Volunteer Fire Infrastructure & Response Equipment Grant Program

Volunteer Fire Infrastructure & Response Equipment Grant Program is sponsored by New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

# Volunteer Fire Infrastructure & # Response Equipment ( V-FIRE) # Request For Applications (RFA) # Updated Application Deadline: # March 11 , 2026, by 5:00 P . M. To ensure adequate time to respond, substantive written questions regarding this Request for Applications will be accepted until February 18 , 2026, by 12:00 Noon .

Technical Assistance for E -Grants will not be available after 5:00 P. M. on March 11 , 2026 .

2 I. Introduction ................................ ................................

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3 II. Eligibility ................................ ................................

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4 III. SFY2025 -2026 Volunteer Fire Infrastructure & Response Equipment Grant Program Objectives ...... 5 IV.

Authorized Program Expenditures ................................ ................................ ................................

...... 6 Permissible Costs ................................ ................................

................................ .............................. 6 Costs Not Permissible ................................

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7 V. Consolidation of Resources and Municipal Shared Services Development ................................ .........

8 VI. Application Format and Content ................................ ................................

................................ ......... 8 A.

Format ................................ ................................ ................................

................................ ..... 8 B.

Required Application Content ................................ ................................ ................................

. 9 VII. Application Evaluation Criteria ................................

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12 VIII. Checklist of Required Documents ................................ ................................

................................ .... 14 IX.

Timeline ................................ ................................ ................................

................................ .............. 14 X.

Approval and Notification of Awards ................................ ................................ ................................

.. 14 XI. Administration of Grant Contracts ................................

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14 A. Issuing Agency ................................ ................................

................................ ....................... 15 B.

Filing an Application ................................ ................................ ................................

.............. 15 C. Reservation of Rights ................................

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15 D. Term of the Contract ................................ ................................

................................ ............. 17 E.

Payment and Reporting Requirements of Grant Awardees ................................ ................. 17 F.

Satisfactory Progress ................................ ................................ ................................

............. 21 G. General Specifications ................................

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21 H. Special Conditions ................................ ................................

................................ ................. 22 XII.

Questions ................................ ................................ ................................

................................ .......... 23 Exhibit A: Best Practices for Preparing an Effective Grant Application ................................

................. 24 Exhibit B: Prequalification Requirement for Nonprofit Applicants ................................ ........................

25 3 In May of 2023 , New York State Governor Kathy Hochul established a State -funded program to support the volunteer fire service with in New York State .

The Volunteer Fire Infrastructure & Response Equipment (V-FIRE) Grant Program is a reimbursement -based grant program that is managed by the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES ) and was developed to enhance the security and safety of the citizens of New York State by providing critical funding to strengthen volunteer fire departments and districts.

Applicants must complete and pay for projects and then seek reimbursement from DHSES.

Please note, projects cannot be reimbursed if started or completed prior to The purpose of this Request for Applications (RFA) is to solicit eligible applications for up to $1,000,000 in funding to support construction , renovation, or purchase costs of critical facilities (buildings, training facilities, etc.) that support fire operations , or up to $500,000 in funding to support the purchase of allowable fire service equipment to upgrade and improve their facilities and response capabilities .

Funds will be awarded competitively , and distributed via reimbursement -based grant contracts, based on the review of applications submitted. The $ 25 ,000,000 available in 2025 -2026 State funding for this initiative will be divided into two tracks of eligible projects to maximize the benefits of the program funds.

Eligible applicants may only select ONE of the following options for their grant applications : o Construction/Renovation/Facility Purchase Projects: A total of $ 20 ,000,000 in program funds will be devoted to support Construction/Renovation/Facility Purchase projects and is available to al l eligible applicants. The f unding amount per application may not exceed $1,000,000 in projects requested under Funding Option 1 .

o Equipment Projects: A total of $ 5,000,000 in program funds will be devoted to support allowable fire service equipment projects and is available to all eligible applicants.

The funding amount per application may not exceed $500,000 in projects requested under Should an e ligible applicant submit for multiple projects within the funding option , they are highly encouraged to prioritize their projects with the most pressing needs and most significant capability gaps.

DHSES reserves the right to adjust the allocation caps for either track of funding to support the most critical needs of the fire service community based on the number and type of applications received. If more than one funding option is applied for, that application will not be considered for funding .

