1. Good Grant Management Katrina Ringler Grants Manager
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I hope this advice will help you in managing your HPF grant so things go smoothly. Hopefully this information can help you avoid pitfalls that can make the grant project difficult for both you and the State Historic Preservation Office (me). I am happy to field any questions your might have as we go along.
Good Grant Management

2. HPF grants come with many responsibilities
HPF grants are sub grants of Kansas’ annual Heritage Preservation Fund grant from the federal Department of Interior administered by the National Park Service. There are strings of accountability attached. While we are giving the funds away, we expect certain things in return. You are going to have to live by the rules of the Historic Preservation Fund grant manual, a four-inch thick volume I will distill for you as we go along.
Congratulations, you’ve been awarded a grant. With your grant comes some responsibilities and a requirement for accountability. We don’t just hand over the money. You are going to have to pay attention to detail to manage your grant well. It’s helpful if you assign one person to keep track of all the paperwork.
HPF grants come with many responsibilities

3. We are here to help. By communicating with SHPO we can help head off problems before they threaten your project. Good communication can eliminate wasted time and many headaches. (RFPs, consultants, scopes of work) You don’t have to wait for reporting dates. You are free to contact us at any time if you need advice, clarification or support.
In your grant contract will be a series of deadlines by which you must report the status of your project to the SHPO. These are intended to make sure you are on schedule and on top of your project by requiring you to report at regular intervals. Don’t ignore these reports. Reporting gives SHPO a chance to review RFPs, selected consultants and review product so we can be sure you are on track and meeting guidelines. If you forge ahead without consulting with us, as required, you may jeopardize your ability to get paid.
Progress report forms are provided, but can be sent as the body of an or as attachments.
Reporting Deadlines
Monthly reports are due on the 10th of each month after you sign the grant agreement.
All work must be finished by September 2020.

4. The guidelines and contract specify the timetables for reporting, the scope of work, and the product that is to be delivered. The grant agreement outlines your grant management responsibilities such as project execution, financial administration, billing, changes, reports and records and other requirements. Every year we have someone contact us and say “we didn’t know that was in the contract.” Read the fine print.
If it has been awhile since you read over the assurances and requirements in the HPF grant application, now is a good time to re-read them. You will also need to refer regularly to your grant agreement (contract) and the grant guide.
If you have questions, feel free to contact us. In some cases, these contracts must be reviewed by your legal office. Allow time for that in your work schedule. SHPO cannot reimburse for any work that began before the contract is signed.
Read project agreement (contract) and grant guide to understand your responsibilities

5. Let’s go over the Project Agreement and Grant Guide
Be sure your budget staff and your auditor are aware you are receiving a federal grant. Coordinate with historic commissions or elected councils and boards so that review and approval for your project is timely. Be sure these agencies and groups are aware of the time constraints.
Let’s go over the Project Agreement and Grant Guide

6. Request for Proposals Begin the RFP process ASAP.
You must go through a competitive bid process when contracting for services costing more than $5,000. HPF rules are designed to ensure all qualified contractors have an opportunity to compete for these federal funds. This Request for Proposal can be a time consuming process, so start early.
There are limited projects where alternative procurement procedures are allowed. Contact SHPO if there is some reason competitive bidding will not work for your project.
Start by figuring out what type of Request you want to send out. Establish selection criteria and make sure they are clearing stated in the document.
SHPO must review of the RFP before you send it out. This review will ensure that all the correct elements are contained in the RFP and keeps SHPO in the loop on your project.
Read the Grant Guide for help developing a good RFP / RFQ. Be clear about what you want the consultant to do, when you need it done, how you will evaluate the bids, how you want the bids submitted to you and when, how the final project products will be submitted, etc.
Request for Proposals
Begin the RFP process ASAP.
SHPO must review RFPs prior to you sending them out.
Allow plenty of time to complete the process of seeking and finding competitive bids.
Have reasonable expectations for the consultant services your budget will cover.

7. Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Qualifications (RFQ)
Submit a copy of the RFP / RFQ and cover letter to the SHPO
Receive approval
Send the RFP / RFQ directly to at least three consultants. Publicize widely.
Allow at least three weeks (21 days) for responses
RFP = Looking for qualified consultants to give you bids (costs) for doing the work. You will base your decision mainly on the cost and proposed scope of services. Grantees are NOT required to take the lowest bid.
RFQ = Cost of the project is set (limited budget). Looking for consultants willing to do the work within that budget. You will base your decision mainly on the qualifications of the consultant and the proposed scope of services (i.e. how much work can they provide for that cost).
If your city or county has an approved vendor list you can use this list so long as you directly solicit at least three consultants.
Preservation consultants must meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards -

8. The following documents must be submitted for approval by the Grants Manager before signing contracts with the consultant:
List of the three direct consultants
Process used to evaluate responses
Copy of all the responses
Letter documenting your choice and why
Statement verifying the time and place
Get approval from SHPO
Submit a list documenting the minimum of 3 consultants you contacted.
Submit a document outlining the process for evaluation of the proposals submitted.
Submit one copy of all responses received. (Include proposals received as well as s or letters from consultants declining to submit proposals).
Submit a letter indicating your choice of consultant and your justification for selection. (This should indicate that the award will be made to the responsible bidder whose proposal is the most advantageous to grant recipient; i.e. lowest bid, most qualified, prior experience in area, etc.)
Submit a statement verifying that the proposals were opened at the designated time and place. Place should be public. Include who was present at the opening.
Receive approval letter from SHPO Grants Manager of all these materials and send out approved acceptance/rejection letters.

