DOI - Program Plan
Interior Recovery Act - Indian Affairs, Operation of Indian Programs - Recovery Act Recovery Plan
Last updated: 2009-05-14Table of Contents
Click on each of the links below to read the part of the Plan relating to each topic.
Objectives
Program Purpose
The funding allocated for the operation of Indian Programs will construct reservation housing and train a workforce with viable skills that can be used now and in the future.
Public Benefits
**Indian Affairs has developed a comprehensive program plan that describes how Recovery Act programs will be managed and executed. The Indian Affairs Program Plan can be found at: http://recovery.doi.gov/plans.php
Additional information about Indian Affairs Recovery Act program and projects is available at: http://recovery.doi.gov/indianaffairs
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The Recovery Act makes available operations funding for “workforce training programs and the housing improvement program.” The Recovery Act offers a unique opportunity to make improvements to Indian communities that enhance the long-term economic development potential and promote near-term economic recovery through the preservation and creation of jobs. Resources from the Recovery Act will put Indian communities to work on schools, roads, housing, and other projects of real value to the future of Indian country.
Measures
The measures have been revised to enrich the performance metrics for Recovery targets. In some instances, targets will not be available until additional baseline data has been collected.
Schedule and Milestones
**Indian Affairs has developed a comprehensive program plan that describes how Recovery Act programs will be managed and executed. The Indian Affairs Program Plan can be found at: http://recovery.doi.gov/plans.php
Additional information about Indian Affairs Recovery Act program and projects is available at: http://recovery.doi.gov/indianaffairs
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Projects and Activities
Kinds and Scope of Program Activities
Indian Affairs programs funded through the Department of the Interior’s ARRA investments include:
1) Housing Improvement Program (HIP) - $19 million: The Bureau of Indian Affairs Housing Improvement Program (HIP) will fund construction of new homes for eligible Indian families. Funds will be directed to tribes that not only have a considerable number of HIP eligible applicants and high unemployment, but also have demonstrated capability to meet the aggressive hiring and construction time frames required by the Recovery Act. The resources will promote a fundamental objective of the Bureau’s Housing Improvement Program: improving the living conditions of eligible Indian people and creating jobs in the Indian communities.
2) Workforce Training - $5.7 million: Indian Affairs will implement intensive training programs in the construction trades to equip unemployed and underemployed Indian trainees with job skills needed to participate in other Recovery Act construction and infrastructure development activities. In the long-term, the skills gained will enable these individuals to establish careers in the construction trades and/or start small businesses on reservations.
3) Construction Workforce On-the-Job Training in Maintenance - $13.3 million: Indian Affairs will provide on-the-job training for unemployed or underemployed Indian individuals while accomplishing annual maintenance on federal government facilities. The facilities include Bureau buildings, detention centers, employee quarters, and other support facilities. Because this work is labor intensive, it is estimated that 75 percent of the funds will go towards salary expenses with the balance being used to procure the necessary materials within the community thus turning those dollars over to the local communities.
Review Process
**Indian Affairs has developed a comprehensive program plan that describes how Recovery Act programs will be managed and executed. The Indian Affairs Program Plan can be found at: http://recovery.doi.gov/plans.php
Additional information about Indian Affairs Recovery Act program and projects is available at: http://recovery.doi.gov/indianaffairs
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The establishment of meaningful and measurable outcomes is an important component of Interior’s Recovery Act reporting. Performance monitoring and oversight efforts are designed to ensure that the Department meets the accountability objectives of the Recovery Act.
These efforts include tracking the progress of key goals. The Department is defining a suite of performance measurements to monitor progress made in accomplishing stated work goals and to ensure financial and procurement practices are executed responsibly. In addition, the Department’s Recovery Act Coordinator is collaborating with senior Departmental officials, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Office of Inspector General to ensure oversight of the program from the first phase of project selection, through implementation and execution. The Coordinator, with the assistance of the Recovery Act Board, will be evaluating processes to ensure that adequate mechanisms are in place and identify and share best practices to promote:
o Maximized use of competitive awards
o Timely and transparent award of dollars
o Timely and appropriate expenditure of dollars
o Verification and timely completion of planned work
o Minimized cost overruns
o Minimized improper payments
Measurement and reporting is a crucial component of Interior’s oversight strategy. The information received will serve as an indicator of progress enabling the Department’s governance entities to manage risk and ensure successful implementation of the Recovery Act. Department-wide, consistent guidance will guide efforts in this regard, including for example, development of a risk management program.
Cost and Performance Plan
**Indian Affairs has developed a comprehensive program plan that describes how Recovery Act programs will be managed and executed. The Indian Affairs Program Plan can be found at: http://recovery.doi.gov/plans.php
Additional information about Indian Affairs Recovery Act program and projects is available at: http://recovery.doi.gov/indianaffairs
**
Reporting requirements related to major contract actions and financial status, including obligations and outlays, are being instituted. Periodic reviews of implementation progress at both the Bureau and Departmental levels will identify the need to realign resources to expedite projects, to modify project plans, or to select contingency projects to ensure funds are obligated within the time limitation. The selection of contingency projects will be included as part of regular reporting through recovery.gov.
The Recovery Coordinator will oversee Bureau implementation to ensure projects address the Department’s high priority goals and objectives, while also working to ensure that department-wide performance objectives, including timeliness and cost and risk management are met throughout the process.
The Office of Inspector General will be working closely with the Department from the
start to review and propose effective processes to manage risks, monitor progress, and to improve overall performance and accountability.
As part of routine reporting, the Department is also carefully tracking all projects subject to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). During the project selection phase the Department identified which projects had already completed NEPA planning, which are in progress, and which ones still need to begin the NEPA process. The Department will track the status of all NEPA compliance activities associated with projects or activities and report quarterly to the Council on Environmental Quality.
Energy Efficiency Spending Plans
As part of workforce training, multiple classes will be conducted with approximately 120 hours of intense classroom instruction and on-site hands-on training on residential and light commercial energy auditing. Graduates of the program will return to their home reservations and perform energy audits on tribal housing and light commercial buildings. They will develop specific work plans for each residence to retrofit houses to energy conservation standards, complete with cost estimates and materials lists. Following this, on-reservation training courses will be conducted to train individuals in the construction trades to learn how to retrofit houses to meet energy conservation standards. An estimated 350 people will gain work skills in either energy auditing or residential construction during this program and possibly several hundred Indian homes will be retrofitted to energy conservation standards, depending on the availability of retrofitting funds available through other programs.
Program Plan Award Types
Guaranteed/Insured Loans
Recipient Applicant Type:
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Contracts
Recipient Applicant Type: Beneficiary Type: Other
Recipient Applicant Type: Beneficiary Type: Training
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Source: Data provided by the Agency through the Office of Management and Budget.
