Chapter 3, Section 2

1. Establishing the EPA Funding Organization's Management Structure for the SEE Cooperative Agreement
   

   The SEE management structure begins with the SEE Program Manager who is located organizationally in the Washington, DC, Office of Human Resources and Organizational Services. The SEE Program Manager is the Project Officer (or designates a Project Officer) on all SEE Cooperative Agreements, and is also the Agency's National Program Manager for the entire SEE Program.

   The next level in the SEE management structure is located in the EPA Headquarters, Regional, or Lab Program Office which is funding the individual cooperative agreement. The management of that Office identifies its "SEE Management Team" comprised of one SEE Coordinator and one (or more) SEE monitor(s).

   1. There is only one SEE Coordinator for each SEE cooperative agreement. That person is (1) the principal point-of-contact with the SEE Program Manager and, (2) the EPA funding organization's contact with the proposed grantee.
   2. When the technical assistance provided by SEE enrollees is at various organizational levels and/or is at separate physical locations, the appointment of more than one SEE monitor may be required.

   To better illustrate this "SEE management team" structure, the following example is provided:

   The Office of Administration and Resources Management (OARM) has a cooperative agreement to provide SEE technical assistance to OARM at Headquarters. A SEE Coordinator oversees the management of OARM's entire SEE Cooperative Agreement. At every division, branch, sub-office level or location where one or more SEE enrollees are assigned, a SEE monitor should be appointed. The SEE monitor is responsible for managing that portion of the SEE Cooperative Agreement or "project" at the office level. SEE monitors direct and monitor the task assignments of the SEE enrollees.
2. Establishing a New SEE Cooperative Agreement
   

   The EPA Program organization (it may be a Headquarters office, a Regional Office, a Laboratory, etc.), seeking SEE enrollees for technical assistance and providing funds, appoints a senior official as "SEE Coordinator." The SEE Coordinator contacts the SEE Program Manager to discuss the type(s) of technical assistance required by that EPA office.

   The SEE Coordinator provides the SEE Program Manager with:
   • copy of the functional statement for the EPA funding office;
   • descriptions of the position assignments that are available for the SEE enrollees;
   • enrollee qualifications required;
   • location and duration of the position assignment opportunities;
   • an estimated number of enrollees;
   • certification that enrollees will not displace Federal, State or local government employees, nor affect existing service contracts (See Figure 2-2);

   • an estimated budget;

     Note: To estimate the amount of money required for an enrollee(s), the SEE Coordinator's staff must refer to (1) the "SEE Enrollee Assignment Categories and Schedule of Assignment Reimbursable Limits" (Figure 3-2), and (2) the "SEE Cost Analysis Worksheet" (Figure 3-3). After determining the SEE position assignment category(ies), hourly wage(s), and length(s) of time of assignment, the SEE Coordinator uses the worksheet to estimate the total cost for the enrollee(s). This includes a percentage of the base wage for fringe benefits and other direct costs, such as, enrollees' travel, registration fees, training, etc. and 15% for grantee's administrative costs.

   • a commitment notice, EPA Form 2550-9 accompanied by an REQL screen; and
   • if a SEE enrollee is a former EPA employee, an affirmation is required that the enrollee will not occupy a position assignment that is essentially the same as the Federal job he/she previously held (See Figure 3-1).

   At the same time that the resources staff person in the funding program office issues a commitment notice to the SEE Coordinator, he or she is also to commit the funds in the Agency's Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) (See Figure 3-4).

   Once the SEE Program Manager selects the organization to receive the cooperative agreement, the SEE Program Manager works with the organization to develop the final statement of work based on the EPA organization's functional statement, the types of skills needed, and the draft budget (i.e., number of position assignment opportunities).

   During this process, under no circumstances is a member of the funding office's staff to contact directly anyone at any of the prospective grantee organizations.

   The selected grantee sends a completed cooperative agreement application to the SEE Program Manager who forwards it to the Grants Administration Division (GAD) for official logging and numbering and for administrative review of the application package.

   Upon completion of GAD's administrative review of the application, the SEE Program Manager assembles a funding package that includes:
   • a copy of the cooperative agreement application;
   • EPA Form 2550-9, Commitment Notice along with the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) and Requisition Accounting Line Inquiry Table (REQL) Screen, and an itemized budget;
   • EPA Form 5700-14, Assistance Funding Order;
   • certification that the new enrollee will not displace Federal, State or local government employees, nor affect existing service contracts (See Figure 2-2);
   • an affirmation that a former EPA employee will not occupy a SEE position assignment that is essentially the same as the Federal job she/he previously held (See Figure 3-1);
   • special conditions, as applicable and;
   • the Decision Memorandum.

   The SEE Program Manager sends the funding packet to the GAD for award. GAD sends an award offer to the SEE grantee and must receive a signed acceptance within three weeks from date of grantee receipt. At time of award, GAD notifies EPA�s Las Vegas Financial Management Center, and the funds that were committed in IFMS at the beginning of this process are recorded as an obligation. Obligations and drawdowns can be reviewed (See Grant Inquiry Fig. 3-5).

   The grantee can begin to recruit enrollees to fill technical assistance positions funded by EPA once they have accepted and returned the cooperative agreement and the activities are within the established projected project period.
3. Incremental Funding of SEE Cooperative Agreements
   

   The EPA funding organizations can incrementally fund an existing SEE cooperative agreement to either (1) continue to utilize current enrollees or (2) to enroll new participants. In either situation the SEE Coordinator initiates the incremental funding at least six months in advance of funds running out for existing enrollees. The estimated cost for enrollees must be calculated by using:

   (1) The "SEE Enrollee Position Assignment Categories and Schedule of Reimbursable Limits" (Figure 3-2), and

   (2) The "SEE Cost Analysis Worksheet" (Figure 3-3)

   The EPA funding organization commits the funds in the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS), and prepares an REQL screen (Figure 3-4).

   The SEE Coordinator assembles an amendment funding packet that contains:
   • EPA Form 2550-9, Commitment Notice and a copy of the IFMS REQL screen;
   • certification that enrollees will not displace Federal, State, or local government employees nor affect existing service contracts (See Figure 2-2).

   The SEE Coordinator forwards the package to the SEE Program Manager who prepares the EPA Form 5700-14 "Assistance Funding Order, obtains the approval of the OHROS Decision Official and sends the package to the Grants Administration Division (GAD). GAD reviews the funding package and prepares an amendment to the cooperative agreement. GAD sends the amendment offer to the Grantee, and within three weeks of receipt, the recipient must return a signed agreement to GAD. At time of award, GAD notifies EPA's Las Vegas Financial Management Center, and the funds that were committed in IFMS at the beginning of this process are recorded as an obligation.