Fiscal Year 2008 Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Grant Frequently Asked Questions

Procurement of Contracts (e.g., for Evaluation, Training, etc.)

• Is it permissible to name specific contractors—such as an evaluator—in the grant application?
• If an applicant is not required by local or state regulations to competitively bid for professional services, must they still competitively bid for professional services, such as the evaluator, under this grant?
• Does this competitive bid requirement apply to the hiring of the Project Director, as well?

Is it permissible to name specific contractors—such as an evaluator—in the grant application?

No. Included in the grant application information is guidance regarding procurements, including requirements for competitive bidding. Applicants are discouraged from listing a particular vendor or evaluator in their grant application because when they go out to bid, this named individual may not be the same one to receive the contract. It is also important to note that the application reviewers will not be from the state in which your district is located so they are unlikely to be familiar with any named contractors.

Instead, applicants are encouraged to state that they will plan to hire an outside evaluator, to identify this individual's desired qualifications, and to define their scope of work on the proposed project.

If an applicant is not required by local or state regulations to competitively bid for professional services, must they still competitively bid for professional services, such as the evaluator, under this grant?

The Education Department's General Administrative Regulations—the regulations that pertain to discretionary grants awarded through the Department of Education—includes information on procurement standards. These standards allow for grantees to use their own procurement procedures that reflect State and local laws PROVIDED that those procedures conform to applicable federal law and the standards included in Section 80.36 of EDGAR. Therefore, according to Federal standards, and depending upon the amount of the contract, grantees would likely have to competitively bid for a contract, even if it is not mandated by State or local requirements.

Does this competitive bid requirement apply to the hiring of the Project Director, as well?

The project director must be a school district employee. This position should not be an outside contract.

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