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Questions and Answers

Trucking Security Program FY 2008

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Questions and Answers | Conference Calls

Conference Call Questions and Answers

03/11/08 Conference Call

Is it possible to alter our Investment Justifications (IJs) to a certain extent after the award is made?
Yes, for the selected grantee. Since this the FY08 TSP grant is a cooperative agreement there is the possibility to move money between investments and make needed changes to their description.

Can we keep the elements of the Highway Watch program we find effective?
Yes, you can keep aspects of the program you find effective for fulfilling the FY08 TSP's priorities. DHS can work with you to make sure whatever elements you choose increase the security value of the program.

How many budgets are we to submit with our application?
You are to submit a separate budget and separate IJ for each of the 5 funding priorities (Participant Identification and Recruitment, Planning, Training, Communication, Information Analysis and Distribution). Please also submit a budget summary for the overall application. This then totals 5 IJs and 6 budgets (1 for each priority and one overall).

Which is the preferred format, templates or Microsoft Word documents, for our submissions?
Either one is acceptable as long as you include all required information.

Part I of the FY08 TSP Grant Guidance, section B. Selection of Eligible Applicants states that: "to be considered as a potential grantee, applicants must demonstrate that they are able to support all five funding priorities and that they have the financial and resource capabilities..." What do we need submit to validate this requirement?
Your financial questionnaire, which includes your audit or financial statements, will satisfy this requirement.

What constitutes as Management and Administration (M&A) and what are the limits?
A detailed definition of M&A can be found in Appendix B of the FY08 TSP Grant Guidance. This section reads:

Management and Administration (M&A) Costs. FY 2008 TSP funds may be used for the following M&A costs in the following manner:

M&A limits are addressed on page 9 of the FY08 TSP Grant Guidance:

Management and Administration limits. The grant recipient may retain a maximum of three percent (3%) of the funds awarded for management and administration costs associated with the implementation of the TSP award.

Would the Highway Watch website be transferred to the FY08 TSP grantee or will the grantee be responsible for creating a new one?
The FY08 TSP grantee can no longer use the term "Highway Watch," because this name is trademarked. DHS will work with the grantee after the award is announced to determine the scope and procedure of the transfer.

Should the applicant build facility/lease costs for the ISAC and call center into their budget?
There is already an ISAC facility, with space and equipment (cubicle, parking, computers, and network access) for 5 people (4 staff and 1 manager); the ISAC does not need to be in your budget. The Call Center however is the responsibility of the grantee and does need to be included in their budget.

Is it DHS' intention to eliminate the TSP grant program in FY09?
The TSP grant program is congressionally funded, so DHS does not know what or if funding will be allocated in FY09. Keep this in mind when planning the sustainment of your operations. Note as well that while there is no cost share requirement for FY08, the FY08 TSP Grant Guidance does state that the Department may consider one for FY09.

When drafting our budget, we have assumed no operations will carryover. If something is to carry over later, can we alter our budget after the award?
Yes, for the selected grantee. Since the FY08 TSP grant is a cooperative agreement, DHS can work with the grantee to alter the budget as needed after the award.

Why is the TSP grant and not a line item?
The TSP program has always been instructed by Congress to be a grant.

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03/04/08 Conference Call

I have a question concerning the first funding priority, "Participant Identification and Recruitment". First responder entities are mentioned. Do we need to recruit them for training?

We're trying to recruit all highway professionals that are out there on a daily basis and have the ability to notice something suspicious. First responders are out there all the time as are highway professionals, bridge engineers, and Department of Transportation personnel. They would notice something out of the ordinary. We want them to be our eyes and ears.

Would you include ambulance workers, firemen, and emergency management personnel?

Yes.

How long would it take to receive input on our web-based training program, where portions of the program have already been Department of Homeland Security (DHS) certified and we would taper them for the Trucking Security Program (TSP)?

It sounds like you are taking content from a DHS course and tailoring it for the program. Input would most likely be expeditious. The content could be discussed during the cooperative agreement process.

What is the anticipated start date of the award?

The grantee decision will be announced on May 16th. We would anticipate that the transition period would begin this summer and that the transition would take a few months.

Is this program like a request for proposal (RFP) or a BAA (broad agency announcement)?

This is a grant program and the award will be a cooperative agreement.

