FEMA plans grant management modernization

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is beginning a multi-year process to update how it manages its grants.

With the Grants Management Modernization (GMM) program, FEMA intends to simplify and coordinate business management approaches across all of its grants programs. In the end, FEMA expects to have established a common grants lifecycle and platform for users.

In 2016, FEMA managed more than 40 active grant programs to support the Homeland Security Department’s missions of prevention, protection, and response and recovery.

The GMM program will be a user-centered and business-driven approach that engages stakeholders to capture modernization needs, gaps, and transformation opportunities. FEMA plans to create a streamlined grants processes and a cross-agency, integrated approach so it improves oversight and can monitor funding allocations, while also finding ways to gather more data analytics.

At this point, FEMA plans to acquire a hybrid materiel solution to support the management lifecycle capabilities. It will integrate shared services, commercial- and government-off-the-shelf solutions, open source frameworks, and libraries or custom development.

In a request for information, FEMA is asking for solution architecture ideas, technologies to use, pricing models, and approaches to consider regarding cybersecurity and operational risks.

FEMA is taking RFI responses to companies on five specific contracts, including:

• DHS EAGEL II functional category 1, both large and small businesses
• The General Services Administration’s 8(a) STARS II
• GSA’s VETS small businesses
• GSA’s Alliant, both large and small businesses
• NITAAC’s CIO-SP3, both large and small business

For those contract holders, FEMA is hosting an industry day Oct. 17 in Washington to discuss the GMM program. Pre-registration is required by Oct. 13.

FEMA released its industry day notice and the RFI Oct. 7. Responses to the RFI are due by Oct. 30.