Regarding:  CDA Consulting Services Inc. Consulting Services

Urban Areas Security Initiative 2008

Date:    February 5, 2008

Portland Urban Area Homeland Security Strategy

The five metro area counties that make up the Urban Area (UA) have each appointed a representative to serve on a Working Group called the Urban Areas Point of Contact (UAPOC). The UAPOC is directly responsible to state and federal agencies to administer Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) grants and to implement homeland security strategies. As such it serves as a coordination body between the state and federal government on one hand and local governments and responder agencies on the other.

As a condition of receiving UASI funding beginning with the fiscal year 2003, the Portland UA must implement its Homeland Security Strategy and prepare the region for incidents involving Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive (CBRNE) materials.

The Portland UA Strategy is consistent with the State Homeland Security Strategy and has been reviewed by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Domestic Preparedness to be consistent with national strategies. The Strategy now has five goals and has had as many as eleven goals relating to prevention, response and recovery from CBRNE incidents. Each goal includes a number of objectives and each objective includes implementation steps. There are currently over 120 implementation steps within the Portland Urban Areas Homeland Security Strategy.

CDA has an established working relationship with the UAPOC and drafted the initial Portland Areas Homeland Security Strategy, facilitated the adoption process with the UAPOC, assisted in updating the Strategy, and assisted in grant acquisition and the implementation of five UASI budgets totaling over 40 million dollars.

CDA also assisted in developing regional consensus on numerous actions that enhance regional emergency preparedness including the development of discipline working groups, regional training, standard operating procedures and project charters.

These tasks are funded and implemented through the use of UASI grant funding. The funds are awarded to the Portland Urban Area through a competitive national grant process. The FY 2007 UASI program provides financial assistance to high-threat, high-density Urban Areas to assist in fulfilling UASI homeland security strategies for its multi-disciplinary planning, operations, equipment, training, and exercise needs, and to assist in building and sustaining capabilities to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from threats or acts of terrorism.

Project Information

CDA Consulting Group Inc (CDA) was selected through a competitive bid process to assist the urban area county emergency managers and the Portland Office of Emergency Management to acquire, administer and implement Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) grants, together with implementing state and federally mandated requirements, and to assist in implementing the homeland security strategies. This request will extend the CDA contract and funding through December 24, 2008. To aid in this effort, funding has been provided through the UASI FY07 grant to support these consulting services. These consulting services are 100 percent funded through the UASI FY07 grant. No matching funds are used or required.

Additional services are needed to assist the UAPOC in preparing and implementing efforts to enhance emergency preparedness. No jurisdiction within the region has staffing to coordinate this effort. Without consulting services, the Portland region’s local governments will still be responsible for implementing the Homeland Security Strategy. Extending the CDA consulting contract will assist the region through the following scope of work.

Scope of Work

Staffing:

-  Provide the staffing of the Principal Development Coordinator and associate level support services as directed by the Portland Office of Emergency Management

Admin:

-  Prepare and coordinate agendas for the UAPOC group and the Urban Area Working Group (UAWG) monthly, and as may be needed for special meetings

-  Attend UAPOC and UAWG meetings on a monthly basis, and other key meetings as needed

-  Prepare meeting summaries for UAPOC and UAWG meetings, and other key meetings as needed

Project Management

-  Assist in developing project charters funded through the 2006 and 2007 UASI grant award

-  Assist in prioritizing budgets for equipment procurement, strategic planning and training projects

-  Assist in the preparation of grant related documentation

-  Monitor and assist the implementation of grant funded projects

-  Maintain time frames over multiple long- and short-term projects and keep work underway

-  Create procedures and document templates for standard operating procedures, project charters, reallocation requests, amendment/reallocation log, etc

-  Assist in troubleshooting system breakdowns in administering multiple grants with hundreds of line items

-  Assist in developing the coordination and project development process for the 2008 UASI grant application

Communications:

-  Serve as the UAPOC Coordinator. Foster and maintain relationships among key players in multiple disciplines, jurisdictions and the State

-  Ensure regular, efficient and productive communication among regional partners, specifically by assisting in the function and operation of the Urban Area Point of Contact Group, the Urban Area Working Group and Discipline Working Groups

-  Attend key meetings of numerous groups and ensure their efforts are on track with the overall strategy

-  Resolve conflicts among responders and UASI administrators regarding homeland security project coordination

-  Assist in the development of UAPOC policy and broadcast policy decisions to discipline working groups

-  Provide notices and deadlines to discipline and jurisdictional partners

-  Facilitate presentations from Working Groups and other UASI partners on concepts of operations and standard operating procedures

Strategic Planning

-  Facilitate strategic emergency preparedness planning and communication among major agencies and jurisdictions

-  Assist in drafting standard operating procedures

-  Assist in the review and amendment of the Portland Urban Areas Homeland Security Strategy document

-  Provide reporting information and input into the Bi-annual Strategic Investment Report (BSIR)

-  Encourage each discipline working group to produce a concept of operations for emergency response and recovery and other homeland security strategies

-  Participate in obtaining grants and implementing homeland security investments