Questions and Answers
Intercity Bus Security Grant Program FY 2008
- Intercity Bus Security Grant Program
(IBSGP)Freight Rail Security Grant Program
FRSGP)Trucking Security Program
(TSP)Transit Security Grant Program Tier I
(TSGP Tier I)Transit Security Grant Program Tier II
(TSGP Tier II)
- Intercity Bus Security Grant Program
(IBSGP)Freight Rail Security Grant Program
(FRSGP)Trucking Security Program
(TSP)Transit Security Grant Program Tier I
(TSGP Tier I)Transit Security Grant Program Tier II
(TSGP Tier II)
Conferences and Workshops | Questions and Answers | Conference Calls
Conferences and Workshop Questions and Answers
FY08 Workshop Questions and Answers (DOC, 45 KB)
FY08 After Action Conference Questions and Answers (DOC, 52 KB)
Emailed Questions and Answers
Click here for questions and answers received via e-mail (DOC, 39 KB)
Conference Call Questions and Answers
02/19/08 Conference Call
I have not been able to download the application from grants.gov as I've done every year.
Please contact the grants.gov helpdesk at 1-800-518-4726. The call center is open Monday-Friday from 7:00am-9:00pm EST.
Can you please provide examples of an in-kind match? Please juxtapose those costs to the 3% management and administrative (M&A) costs.
Employee salaries would be an example of an in-kind match. If you were to purchase equipment and the installation was done by one of your employees, you could consider the salary for the time spent on installation as an in-kind match. Or if you were to spend time making measurements and helping the person who would install the equipment, you could consider that time as an in-kind match. Resources could also be considered an in-kind match. For example, your company may pay for some of the cameras needed for your bus yards and the grant program could pay for additional cameras.
M&A costs would be those associated with administrating the program (e.g. filling out the paperwork for bids, keeping track of time, etc.).
We already have a vulnerability assessment (VA) and security plan (SP) in place. We will not apply for those purposes. We have alert teams that meet once a month and discuss the SP. Those discussions serve as a basis for our future grant requests. Would the grant pay for those activities?
The Grant Guidance is fairly clear. Unless you already have a VA and SP, you can not apply for anything else. If you don't have a VA or SP, you can only request funds for conducting a VA and/or developing a SP. If you have them already, certify as such, and apply for other project types. It sounds like your recurring monthly meetings could fall under training and exercises and/or planning activities, which are allowable expenses. However, the grant cannot pay for the salaries, overtime, or backfill for the bus company employees that attend the meetings.
I saw the SP template provided online. Will a VA template be provided as well?
The large version of the Security and Emergency Preparedness Plan (SEPP) which is currently posted on the website includes both the SP template and the vulnerability self-assessment.
We would like to purchase equipment. Some would be related to homeland security and some are for safety. Is that ok?
The Grant Guidance outlines the allowable and unallowable costs. Keep in mind that equipment has to be used solely for homeland security projects. For example, if you purchase a computer to back up a Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) system, it can only be used for homeland security and not office use. The grant cannot be used for equipment that is for safety, not security, purposes.
I see that the SEPP is online. Does the self-assessment qualify as a VA?
Yes, the online self-assessment qualifies as a VA.
Are private sector overtime and backfill costs allowable under the FY 2008 IBSGP?
Pages B-2 and B-3 discuss public sector overtime and backfill costs. Only public sector costs for overtime and backfill are allowable. The IBSGP does not cover private sector expenses related to overtime and backfill. Grantees can not claim private sector personnel costs as an allowable expense and they can not be used as a match because they are unallowable.
Is that a change from past years?
Yes. In the past, you could use federal funds to pay for both private and public sector overtime and backfill costs. If an employee went to training, we paid for personnel costs for replacing him/her. That information is included in the appendices of previous solicitations.
Can the average match of our three projects total 25%?
Each project is reviewed individually. There would need to be 25% cost share per project.
02/12/08 Conference Call
My company has e-mailed the data submission documentation for Tier I eligibility to askcsid@dhs.gov. Should we follow-up with TSA/FEMA or wait for a response?
We will follow-up with grantees after the February 15th deadline.
Who is eligible to apply to the FY 2008 IBSGP?
Per the 9/11 Act, the only eligible grantees are private operators providing transportation by an over-the-road bus. Owners, affiliates, and subsidiaries are not eligible. Additional eligibility criteria are listed on pages 5-7 of the Grant Guidance.
Can you please provide more information about the IBSGP workshops?
There will be two workshops for the FY 2008 IBSGP. The same material will be presented at each workshop. The first one will take place on Tuesday, February 19th, at the Doubletree Hotel in Crystal City, Virginia which is located at 300 Army Navy Drive. The second one will take place on Thursday, February 21st, at the San Francisco Airport Marriott in Burlingame, California which is located at 1800 Old Bayshore Highway. Both workshops will begin at noon and last until 5:00 PM local time. This information is posted on the following website: http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/grants/programs/ibsgp/2008/
conferences_workshops.shtm
There is an IBSGP conference call scheduled for Tuesday, February 19th. Since a workshop is taking place that day, is the conference call cancelled?
No, the conference call is not cancelled. We will host the conference call during the workshop. That way people who are attending can benefit from questions on the phone and vice versa.
I e-mailed TSAgrants@tsa.dhs.gov that I will be attending a workshop. Do I need to receive confirmation or should I just show up?