4 Only eligible entities that are located within the State of New York , who have not been previously funded through the V -FIRE Grant Program and serve one or more local governments may apply. All applications must articulate how they meet the eligibility requirements within their application . 1.

Eligible organizations include: • Volunteer Fire Companies that are comprised of 100 % volunteer firefighter s, that are responsible for providing fire protection services to one or more jurisdiction(s) .

These entities are required to submit the signed contract agreement with the town or village they o Nonprofit Fire Companies are eligible to apply and are subject to Prequalification as • Municipalities – Vi llages, Towns, Ci ties , and Fire Districts responsible for providing fire protection through a fire department comprised of 100 % volunteer firefighter membershi p.

• Count ies and Municipal Shared Services Applications: Counties may only apply on behalf of local volunteer fire department s that are comprised of 100% volunteer firefighter membership , provided the applying county has a minimum of 60% documented approval from the volunteer fire departments within the county that will directly benefit from the requested project(s) .

Requests for grant funds under a county application must be for shareable projects that will benefit and be accessible to the volunteer fire departments represented in the application.

The applying County must compl ete and submit the Local Volunteer Fire Department Consent Form section of the Application Worksheet (“Consent Form” tab ) and must include acknowledgement from fire chiefs of at least 60% of the fire protection agencies represented in the application . • Two or more municipalities may apply for shared projects that will benefit and be accessible to two or more volunteer fire departments.

Examples of shareable projects include , but are not limited to, the following : o Fire Training Center, training tower or other training facility o Decontamination or gear -washing trailer 2. Organizations that are not eligible for this Grant Program include: • Agencies who have been previously funded by the V -FIRE Grant Program .

However, such agencies may be included in a County application or listed as a Participating Partner in a Municipal Shared Service s application. 5 • Fire departments and/or fire companies whose volunteer membership is less than 100% of • Statewide, local, or regional organizations. • Federal fire departments and fire departments under contract with the Federal Government whose sole responsibility is fire protection on Federal property.

• The NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, to include Offices and units • For -profit fire departments (i.e., do not have specific nonprofit status or do not support a • Applicants that have defaulted or are delinquent on a loan (s) as part of the Emergency Services Revolving Loan Program are not eligible to apply. B.

Prequalification Requirements for Nonprofit Applicants Prior to submitting an application in response to this RFA, all nonprofit organizations are required to prequalify in the New York Statewide Financial System (SFS). More information can be found at: https://grantsmanagement. ny.

gov/get -prequalified. Applications received from nonprofit applicants that are not prequalified in the New York Statewide Financial System (SFS) by the application due date listed on the cover of this RFA cannot be evaluated. Such applications will be disqualified from further consideration.

We recommend that you submit your prequalification application at least a week prior to the d eadline of this request for applications to ensure time for your prequalification application to be reviewed. For additional information, please reference the instructions in Exhibit B of this # III.

SFY202 5-202 6 Volunteer Fire Infrastructure & Response Equipment # Grant Program Objectives In recognition of the budgetary challenges faced by many fire protection agencies statewide, combined with their need to upgrade facilities and equipment , th is grant program seeks to support the purchase, construction, and/ or renovation of existing fire stations/facilities , or purchase of allowable equipment.

Eligible organizations serving a single jurisdiction may apply, but the scoring of each application will include an evaluation of the regional impact of proposed projects . This grant program is intended to support volunteer fire departments to upgrade and improve their facilities and response capabilities through the following primary objectives: 1.

Ensure that Fire Stations and Fire Training Facilities within New York State are safe , structurally sound , meet current building codes and regulations , and support or promote effective and safe firefighting practices . 2.

Support volunteer firefighter safety and health and wellness by providing adequate and up - to -date equipment to include personal protective equipment (PPE ), decontamination equipment and supplies , and effective exhaust removal systems . 6 3.

Support the consolidation of fire service resources through regionalization efforts to expand above and beyond jurisdictional boundaries to further enhance local, county and statewide response efforts . # IV.

Authorized Program Expenditures Applicants seeking funding through the SFY202 5-202 6 V-FIRE Grant Program may request funding through one of the following options of allowable project type s: o Construction of New Facilities – This category includes both fire stations and training facilities.

