Operations

Eligible applicants will be evaluated against the following review criteria:

Criterion 1. Organizational Capacity (30 points)

i. Does the applicant organization clearly identify in their work plan capacity for carrying out the proposed project? (10 points)

ii. Does the organization have established working relationships with key HPH Sector organizations and government agencies that can be leveraged to expand outreach across the Sector? (10 points)

iii. Does the applicant organization have information sharing capabilities that could be expanded under this cooperative agreement? (5 points)

iv. Does the applicant clearly identify a plan for sustainability post grant period? (5 points)

Criterion 2. Technical Expertise (20 points)

i. Does the applicant organization possess knowledge of the structure and organization of the HPH Sector, key Sector priorities and actions, relevant policies and industry standards, threat information sharing processes, and sources of risk and threat information? Does the organization have proven experience in these matters? (10 points)

ii. Does the applicant demonstrate an understanding of the current gaps within the sector related to emergency response activities and propose a means of addressing these gaps? (5 points)

iii. Does the applicant demonstrate an understanding of the private sector coordinating council administrative needs? Has the applicant provided an analysis of ways to engage the SCC leadership team and maintain a current reflection of sector membership? (5 points)

Criterion 3. Technical Approach (15 points)

i. Is the applicant’s technical approach to implementing this project likely to lead to successful completion of the project objectives? (10 points)

ii. Has the applicant provided a technical approach for coordinating and leveraging public and private sector organizations and associations not currently engaged in HPH activities? (5 points)

Criterion 4. Management Approach (20 points)

Criterion 5. Budget Allocation (15 points)

i. Is the budget justified with respect to the adequacy and reasonableness of resources requested? (10 points)

ii. Are budget line items clearly delineated and consistent with work plan objectives? (5 points)

Post-Award Requirements

Please note, following awardee selection additional coordination will be made based on the work plan submitted with the initial application. In order to expedite the funding process, the award itself will be based on largely the applicant’s commitment to attaining levels of readiness.

An objective review panel will evaluate applications that pass the screening criteria. The review panel will be comprised of reviewers who are experts in their field and may be drawn from across HHS, other Federal Agency Offices, and HPH Private Sector. Based on the application review criteria, the reviewers will comment on and score the applications, focusing their comments and scoring decisions on the identified criteria.

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

VI: AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

Award Notices

The Notice of Award is the authorizing document from the ASPR authorizing official, the Office of Acquisition Management Contracts and Grants, and the ASPR Office of Financial Planning and Analysis. The Notice of Award will be sent electronically upon successful review of the application. The Notice of Award sets forth the amount of funds granted, the terms and conditions of the award, the effective date of the award, the budget period for which initial support will be given, the non-federal share to be provided (if applicable), and the total project period for which support is contemplated.

Each applicant will receive written notification of the outcome of the objective review process, including a summary of the expert committee’s assessment of the application’s strengths and weaknesses, and whether the application was selected for funding. Applicants who are selected for funding may be required to respond in a satisfactory manner to conditions placed on their application before funding can proceed. Letters of notification do not provide authorization to begin performance.

Administrative and National Policy Requirements

The award is subject to OMB 2 CFR Part 200 (subparts A through D), HHS Administrative Requirements, which can be found in 45 CFR 75 and the Standard Terms and Conditions implemented through the HHS Grants Policy Statement (GPS) located at http://www.hhs.gov/grants/grants/grants-policies-regulations/index.html

Please note HHS plans to revise the HHS GPS to reflect changes to the regulations; 45 CFR parts 74 and 92 have been superseded by 45 CFR Part 75.

Non-Discrimination Requirements Pursuant to Federal civil rights laws, if you receive an award under this announcement you must not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, and in some cases sex and religion. The HHS Office for Civil Rights provides guidance to grantees in complying with civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination. www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/index.html. HHS provides guidance to recipients of federal financial assistance on meeting the legal obligation to take reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to persons with limited English proficiency. See Guidance to Federal Financial Assistance Recipients Regarding Title VI Prohibition Against National Origin Discrimination Affecting Limited English Proficient Persons, 68 Fed. Reg. 47311, 47313 (HHS Office for Civil Rights, 2003, www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2003-08-08/pdf/03-20179.pdf) or www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/resources/laws/revisedlep.html . You must ensure your contractors and subrecipients also comply with federal civil rights laws.

Smoke- and Tobacco-free Workplace The HHS/ASPR strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a smoke-free workplace and to promote the non-use of all tobacco products. This is consistent with the HHS/ASPR mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of the American people.

ASPR Public Access Policy The ASPR Public Access Policy requires all researchers receiving ASPR grants, cooperative agreements, or fixed amount awards to develop data management plans describing how they will provide for the long-term preservation of, and access to, scientific data in digital format. This ASPR Public Access Policy applies to any manuscript that is peer-reviewed and arises from any direct funding from an ASPR grant, cooperative agreement or fixed amount award awarded in FY16 or beyond. This policy ensures that the public has access to the published results of ASPR funded grants, cooperative and fixed amount awards at the NIH NLM PubMed Central (PMC), a free digital archive of full-text biomedical and life sciences journal literature (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/). Under the policy ASPR-funded investigators are required by Federal law to submit (or have submitted for them) to PMC an electronic version of the final, peer-reviewed manuscript upon acceptance for publication, to be made publicly available no later than 12 months after the official date of publication. On February 22, 2013, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released the memorandum entitled, Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research, which requires federal agencies to make the results of federally funded scientific research available to and useful for the public, industry, and the scientific community. This document establishes a governing policy to enable public access to digitally formatted scientific data created with ASPR funds.

Publications Manuscripts resulting from funded work must be submitted directly to the NIH Manuscript Submission System (NIHMS) http://www.nihms.nih.gov/. At the time of submission, the submitting author must specify the date the final manuscript will be publicly accessible through PubMed Central (PMC). Authors may own the original copyrights to materials they write and should work with the prospective publisher as necessary before any rights are transferred to ensure that all conditions of the ASPR Public Access Policy can be met. Authors should avoid signing any agreements with publishers that do not allow the author to comply with the ASPR Public Access Policy. The author's final peer-reviewed manuscript is defined as the final version accepted for journal publication on or after FY16, and includes all modifications from the publishing peer review process, and all graphics and supplemental material associated with the article. Institutions and investigators are responsible for ensuring that any publishing or copyright agreements concerning submitted articles reserve adequate right to fully comply with this policy. Applicants citing articles in ASPR applications, proposals, and progress reports that fall under the policy, were authored or co-authored by the applicant and arose from ASPR support must include the PMCID or NIHMS ID. The NIHMSID may be used to indicate compliance with the ASPR’s Public Access Policy in applications and progress reports for up to three months after a paper is published. After that period, a PMCID must be provided to demonstrate compliance.

Digital Data ASPR-supported researchers must publish digital scientific data sets resulting from projects meeting the scope criteria above in a recognized scientific data repository capable of long-term preservation of the data and open access to the public within a proscribed time period of 30 months from the creation of the data set (if the data set has not been used in a peer-reviewed publication) or upon publication of a peer-reviewed publication based on the data set, whichever is sooner, unless this requirement has been waived in the approved data management plan. ASPR will recognize intellectual property rights as appropriate, consistent with regulations and program policies, including considerations for intellectual property based on the type of data subject to those policies (e.g., varied embargo dates, conditions for delaying data release). For the purpose of this plan, proprietary interests include receiving appropriate credit for scientific work. If the outcomes of the research result in inventions, the provisions of the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980, as implemented in 37 CFR Part 401, apply.

Acknowledgement ASPR Public Access Policy requires, all grantee publications, including: research publications press releases other publications or documents about research that is funded by ASPR must include the following two statements:

A specific acknowledgment of ASPR grant support, such as: "Research reported in this [publication/press release] was supported by [name of the program office(s), or other ASPR offices] the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response under award number [specific ASPR grant number(s)].” A disclaimer that says: "The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response."

Trafficking in Persons Awards issued under this funding opportunity announcement are subject to the requirements of Section 106 (g) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, as amended (22 U.S.C. 7104). For the full text of the award term, go to http://www.hhs.gov/opa/grants/trafficking_in_persons_award_condition.html. If you are unable to access this link, please contact the Grants Management Specialist identified in this funding opportunity announcement to obtain a copy of the term.

Reporting

Applicants funded under this announcement will be required to electronically submit program progress reports and Federal Financial Report (FFR) SF-425 via GrantSolutions (GS). Awardees will receive instructions for both reports with their Notice of Award. Final performance and financial reports are due 90 days after the end of the project period.