Friday, May 24, 2013

TSA issues notices about affects of contractor change-over: mobile enrollment and EYO, center hours



The Transportation Security Administration has issued two notices about the change-over from contractor Lockheed Martin to contractor MorphoTrust. This changeover will affect  mobile enrollment and Enroll Your Own (EYO) arrangements and enrollment center availability and hours.  Both notices are reproduced below.

 UPDATED 05/23/2013: Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) – Mobile Enrollment and Activation Services TSA has been contacted by a number of stakeholders interested in establishing mobile enrollment and activation services at their facilities. TSA understands the flexibility that mobile enrollment and activation services provide, not only for TWIC renewals but for Extended Expiration Date (EED) TWICs.

 TSA has been contacted by a number of stakeholders interested in establishing mobile enrollment and activation services at their facilities. TSA understands the flexibility that mobile enrollment and activation services provide, not only for TWIC renewals but for Extended Expiration Date (EED) TWICs.

In April 2013, TWIC enrollment services began transitioning to a new contractor, MorphoTrust, under a Universal Enrollment Services (UES) contract. The UES contract includes enhanced mobile enrollment services, Enroll Your Own (EYO), and bulk payment arrangements.
Mobile enrollment services include the following options below:
 Mobile Enrollment Only – Mobile enrollment service without a mobile activation service
 Mobile Enrollment Plus Activation - Mobile enrollment and corresponding activation service
 Extended Expiration Date (EED) Bulk Order/Activation - Mobile service available via bulk orders, which includes the mobile activation service

MorphoTrust is now accepting orders for these services and will begin service in mid-summer 2013. Please submit mobile enrollment requests to Win Noble, MorphoTrust UES Communications Manager, at wnoble@morphotrust.com
Further details about mobile enrollment services and EYO capabilities will be available on the UES website – https://universalenroll.dhs.gov/ 

Please note that Lockheed Martin’s capacity to provide mobile enrollment and activation capability has been filled through the end of their contract. Please consider alternate plans such as utilizing fixed enrollment centers or requesting mobile services after completion of the UES transition (scheduled for end of June 2013). 

(Available at http://www.tsa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/twic/mobile_enrollment_and_activation_05_23_2013.pdf)

_____________________________________________________________

TWIC Stakeholders:  
The following TWIC enrollment centers will be closed on the date noted in an effort to assist their transition to a new enrollment provider as part of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Universal Enrollment Services (UES) initiative.  

As enrollment centers transition, their individual web pages will be updated to reflect any new logistics (e.g., location updates, new hours of operation, payment details, etc.).  Current information on enrollment centers can be found at:   
Below is a schedule of enrollment centers for the week of May 27-31, 2013, in which a Center will need to be closed on a given date to assist its transition.  Please note that during the week a site is transitioning, appointments will be blocked and the site will likely be busier than usual.  For appointments following a site’s transition, applicants can call the UES Call Center at 1-855 DHS-UES1 (1-855-347-8371), Monday through Friday: 8:00 AM - 10:00 PM EST.

Enrollment Center
Date Closed for UES Transition (Wk. of May 27-May 31)
American Samoa
05/28/13
Cedar Rapids, IA
05/29/13
Eureka, CA
05/29/13
La Plata, MD
05/29/13
Longview, WA
05/29/13
Pasco, WA
05/29/13
Port Fourchon, LA
05/28/13
Portland, ME
05/28/13
Providence, RI
05/28/13
Traverse City, MI
05/29/13

*Note: Following a site’s effective transition closure date above, check or money order payments for enrollments should be made payable to 'MorphoTrust USA', check or money order payments for card replacements and Extended Expiration Date (EED) services should be made payable to 'Lockheed Martin'.  For additional information and updates on the TWIC program, please visit http://www.twicinformation.com/twicinfo/.  

(From TWIC Stakeholder communications email)





Wednesday, May 22, 2013

FY13 Port Security Grant Program Solicitation posted



On May 22, 2013 FEMA posted the details of this year’s (FY13) Port Security grant program. The file is available at http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=7471. Below are some important points:



 Key Dates and Times:

Application Start Date: 05/21/2013

Application Submission Deadline Date: 06/24/2013 at 11:59:59 p.m. EST

Anticipated Funding Selection Date: 08/02/2013

Anticipated Award Date: 09/01/2013



Award Amounts, Important Dates, and Extensions

Available Funding for this FOA: $93,207,313

Projected Number of Awards: 210

Projected Award Start Date(s): 09/01/2013

Projected Award End Date(s): 08/31/2015

Period of Performance: 24 months



Cost Match:

Public Sector. Public sector applicants must provide a non-Federal match (cash or in-kind) supporting at least 25 percent (25%) of the total project cost for each proposed project.

Private Sector. Private sector applicants must provide a non-Federal match (cash or in-kind) supporting at least 50 percent (50%) of the total project cost for each proposed project.

