• Who We Are
• For Travelers
• What We Do
• Join Us
• Our Approach
• Media Room
• Research Center

---

• What We Do
• Grants
• Law Enforcement
• Layers of Security
• Screening Partnership Program
• Security Screening
• Transportation Sector Network Management

Conferences and Workshops

Transit Security Grant Program Tier II FY 2007

• 

  • Intercity Bus Security Grant Program (IBSGP) 2009 2008 2007 2006 Freight Rail Security Grant Program FRSGP) 2009 2008 Trucking Security Program (TSP) 2009 2008

    Transit Security Grant Program Tier I (TSGP Tier I) 2009 2008 2007 2006 Transit Security Grant Program Tier II (TSGP Tier II) 2009 2008 2007 2006

• 

  • Intercity Bus Security Grant Program (IBSGP) 2006 - 2009 Freight Rail Security Grant Program (FRSGP) 2008-2009 Trucking Security Program (TSP) 2008 2009

    Transit Security Grant Program Tier I (TSGP Tier I) 2006 - 2009 Transit Security Grant Program Tier II (TSGP Tier II) 2006 - 2009

• 

  • Enter Transportation Security Grants Blog Request access to the TSA Grants Blog

•  

---

Click here to read a summary of the Tier II stakeholder conferences held on February 8, 9 and 12 in Tampa, Florida, Columbus, Ohio, and Las Vegas, Nevada.

FY07 TSGP Tier II Stakeholder Conferences

The following information is provided as a summary of the fiscal year 2007 Transit Security Grant Program Tier II Stakeholder Conferences held in Tampa, Florida, Columbus, Ohio, and Las Vegas, Nevada, on February 8, 9 and 12, 2007.

Opening Comments

We are committed to helping you with any questions you may have, and to make sure you leave here with all the answers you need. As a reminder, the submission deadline for Tier II applicants is March 6, 2007, so now is the time to get questions answered. If there is a question we cannot answer immediately, we will get back very quickly so you can have enough time to incorporate answer into your application submission.

TSGP Grant Guidance and Investment Justification Overview

All of the information I am about to go over is straight out of the FY 2007 TSGP Guidance and Application Kit.

There are 29 eligible urban areas for Tier II, including six new urban areas. These 29 areas are competing for $14.2M in available funding. The SAA is the only eligible applicant; the transit systems are sub-grantees. Everything flows through/to the SAA. The SAA must pass through 97% of the grant award to the transit agencies within 60 days of the grant award. Both TSA and G&T contribute to the grants process. TSA manages the grant process, including the selection criteria and evaluation. G&T is responsible for the administrative management.

The submission deadline of March 6, 2007 is absolute. This year, the period of performance for the grant is 36 months, which is an increase from the 30 month grant period for FY05 and FY06, so this gives you more time to implement and advance security enhancements. Also new this year is a minimum amount for investments. Investments related to exercises and training must be for at least $50,000; all other investments must be at least $250,000. All submissions must go through www.grants.gov.

In order to apply, the SAA needs a valid CCR registry and DUNS number. Most likely, they will be all set from the FY06 process. Necessary components of the application are the SF-424, the investment justification, and the detailed budget worksheet. The SAA's submission of the investment justification is, in effect, its certifying approval for investments, and, for regional projects, certifying that the appropriate coordination has taken place. Applicants may propose up to ten investments within their Investment Justification for individual systems and up to five investments for regional projects.

The investment justification replaces the concept papers that were used in the past. The term "investment" is another term for project. Using the investment justification for TSGP is consistent with other DHS grant programs, including HSGP.

The first section is the Background section. This is where you show how everything fits together, demographics, system map, POCs, etc. You are also asked to give your current and required capabilities in terms of FY07 TSGP priorities (e.g., IED, CBRNE). You will basically be addressing where you are, where you need to be, and how you will close that gap. You only need to submit the Background section one time for the entire submission, even if you have multiple (up to 10) investments.

The investments must be strategically aligned and targeted towards the appropriate Transit Security Fundamentals. It must also address how the investment supports the National Preparedness Goal, national priorities, and the Target Capabilities List. Also make sure to mention how the investment aligns with the RTSS. In submitting the application, the SAA is certifying that it aligns with the RTSS.