There is a growing demand for new training facilities , and existing training structures are deteriorating rapidly due to the strain of overuse and age. In addition to training facilities, it is often not cost effective to renovate an aging fire station. Cost s of station design and construction can overburden some agencies.

▪ Permissible projects include, but are not limited to: o Additions to existing structures • Fire Training facilities , including training towers and buildings • Instructional classrooms and meeting spaces • Shower facilities for decontamination • Substations and Joint/Shared Stations o Additions to existing structures o Renovation of Existing Facilities – As facilities and infrastructure age, it is important to maintain a safe and sophisticated fire station, with ample room to house fire apparatus and equipment, as well as train firefighters, so they can maintain /increase their knowledge and ability to respond to emergencies.

It is also important to keep up with the advancements in technology, as well as new building codes and standards.

Outdated, overflowing, and unsafe stations and training facilities should be considered for expansion ▪ Permissible projects include, but are not limited to : • Remodeling an existing structure ( i.e., updating, improving, or altering) o Includes work to both the interior and exterior of facilities o Creating a dedicated space for Personal Protective Equipment (separate from other occupied areas to lower transfer of • Modifications to bring facilities into compliance with the Americans with o Includes r amps, entryway improvements, elevators, etc .

• Shower facilities for decontamination o Purchase of Allowable Equipment – With an increased awareness on the health and safety of firefighters, as well as new policies and regulations, agencies may find it difficult to continue investing in the latest equipment to keep first responders protected from the dangers of the ▪ Permiss ible items include, but are not limited to : • Personal protective eq uipment (PPE), including SCBA • Firefighter rehabilitation equipment o Rehab ilitation equipment can include ( but is not limited to): ▪ Tents/chairs/generators and heating/cooling (relief ▪ Coolers/electrolyte replacement drinks/water equipment/hoses/brushes/soap/cancer wipes ▪ Hand and forearm immersion tanks ▪ EMS equipment/AED (to be used for firefighter rehab) ▪ Trailer to store and transport all the above equipment • Radios and communications equipment • SCBA fill station and testing equipment • Drones/UAS/sUAS/UAV or any type of unmanned aircraft.

• Costs incurred prior to award; including grant writer fees. • Organizational, management and administrative costs , including hiring of staff . • Payment for costs fully covered by a grant award or legislative member item.

• Supplanting or replacing funding for costs budgeted, allocated or expended for an existing project. Grant funding may only be utilized to support a new project, with the understanding that sustainment of the newly purchased equipment, facility, building renovation, new construction, etc. beyond the grant performance period is the organization’s responsibility.

Grant funds may not be used to support loan payments , to include the Emergency Services Revolving Loan (ESRL) Program. Once an award has been made, any amendment or alteration of the program or initiative to be funded is subject to approv al by the Commissioner . 8 Any questions regarding eligibility of costs or requests to amend an application or program to be funded should be directed to Grant.

Info@dhses. ny. gov .

# V. Consolidation of Resources and Municipal Shared Services To maximize the benefit of the available funding and encourage sustained shared services, this grant program seeks to promote consolidation of services between agencies (operational or administrative , to include human resource services), joint purchases for shared equipment, and multi -agency training centers in support of efforts to improve coordination and communication .

Formal consolidation between partnering volunteer fire departments is encouraged under this grant program. Agencies seeking to consolidate resources or share services are encouraged to apply for grant funds for a mutually beneficial project(s) as outlined under “Permissible Costs” above.

Two (2) or more munic ipalities are also eligible to apply for two (2) or more of their volunteer fire departments under a municipal shared services application. If applying as a town, the application must demonstrate how the request for grant funds will be for a shareable project(s) that will benefit and be accessible to all agencies represented in the application.

Applications submitted with a focus towards consolidation or under municipal shared services will be awarded up to twenty (20 ) bonus points, based upon the information provided in the application. Each consolidat ing or municipal shared services application must identify a submitting partner and all participating partners. All partners must be eligible organizations identified in Section II above.

The roles and responsibilities of submitting and participating partners are as follows: A. Submitting Partner Guidelines : The submitting partner will be the fiduciary agent for a successful consolidation or municipal shared services application, responsible for completing all required grant repo rting forms in coordination with and on behalf of one or more eligible B.

