(Administrative and Financial Systems & DBE Rule) Training & Technical Assistance Initiative for Tribes, U.S. Territories and Insular Areas

Supported by: EPA OGD & OSBP

Initiative:

The National Partnership for Environmental Technology Education (PETE) has entered into a multi-year contract with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop a nationwide Tribal training program for the Office of Grants and Debarment (OGD) and the Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP). This cutting-edge program will involve a multi-faceted approach to provide Tribes, U.S. Territories and Insular Areas with training in the proper management of EPA funds through assistance awards, and OSBP’s new Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Rule (DBE) rule.

Training Dissemination:

National PETE will provide instruction and technical assistance nationally through the development of interactive training available through workshops, webinars, an asynchronous web course, and potentially an interactive video network. National PETE has awarded two Tribal Community Colleges to serve as satellite Tribal College Training Centers for Grants Management and the DBE Rule Implementation for Tribal Government personnel and potential DBE contractors: Leech Lake Tribal College (Cass Lake, MN), and United Tribes Technical College (Bismarck, ND). These colleges will assume the training and limited technical assistance capacity, and will also provide technical assistance in the form of an assistance call-in center. National PETE serves as a third training entity, working to disseminate the training on the East Coast, out to U.S. Territories and Insular Areas, and in other areas of the country not covered by the Tribal College Centers. Additionally, in 2009 National PETE selected six Tribal Community Colleges through a competitive application process to pilot the integration of the training during the spring 2010 semester into their existing Tribal Administrative or related Business programs:

- United Tribes Technical College (Bismarck, ND)

- Oglala Lakota College (Kyle, SD)

- Sitting Bull College (Fort Yates, ND)

- Sinte Gleska University (Mission, SD)

- Cankdeska Cikana Community College (Fort Totten, ND)

- Little Priest Tribal College (Winnebago, NE)

Training Description:

There are four essential components to the process of managing EPA assistance agreement awards:

• Application and review process
• Management systems
• Financial systems
• Closeout process

The training that has been developed will involve the presentation of ten modules explaining how each process works by outlining Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Tribal Nation roles and responsibilities. The modules include:

1. HOW IT ALL STARTS: THE GRANT APPLICATION PROCESS
2. ASSISTANCE AGREEMENT AWARDS
3. BINDING AGREEMENTS
4. GRANTS MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
5. ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM COMPONENTS
6. FINANCIAL SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
7. ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
8. SOURCE DOCUMENTATION FOR PROCUREMENT AND PURCHASING
9. DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS ENTERPRISES (DBEs)
10. ASSISTANCE AGREEMENT MONITORING AND CLOSEOUT

The intent is that at the end of the training, participants will have a better understanding of how to manage their EPA grant, in addition to an awareness of the new DBE Rule (which is designed to help ensure that small, minority, and women-owned businesses are given the opportunity to benefit from and participate in EPA grants). Trainees will walk away with a student manual full of helpful information, as well as a CD containing an electronic version of the extensive appendix. The program is designed to enhance Tribal Administrator/ Tribal Council/ Tribal Project Manager understanding of how to administer a Federal grant, improve compliance with documentation requirements, and increase cost accounting knowledge.

National Partnership for Environmental Technology Education (National PETE)
584 Main Street South Portland, ME 04106
Tel: (207) 771-9020 Fax: (207) 771-9028
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