Highway Safety Division

Office of Grants and Research

Executive Office of Public Safety and Security

10 Park Plaza, Suite 3720, Boston, MA 02116

FFY 2018
Massachusetts Traffic Safety Information Systems Improvement Grant 23 U.S.C. Section 405(c) Funding
Availability of Grant Funding (AGF)

Key Dates

AGF Posted:April 11, 2017

Letters of Intent Due:by May 8, 2017, by 11:59 pm

E-Applications Due:by May 18, 2017, by11:59 pm
Original, Signed Applications Due: by May 25, 2017

Anticipated 405(c) Funding Receipt & Award Announcements: late 2017

Anticipated Project Start Dates: Early 2018

Purpose

The Highway Safety Division of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS/HSD) seeks to provide FFY 2018Section 405(c) funding on a competitive basis from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to quantifiable and measurable projects to improve the accessibility, accuracy, completeness, integration, timeliness, and/or uniformity (a performance attribute) of one or more of the following six core traffic records systems:crash data system, roadway inventory file, vehicle registration, driver history, citation/adjudication, and injury surveillance system.Improving these systems will in turn enhance the ability to identify priorities for local, state, and federal traffic safety programs.

Permissible projects could also evaluate the effectiveness of efforts to improve these six core traffic records systems; link these systems with other appropriate state or federal data systems; and enhance the ability of highway safety stakeholders to observe and analyze local, state, and national trends in crash occurrences, rates, outcomes, and circumstances.

Applicants are also encouraged to submit projects that would address the recommendations of the Commonwealth’s Massachusetts Statewide E-Citation and Traffic Records Business Plan at

Eligibility
Units of state and local government or not-for-profit organizations with a public purpose are eligible to apply for funding. Please note that private organizations are not eligible to receive funding.

Background

EOPSS/HSD is the state entity in Massachusetts responsible for applying to NHTSA for grant funding under its Section 405(c) program and administering any such funds received. This grant program is designed to help states improve traffic safety information systems to enhance abilities to identify highway safety priorities.A Traffic Records Coordinating Committee (TRCC) is required by the Section 405(c) grant program to coordinates the efforts of federal, local, and state partners to develop, enhance, and promote the use of the Commonwealth’s traffic records information systems.In 2010the MassachusettsTRCCwas reorganized into a two-tiered structure, with anExecutive-level Traffic Records Coordinating Committee (ETRCC) to help set the strategic direction for statewide traffic records information systems projects and a Working-levelTRCC(WTRCC) to help implement projects. In 2014 NHTSA assisted the Commonwealth to have a traffic records assessment that is available at information on the current status of the Massachusetts traffic records information systems and the recommendations from the 2014 assessment are in the FFY 2017 Strategic Plan for Traffic Records Improvement at the above web address.

AGF Funding Source, Amount, and Limitations
Based on the amount of 405(c) funding awarded by NHTSA to EOPSS/HSD in previous years - and anticipated funding for FFY 2018 – EOPSS/HSD is issuing this AGF with an anticipated total award amount of$700,000.

Thefunding to support projects resulting from this AGF process is contingent,in part,upon NHTSA’s acceptance of these projects during its approval process for the EOPSS/HSD’s FFY 2018 Highway Safety Plan (HSP) in the summer of 2017.
Please note that EOPSS/HSD may not receive its anticipated FFY 2018 405(c) funding in the time period noted in the Key Dates section,nor receive this anticipated funding all at once, but rather in increments during the federal fiscal year. EOPSS/HSD may elect to use available prior year federal grant funding to start some or all of the projects awarded funding through this AGF prior to receiving its FFY 2018 Section 405(c) funding.

EOPSS/HSD reserves the right to cancel or amend this AGF prior to any funding awards. Notice of such changes to the AGF will be at

Letter of Intent
All applicants must submit a letter of intent by May 8, 2017, by 11:59 pm.The letter of intent must be on your organization’s letterhead, signed by an authorized signatory, and include the following information: project title, description of the proposed project (suggest five to six sentences),expected start and end dates, and the amount of funding requested. Letters should be e-mailed to .

Application Review Process

Applicants will present their proposalsduring an anticipated meeting on May25, 2017 with members of the WTRCC and technical representatives appointed by the ETRCC. Attendees will also have an opportunity to ask questions about each of the proposals. The WTRCC and technical representatives willprioritize the proposals usingthe “Four-Box” analysis process and then as necessary a numeric scoring system to judge project impact. More details on this process are available in the State Traffic Safety Information SystemsStrategic Planning – A Guide for Statesat

The recommendations from the WTRCC and technical representatives will then be provided to the ETRCC who will make their funding recommendations to the Secretary of Public Safety and Security for his final award decisions. Applicants may be asked to provide presentations to the ETRCC at an anticipated meeting on June 1, 2017.

Key Application Requirements

  • Responses to this AGF must be submitted on the related application. See application form for additional response requirements.
  • Projects must help to meet at least oneunmet recommendation(s) from the Commonwealth’s 2014 Traffic Records Assessmentat
  • Projects must have at a minimum of one benchmark andperformance measure that will demonstrate at least onequantitative improvement to a performance attribute of a minimum of one of the state’s six core traffic records systems.
    This quantitative improvement must be demonstrated with supporting information covering a 12-month performance period, starting anytime between April 1 and July 1, 2017, and comparable to a prior, contiguous benchmark period of one year. The performance measure must utilize the methodology set forth in the Model Performance Measures for State Traffic Records Systems (DOT HS 811 441), as updated, at
  • Proposed projects must comply with the latest version of the Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standardsunder Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, (“508 Standards”) at and (2) the Web Accessibility Standards, (the “ITD Standards”) issued by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Information Technology Division (“ITD”) at
  • In accordance with Executive Order 510,Enhancing the Efficiency and Effectiveness of the Executive Department’s Information Technology Systems, projects submitted by agencies within theExecutive Branchmust have signed approval by their respective Secretariat Chief Information Officer (SCIO) on the signature page of this AGF’s associated application.Applications must also havesigned approved by the agency head.
  • Federal grant funds must not be used to meet or maintain existing obligations of state or local government (known as supplanting), but rather must be used for new initiatives or enhancements.

Post-Award Requirements

  • EOPSS/HSD may request that approved project applications be updated to address technical points prior to grant contracts being finalized.
  • If an award occurs based on a response to this AGF, the applicant will be required to complete the following documents: current Office of Grants & Research (OGR) General Sub-Recipient Grant Conditions,the OGR Subrecipient Risk Assessment (sections B, C, and E), the Contractor Authorized Signatory Listing (unless a current, acceptable version of this form is on file at OGR), the OGR A-133 Form, and the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA). These forms are at
  • This is a cost reimbursement grant program. No costs incurred before a grant contract is finalized or after the period of performance will be reimbursed.
  • Funding for afederally-approved indirect cost rate will not be approved without documentationin compliance with 2 C.F.R. 200 (Super circular). Or the applicant may be eligible to elect to use the de Minimis rate of 10% of modified total direct costs.
  • Expenditure and activity reports will besubmitted by the thirtieth (30) day following the close of that month.
  • In addition to the requirements set forth above, sub recipients will be required to agree to and abide by all state and federal rules and regulationspertaining to this federal funding.Failure to comply with grant requirements may result in suspension or termination of the grant contract.

Application Submission Requirements
Signed applications and any necessary attachments must be e-mailed in PDF format to Mr. Brook Chipman, Program Manager, EOPSS/HSD, at ,by 11:59 pmon May 18, 2017. Original applications, signed and dated in blue ink, and any necessary attachments must then be post-marked or hard-delivered to Mr. Chipman at EOPSS/HSD, Ten Park Plaza, Suite 3720, and Boston, MA 02116
by May 25, 2017.

EOPSS/HSD reserves the right to contact bidders for additional information or to correct minor submission issues/omissionsinvolving letter of intents and applications.

If you have any questions regarding this AGF process, you may contact Mr. Chipmanat
(617) 725-3355 or . All questions received and all answers provided will be posted in a non-attributable manner at

Application Check-List

___Letter of intent submitted by e-mail byMay 8, 2017, by 11:59 pm.
___E-mail submission of signed application and any necessary attachments inPDF format by May 18, 2017, by 11:59 pm.
___ Original application, signed and dated in blue ink,and any necessary attachments postmarked or hand-delivered (before 5 pm)by May 25, 2017.

1