Participating Partner Guidelines : Participating partners may mutually develop and/or share requested projects with the submitting partner , to include development of an application for the grant program and the implementation and evaluation of funded projects.

Application Limit: For the purpose of the grant program, an eligible organization may be included as a represented fire department within a County application and may also apply through an individual or consolidating/ municipal shared services application, provided that both applications are requesting funding for different projects. # VI. Application Format and Content A.

Format : Grant applications MUST be submitted via the automated E -Grants System operated by DHSES. The E -Grants system allows an agency to complete an application electronically and submit it online using a secure portal.

If , upon reading this RFA , you are interested in completing a grant application, and you have not previously been registered to use the DHSES E -Grants system, your agency will need to register and be assigned a username and password. The 9 Registration Request Form and a detailed tutorial on how to use the E -Grants system is available at: https://www. dhses.

ny. gov/e -grants . B.

Required Application Content : The following questions must be addressed in your SFY202 5-202 6 V-FIRE Grant application. You must answer these grant specific questions in the required Please Note: Applicants are required to answer all the questions in the Application Worksheet, unless directed otherwise by the applicable question (s).

Failure to answer all the required questions could lead to a reduction in your score for the section being reviewed and could lead to an unfavorable overall score by the review panel. Please refer to Exhibit A for some best practices and tips on preparing an effective grant application. The following must be addressed in your application: 1.

Applicant and Jurisdiction Description A. Organization Name and Identifying/ Contact Information: Please identify the applicant organization , or submitting partner, if applying as a consolidating/ municipal shared services partnership. B.

Description of Organization or Partnership: Please provide or describe the following : • Location within New York State , to include all station loc ations ; • Number of square miles covered; • Population of region covered; • Annual operating budget ; • Average annual call volume for last three years (202 3-202 5) C.

Affirmation of Fire Reporting : To be eligible for award under the V-FIRE Grant Program , all fire departments are required to be current on their National Fire Incident Reporting (NFIRS) and/or the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS), through the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC) .

Please identify the number of personnel , to include number of active interior and exterior firefighters, within the organization or consolidating/ municipal shared services partnership. For consolidating or municipal shared services applications , membership information should be identified for the submitting partner and each participating partner. 10 E.

Description of Organization: Please provide a brief history of the organization or municipal shared services partnership. Describe how the organization or partnership represents the interests of volunteer fire personnel.

Also include a description of the types of incidents your agency responds to, the type and age of the current station(s) and fire equipment in service, identify your response district (rural, urban or suburban), as well as some details of the environment protected. First, please select the Funding Option you are applying for . Please prioritize each project within your budget (Project #1 being most critical, etc.).

For each project, select a Project Title from the drop - down menu and provide a brief description of the project under Project Description, then select the appropriat e allowable NYS Budget Category that best defines the project. Finally, please provide the Total Cost for each project.

There is no cap to the number of projects that you may request , however, the total costs identified in your budget plans will be revie wed for reasonable and necessary expenses, and whether they meet the objectives of this grant. Furthermore, your total request for the SFY202 5- 202 6 V-FIRE Grant Program cannot exceed $1,000,000 under Funding Option 1 -Facility Projects, or $500,000 under Funding Option 2 -Equipment Projects .

Please provide additional details as indicated below for each requested project. A. Fulfillment of Program Objectives: Please d escribe how each project will support the program objectives of the SFY202 5-202 6 V-FIRE Grant Program and enhance your organization's or consolidating/ municipal shared services partnership's capabilities .

In this section, please describe the current facility or equipment that will be enhanced or replaced by the requested funding (for example, date of building construction and any renovations that have taken place , current structural defects, safety hazards, etc. ). If the requested project will not be replacing an existing facility or piece of equipment , please justify the need for the requested B.

Implementation and Sustainment Plan: Please d escribe how your organization or municipal shared services partnership will implement and sustain this project, to include an estimated timeline of the project implementation, consistent with the three -year spend down time frame of this grant funding.

This should include a summary of appropriate milestones of the requested project and how you plan to manage the administrative requirements of this funding. For any projects that will require additional training of staff, i.e., for new equipment, pleas e provide anticipated training details in this section. 11 4.

Signed Contract Agreement The signed contract agreement with the town or village they are covering is required f or Volunteer 5. Overall Assessment of Application Under the SFY202 5-202 6 V-FIRE Grant Program , a pplicants will receive up to twenty (20) points based on their “Overall Assessment of Application . ” This score will be determined by the reviewers based on a complete assessment of the application.

