Ongoing monitoring activities will be centered around the quarterly reporting periods. FEMA regional offices will evaluate the recipient’s performance quarterly by reviewing award application data, quarterly or monthly reports, fiscal management processes, staffing allocations, key personnel changes and subaward procedures and processing. Annually, or as needed, FEMA will also conduct more in-depth monitoring activities either on-site or through desk reviews.
Monitoring visits will most likely coincide with grants management activity. For example, if FEMA has delegated the application review to the recipient, FEMA might conduct a review at the halfway point of the application period to ensure compliance. Review frequency can be addressed during the drafting of the agreement.
During a second-level review (desk review or site visit), FEMA will review project files for documentation compliance. For those recipients requesting delegation of fiscal activities, FEMA will review the recipient’s audit report and use the fiscal testing system to follow up on concerns identified in the audit. As part of monitoring activities, FEMA regional staff may also interview recipient staff working on HMGP and HMGP Post Fire as part of the PAS Pilot (and subrecipients as needed) to learn how the program is being managed from their perspective.
Using FEMA’s questions from a data collection plan for evaluation of the PAS Pilot, the agency will interview subrecipients to collect data to evaluate the effectiveness of the PAS Pilot.