Whether your community is a grantee or subgrantee of a award, you will be required to complete an unmet needs assessment to help prioritize your recovery projects and determine how your funding will be allocated between housing, economic development, and infrastructure recovery projects. Based on IBTS’s experience conducting unmet needs assessments across the country, IBTS… Read more
During contractor procurement, grantees are required to meet the federal minority- and women-owned business enterprise (MWBE) goals to remain in compliance with the program. This guidance document includes checklists for meeting minimum acceptable outreach standards; guidelines for M/WBE outreach programs; section 3 requirements; and compliance and recordkeeping requirements. Guidance on Minority Business Enterprise and Women’s… Read more
Returning home after weathering a natural disaster is not always a simple process. However, providing homeowners with information on post-disaster repairs and reconstruction before a disaster hits can help residents in your community return to their homes as quickly and safely as possible. These tips are intended for a local agency, NGO, or other agency tasked… Read more
This FEMA video explains the shelter at home program and how it was implemented in Louisiana after the catastrophic August 2016 floods left thousands of residents with severely damaged homes. The shelter at home program is funded through FEMA’s program and in no way detracts from a homeowner’s eligibility to receive from FEMA. The program… Read more
CDBG-DR monitoring is an important process to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local rules and regulations and to prevent any findings from HUD. IBTS developed this on-site monitoring review checklist for use in Cleveland County, Oklahoma’s, CDBG-DR program, which funded 10 infrastructure projects and other smaller projects. The checklist was strategically designed by IBTS… Read more
Natural disasters are unpredictable and can happen at any time. They often catch homeowners off-guard and unprepared to provide the legal documentation for their home required to begin the reconstruction process. If you are a local agency, NGO, or other agency tasked with preparing your community for natural disasters, it’s important to provide homeowners with… Read more
IBTS recommends using the WH-347 form — a standardized fillable PDF payroll form recognized by every federal agency — to track disaster related time and cost expenditures. If payroll is not properly documented during disaster response and recovery, municipalities may not be eligible for FEMA reimbursement or may be forced to return their funds years after the… Read more
“The biggest mistake I’ve seen across the country in programs is not following proper procurement,” says IBTS Corporate Disaster Recovery Executive Mike Spletto. “I’ve seen local governments have the entire procurement become null and void for not following federal competitive bid requirements.” Because the CDBG-DR program is federally funded, grantees must follow federal procurement policies when… Read more
Many grantees are unfamiliar with federal procurement policies, which must be followed when procuring goods and services with CDBG-DR funds. In the urgency of post-disaster recovery it’s easy for grantee’s to overlook program procurement requirements, however if you don’t comply you may be forced to repay your funds. This toolkit provides guidance to help CDBG-DR… Read more
Cities and counties can incur millions of dollars in disaster response and recovery costs. Although FEMA reimburses most of these, if cost and time expenditures aren’t properly recorded localities may be denied assistance or forced to return money years after the disaster hits. It’s important that your locality has a plan in place for mundane… Read more
Stay up to date with all the latest IBTS news.