I have a question about the background point of contact (POC) and the certifications. I have a team of individuals who will work on this project including sub-contractors. Do we need to identify the entire team or just the prime contractor?

For the background POC section, identify the prime grantee. Those who can sign the grant and be held ultimately responsible should be listed. Fill out the certifications (i.e. anti-lobbying) for all those involved with the grant. Question IV.C. in the Investment Justification asks you to describe your management team. In that section, you can describe the roles and responsibilities of every key player on your team that is involved in execution and implementation for each funding priority area.

Are the page limits suggestions?

Yes, they are suggestions. There are no hard character, word, or page limitations. There are no restrictions. You can use as much or as little space as necessary.

Should we include a different answer for question III.A. for each of the five programmatic areas?

Yes, please include a response for each of the five areas. We understand that there might be duplicative information, but every question in the Investment Justification must be addressed for each of the five funding priority areas. As a reminder, you must complete a separate Investment Justification for each of the five funding priority areas.

What is the difference between a cost share and a match?

There is no requirement for a cost share or match in the FY 2008 TSP. If you are providing any of your own funds, list them as a match in the columns provided.

Is the $15.5 million for 36 months?

Yes, that is correct. I think there is confusion about the budget because of what was said on a previous conference call. It was stated that additional funding may be available in fiscal year (FY) 2009. The scope of the grant program may be different, but would complement this year's program. Please keep in mind that there is no guarantee that this program will receive FY 2009 funding. With this grant cycle, we want to see a security benefit.

Is there more in-depth information available concerning the Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC)? Would you be able to provide personnel information?

Currently, the ISAC staffs five people who work eight hours a day, five days a week. Other times, the staff are on-call (nights and weekends). Your company needs to make staffing determinations for the FY 2008 program.

Is it ok for the staff to be on-call during off-hours?

The call center needs to be manned 24 hours a day. After hours, the ISAC personnel can be on-call.

Can you please provide more information concerning the planning funding priority?

This is a new funding priority which has not been done in previous years. We want to receive different ideas and strategies for outreach to the community, the appropriate analyses for risk and hazard assessments, potential scenarios, etc. We want to figure out what we should do as far as training and awareness is concerned in the community. During the cooperative agreement process, we will work with the selected grantee to determine the most likely scenarios and thoughts on how to proceed.

Do our questions from AskCSID get posted?

Yes, those will be posted today or tomorrow.

Has any information been solidified concerning a cost share for FY 2009?

That information has not yet been determined.

If we receive funds in FY 2008 and FY 2009, could we use FY 2008 funds to meet the FY 2009 cost share requirement?

The cost share has to be met with non-federal funds. You could not use federal funds as a share. Therefore, FY 2008 TSP funds could not be used as a cost share for FY 2009 TSP funds.

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2/26/08 Conference Call

What are current staffing levels at the call center?

We are not sure exactly how many personnel are currently working at the call center. The amount of calls received determines the amount of staff needed.
We do know that the Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) has four personnel on staff.

What are the hours of staffing expected for the call center?

Currently the call center is staffed 24/7 and this will remain the expectation for the FY08 grantee.

What clearance levels are necessary to work at the call center and ISAC?

There is no clearance needed to work at the call center, however there is a minimum Secret level clearance necessary to work at the ISAC.

What are the hours of staffing expected at the ISAC?

The hours expected are 24/7 with personnel staffed at the ISAC during working hours (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM) with someone on call during non-working hours.

Are there protocols in place or specific software that the FY08 TSP grantee needs in order to do the database transfer to receive the past call center records? Also, can we find out what the existing call center uses in terms of technology?

DHS will facilitate the transfer of the current database to the FY08 grantee. There is no current protocol for the database transfer, however DHS will work with the grantee during the cooperative process to ensure the transfer is successful. As for the current software and mechanisms being used at the call center, DHS will get back to you with this information.

Are there training standards in place that the FY08 TSP grantee must meet?

DHS does not currently have training standards for this program. We plan to work with the grantee to develop training expectations.

Are there performance metrics DHS will use to gage the grantee?

DHS does not have pre-established performance metrics, but will work with the grantee to establish formal metrics for their performance based on the scope of the award and work.

Is there a target number of personnel DHS wants to see trained under this grant?

At this point, about 800,000 people have been trained through this program and DHS wants to grow that number to include as many highway transportation specialists and personnel as possible.

