Post-Award Bootcamp_January 2025 Flashcards
What doe DOC stand for?
Department of Commerce
What does OICG stand for?
Office of Internet Connectivity & Growth
What does NTIA stand for?
National Telecommunications & Information Administration
Who are our primary clients at OICG?
Doug Kinkoph, Susannah Spellman
Who is Deloitte’s subcontractor on the project?
Corner Alliance
What do BIL/IIJA and CAA stand for? Name the grant programs that each Act authorizes.
BIL/IIJA: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law/Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act; * Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) * Digital Equity (DE) * Middle Mile (MM)
CAA: Consolidated Appropriations Act; * Connecting Minority Communities (CMC) Pilot Program * Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) * Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP)
Which other NTIA grant program do we support?
Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund (PWSCIF); OIA program funded through NDAA/CHIPS
Who is the Program Director for BIP?
Geoff Jordan
What is the primary objective of BIP?
Provide qualifying broadband service in an eligible service area
What is ‘qualifying broadband service’?
Speeds no less than 25 Mbps download, 3 Mbps upload
Who are the eligible recipients of BIP funding?
A covered partnership, meaning a partnership between a State (or political subdivisions of a State) and a provider of fixed broadband service
Approximately how many awards were made under BIP? How much federal funding was awarded?
14 awards, ~$282M
Who is the Program Director for CMC?
Dominique Harrison
What is the primary objective of CMC?
Address the lack of broadband access, connectivity, adoption and equity at our nation’s HBCUs, TCUs, MSIs, and in their surrounding anchor communities.
What is one eligible activity of CMC?
- Build broadband/IT capacity of eligible institutions * Provide broadband education, awareness, training, access, equipment, and support to students and patrons at eligible institutions/anchor communities * Provide subsidized broadband access and equipment to qualified students/communities * Improve uses of broadband services by MBEs/community orgs to delivery digital skills, digital inclusion, workforce development, and technology services in anchor communities * Stimulate the adoption and community use of broadband for telehealth, remote learning, telework and entrepreneurship, economic growth, and job creation * Build digital skills and IT workforce capacity including STEM/STEAM, coding, cybersecurity, technician, and work-based learning programs * Conduct planning related to online education, digital inclusion, workforce, and digital skills development * Gather data and conduct evaluations of the effectiveness of the programs funded by the grant
Who are the eligible recipients of CMC funding?
HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs
Approximately how many awards were made under CMC? How much federal funding was awarded?
93 awards, ~$263M
What’s the difference between TBCP1 and TBCP2?
TBCP1 is deep in post-award; TBCP2 is still wrapping up pre-award
Who is the Program Director for TBCP?
Margaret Gutierrez
What is the primary objective of TBCP?
Improve the quality of life, spur economic development and commercial activity, and create opportunities for remote employment, online entrepreneurship, remote learning, and telehealth by expanding broadband access and providing digital training and inclusion programs to Native American communities.
What is one eligible activity of TBCP?
- Infrastructure Deployment (construction of middle/last mile networks) * Use and Adoption * Standalone planning (TBCP1 only)
Who are the eligible recipients of TBCP funding?
Tribal governments, Alaska Native Corporations, Tribal organizations, or Tribal colleges/universities
Who is the one prescribed TBCP awardee with a funding set-aside in the legislation?
The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands
Approximately how many awards were made under TBCP1? How much federal funding was awarded?
224 awards, ~$1.8B
What does GMAC stand for?
Grants Management, Administration, and Compliance
What is GMAC’s purpose?
(1) Provide overall coordination, project management, and compliance strategy support across GMAC to drive consistency, alignment, and compliance across BIL and CAA and (2) Support cross-program oversight of monitoring activities to provide insight on the health of IFA programs and compliance with DOC NTIA monitoring requirements.
What sits at the top of the Document Hierarchy Pyramid?
Legally binding statutory and regulatory requirements (“Laws & Regs”)
If the Report Review SOP conflicts with the FPO Handbook, which document takes precedence?
FPO Handbook
What does NOFO stand for?
Notice of Funding Opportunity
What does EHP stand for?
Environmental & Historic Preservation
What does BABA stand for?
Build America, Buy America
What are the levels of the document hierarchy?
Laws/Regs; Policies; Procedures (SOPs); Work (Job) Aids
What is the role of the Grants Officer?
Oversee the business management and administrative aspects of grants and cooperative agreements
What is the name of the grants management system used by NOAA GMS?
eRA Commons
What are the three criteria used to determine whether a cost is eligible?
Allowable, allocable, reasonable
What is the main activity that is prohibited under CMC?
Construction (“Construction Activities Prohibited” SAC)
Name one allowable cost under the CMC program.
- Personnel costs – salaries & fringe benefits * Hardware, software, and other digital technology * Equipment and devices (excluding mobile phones) – Wi-Fi, hotspot, modem, router, device that combines a modem and router * Implementation of affordable broadband programs, digital training, education, technology support, outreach and awareness programs * Sub-awards and contractual costs
What are the three types of project types found in TBCP awards?
- Infrastructure Deployment * Use and Adoption * Planning, Feasibility, and Sustainability Studies
Which project type is not allowable for TBCP2 awards?