9. Receive approval letter from SHPO
Submit a copy of the draft contract (between you and the consultant) to the SHPO for approval before signing.
Receive approval letter from SHPO
After receiving approval of source selection, in writing, from the SHPO, the following concludes the consultant selection process:

10. Consultant Contracts
Allow SHPO to review draft contracts Include provisions from pages of Grant Guide Consider “what could go wrong” Cost must be a lump sum; no per hour or percentages
Contracts need to be reviewed by SHPO before you sign.
Pages outline provisions that must be in all consultant contracts for HPF grant-funded projects. This is what SHPO is looking for.
Most consultants have a standard contract that they work from, but SHPO has examples contracts is needed.
Also consider:
Holding back a retainage from progress payments to ensure work will be completed as expected.
Laying out a penalty for work products that are not submitted on time.

11. Manage Your Project Keep in touch with your consultant and SHPO.
Consultants can’t afford to turn down work and often are juggling multiple projects at once. Stay in contact with your consultant and make sure they stick to deadlines. Remember they are working for you.
Also keep in mind that the grant agreement is between you and SHPO while the contract with the consultant is between you and them. The terms of your contract with the consultant need to meet the requirements of the HPF grant, but they can certainly be tighter to accommodate local requirements and requests.
Because of requirements to close out all grants and report the results to the NPS within 90 days after the end of the federal fiscal year (September 30) is hard pressed to grant extensions. It is your responsibility to manage your consultant though the SHPO can advise you or provide back-up if you are having trouble.
Manage Your Project
Keep in touch with your consultant and SHPO.
Deadlines in your contract should match or be ahead of deadlines in your grant agreement.
All grant work must be completed by September 30, 2020.
Payments and reports can be done in October, SHPO must close all grants by December 31.

12. Record Keeping Time sheets for staff and volunteers
For volunteers, including appointed or elected commissioners and other officials, use the time sheet included in the grant manual to log their in-kind donated time.
If SHPO doesn’t receive adequate documentation it cannot count in-kind time toward the grant or as match. It is easier to collect this data as you go rather than try to reconstructed at the end of the grant period.
The logs should state the name, date, hours and a brief description of the task performed. A signature by the grant administrator will verify the time sheet.
Use the reimbursement request checklist to make sure you have documented all expenses and match
As far as audits go, local governments come under the single audit act ($750,000 per year in federal funds), but SHPO may be audited which can reach down to you as sub grantees. Hang on to these records for three years.
Invoices from consultants, receipts for supplies, payroll records and the like must be retained to document costs when requesting reimbursement. It is best to keep this documentation together during the grant so it is easily retrieved when time to claim reimbursement. It is easier to keep them as you go rather than find them later. You must submit documentation of expenditures with your invoice. We need proof.
Record Keeping
Time sheets for staff and volunteers
Documentation of salaries or value of time donated
Receipts for paid expenses
Invoices and proof of payment

13. Allowable Costs / Match
See the Reimbursement Request Checklist and ask SHPO
There is a maximum salary allowed; the figure is set by the federal government each January and is based on a GS 15 rating (comes to a little over $80 per hour). If your staff hourly rate exceeds this amount we’ll need to talk, but most don’t.
Value of donated time or volunteer labor should be based on the work being done toward the project (is it high skill or low skill?) and the professional occupation of the volunteer (is the work being done something this person does for a living?).
Professional accountant providing bookkeeping services or professional photographer providing photo services = Their professional rate of pay (less than the $80 federal max)
Deciding who will be hired for the consultant = Independent Sector website (for Kansas)
Stuffing envelopes = federal minimum wage
See Grant Guide for additional guidance.
Allowable Costs / Match
There is a maximum allowable salary
No food or drinks
Must be directly related to the project
Stuffing envelopes = Federal minimum wage
Deciding who will be hired for the consultant = Independent Sector website
Professional accountant providing bookkeeping services = Their professional rate of pay
Grant must result in a final, tangible product.

14. Reimbursement
Completion report form can be used as a reimbursement request if you seek payment before the final products.
Edit the form to fit your project.
Submit back-up evidence of expenses and match.
Submit the products for which you are seeking reimbursement
Final report, due 30 days after completion of final products (October 31)
Grant reimbursement is always 60% of the total expenses and match, HOWEVER the grant cannot reimburse for in-kind or volunteer expenses.
Match requirement is 40%. CLGs can request a waiver, but need to provide as much match as possible.
Reimbursement cannot exceed the grant award amount without a project agreement amendment.
$10,000 grant (requires $6,667 match)
Staff salaries $2,500
Volunteers $900
Consultant $9,000
Donated event venue $200
Copies & mailings $100

15. Example: admin 1,200.00 secretary 524.06 volunteers 5,614.20
bookkeeper
others
2,362.52
consultant
16,800.00
communication
161.28
venue rent
450.00
printing & advertising
435.00 -
Total
28,747.06
Grant Funds Expended
14,500.00
Retainage
0.00
Amount Reimbursed
Grant $14,500 requires $9,667 match.
HPF cannot reimburse for donated match.
Over match is great!

16. Katrina Ringler Grants Manager 785-272-8681 x215 katrina. ringler@ks
Katrina Ringler Grants Manager x215