Competitive Grant
Applications for the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation (TDEC) American Rescue Plan (ARP) Competitive Grants closed on August 8, 2023. TDEC announced the competitive grant awards in December 2023.
Implementation Resources for Grantees
TDEC has a number of resources developed for implementation of the ARP non-competitive grant program that also apply to competitive and state strategic grantees. These implementation resources apply to procurement practices, reimbursement procedures, and how to navigate TDEC's Grants Management System.
- Implementation Guide: This guide outlines contract, state, and federal requirements for grantees to ensure compliance when executing projects using ARP grant funding.
- ARP Non-Competitive Grant Implementation Workshop - March 2023: This workshop focused on the general ARP grant implementation process and is largely applicable to competitive and state strategic grantees.
- Proper Procurement for ARP Non-Competitive Grant Applicants: This workshop focused on additional details related to the procurement process for ARP grants. Please note, the recorded presentation misspeaks about "baby Davis-Bacon" compliance. ARP legislation states that Davis-Bacon applies for contracts greater than $10,000,000, not less than. The guidance also states that although you do not have a Davis-Bacon clause in contracts funded by ARP for less than $10M, if you combine ARP funds with other federal funds on prime construction contracts above $2,000, Davis-Bacon may be triggered if the rule is applicable for that source of funding.
- GMS User Guide: This guide provides submittal guidance and step-by-step instructions on procurement, reimbursement, deliverables, and site inspections as well as links to additional implementation resources.
- TDEC ARP Grant Management System (GMS) Demo - August 2023: This workshop guided grantees through the procurement, reimbursement, deliverables, and site inspection processes in GMS. Please note, certain aspects of the GMS process may have changed. Please refer to the GMS User Guide for the most up to date steps.
- Contract Conditions: This guide highlights the provisions required for Non-Federal entity contracts. These provisions are fully detailed in Appendix II of 2 CFR 200.327 (§200.327 Contract provisions). Contracts must also comply with all applicable Federal Law, Regulations, and Executive Orders.
- Deliverables: This guide provides information on the deliverables and requirements needed for each project type.
- PER: This guide provides information on the preliminary engineering report (PER) submission and expected approval processes.
- Reimbursement: This guide provides information on reimbursement prerequisites and requirements needed for each grant.
- Site Inspections: This guide provides information on the site inspection process including requirements, timing, process, and evaluation.
In February, TDEC began hosting monthly town halls for grantees and administrators. These virtual sessions focus on key information for grant awardees including procurement, reimbursement, deliverables, site inspections, and more. The town halls are not recorded; however, presentations are available online and may be helpful to competitive and state strategic grantees. Presentation materials and information about future town halls can be found on the TDEC ARP Engagement Opportunities webpage. We encourage grant administrators, project owners, project stakeholders, and anyone involved in the implementation process to attend these sessions.
Competitive Grant Application Resources
- View the Competitive Grant Webinar Slides (added 06/15/2023)
- View the Competitive Grant FAQs (updated 08/11/2023)
- View the Regionalization Grant Manual (added 03/30/2023)
- View the Water Reuse Grant Manual (updated 10/20/2023)
- View the Resource Protection Grant Manual (updated 10/20/2023)
- Learn about TDEC's Grants Management System (GMS)
- View the Competitive Grant Webinar Presentation (added 04/12/2023)
For more information about TDEC's State Strategic Projects, please review the following document: