Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program Weapon Storage

The State of Maine Department of Public Safety is requesting applications from qualified law enforcement agencies and local governments for the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program weapon storage initiative, with applications due October 28, 2026 via the Vendor Self Service System. The program is open to city, county, township, town, and federally recognized American Indian tribe law enforcement or local government entities.

Eligible projects include upgrading agency storage facilities, purchasing software or technologies to track relinquished firearms, and acquiring gun locks or other safety devices. Applicants must submit organizational charts, certificates of insurance, qualifications documentation, and detailed project proposals with itemized budgets. Funding must supplement, not supplant, existing state or local funds and cannot support projects undertaken prior to award or already reimbursed through other grant programs. Non-allowable expenses include prizes, stipends, gift cards, food and beverages, and unmanned aircraft systems.

Total available funding is $743,239 from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-159). The anticipated contract period runs November 20, 2026, through September 30, 2027. The Department anticipates making multiple awards and reserves the right to make partial awards, reject applications, and award amounts less than requested.

Applications are evaluated on a 100-point scale: Qualifications/Experience (30 points), Proposed Project (45 points), and Budget (25 points). Questions are due September 11, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. local time, with answers published in VSS no later than seven calendar days before the application deadline. Awardees must submit quarterly progress reports using the Performance Measurement Tool within fifteen days after each quarter end.