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Conference Calls

Trucking Security Program FY 2008

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Conference Call Summaries

03/11/08 Conference Call

March 11, 2008
1:00 PM

Opening Comments:

TSA: Hello and thank you all for joining us today. This will be our final TSP Conference Call. As a reminder, applications are due March 17, 2008 by 11:59 PM EST. Applications submitted after this time cannot be accepted. Considering the amount of applicants who will be logging on at that time, we strongly recommend that you submit your application prior to the deadline.

We would now like to open it up to questions.

Questions and Answers:

Please see the following website for questions and answers:
www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/grants/programs/tsp/2008/questions_answers.shtm

Closing Remarks:

TSA: If there are no other questions, we thank you for joining us. Please submit any further questions to ASKcsid@dhs.gov. Summaries of past conference calls as well as questions and answers can be found at tsa.gov/grants.

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03/04/08 Conference Call

March 4, 2008
1:00pm

Opening Comments:

TSA: Since we have already held a number of conference calls for the fiscal year (FY) 2008 TSP, I would like to open the floor for questions.

Questions and Answers:

The questions and answers can be found on the following website: www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/grants/programs/tsp/2008/questions_answers.shtm

Wrap-Up:

TSA: If there are no other questions, we will conclude this call. Thank you for calling and bringing good questions. If you have other questions, please e-mail them to askcsid@dhs.gov. We will post those questions and answers.

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02/26/08 Conference Call

February 26, 2008
1:00 pm EST

Opening Comments:

TSA: Hello and thank you all for joining us today. Hopefully you have all downloaded and read the Trucking Security Program (TSP) Guidance which is available on our website at www.tsa.gov/grants. We would like to remind everyone that the deadline for application submission is March 17, 2008. I would recommend that if you have not already started the registration process, you should do so ASAP since the process can take up to a few weeks to complete.

FEMA: We have heard that the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) process is taking at least two weeks, so I would also encourage you to begin the registration process.

We would know like to open it up to questions.

Questions and Answers:

Please see the following website for questions and answers: www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/grants/programs/tsp/2008/questions_answers.shtm

Closing Remarks:

TSA: If there are no other questions, we thank you for joining us today and look forward to speaking with you next Tuesday, March 4 at 1:00 PM EST. Please submit any questions to ASKcsid@dhs.gov. Summaries of past conference calls as well as questions and answers can be found at www.tsa.gov/grants.

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02/19/08 Conference Call

February 19, 2008
1:00 pm EST

Opening Comments:

TSA: Hello and thank you to everyone for joining us today. At this point there are no new announcements since our call last week. One question posed during our last conference call was regarding data rights. The initial read we have received from our legal department is that yes, the government does have the rights to certain data from past grant years. As far as transition costs, those will have to be factored into the applicant's request for TSP funding; the government does not have separate funds for that purpose. The grantee will have to factor any transition costs into the initial TSP award of $15.54 million.

Another question from last week's call was if the call center required for the TSP grant was for safety purposes as well as security. Currently, the call center handles both types of calls: safety calls are transferred to the local authorities, and security calls are transferred to the Freedom Center in Herndon, VA. While there is flexibility in how the FY08 TSP grantee sets up the logistics of the call center, both security and safety calls must be transferred to the appropriate authorities.

There was also an inquiry regarding an existing call center. The answer to this question is yes, there is an existing call center; however it is privately owned, and not government owned. There are other options to use existing centers. There is currently a truck tracking program with a call center based in Albany, NY as an example. The FY08 TSP grantee can use an existing call center such as this one if they coordinate with the center to use the facility.

I would now like to open it up to questions.

Questions and Answers:

Please see the following website for questions and answers: www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/grants/programs/tsp/2008/questions_answers.shtm

Wrap-up:

TSA: If there are no further questions, we thank you for joining us today and look forward to speaking with you next Tuesday, February 26 at 1:00PM EST.

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02/12/08 Conference Call

February 12, 2008
1:00 pm EST

Opening Comments:

TSA: We would like to welcome you to the fiscal year (FY) 2008 Trucking Security Program (TSP). We have separate conference calls for our other grant programs. All details are posted on our website at www.tsa.gov/grants. Information about the conference calls is listed there. If you have any questions at any time, you can ask us during the calls or, if you prefer send us an e-mail. You can send e-mails to askcsid@dhs.gov (and cc TSAgrants@tsa.dhs.gov). I will repeat those addresses at the end of the conference call.

There are some significant differences from last year's program. Last year, funds were earmarked for the American Trucking Association (ATA). The 2008 omnibus appropriations bill mandated that the TSP be competitive. There are five funding priorities: participant identification and recruitment; planning; training; communications; and information analysis and distribution. We will evaluate applications in regards to these five items. We will look at the proposed methods to recruit highway professionals, how training will be completed, how the overall program addresses the risk facing the highway sector, and how your program addresses high risk scenarios. For example, what training are you providing employees at call centers and to highway professionals? How will you address high-risk scenarios? We will evaluate how efficiently you reach out to training participants.

Those funding priority areas are the same as previous years. The biggest difference is the competitive nature of this year's program. The allowable expenses are the same as last year: participant identification and recruitment, planning, training, communications and information distribution support, and management and administration (M&A) costs.

Only one grantee will be awarded funds for all program elements. You must address all five elements of the program in order to be considered for the grant. It is all or nothing.

The application deadline is the same as our other programs. They are due by 11:59 pm EST on March 17, 2008. If you have not applied through grants.gov before, it can take up to a couple of weeks to complete the registration process. We suggest starting early, as we can not extend the March 17th deadline. We can not do anything about late applications.

We want to point out for those not familiar with the TSP that unlike other grant mechanisms in the government, these are cooperative agreements. That means that the government works with the grantee as a partner. We will work with you to make sure that the program is successful.

Questions and Answers:

Please see the following website for questions and answers: www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/grants/programs/tsp/2008/questions_answers.shtm

Wrap-Up:

TSA: The next conference call is Tuesday, February 19th at 1:00 pm EST. There is another call in two weeks on Tuesday, February 26th at 1:00 pm EST.

Please don't forget to visit grants.gov and register.

Please send any questions to askcsid@dhs.gov and copy TSAgrants@tsa.dhs.gov. Thank you and this concludes the call.

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