You do not need to wait for a confirmation from TSA. Please show up at the workshop. We ask that those interested in attending please e-mail their contact information to TSAgrants@tsa.dhs.gov for planning purposes.
The allowable expenses section of the Grant Guidance (Appendix B) mentions that full or part-time staff or contractors/consultants may be hired to support the project. Do we have to create and follow an internal written procurement policy?
If you have a formal written procurement policy, then you must follow that policy. If you do not have an established policy, then you must follow the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR).
After developing the security plan, who would hold it?
Your company would hold it. You may need to send DHS a copy upon request.
Is the Security Emergency Preparedness Plan template that is posted online a full or abbreviated plan?
The one currently online is an abbreviated template. The full version will be posted soon. (Note: the full version is now available on the website.)
Can you please expand upon TSA's position concerning video surveillance cameras on buses?
TSA's position has been that video cameras on buses, without the ability to observe or intervene in real-time, makes them less of a security asset. That is more of a liability issue. We discourage people from putting cameras on buses that only record to digital video recorders (DVR), as we do not feel there is a security benefit from that practice. There are some vendors out there that do supply surveillance cameras with broadcast capabilities. With short-range Bluetooth capabilities, the feed can be monitored in real-time.
02/04/08 Conference Call
What information is due by February 15th?
If your organization would like to be considered as a Tier I bus company, documentation must be submitted by February 15th via askcsid@dhs.gov. The following information must be submitted:
- Total number of over-the-road buses in service (excluding vehicles not in operation)
- Total number of over-the-road buses in eligible service categories
- The number of over-the-road buses utilized in each eligible service category and the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) jurisdiction(s) being served. Also, identify how many of these service multiple UASI jurisdictions.
- A source which would allow the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to verify fleet size, such as standard inventory documents, insurance policies on covered buses, copies of United Carrier Registrations, Single State Registrations, Department of Transportation numbers, etc.
Our organization has already undergone a Corporate Security Review (CSR) in which we had to submit a security plan and vulnerability assessment. Do we need to submit that information again?
You need to fill out the certification form in Appendix I that you have a current assessment and plan, and submit that form as part of your application submission through grants.gov. We may request to see the security plan and vulnerability assessment later.
If a Tier II company currently does not have a security plan or vulnerability assessment, could the organization complete them and then apply for other purposes?
If you currently do not have a security plan or vulnerability assessment, you can only apply for funds for those purposes. You can apply for other project types next year (assuming the vulnerability assessment and security plan have been completed).
Where can we find more information about what types of projects are eligible? Can we submit questions?
For Tier I agencies, we can engage in as much dialogue as you want. It is harder with Tier II because we don't want to give anyone an advantage over someone else in a competitive award process. The FY 2008 IBSGP Guidance lists several specific types of eligible expenses and projects on pages 3 and 4.
In the past, we have applied for security cameras and fencing, but we did not receive funds for those purposes. Would those types of projects be likely to be funded this year?
Our funding priorities are listed in priority order and are consistent with last year's guidance. Tier II is competitive and funding will depend on the caliber of grant applications submitted by everyone else.
Is there any guidance available about filling out a security plan?
There is a template for the security plan on the following website under Important Information: http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/grants/programs/ibsgp/2008/
guidance_application.shtm
Is there any indication of how much developing a security plan should cost?
There is no indication of how much it will cost. The cost will depend on the size and complexity of the organization.
If we complete the security plan ourselves with our own personnel, can we be reimbursed for personnel expenses?
No, expenses can not be reimbursed for company personnel. Expenses will be reimbursed if the service is outsourced.
The guidance mentions that training must be DHS-approved. We received a grant in the past; are we subject to this DHS-approved requirement?
No, only training approved under the FY08 IBSGP Guidance will be subject to the DHS-approved requirement. It is not retroactive.
What classes are DHS-approved?
We are working to establish the authority for those classes. Right now, there are only two classes: CATEYES and Operations Secure Transport. You can develop your own training, but you would have to submit it to us for review first.
If we train a different set of people with FY08 funding, that training would need to be DHS-approved?
That is correct.
I do not see global positioning satellite devices (GPS) in the list of funding priorities. Is that still a viable project type?
If you look at the bottom of page three in the Grant Guidance, you will see modifying over-the-road buses to increase their security as an allowable expense. GPS would fall under that category.
What else to you have in mind for modifying over-the-road buses? What other types of improvements are allowable?
Sample projects include panic buttons that report back to a remote controlled center, and ignition control.
Do the project types under installing cameras and video surveillance equipment on over-the-road buses and at terminals, garages, and over-the-road bus facilities as well as communications pertain to security aspects?
Yes, they must pertain to security aspects.
Is the Environmental and Historic Preservation (EHP) program new? Can you please explain the program?
We have to make sure that all grant programs are compliant when there is new construction or modification to an existing building, which we are most likely not doing in the bus program.
Is there a limit to the number of investments we can submit?
The limit is three, but we encourage integrating related activities, such as training and exercises or public awareness into one investment.
If we combine two projects and DHS likes one and not the other, can you approve one part?
Yes, DHS can approve partial funding.
Can you approve partial funding within a single investment?
Yes, we can do that within a single project. It is a good idea to make your projects intentionally scaleable.
Last year, you met with the Tier I agencies. Is that planned for this year?
Yes, we do plan to meet with the agencies, but a date has not been established. We anticipate a meeting in Washington at the end of February. We will get you a date before the next conference call.
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