The Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) comprises federal, state, and local government regulatory laboratories with varying capacities to perform food defense and emergency response testing.

The Contaminants and Threat Agents team of the Laboratory Quality Assurance, Response and Coordination

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Staff in USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) manages a cooperative agreement program to fund external partners and projects supporting FERN.

The Contaminants and Threat Agents team is seeking to award a cooperative agreement for providing and maintaining, in its current active state, a secure online Information Sharing Exchange (ISE) software solution called the FERN communication, collaboration and management (CCM) portal.

The infrastructure supporting the FERN customized portal is named “CoreSHIELD”.

The CoreSHIELD platform provides the information technology architecture underlying a suite of web-based portals and applications.

This tool provides the FERN with capability, capacity, and readiness data for the network member laboratories.

The data housed in this system is not captured in any other system and is the only tool available to FERN to determine national capacity and capability for laboratory testing needed to respond to a foodborne emergency.

The FERN Portal provides for:
(1) training event registration and historical tracking of attendees; (2) secure video and webinar capability available to multi-agency participants; (3) proficiency test event registration and historical tracking of participants; (4) public webpage maintenance and enhancement; (5) FERN Storeroom online, secure ordering and inventory maintenance; (6) capability and capacity information for all current FERN lab members; (7) activation management and results data entry database for all members during exercise and actual activation events; (8) a FERN documents repository, including housing all FERN methods, operational SOP’s and other network documents, complete with search functionality for all capabilities of network members; (9) FERN Calendar of events automatically populated from each network event scheduled within the website functional arena, (10) document management including real time collaborative editing, approval workflows and digital signatures, (11) large and sensitive file sharing with risk mitigation and activity auditing, (12) 24 hour helpdesk assistance and online management of user accounts.

Each module, 1-12, is organized with data output/reporting in the format and manner specified by FERN.

Eligible Applicants – Public and State controlled institutions of higher education and National Associations/Organizations whose purpose is to represent and support State food regulatory programs are eligible to apply for this funding opportunity.

Award recipient is to already have an established relationship with the CoreSHIELD technology owner, Datastream Connexions, to ensure continuity of database operations.

The entity awarded this cooperative agreement is to administer funding to the CoreSHIELD technology owner (provider) who will perform all changes needed to update, enhance and maintain the FERN CCM Portal operating within the CoreSHIELD platform.

The award recipient is therefore responsible for the administration of the award and subcontracting funds to Datastream Connexions.

The following processes are to be addressed:The Award recipient should describe the processes and personnel that will be involved in successful management of the cooperative agreement.

The activities that should be addressed include, but may not be limited to, the following.

1. Responsible for ensuring completion of projects by provider.As described, the provider, will work towards completion of the items listed below.

The award recipient is to monitor progress and keep track of milestones and roadblocks for individual projects.

2. Track expenses.The award recipient will accept and distribute cooperative agreement funds from FSIS to the provider.

The award recipient will be responsible for monitoring expenses and following Administrative Requirements and Cost Principles as described in 2 CFR 20 0. 3. Submit quarterly progress and financial reports.The award recipient will submit quarterly project reports on the status of projects identified in the cooperative agreement.

The award recipient will use the quarterly report template supplied by FSIS.

The award recipient will also submit quarterly financial reports, SF425, and use the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services Payment Management System (PMS) to drawdown funds.

4. Participate in monthly calls with a project officer.The award recipient will participate in monthly calls with an FSIS Project Officer and the provider to discuss status of projects, need for changes, budget issues, planning for future projects, and other processes related to cooperative agreement administration.

When necessary, the award recipient will make requests for prior approval for budget or project changes from FSIS in writing.

5. Budget NarrativeThe award recipient will provide a budget narrative or breakdown that shows how the funds will be distributed between the award recipient and provider.

The budget breakdown will show costs of individual personnel, indirect costs, and other allowable costs to the award recipient.

A separate budget should be supplied that includes a detailed budget and justification that can be directly associated with a specific portal maintenance or development project.

Since this award is eligible for non-competitive renewal for up to 5 years total, a budget justification and projected costs increases of 5 years is to be included.

This award limits indirect costs to 10% of the total award.See Full Announcement for all details