Reviewers will assess how well the applica tion addresses the primary objectives of the SFY202 5-202 6 V-FIRE Grant Program. It is important to clearly articulate the purpose for the request for funding and how it relates to enhancing your agency’s overall 6. Bonus Points Criteria ( up to 25 total points per application ): Bonus points may be awarded by the review panel based upon the criteria identified below.

For Counties applying on behalf of their local volunteer fire departments for shareable projects, at least 60% acknowledgement from the volunteer fire departments within the county must be obtained and reflected in the Local Volunteer Fire Department Consent Form section of the Application Worksheet (“Consent Form” tab) as part of the application submission.

County applications must demonstrate how the requested project(s) will be accessible to and benefit those volunteer fire departments. Ten (10) bonus points may be awarded for County applications. B.

Consolidation / Municipal Shared Services For applications being submitted by agencies consolidating their resources, planning to consolidate, or applying under a municipal shared services partnership, applicants must provide sufficient detail on how the submitting and participating partners will mutually develop and/or share developed projects, including a clear reporting of relationships concerning enhancement and/or sustainment of develop ed projects within their Budget Plan.

Twenty (20 ) bonus points may be awarded based on the details provided within these applications .

Please Note: For purposes of this grant program, County Applications are eligible for ten (10) bonus points as identified above but are not eligible for additional “Consolidation/M unicipal Shared Services ” bonus points, as this criterion is specific to one or more municipalities applying on behalf of their local volunteer fire departments. C.

Rural Area Designation Per the Homeland Security Act of 2002, a rural area is defined in 49 U.S.C. § 5302 as an area encompassing a population of less than 50,000 people that has not been designated in the most recent decennial census as an “urbanized area” by the Secretary of C ommerce. DHSES will add five (5) bonus points to the overall scores of applicants located in rural areas, as defined above.

12 7. Grants Management Performance History For previously funded recipients through any DHSES preparedness grant funding, DHSES will assess how well the applicant ha s historically managed grant funds and/or open loans within the Emergency Services Revolving Loan (ESRL) Program . This will include reporting compliance, successful award spend -down, and program objective compliance.

Once a prospective applicant’s final overall average score is determined by the review panel, DHSES may subtract up to ten (10) points based on its “Grant s Management Performance History” criteria. Appl icants that have defaulted or are delinquent on loans as part of the Emergency Services Revolving Loan Program are not eligible to apply. # VII.

Application Evaluation Criteria The following multi -tiered criteria will be used by DHSES to evaluate each application and to determine grant awards. Grant awards will be approved by the Commissioner of DHSES. Tier 1 criteria are rated either “yes” or “no” and serve as a baseline review by DHSES to determine if applicants are eligible and have appropriately submitted all of the required application materials.

If any of the answers are “no,” the application will be immediately disqualified without further review and consideration for an award. 1. Was the application submitted on time?

2. Was the application submitted via E -Grants? 3.

Was the application complete, including the required Application Worksheet? The required Application Worksheet must be attached in its original Excel format in E -Grants by the 4. Did the application meet all minimum eligibility requirements?

• Applicant is an eligible organization as outlined in Section II; • Applicant met prequalification requirements prior to application deadline ; • For County applications: o Local Volunteer Fire Department Consent Form section of the Application Worksheet (“Consent Form” tab) , to include at least 60 % documented approval from volunteer fire departments located within the county; • For Municipal Shared Services applications: o Local Volunteer Fire Department Consent Form section of the Application Worksheet (“Consent Form” tab) , to include acknowledgement from all volunteer fire departments represented in the application ; • For volunteer fire companies: o Signed contract agreement with the town or village they are covering 5.

Is the applicant current with NFIRS and/or NERIS reporting? 6. Is the applicant a previously unawarded organization of V-FIRE Grant Program funding ?

Applications meeting the Tier 1 review set forth above will be evaluated competitively using the criteria specified below. Scores per criterion will be totaled to establish a ranked list of eligible applications for consideration of awards. Untimely subm ission of any requested supporting documentation to DHSES will be grounds to disqualify the original application.