Is the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program integrated into this program?

The TWIC is not integrated into the TSP program.

Is there a target call-in rate for the call center that DHS is expecting?

No, there is no specific number of calls DHS is looking for the call center to receive.

In addition to truckers and bus drivers, should we roll in taxi drivers who provide commercial transportation into our target industry audience?

While in future years the TSP program may expand, for FY08 DHS would like to focus on truckers and bus (highway and motor carrier) personnel. This may include toll booth operators, highway maintenance workers, and anyone else in the trucking industry. In addition, the grantee should look to reach out to personnel in the Motor Carrier industry as well.

Is there a timeline set for the data transfer once the grant has been awarded?

DHS will work out the arrangements for the data transfer ASAP with the grantee. We would recommend planning in a couple of months for the transfer to take place.

Relating to the priority "information analysis and distribution" referred to in the FY08 TSP Grant Guidance, could you provide further detail about the infrastructure already in place and what you would like to see as growth?

To answer this question to the best of our ability, please submit this formally to ASKcsid@dhs.gov.

Is it possible to look at previous grant year budgets?

Unfortunately, DHS cannot share that information. To get an idea of previous grant year funding amounts, previous year grant information is available at www.FEMA.gov.

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2/19/08 Conference Call

Can DHS provide a list of those individuals trained in past programs for identification and update purposes? Does the government have additional funds for a data transition for this purpose?

The government does have access to past training information and can supply it to the TSP FY08 grantee. This includes a database with relevant training information and materials. DHS does not have a separate allocation for data transition; this cost must be factored into the applicant's proposal.

What is the approximate volume of calls the call center receives?

The call center receives around 1,200-1,500 calls per month.

What type of security clearance is required to enter the ISAC?

A secret level clearance is required to enter the ISAC facility.

Are there specific requirements/expectations associated with the TSP grantee's ISAC performance?

While there are no formal requirements outlined, DHS is looking for the grantee to gather important information, analyze it, move it forward to the appropriate agency/facility (for example to the TSOC), then to disperse the relevant information to the industry.

What is the period of performance for this grant?

The period of performance for the FY08 TSP grant is 36 months. At this point, there is no guarantee that DHS will receive another grant appropriation for this program in the coming years. Keeping this in mind, the grantee must plan their proposal appropriately, taking into account that FY08 TSP grant funds may be the only funds received.

What would constitute a successful program to DHS?

DHS would like to see increased domain awareness among entities in the trucking industry and with appropriate agencies that have security responsibilities. It is important to both maintain and build upon current security capabilities within this industry, including an increase in the appropriate security training, information circulation, and other security initiatives within the community. Efficiency in these processes channels the appropriate information to the government in order to take proper action to increase security in the industry.

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02/12/08 Conference Call

Are for-profit companies eligible for this program?

Yes, for-profit companies are eligible, provided that they can support all 5 funding priority areas.

Is the $15 million the amount of funding for all three years? The Grant Guidance mentions 2009 funding.

The $15 million is for all three years. There is no guarantee that there will be funds available in fiscal year 2009. If we do receive funds in 2009, we would announce that the 2009 program would complement what we are doing this year.

Is there a desire to have the call center in direct proximity to the Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC)?

There is no requirement that the call center be based in Herndon. We want to see the most efficient way of providing this service. We will evaluate whether your project is cost effective.

Is there currently a call center and ISAC space being used that would be available for this year's grant?

There is some space available for the ISAC. There is no space available for the call center; the current space used for the call center is privately owned.

Is the information developed under past years' programs owned by the government?

We will check with our legal staff.

Do you know how many staffers are required for the ISAC?

Currently, there are three or four staffers at the ISAC. In your bid, you need to explain how you would go about staffing the ISAC. You need to convince us that your staffing plan is adequate. There is limited space at the ISAC.

Does the ISAC need to be maintained 24 hours a day, seven days a week?

The call center must be maintained 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Who hosts the web-based training website?

The grantee would host the website.

Are there minimum security requirements for that site? Are there published documents outlining the minimum standards?

We will have to talk to our technical staff to figure out the requirements for the awardee.

Can we access the names of individuals trained and certified under past programs so that we can identify them for updates, etc.?

We will check with our attorneys.

Can you provide a complete list outlining which materials will be transferred to the new grant recipient?