In terms of impact, address how the investment will decrease or mitigate risk, and also about what will happen if the investment does not receive funding. How will that affect risk? Tell us the impact if the risk is not addressed.

Outline your planned use of funds by the solution areas: planning, equipment, training, exercise, and management and administration (M&A). Also show if you are leveraging any other funding sources. Make sure the funding you are requesting ties back to the rest of the investment detail.

Outline the potential challenges you will face with implementing the project. Discuss possible concerns and pitfalls so we can see how you plan to address those, should they arise. Give an overview of the management team that is responsible for putting the investment together, and who is accountable for the oversight and implementation of the investment. Explain, at a high level, how the management team members are organized and working together to successfully implement the project.

Identify other funding sources, or rationale for why no other funding sources are necessary. There is no match required this year, but we are thinking about requiring a match next year.

You must provide a high-level timeline with up to 10 milestones and dates. Outline major milestones, start/end dates, and any other relevant info. Provide an overview of the duration of the project and tools necessary to ensure greater likelihood of success. Also identify the vision, goals, and objectives and tie those back to the risk scenarios.

After you have completed the investment justification, double-check your work and your math to ensure continuity. Break down your project requests into segments/phases, because we do fund partial projects. If you break your investment down into smaller pieces, there is a greater chance of getting partially funded rather than not getting funded at all. It is also a good idea to have someone else read the grant proposal that is not familiar with the project for clarity.

In terms of allowable expenses, the FY07 Authorized Equipment List (AEL) is in a state of flux, and will not be out until the very end of February. However, the FY06 AEL is available, and we are not aware of any major changes that will affect FY07. Allowable costs fall broadly into planning, equipment, training, exercises, and M&A.

Planning, as well as training and exercise costs, must be focused to the task at hand, and must be tied into the grant activity.

Equipment installation costs are covered if you get a contractor to do it. If you have your own staff do the installation during normal working hours, then that is not covered. However, overtime to cover the installation is allowable as long as you have permission in advance. Also, if you have your own staff install equipment during normal working hours, then that can be considered as an in-kind match. A match is a good indication of commitment and dedication to the project but is not required.

Transit systems are allowed to use up to 2.5% for M&A costs to administer/implement the grant.

Unallowable costs include vehicles and weapons with universal/general uses.

If you have any type of question, give it to us in writing through askcsid@dhs.gov to ensure that you will receive the official answer. Also, submitting questions through askcsid@dhs.gov ensures that all questions get answered in the same manner at the same time, so no one has an unfair advantage.

Transit Security Fundamentals Overview

At the end of the day, the main factor in selecting projects to be funded is how well the project reduces risk. The Transit Security Fundamentals equate to the greatest transit risk areas across the nation. The Transit Security Fundamentals are explained beginning on page 3 of the FY07 TSGP guidance. The Transit Security Fundamentals are the highest priority areas that transit systems should address to reduce the overall level of risk. There are 7 Transit Security Fundamentals:

1. Protection of high risk/high consequence underwater and underground rail assets. For this priority, greatest focus should be placed on IEDs.
2. Protection of other high risk/high consequence assets and systems that have been identified through system-wide risk assessments. If your system does not have underground/underwater tunnels, there may be other things within your system that represent critical risk identified through risk assessment that you should focus on. Again, focus on IEDs.
3. Use of visible, unpredictable deterrence. There are several other ways to do this. Examples of this include VIPR teams, canine teams, Federal air marshals, and patrolling local law enforcement. Also, this could be accomplished through surge capability or screening. You know how best to do this for your own system, and what you would use for visible, unpredictable deterrence.
4. Targeted counter-terrorism training for key front-line staff. Front line employees are a transit system's first line of defense, and they need to be part of your overall security strategy. They know what is/is not normal, and how to deal with those abnormal situations.
5. Emergency preparedness drills and exercises. It is one thing to know on paper what to do, but an entirely different thing to know what to do in the real situation. Practicing through drills and exercises helps close that gap.
6. Public awareness and preparedness campaigns. Everyday riders are critical to security – they know what is normal and what they should be concerned with. As such, it is important for them to know who to call, what to do, and not be complacent. Examples of this include programs to inform the riding public to keep them engaged.
7. Efforts in support of the national preparedness architecture.

