2006 Buyer's Guide
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Finding Federal Grant Dollar$$$
The Office of Federal Financial Management recently
issued a policy directive requiring that all federal agencies post grant
opportunities online as of November 7, 2005.
Grants.gov allows organizations to electronically search and apply for
competitive grant opportunities. This website,
www.grants.gov, is the single access
point for over 1,000 grant programs offered by the 26 federal grant-making
agencies, and it is intended to simplify the grant process. The U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services is proud to be the managing partner
for Grants.gov, an initiative that will have an unparalleled impact on the
grant community.
Grants.gov enables grant-making agencies and the grant
community to come together to make grants management easier and more
efficient for everyone. State, local and tribal governments, colleges and
universities, research institutions, non-profits and other organizations
will now have the ability to find $400 billion in annual grants from over
1000 different grant programs at one online location.
The search capabilities that are built into the site make
finding grants faster and researching grants more efficient. By subscribing
to the email update service, when new grants matching your specified
interests are posted, email notifications are sent to the subscriber,
including the title, the agency name and a link which can take them right to
the grant. These features make keeping on top of newly available grants of
interest to grant applicant organizations a matter of minutes a day.
According to the township of Lexington, SC, "We've become aware of funding
opportunities that might have been missed or we didn't know to think of,
helping us expand rapidly to meet the growing need for services. We cannot
thank Grants.gov enough and emphasize how valuable it has been to us as
end-users!"
The Grants.gov application process eliminates the need to
learn and comply with multiple agency-specific system requirements. One
registration is all that is needed to apply to all federal grant
opportunities. Additionally, electronic applications that can be downloaded
to any computer, online user support tools and personalized assistance from
a dedicated Customer Support team, all come together, making it easier to
apply for grants.
You can find out more about Grants.gov by visiting the
website at www.grants.gov.
Other Grant Resources
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) is a regularly updated
publication that gives you access to information about federally funded or
sponsored programs, benefits, grants and business opportunities. This is a
good resource to learn more about programs you are interested in, including
projected grant funding in the next fiscal year. Access the CFDA at
http://www.cfda.gov.
At www.fedgrants.gov,
federal funding opportunities for the International Trade Administration (ITA),
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and
Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). These are just the notices
themselves, which give summaries, for potential recipients, of each program.
The applicant, in turn, can go to the site to discover what federal grant
opportunities are currently available.
It is a good idea to periodically visit the websites of
individual federal agencies for up-to-date grant announcements, guidelines,
solicitations and instructions for submitting a proposal and contact
information. Here are a few relative to law enforcement:
Department of Commerce
www.commerce.gov/grants
Department of Homeland Security
www.dhs.gov
Department of Justice
www.usdoj.gov
Department of Labor
www.dol.gov
Department of the Treasury
www.treas.gov
Department of Transportation
www.dot.gov
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
www.fema.gov
HRSA (Health Resources & Services Administration)
www.hrsa.gov/grants
USA Freedom Corp
www.usafreedomcorps.gov
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Procurement Safety Considerations
By Jay Fuller
ALEA Safety Staff
Some of you may be using 2006 Buyer’s Guide issue of Air
Beat as an opportunity to plan for future improvements to your fleet or
operation. And, many of you will be creating wish lists of items you need or
would someday like to have for your aviation agency.
Technology is good, very good. In aviation, we perform
missions that are impossible for our surface-based counterparts and have
become a great force multiplier in the process. Progress in technology will
generally net a greater gain for aviation than other facets of law
enforcement. Law enforcement aviation today, more so than commercial or even
military aviation, is at the forefront of technological advance. Therefore,
it becomes the responsibility of law enforcement aviation unit management to
stay on top of new offerings so as to improve the safety, capability and
effectiveness of his or her organization. Whether we’re talking major
retrofits or just a few add-ons, we always have something to gain, but the
evaluation and selection process must consider safety from the outset.
First, technological fleet enhancements should primarily
be used to improve the safety of existing missions. As tempting as it may
be, upgrades should not be immediately used to implement new missions or to
expand existing missions. NVGs, GPS based moving map displays, improved and
more capable communication systems, etc. should initially be used to enhance
the situational awareness of crews and decrease cockpit workload on existing
missions (tactical missions typically place very high demands on crew skills
and attention).
Next, when aircraft enhancements are added, a formal
training program should be introduced to ensure personnel familiarity
(either aircrew or maintenance). Obviously, the length and sophistication of
these programs need only be proportional to the degree of change in crew
workload over the previous installation.
If added equipment makes new missions or expansion of
existing missions possible, these roles should be approached in a careful
and studied manner. No mission should be undertaken if it engenders
unnecessary risk. Any expanded role should be thoroughly thought out and
practiced. And, a training program should be developed to ensure crew
familiarity with all aspects of the task.
Last but not least, since safety is to be the prime beneficiary of
technology improvements in our units, we don’t need to focus our acquisition
thoughts solely on aircraft equipment. By this I mean that crew gear should
to be considered as well. Any law enforcement aircraft crew operating on
tactical missions today without Nomex flight suits (including gloves, flight
helmets and boots) is not properly equipped.
