Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency

Bureau of Recovery and MitigationProject/County Plan Revision Management Guide and Fiscal

Briefing“How to Manage Your Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant”

This handbook will serve as a guide to manage your Unified Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grant projects :

PDM (Pre-disaster Mitigation Program), FMA (Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant), RFC (Repetitive Flood Claims Program), SRL (Severe Repetitive Loss Program), HMGP (Hazard Mitigation Grant).

Purpose of the Project Management guide

December 15, 2009

1) Management of a UHMA Project

• The sub grantee's role in project management is to direct project work and submit required financial and performance reports to PEMA.

• The State/Sub grantee agreement is a binding document between the state and the sub grantee.

• Board of Elected officials must appoint a Point of Contact that administer the grant.

2) Administrative/Management Cost

• On a case by case basis, Administrative costs will need to be applied for outside of the project budget.

• The sub grantee may apply for up to 5 % documented Management cost within each project application and must be consistent with 2 CFR part 225.

3) Non-Federal Local Match Requirement

Allowable matching funds could include: • Property Owner• Municipal Funds Donated• HUD Community Block Grant (CDBG)• Increase to Cost Compliance funds (ICC), • Small Business Association (SBA) Loans• Force Account Costs-Labor, Material, Equipment

Local match must be documented by submitting copies of all invoices that document 100% of project costs and up to 5% of management costs.

3) Non-Federal Local Match Requirement

• PDM requires at least 25% local match• RFC does not require a local match • SRL requires a 10% local match • FMA at least 25% of total project cost must be

met by the sub grantee. FMA also requires a minimum of ½ of the match be cash.

3) Non-Federal Local Match Requirement

• Any in-kind labor, equipment, and material rates must be actual and reasonable. PEMA/FEMA has a list of these costs.

• Note: The sub-grantee must have already included the match in their original budget.

4) Approved Scope of Work and Budget

• The Scope of Work (SOW) is based on the information submitted, reviewed, and approved in the original application. Changes to the SOW must be approved prior to work beginning by the PEMA Mitigation Project Officer -All changes to SOW must be in writing.

5) Accounting System Requirements

• The sub-grantee must keep a master file for each plan work accomplished.

• While you are required by law to maintain all documentation on file for at least 3 years after project closeout, PEMA recommends keep Unified HMA records for 8 years.

6) Bidding Process

• Your organization must have written procedures that cover all procurement actions, which must, at minimum, comply with Federal requirements, as stated by 44 CFR part 13.36.

• A sample copy of the initial bid specifications and drawings should be sent to PEMA-HM for review prior to being advertised in a local medium.

• Submit all accepted bids to your Mitigation Project Officer (Julie Yu) for comparison to the approved and budgeted line item .

7) Cost Overrun and Underruns

• While executing the grant, ALL cost over-runs must be pre-approved by PEMA-HM in writing prior to their incurrence.

• The cost overruns on one line item cannot be offset by cost under-runs on other line items unless the percentage of change is less than 10%.

8) Period of Performance

• A time extension must be requested at least 90 days prior to the set expiration to PEMA-HM in writing.

• Time extension can not be approved by PEMA/FEMA if quarterly reports are not up-to-date.

9) Program Income

• Program Income is encouraged to defray approved program costs. Examples - Interest, Salvage, Recycling

• Program Income will be used to defray the overall FEMA approved project cost.

10) Grant Documentation and Payment Requests

• Proper documentation should exhibit that the approved budget was followed and purchases were made within the approved Period of Performance (POP).

• In order to receive advancement/reimbursement of incurred costs, sub-grantees must submit a Request for Reimbursement (see Appendix A Page 1).

10) Grant Documentation and Payment Requests (cont.)

• You must supply proof of the in-kind service (administration, force account labor, material, equipment).

• Advances require a timeline

11) Project Monitoring

• A PEMA Site Visit or conference call will be conducted for your plan by your PEMA MPO (or designee) once per quarter

• The sub-grantee may request a site visit whenever deemed necessary.

• Your MPO may contact you monthly by phone to discuss any questions or concerns you may have.

12) Quarterly/Monthly Reports

• Quarterly/Monthly progress reports (see Appendix A Page 2 and 3) should include detailed financial & project status based on the timeline submitted and agreed to.

• Sub-grantee quarterly reports provide PEMA with the progress on your grant.

• Please be sure to provide a sequence of events for possible time extensions or scope of work changes.

• Failure to provide QT reports in the designated timeframe will jeopardize the grant.

12) Quarterly Reports

• Make every effort to thoroughly complete your quarterly report thoroughly.

• Quarterly reports are due every January 15, April 15, July 15, and October 15.

13) Accounting of Equipment and Property

• You should use, manage, and dispose of equipment acquired under a project according to Federal and State laws and procedures.

14) Project Closeout

• Project closeout documentation must be submitted within sixty (60) within completion of work.

• Your grant will be closed when all applicable administrative and required work has been completed and approved by FEMA.

• PEMA will submit a local financial reconciliation form to be completed, signed, and returned within two (2) weeks.

14) Project Closeout

• A site visit will accompany all closeout requests, showing pictures and geo-coding for all locations.

• Before closeout it is necessary to review and compare the scope of work submitted and completed, on both project and planning grants

15) All-HM Planning Specific Guidance

• PEMA will not accept any plans for review that have not been assessed with the Local Crosswalk. Two CDs and Two Hard copies of the plan and all appendices must be included in the submissions – Plan maybe in a .pdf, however, the crosswalk must be in .doc format

• All jurisdictions must participate in the plan development/revision if they want to participate in future HM funding.

• All jurisdictions must have at least one identified approval project

16) Timeline

• PEMA will review Crosswalk within 2 weeks. If it meets the guidance, PEMA will forward with PEMA Director Endorsement; if not, plan with comments/recommendations will be sent back to grantee.

• FEMA review takes approximately 45 days.

17) Plan notification/Required Adoptions

• FEMA will send PEMA notification of conditional approval.

• County will then need to adopt the plan and notify municipalities to adopt the plan.

• Five-year time clock starts from first municipal adoption.

• Those municipalities that do not adopt, will not be eligible for any FEMA disaster and non-disaster grant participation.

18) Planning Grant Specific GuidanceImportant Information to Monitor

• Approved Scope of Work • Budget Line Items • Conditions established by FEMA and the State • Period of Performance • Documentation of all expenses• Quarterly Reports• Documentation Needed for Closeout

Appendix

• 1.) Hazard Mitigation Grant Application Agreement

• 2.) Request for reimbursement (PDM– 4, May 2008) • 3.) Quarterly Project Progress Report:

Reports are due on January 15, April 15, July 15, and October 15.

• 4.) Hazard Mitigation Quarterly Progress Report Form

• 5.) Hazard Mitigation Quarterly Progress Report Requirements • 6.) Open a separate No interest account – Any costs for this are eligible

Appendix

• 7.) Form 20-16B and Form 20-16C

• 8.) Electronic Funds Transfer Policy

• 9.) Electronic Form Transfer Form

• 10.) Close Out Requirements: include (Log Ledger, canceled checks)

• 11) OMB Circular A-87 (Revised 05/10/04)

• 12) Audit Information Sheet

• QUESTIONS