The first six fundamentals are specific priorities, and the 7th ties the first 6 into the general preparedness architecture. Also, numbers 3-6 are basically support functions for #1 and #2.

Considerations for Preparing Investment Justifications

There are four main areas to be aware of when developing your investment justifications: clarity, context, comprehensiveness, and function.

1. Clarity – You know your systems better than anyone else. Don't assume we know your acronyms or what you are talking about, or how all the pieces fit together for your system. It is a good idea to have someone outside of your system read the investment justification to see if they understand what you are talking about. When writing the investment justification, address "the who, what, why, how, and when" of the investment. Address those things upfront to make it easier to understand what the impact is.
2. Context – Not everyone knows how your project fits into your system, or how your project will address national risk reduction. Your application needs to provide a sense of "this is how we do it now, this is why it doesn't work effectively, and this is how the project will make it better." Often times this information is implied, but not explicitly explained.
3. Comprehensiveness – It is not enough to just mention technology; you need to explain how it will be used (the support structure). For example, do not just say you are going to install CCTV equipment, because you also need the ability to respond to what is seen on the CCTVs, and training and exercises for those who are responding. Demonstrate the project has long-term sustainability.
4. Function – There are a lot of dual-use products and technologies that enhance both safety and security. If you are using something that is dual-use, give a clear indication of why/how you are using it for security to reduce risk. Explain how it is going to be used with security as the central/main focus.

Evaluation

How you put your investment justification together is critical. An inter-agency panel reviews each investment, and they only have approximately a half-hour per each investment to understand your story. Write the investment justification clearly, and assume the person reading it knows nothing about the system. There is no opportunity for the panel to reach out and ask questions or talk to you about your project, so make sure what you write is clear.

The other factor that is taken into consideration for funding, besides the investment justification, is risk to your system. Risk is considered when determining what projects to fund in regards to how much overall risk this project will impact. Take care of high risk areas first. If you submit an investment that may be viable and address security, but it does not address the high risk areas first, then it may not be funded in lieu of investments that address higher priorities.

FY06 Grants Overview

p>We are showing you a graph of requests vs. allocated amounts for the FY 2006 Tier II TSGP. The allocated amount is not a representation of risk levels or risk faced by the system, but more a representation of the quality of the projects submitted.

About 75 percent of rail projects funded last year went towards CCTV and surveillance. Fencing & Gates was second with around 12 percent. The funding was directed to those projects largely because the majority of the applications received were for those types of projects. Also, these types of projects provided a viable security purpose, where other project types did not.

Most intracity bus projects funded were for kill switches and GPS or perimeter security, which provided a security value. We also want to emphasize that if you are implementing an on-board security/surveillance system, make sure it has good security value, such as a live feed or something to allow the real-time interception of attacks. If someone is monitoring the system to know where the buses are and what's happening and can stop it that represents security value.

About 50 percent of the intercity bus (IBSGP grant program) funding went towards kill switches/GPS, and about 49 percent went to facility security. Not many people submitted applications for emergency communications, or training and exercises (but this is not reflective of our priorities).

Overall, in order to be evaluated well, stay focused on the Transit Security Fundamentals. If you explain how the investment addresses the Transit Security Fundamentals, then you will have a greater chance of being funded.

Closing Remarks

DHS Secretary Chertoff has taken a deep interest in these grant programs, and he does not want you to be hindered by bureaucracy. That's why we are trying to reach out and let you know what you need to do to get the funding that's available. Please don't hesitate to ask questions. Askcsid@dhs.gov is the official channel to ask questions.

Please let us know how we can make the process easier and better for you. We are here to answer any questions. All of the presentations will be posted on the TSA website, and we also have handouts available that list the important upcoming dates. Please email any questions to askcsid@dhs.gov. All Q&As and FAQs (including questions from our weekly conference calls) are up on the TSA website under the Questions and Answers section. The important dates are also listed on the website. Thank you all for coming.