Cash and in-kind matches must consist of eligible costs (i.e., purchase price of allowable contracts, equipment). A cash match includes cash spent for project-related costs while an in-kind match includes the valuation of in-kind services. The cost-match requirement for the PSGP award may not be met by costs borne by another Federal grant or assistance program. Likewise, in-kind matches used to meet the matching requirement for the PSGP award may not be used to meet matching requirements for any other Federal grant program (e.g., FY 2013 funds are used to purchase a mobile command center from a vendor, the vendor contributes or donates communications equipment associated with the mobile command center, the value of the donated equipment may be considered as an in-kind match for the PSGP award only).



Program Objectives

The FY 2013 PSGP plays an important role in the implementation of the National Preparedness System (NPS) by supporting the building, sustainment, and delivery of core capabilities essential to achieving the National Preparedness Goal (NPG) of a secure and resilient Nation. Delivering core capabilities requires the combined effort of the whole community, rather than the exclusive effort of any single organization or level of government. The FY 2013 PSGP’s allowable costs support efforts to build and sustain core capabilities across Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery mission areas.

Grantees under the FY 2013 PSGP are encouraged to build and sustain core capabilities through activities such as:

• Strengthening governance integration;

• Enhancing Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA)

• Enhancing IED and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive (CBRNE) prevention, protection, response and supporting recovery capabilities within the maritime domain

• Enhancing cybersecurity capabilities

• Maritime security risk mitigation projects that support port resilience and recovery capabilities

• Training and exercises

• Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) implementation



Application Review Information

The four core PSGP funding priorities for applications are:

Funding Priority #1. Projects that support development and sustainment of the core capabilities in the NPG and align to PSGP funding priorities identified in Appendix B –PSGP Priorities. These include:

• Enhancing MDA

• Enhancing IED and CBRNE prevention, protection, response and recovery capabilities within the maritime domain

• Enhancing cybersecurity capabilities

• Maritime security risk mitigation projects that support port resilience and recovery capabilities

• Training and exercises

• TWIC implementation

Funding Priority #2. Projects that address priorities outlined in the applicable AMSP, FSP, and Vessel Security Plan (VSP), as mandated under the MTSA and/or the Port-Wide Risk Mitigation Plans (PRMP)

  • Funding Priority #3. Projects that address additional maritime security priorities based on the COTP’s expertise and experience of the COTP within the specific Port Area

Funding Priority #4. Projects that are eligible and feasible based on program priorities, Port Area plans and priorities, and available period of performance 



Port Area Group Designations
For FY 2013, there will be two Port Area Group Designations, rather than the traditional four groupings in prior years. Table 2 lists the specific Port Areas by Group that are eligible for funding through the FY 2013 PSGP and the competitive funding amount available within each Group. This change helps ensure funding is made available to the highest risk ports and funding is awarded to projects that are rated most effective in addressing program priorities and mitigating port security risks. DHS/FEMA reserves the right to re-allocate funding from one group to the other should the applications within a particular group prove insufficient in terms of quality, number, and/or total project costs.
Group I Port Areas
Eight Port Areas have been selected as Group I (highest risk) and will be allocated 60 percent (60%) of funding available. Each Group I Port Area will compete for the target funding allocation assigned to the group. The amount of available funding for the group is based on the FY 2013 DHS risk analysis. This will allow applicants to submit IJs for projects without being confined to a set dollar amount, providing DHS the opportunity to conduct field and national reviews of each project and make awards based on the two overarching priorities of PSGP, risk-based funding and regional security cooperation, as well as evaluating the extent to which each IJ decreases risk for the Port Area.
Group II Port Areas
The legacy Group II, III, and All Other Port Areas are combined into a single Port Grouping known as Group II, which will receive the remaining 40 percent (40%) of funds available. These Port Areas will compete for the target funding allocation assigned to Group II. As is the case with the Group I Port Areas, available funding is based on results of the FY 2013 DHS risk analysis. The number of legacy Group II and III ports will be adjusted to, 47 and 35, respectively; thus the total number of Group II ports under the new grouping methodology is 82. Note: The total number of Group II ports does not include All Other Port Areas. 

Ineligible Entities
The PSGP will not accept applications or IJs from an applicant or sub-applicant for the purpose of providing a service or product to an otherwise eligible entity
Port-Wide Risk Management Planning for legacy Group I and Group II Port Areas
Legacy Group I and II Port Areas are encouraged to maintain their PRMPs and to use them to identify projects that will serve to address remaining maritime security vulnerabilities. These ports are also highly encouraged to develop a Business Continuity/Resumption of Trade Plan (BCRTP). For purposes of regional strategic and tactical planning, these plans must take into consideration all other Port Areas covered by their AMSP.

Depending on the number of highly rated IJs received within each Port Grouping, funding may adjusted between groups to ensure the most highly effective, risk based maritime security projects are funded.