Standalone Planning, Feasibility, and Sustainability Studies
Which two reports are submitted every April 30th and October 30th?
Semi-annual Federal Financial Report and Performance (Technical Report)
What is a subrecipient?
A subrecipient is a non-federal entity that receives a subaward from a recipient to carry out part of a federal program.
How is a subrecipient different from a contractor or vendor?
Contractor provides goods/services for the recipient and forms a procurement
Does NTIA’s calendar for recipient reporting & monitoring follow the calendar year or the federal fiscal year?
The federal fiscal year
The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 – September 30.
How is a subrecipient different from a contractor or vendor?
A contractor provides goods/services for the recipient, forming a procurement relationship, while a subaward creates a federal assistance relationship.
What is a no-cost extension?
An amendment to an existing Federal award that extends the period of performance and budget period with no additional funding.
What is the definition of ‘Equipment’ per the federal regulations?
Tangible personal property having a useful life of more than 1 year and a per-unit acquisition cost greater than $5k (TBCP1) or $10k (TBCP2).
What is the document hierarchy from top to bottom?
Laws/Regs; Policies; SOPs; Job Aids
What are some duties of the Contract Support Team?
Create and store welcome packages; Assist FPOs with tracking grant activities; support FPOs in responding to recipient questions; Assist program staff and FPOs with tracking and reviewing recipient reports; Coordinate with recipients and appropriate TA providers; assist with monitoring activities; generate and send Immediate Action Letters.
What is the office that combats fraud, waste, and abuse within the DOC?
Office of Inspector General (OIG)
Which team supports cross-program oversight of monitoring activities?
GMAC
GMAC stands for Grants Management, Administration, and Compliance.
What are signs of fraud, waste, and abuse?
Potential indicators include:
* Charging personal expenses as business expenses
* Charging for costs not incurred
* Inflating labor costs or hours
* Falsifying information in applications
* Billing more than one grant for the same work
* Falsifying evaluation results
* Using unauthorized materials
* Misrepresenting project performance
* Influencing government employees for grant awards
* Conflicts of interest with subrecipients.
What is the name of the protection against reprisal for an employee who discloses information about fraud?
Whistleblower protection
Who is the lead contract support for the EHP workstream?
Stephanie Konopa (also accept Eric Graham)
True or False: NEPA and NHPA review must be completed before the awarded project can begin.
True
Describe the differences between a Categorical Exclusion (CE), an Environmental Assessment (EA), and an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
CE: Issued for actions with no significant environmental impact; EA: Prepared when significance is unclear, may lead to a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI); EIS: Required for projects with likely significant effects, documented in a Record of Decision (ROD).
What does the BABA act establish?
Establishes a domestic content procurement preference for federal financial assistance for infrastructure projects.
Which program has a BABA report requirement?
CMC (and TBCP2, probably)
What is the non-federal entity that provides a subaward to a subrecipient called?
Pass-through entity
Is there a Law/Regulation that outlines specific requirements for pass-through entities?
Yes
What types of actions lead to submitting an Award Action Request (NIST)/Revision Request (NOAA)?
Changes in key personnel; changes in scope; no-cost extension; rebudgeting; transfer of work to a new subrecipient; satisfaction of SAC.
Do all revisions to a recipient’s budget require a formal Budget Revision Request?
No
What is the difference between a human subject and a non-human subject in research?
A human subject is a living individual from whom data is obtained through intervention or identifiable private information.
What are the two HSR classifications that apply to most TBCP & CMC awards?
Category 1: Not Conducting Human Subjects Research; Category 2: Exemption Request.
What are all of the reports due by the recipient over the lifecycle of the award in chronological order?
Baseline report; Quarterly Financial Report (CMC only); Semi-annual Performance/Financial Report; Annual Report; Annual Performance Report (CMC only); Final Performance/Financial Report.
To whom are recipients supposed to send their Semi-Annual Performance and Federal Financial reports?
To NIST/NOAA and their Federal program officer.
What addendums are included in the Annual Reports that are not asked in the Semi-Annual?
CMC: CAI list; TBCP: Households, Tribal Business Locations, CAIs; BIP: Households, Business Locations, CAIs.
What types of data does the CMC Performance (Technical) Report measure?
Remote learning infrastructure; Professional development training; Anchor community activity participation; Broadband devices/subscriptions acquired; Broadband deployments; Digital skills/workforce development trainings.
What impact does the ‘Project Type’ selection box have on the TBCP Technical Report Template?
Blacks out non-applicable questions based on the selected project type.
Does the funding expended question in the technical report ask for funds expended during the reporting period or cumulatively since the award start date?
Cumulative
What is the difference between the CMC Annual Report and the CMC Annual Performance (Technical) Report?
The CMC Annual Performance Report uses the same report template as the Semi-Annual and is due on December 29th, while the CMC Annual Report is due no later than 1 year after receiving grant funds and uses a different report template.
Who certifies that the submitted report has been filled out correctly?
Recipient AOR
How often are FFRs due for BIP & TBCP grant recipients?
BIP & TBCP: Semi-annually; CMC: Quarterly
