On March 13, 2020, President Joseph R Biden declared the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant an emergency declaration pursuant to section 501(b) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. 5121-5207. This declaration makes Public Assistance (PA) funding available to state, territorial, tribal, and local government entities and certain private non-profit (PNP) organizations, including K-12 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational facilities to help manage the costs associated with the ongoing response to COVID-19.

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Expenses that fall under the Federal Emergency Management Authority (FEMA) Category B, Emergency Protective Measures expense category, are potentially eligible for reimbursement under this declaration.

 

A few examples of these costs are:

• Any other costs associated with preparing for, responding to, or recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic

• Costs for contractors performing emergency protective work

• Costs of PPE associated with COVID-19

• Labour/supply costs associated with your response to COVID-19

• Measures taken to protect students and staff

• Other costs the organization would normally not incur during regular operations

• Overtime paid to employees preparing for and responding to COVID-19

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WHAT SHOULD WE DO NOW?

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As your school prepares to manage its COVID-19 response, you should begin by setting up cost centers to track expenditure. This would capture disaster-related charges such as:

• Equipment

• Labor

• Supplies

Regardless of whether your organization encounters a COVID-19 case, the costs you incurred to prepare may be eligible for reimbursement.

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CAN RE-OPEN HELP US WITH THIS PROCESS?

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Due to the numerous impacts to the standard operating procedures of educational facilities and the extreme complexity of federal disaster reimbursement and guidelines, experienced vendors are recommended to provide oversight and advocacy on the behalf of institutions, districts, or state departments through the PA reimbursement process.

 

Re-open.com navigates re-opening regulations in your industry and specific geography to ensure safety and compliancy. We support you throughout the entire process, including paying for and issuing you reimbursement immediately after an order is placed and subsequent paperwork is signed.

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Under this declaration, vendor costs are eligible for reimbursement.

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Federal procurement regulations permit entitles to issue emergency contracts for pressing circumstances. After the issuance of a temporary emergency contract, your normal procurement procedures must be followed, usually through the issuance of an RFP to replace the emergency contract with a competitively bid award. The RFP must meet all the requirements of federal procurement as defined under 2 C.F.R. 200.317-326.

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Please contact us for additional information and guidance.

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