FEMA Seeks Volunteers for the BRIC Virtual National Review Panels

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FEMA is seeking volunteers to participate on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) virtual National Review Panels. The panels evaluate subapplications submitted for funding under the National Competition against qualitative criteria.

Date: January 8, 2024 - February 15, 2024

Important Date

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Event Details

On Jan. 8, 2024, FEMA announced the solicitation of volunteers from state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, and other federal agencies to participate on the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) virtual National Review Panels. BRIC is a competitive FEMA grant program to support states, local communities, tribes, and territories. The panel reviews submitted subapplications for hazard mitigation projects that aim to reduce the risk from disasters and natural hazards. 

The agency is accepting Expression of Interest forms from Jan. 8– Feb. 15, 2024. These volunteers will leverage their mitigation experience and expertise to determine how subapplications meet BRIC qualitative evaluation criteria.

The virtual panels will run April 8– May 3, 2024, on Zoom. Panelists will serve 30 hours on one weekly panel from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET plus a three-hour training for a total of 33 hours.

The application period for state, local, tribal, and territorial representatives to submit expressions of interest to participate in a panel is open until Feb. 15, 2024.

If you or someone you know is interested in serving on these panels and meets the panel participant criteria, complete an Expression of Interest Form.

This is a great opportunity to review subapplications submitted from across the country, to see how communities are implementing meaningful mitigation practices.

FEMA will announce the selected panelists at the beginning of March 2024.  

Panelist Requirements

  • Individuals must be currently employed by a local, state, tribal or territorial government or federal agency to participate on the National Review Panels.
  • Panelists will review a sample case study or sample subapplication and score them based on the qualitative scoring criteria—panelists will be asked to discuss their scoring rationale.
  • Panelists requirements include:
  • Signing a Conflict-of-Interest form.
  • Completing prerequisite homework (prework) which includes reviewing an example subapplication and scoring it. Panelists will receive a handbook that provides guidance on the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, explains FEMA Grants Outcomes, scoring criteria, and describes the National Review Panel experience.
  • Completing a mandatory three-hour training to review prework, discuss the case study scoring, and how to use FEMA Grants Outcomes and the Zoom platform.
  • Creating a FEMA Grants Outcomes user account—the application portal.
  • Committing to the time requirement of approximately 30 hours.
  • Each panelist must have their own computer with an internet connection.

Dates that The National Review Panel Will Review (Dates and Times Subject to Change)

Panelists will be required to only participate in the week they are selected for and must ensure they can fully dedicate the time needed to review and score subapplications. The time commitment is estimated at 33 hours (three hours of training and 30 hours of review during the National Review Panel week). 

Panelists will participate in subapplication discussions when prompted. 

  • Each daily session is expected run from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET, with one hour for lunch each day of the National Review Panel week.
  • Week 1: April 8 - 12, 2024
  • Week 2: April 15 - 19, 2024
  • Week 3: April 22 – 26, 2024
  • Week 4: April 29 – May 3, 2024 (Emergency panel, if needed)

Panelists will leverage their experience and expertise during the review to assess the degree to which subapplications meet the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Qualitative Evaluation Criteria. 

SUMMARY OF THE QUALITATIVE SCORING PROCESS

More information on the background, evaluation process, scoring, and criteria can be found here: BRIC Qualitative Criteria Program Support Document. Additional information will also be provided during the two-hour mandatory training that each panelist will attend.

Qualitative scoring has a total of 100 possible points. The qualitative criteria are narrative submissions to allow subapplicants the flexibility to fully explain the strengths of the proposed project.

Qualitative evaluation criteria have graded scales of point scoring. The six criteria include the following:

  • Up to 30 points: Risk Reduction/Resilience Effectiveness
  • Up to 20 points: Climate Change and Future Conditions
  • Up to 15 points: Implementation Measures
  • Up to 25 points: Population Impacted
  • Up to 5 points: Community Engagement and Other Outreach Activities
  • Up to 5 points: Leveraging Partners

 

 

Event Contact

If you have additional questions, email the BRIC Team.

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