We will provide a full list of materials.

Does the website have to be 508 compliant?

Yes, it must be 508 compliant.

One of the applicants will be the incumbent. In the event that this grant is awarded to someone else, what kind of arrangements can be made with the American Trucking Association (ATA) for cooperation?

There is no prohibition from cooperating with ATA. There is nothing to stop you from reaching out to them and using them during a transition period as a subcontractor. There are no prohibitions regarding who is on your team.

How many participants are currently registered?

Roughly 800,000 have registered.

Is the call center intended to exclusively cover security-related issues?

At this point, there is no way to screen incoming calls. Out of common courtesy, safety and local issues should be forwarded to the appropriate local authorities. Security issues should be forwarded to the ISAC.

Are there preordained measures of success?

No. There are not preordained measures of success, but it would be prudent to have an evaluation phase to check that calls are being forwarded correctly, etc. Metrics are advised.

Is the March 17th deadline for multiple grant programs? Will the site be busy?

Yes. Many different programs will be submitting applications by the 17th.

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Emailed Questions and Answers

03/12/08 Email

How do we complete a SF-424a form?
The SF-424a must be completed for all non-construction projects. Once you actually start the application in grants.gov, the system will give you the opportunity for additional space under the program areas.

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03/04/08 Email

Location: Page D-1. Appendix D Investment Justification, Paragraph B Investment Justification Template.
Do narrative responses to I. Background, II. Strategic and Program Priorities, III. Impact, and IV. Funding & Implementation Plan, have to be inserted into the table format as shown in Appendix D, Investment Justification, Paragraph B? Or can the responses be provided in as non-table format?
The responses can be in a non-table format. However, when responding please indicate the question number and response clearly, as all questions must be addressed in order for the Investment Justification to be considered complete.

Location: E-1. Appendix E Sample Budget Detail Worksheet, Paragraph A Budget Worksheet Purpose.
Where can "cost sharing" dollars be inserted in the worksheet? Should they go in H. Indirect Costs, under Budget Summary? If not, where should they be placed?
The explanation of any proposed cost share should be explained in the response to question IV.D. in the Investment Justification. To physically show the dollars, they should be included in the response to question IV.A. in the "Match" column and the Budget Summary of the detailed budget under "Non-Federal Amount". It should be placed in the most appropriate row (Personnel, Fringe Benefits, Travel, etc.) depending on how you are meeting the match requirement. If there is not a good fit, then place it under "G. Other" under the Non-Federal Amount column.

We wanted to clarify the office responsible for the TSP. That is, will the TSP be managed/operated by one of the Department's component offices (FEMA or TSA), or will the program fall under DHS administration itself? Thank you again for the assistance.
The administrative components of the TSP will be managed by FEMA. The cooperative agreement will be managed and negotiated jointly between TSA, as the programmatic lead, and FEMA, as the administrative lead.

The Highway Watch Training Initiative presently has three programs (Highway Watch, Highway Watch Train-the-Trainer and School Bus Watch), that are conducted in two languages (English and Spanish) in four different delivery models (Web, Direct Delivery, DVD/VHS and Audio Cassette). Is it the expectation / requirement of TSA to continue to employ this model? If no, can you please specify what the deliverable expectation will be for this segment of the proposal?
It is expected that at least the current level of training provided be continued; however, the applicant can propose a different model if they feel it is more effective/efficient.

A review of the existing training material indicates that a Spanish language version of the training program is offered under direct delivery and via Highway Watch DVD. Is there a requirement to create a web delivery (Highway Watch) and School Bus Watch program that is Spanish language?
There is not a requirement as such; however the applicant could propose this as a potential new delivery in their grant application. The final scope of the training and materials that will be provided under this grant will be agreed upon between DHS and the final grantee as part of the cooperative agreement approach.

Is there a deliverable expectation for a School Bus web-based delivery to be created and launched? If yes, is it expected that this will be delivered in both English and Spanish?
There is not an expectation as such; however the applicant could propose this as a potential new delivery in their grant application. The final scope of the training and materials that will be provided under this grant will be agreed upon between DHS and the final grantee as part of the cooperative agreement approach.

Can we be provided the monthly statistics for DVD and audio tape units being shipped?
In 2007, 16,658 DVD Training kits and 2,214 Audio Training Kits were shipped; monthly statistics can be provided to the final grantee.

