Recovery.gov - Track the Money

A total 169 Sanitation Facilities projects will be constructed, including:

• provisions of water supplies;
  
• sewage disposal facilities;
  
• development of solid waste treatment sites
  
• provision of technical assistance to Indian water and sewer utility organizations.

The projects within each Area are prioritized to serve existing homes, based on an established formula that considers, among other factors, health impact, cost effectiveness, and ability to expeditiously complete the projects.

SFC projects provide potable water, wastewater disposal and solid waste systems to AI/AN homes and communities. Each project is different in size, scope and purpose with a variety of tangible, overlapping infrastructure items such as water storage tanks, microfiltration water treatment plants, slow sand filtration water treatment plants, pressure filter water treatment plants, water wells, water transmission lines, water distribution systems, individual service lines, creek intakes, infiltration galleries, septic tank drain fields systems, wastewater lagoons, solar powered systems, gravity sewer systems, pressure sewer systems, sewage lift stations, solid waste transfer stations , open dump closures, wetland wastewater disposal systems, sewage treatment plants and pump houses.

The 12 IHS Areas, in consultation with Tribes, selected high priority sanitation facilities construction projects to be funded by the Recovery Act. Projects for water and sanitation services are ranked in priority using measures collected in the IHS Sanitation Deficiency System (SDS) which is an inventory of the sanitation deficiencies of AI/AN communities. Potential construction projects are prioritized considering measures of health impact, deficiency level, previous service, capital cost, operations and maintenance capability, Tribal contribution, Tribal priority and other considerations. The Recovery Act funding is intended to favor projects that can be started and completed expeditiously. The SDS scoring criteria were supplemented to comply with the Recovery Act by focusing on projects that could be delivered expeditiously and by lowering priority for projects where conditions and circumstances could impede completion on schedule.

All sanitation projects selected for Recovery Act funding have a project management plan which defines the scope of project, construction stages, cost projections, analysis of potential risks and impediments such as a weather limited construction season, potential archaeological issues at the site, design complexity, and delivery lag time for necessary materials. Additionally, the IHS has in place internal controls and review processes as required by the Federal Manager’s Financial Integrity Act, the Improper Payments Information Act, and OMB’s Circular A-123 “Management’s Responsibility for Internal Control.”
• The Unified Financial Management System (UFMS) will record all Recovery Act funds and expenditures and allow program and project managers to monitor financial activity.
• SFC has a Project Data System (PDS) data base that tracks project milestones, project schedules, identifies project obstacles and generates progress reports.
• IHS will incorporate implementation of Recovery Act into its FY 2009 Management Control Plan, which is the agency’s management control system for ensuring compliance with the Federal Managers’ Financial Integrity Act.
• Monitor project progress reports quarterly to identify and mitigate risks.
• Identify deviations from planned schedule or performance.

The Recovery Act appropriated $68 million to IHS for Sanitation Facilities Construction activities, and allowed up to 5% to be used for administrative costs. IHS will spend $67 million on the construction of essential sanitation facilities for American Indian and Alaska Native homes, and $1 million on administration.

Projects will be executed using a combination of Public Law (P.L.) 86-121 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) utilizing federal construction contracts, tribal procurement or tribal construction and Indian self-determination (P.L. 93-638) construction project agreements. Sanitation Facilities Construction (SFC) projects can be managed by the IHS directly (Direct Service) or they can be managed by Tribes that elect to use Title I or Title V authorization under P.L. 93-638, the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act.

IHS will be open and transparent in all of its contracting competitions and regulations that involve spending of Recovery Act funding consistent with statutory and OMB guidance.

IHS will also ensure that recipient reporting required by Section 1512 of the Recovery Act and OMB guidance is made available to the public on Recovery.gov by October 10, 2009. IHS will inform recipients of their reporting obligation through standard terms and conditions, grant announcements, contract solicitations, and other program guidance. IHS will provide technical assistance to grantees and contractors and fully utilize Project Officers to ensure compliance with reporting requirements.

• Post Recovery Act reports on Recovery.Gov and supplemental information on HHS.Gov/Recovery
  
• All tribal and commercial contracts and tribal agreements, including MOAs, will include relevant reporting requirements for use of Recovery Act funds.
  
• Post reports enabling the public to see how much Recovery Act funding has been awarded and to whom.
  
• Recipients submit Recovery Act reports to a web-based central data portal which routes raw reports to a central national data repository and to the IHS.
  
• IHS generates consolidated reports assembled from raw individual recipient reports.
  
• Types of data available to the public:
  
  • Recovery Act financial data for IHS
    
  • Recovery Act implementation plans
    
  • Recovery Act award data
    
  • Recovery Act program and project level status reports - individually by recipient and collectively synthesized as appropriate.
  
  
• No agency contact or oral communications with registered lobbyists regarding particular Recovery Act projects are allowed.
  
• Post any written agency communications with lobbyists to Recovery.Gov

To ensure that managers are held to high standards of accountability in achieving program goals under the Recovery Act, IHS will build on and strengthen existing processes. Senior IHS Office of Environmental Health and Engineering program officials will meet regularly with senior Department officials to ensure that projects are meeting their program goals, assessing and mitigating risks, ensuring transparency, and incorporating corrective actions. The personnel performance appraisal system will also incorporate Recovery Act program stewardship responsibilities for program and business function managers.

• Incorporate Recovery Act into IHS FY 2009 Management Control Plan
  
• Track quantifiable outcomes and outputs for funded projects
  
• Track Recovery Act projects and funds in UFMS
  
• Incorporate Recovery Act implementation in the Director’s Performance Plan and cascade to responsible Recovery Act managers.
  
• Projects comply with procurement standards and quality assurance
  
• SFC Projects comply with established design standards and value engineering criteria and with worker health and safety standards
  
• Track and report use of funds.

• SFC projects incorporate green materials and designs that meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s definition of Green Projects.
• SFC projects have always integrated low operation and maintenance systems and energy efficient practices into facilities because they are transferred to tribes and/or tribal organizations with limited economic resources to manage the facilities.