The Government Accountability Office has praised improvements
in grants management by the Department of Homeland Security’s
Office of Domestic Preparedness, which saw an expansion of its
grants program from about $91 million in 2001 to around $2.7
billion in fiscal 2003.
“ODP has established and refined grant award procedures for
states and localities to improve accountability in state
preparedness planning,” according to GAO-05-121.
It said for fiscal 2002 and 2003 the office developed
procedures and guidelines for awarding state and urban
grants and determining how the funds could be spent and be
reimbursed for first responder equipment and services – and
ODP gave states needed leeway to manage and distribute grants.
In fiscal 2003, ODP required states to update strategies and
needs assessments as a way to guide states and localities to
target grant funds, and it improved oversight procedures,
said GAO.
It said ODP has started drafting standards to assess gaps in
first responder capabilities nationally, and that time limits
have sped up awards and distribution — 90 percent of grants
were awarded within the mandated 15 days of receipt of
applications.
However, the report said various legal and procurement
requirements slowed states and localities in spending the
funds, but noted that ODP is currently identifying ways
states and localities can more effectively work within
those constraints.