13 # Tier 2 Evaluation Criteria Point Score Range Applicant Organization’s Annual Operating Budget Annual Operating Budget less than $250,000 20 points Annual Operating Budget $250,000 to $750,000 10 Points Annual Operating Budget more than $750,000 0 Points Annual Operating Budget Subtotal 20 Points Maximum Proposed Budget Plan 0-20 points Project Details: Fulfillment of Program Objectives 0-20 points Project Details: Implementation and Sustainment Plan 0-20 points Overall Assessment of the Application 0-20 points Application Content Subtotal 80 Points Maximum County Applications 0-10 Points Consolidation/ Municipal Shared Services Applications 0-20 Points Rural Area Designation 0-5 Points Bonus Points Subtotal 25 Bonus Points Maximum # Grand Total 125 Points Maximum Grants Management Performance History 0-10 points (Subtracted off the top of the final score) > *County Applications may be eligible for up to ten (10) bonus points as identified above but are not eligible to receive > additional bonus points under a “ Consolidation/Municipal Shared Services ” application (the maximum per application = 25 Applications receiving the highest score based upon panel review will be selected for recommendation to the Commissioner for award.

The total scores will be averaged and ranked in order from highest to lowest.

The State reserves the right, for the purpose of ensuring the completeness and comparability of proposals, to analyze submissions and make adjustments or normalize submissions i n the proposals, including the applicant’s technical assumptions, and underlying calculations and assumptions used to suppo rt the computation of costs, or to apply such other methods, as it deems necessary to make comparisons.

In the event of a tie score where one or more applications may not be fully funded, the applicant with the lowest annual operating budget will be ranked higher. If still tied, the applicant with the greatest Overall Assessment of the Application will be ranked higher.

The State also reserves the right, at its discretion, to make amendments and/or alter funding levels of one or more applicants based on any new information discovered that would have originally affected the scoring or to not award funding to any application with a final average score of 60 or less.

Additionally, the State reserves the right to a djust awards at its discretion , to ensure funding through this program is issued to all regions within the State. 14 # VIII. Checklist of Required Documents 1.

Application Worksheet (Excel format ): Available here: https://www. dhses. ny.

gov/state -funded - 2. Prequalification Confirmation: Nonprofit a pplicants are required to provide documentation showing prequalification status. (see Section II (B) of the RFA, if applicable.

) 3. For County and Municipal Shared Services Applications : Local Volunteer Fire Department Consent Form section of the Application Worksheet (“Consent Form” tab ). County applications require a 60% minimum sign -off from local volunteer fire departments located within the county.

Municipal Shared Services applications require a list and acknowledgement from all fire departments represented in the application . 4. For Volunteer Fire Company Applications: A copy of the signed contract agreement with the town or village you are covering must be included as an attachment to your application.

DHSES must receive completed grant applications by 5:00 pm on March 11, 2026 . Applications received after the due date and time will not be considered. Applications must be submitted via the DHSES E - Grants System.

Please note that E -Grants Technical Assistance will only be available during business hours on the date the application is due. Furthermore, all written questions must be submitted to DHSES by February 18 th , 2026 , by 12:00 noon to ensure that a timely response is provided to the applicant. Grant applicants can expect to be notified of award decisions sometime in summer of 202 6.

# X. Approval and Notification of Awards The Commissioner of DHSES will provide oversight of the grant review process. The Commissioner will announce the final grant award decisions based on the review panel’s rating of applications and recommendations.

DHSES will notify all applicants in writi ng as to final grant award determinations. Nothing herein requires or prohibits DHSES to approve grant funding for any one applicant, certain applicants, all applicants or no applicants. Any disbursement of an award is contingent upon entering into a con tract with DHSES, as explained in further detail below.

Pursuant to Section 163(9)(c) of the State Finance Law, any unsuccessful Bidder may submit a written request for a debriefing regarding the reasons that the Bid submitted by the Bidder was not selected for award. Requests for a debriefing must be made within 15 calendar days of notification by DHSES that the Bid submitted by the Bidder was not selected f or award.

An unsuccessful Bidder’s written request for a debriefing shall be submitted to DHSES Director of Grants Program Administration. The debriefing shall be scheduled within 10 business days of receipt of the written request by DHSES or as soon as practicable Due to the competitive nature of this grant application , proposed changes to the scope of the program