During transition, will the existing website and materials be available to interested parties? If so, how long will the present contractor maintain this site after new cooperative agreement is awarded (days - months)?
During transition, the existing content will be available to the final grantee. We expect the transition period to last a few months, after which there would be no expectation for the current grantee to maintain their site.

Presently DHS uses AWR-160 as the de facto awareness level training standard. Does this requirement extend to the Highway Watch Program and its training products?
There is no current training standard for this program.

Planning. The grant guidance (B.2 page 3) directs applicants to "Develop plans based on identified high-risk scenarios (e.g., truck hijacking, hazmat incidents)." What are the plans supposed to accomplish? Who is the intended audience? Which identified high-risk scenarios should be addressed? The guidance then, for the same priority, goes on to add "Conducting a risk assessment or hazard analysis." What is supposed to be the subject of the risk assessment or hazard analysis?
The plans are meant to address what other programs, activities, outreach, etc. are necessary to address those high-risk scenarios. The intended audience is internal (grantee and DHS), but with actionable and implementable recommendations. The risk assessment/hazard analysis would feed into the development of the plans, and be based on the identified high-risk scenarios. The award will be made in the form of a cooperative agreement, and DHS will work with the grantee to jointly identify the appropriate scenarios and structure and timelines to conduct the assessments and develop the plans.

Training. The grant guidance directs applicants to "Develop and include specialized training for HAZMAT drivers (web-enabled is encouraged)". What is the specialized training supposed to accomplish that's different from the training to be offered for all drivers and highway professionals?
The potential consequences of an attack on a truck carrying HAZMAT are different than a truck carrying other, non-HAZMAT materials. The training will be specific to what to do, and what not to do if an attack is made on a HAZMAT truck. DHS will work with the grantee (through the cooperative agreement) to jointly develop the type of material this training should include, drawing on Departmental subject matter expertise from this and other modes.

What organizations are including under the umbrella of American Trucking Associations. What exactly does this mean?
Please refer to the American Trucking Associations website at www.truckline.com.

PART III of the TSP Program Guidance and Application Kit lists Program Requirements. Section A: General Program Requirements on page 9 states that: the grant recipient may retain a maximum of three percent (3%) of the funds awarded for management and administration costs associated with the implementation of the TSP award. Please provide the items or categories that you consider to be in the grouping of management and administration costs.
Please refer to the Management and Administration section on page B-3

The requirements for TSP priority # 3 Training are to "Implement a training component specific to State, local and law enforcement entities to familiarize these forces with domain awareness and incident/suspicious activity reporting training and with the identification devices used to distinguish TSP-trained personnel from those who have not been trained." Please provide a list of the identification devices used to distinguish TSP-trained personnel.
The government has access to past training information, including a database with relevant training information as to who has been trained when, and materials. This information can be supplied to the FY08 TSP grantee.

We cannot find a reference for a page limitation for grant response. Is there a page limitation for our response?
There are no page limitations to the responses. The Investment Justification template, found in Appendix D of the FY08 TSP Grant Guidance, suggests response lengths, but these are just suggestions and not limits. You may use as much or as little space necessary to sufficiently address each question. As a reminder, you must complete an Investment Justification for each of the 5 funding priorities.

Please provide a list of the training materials developed under previous programs that will be available for use/modification by the FY 2008 Grantee.
Training materials are available on-line at http://www.highwaywatch.com

For all computer based materials, will the actual source code be provided for all materials in item 1?
This will be negotiated with the successful applicant at the time of award.

Will a database of previously trained and/or certified individuals be provided to the new grantee? If yes, when will this information be available?
This will be negotiated with the successful applicant at the time of award.

Is it the intent of the grant that the call center to be used for security purposes only (to not include safety)?
The intent of the grant is that the call center be used to handle security calls; however, at this point, there is no good way to screen incoming calls. Out of common courtesy, safety and local issues should be forwarded to the appropriate local authorities, but the call center is intended to be used for security-related questions only, which should be forwarded to the ISAC.

Please provide historic data on the volume of calls the call center receives, including the number that were security related vs. non-security related.
We expect between 1,200 to 15,000 calls a month.

Are there published guidelines for the minimum security requirements for hosting the database(s) associated with the program?
No

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