Units operating routinely over water, or simply having
missions over water, should have personal flotation gear as part of the
basic uniform issue. If missions require flight into remote, austere,
inhospitable terrain, appropriate aircraft survival kits should be on board
and sufficient for all personnel in the aircraft. Even special crew seating
using layered foam, sheepskin, etc. can be crucial for safety when aircraft
are involved in long duration surveys or surveillance missions. Aviation
unit managers absolutely need to review these types of unit enhancements
when considering procurement./p>
This issue of Air Beat is different than others, but
informative and fascinating in its own right. Enjoy the rest of your
reading, come up with some procurement items and keep safety ever present in
your selection process.
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Changes Expected For Federal
1122 & 1033 Purchasing Programs
By William E. LeGro, Ultimate Enterprises, Inc.
In several past editions of this Buyer’s Guide, we have
offered reports on two Defense Department property programs of interest to
law enforcement agencies. These are the excess property program, which we
refer to as "1033" or the "LESO Program," and the law enforcement equipment
purchasing program, or "1122." There are current and projected developments
in both of these programs that police and sheriffs’ departments that use
excess Defense property, or purchase new equipment and parts through the
1122 Program, should be aware of.
First, the landscape is changing in the excess program.
The Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service, that operates the 65 or so
Defense Reutilization and Marketing Offices (DRMOs) around the country, has
announced the projected closing of all but 16 DRMOs in the continental
United States. The shut-downs will occur over several months, beginning in
early 2006, but when complete will mean that law enforcement agencies that
screen and pick up equipment at DRMOs will travel greater distances to do
so.
As the acquisition of good defense excess property
becomes more difficult, and perhaps less cost-effective, local governments
and law enforcement agencies should explore the possibilities offered by
their State Agencies for Surplus Property. These agencies (see
www.nasasp.org for the
address of your state’s agency) acquire surplus federal property for
donation to state and local agencies, and in most cases, do the screening
and pick-up. They charge a nominal fee for their service in order to fund
their cost of operation.
Some will remember what is was like at the DRMOs several
years ago – before the 42-day screening period was compressed into 21 – when
law enforcement and the U.S. Forest Service competed for excess equipment,
especially for vehicles. The change, called XcessXpress, impelled the shift
of law enforcement screening to the defense internal screening period,
placing it in position to screen before the Forest Service. This did not sit
well with the Forest Service, which succeeded in influencing the passage of
a law that permits the Forest Service again to screen alongside law
enforcement agencies during the defense internal screening period.
Of special interest to law enforcement agencies
contemplating equipping flight detachments with excess defense helicopters,
the U.S. Army is again transferring significant numbers of OH-58s in the
1033 Program. Current plans are for the OH-58s to remain in the Army
inventory through 2009, and perhaps for two or more years beyond that. This
means that parts for these birds will continue to be purchased by the Army,
and will therefore be available for purchase through the 1122 Program by law
enforcement for a few more years.
Some operators of excess defense aircraft (rotary and
fixed wing) are already aware of major changes in the rules regarding the
disposal of these aircraft. In April 2005, the Defense Logistics Agency
decreed that agencies that received excess aircraft and parts under the 1208
Program (the precursor of 1033) must follow disposal procedures published by
DLA, and receive DLA approval before selling or trading any aircraft. Later,
DLA announced that agencies are prohibited from selling or trading any
aircraft received under the 1033 Program. These rules nullify the terms of
the Memorandum of Agreement between the States and DLA which provide that
after five-years’ of use, the owning agency may dispose of excess aircraft
in accordance with state and local laws and regulations.
The law enforcement equipment 1122 purchasing program is
growing in terms of equipment being purchased and dollars spent, if not in
terms of states who are participating. Missouri recently joined, but a few
states have effectively dropped out. Nevertheless, new management at the
federal level (the Office of the Army G-4) has breathed new life into the
program and succeeded in rectifying a situation that threatened to make it
impossible for agencies to purchase from some DLA and Army sources. This was
a technical matter involving the state DODAACs. It required perseverance and
interagency cooperation to correct.
Flight units operating OH-58 helicopters have recently
experienced long delays in delivery of parts purchased through the Army, and
in some cases, refusals to accept purchase orders. We expect this situation
to improve as the Army resumes purchasing for its requirements, responding
to the extended life of this helicopter. Army purchases had been suspended
in anticipation of the phase-out of the OH-58. Responding to a suggestion
from the Army G-4, the Army has agreed to try to include anticipated law
enforcement aviation parts requirements in its parts orders. ALEA is
cooperating in an effort to provide the necessary data.
The 1122 Program remains an attractive source of supply
for many kinds of law enforcement equipment. Other than the availability of
OH-58 parts at Army prices, of greatest importance to aviation is the DLA
fuel card that enables refueling at Defense contract facilities. Many
aviation units also save by purchasing flight suits, helmets, night vision
goggles and ground support equipment through the 1122 Program. It is
possible that within a few months purchasing opportunities for law
enforcement, as well as other first-responders, will be enlarged as two new
Federal programs come online. We will keep you informed and may be able to
publish information regarding these programs in Air Beat magazine soon.
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