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FSIS FERN Cooperative Agreement - Website (FSIS FERN 080316) FAQs

What is the FSIS FERN Cooperative Agreement - Website opportunity?

This opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number: FSIS FERN 080316) is a discretionary cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS) to support the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) by operating and sustaining a mission-critical web portal used for communication, collaboration, and network readiness reporting.

What is FERN?

FERN is a nationwide network of federal, state, and local regulatory laboratories that vary in their ability to test for threat agents. The portal supported by this award is intended to help the network coordinate and maintain visibility into laboratory capability, capacity, and readiness.

What is the central purpose of the award?

The central purpose is to ensure FERN has a secure, continuously operational online communication and collaboration portal that can reliably capture, display, and report laboratory capability, capacity, and readiness information across the network.

Is this grant focused on building a new website from scratch?

Based on the emphasis that capability and capacity information must be available immediately from the first day of the award, the project is positioned as an operations-and-sustainment effort for an existing or rapidly maintainable platform rather than a long buildout of a brand-new system.

What does "operations and sustainment" mean for this project?

It means keeping the portal active, current, secure, and continuously operational, while maintaining a structured set of integrated functions used by FERN member laboratories and partner agencies. The work includes standardized reporting, data organization, and ongoing operational support rather than simple web hosting.

What kinds of information must the portal handle?

The portal must reliably capture, display, and report laboratory capability, capacity, and readiness information across the FERN network, in the exact formats and manner specified by FERN.

How strict are the reporting and output requirements?

The portal is expected to organize data sets and produce outputs and reports in the exact formats and manner specified by FERN, indicating tight standardization requirements and an emphasis on consistent network-wide data governance and operational visibility.

What training-related features are expected?

The portal must support end-to-end coordination for training, including training event registration and historical tracking of attendees so participation can be documented over time. It must also support just-in-time training capabilities, including video and webinar delivery to participants from multiple agencies.

Does the portal need to support exercises and emergency activations?

Yes. The portal must support coordination for exercises and emergency activations, including activation management and standardized workflows used during exercises and real activation events.

What proficiency testing capabilities are required?

The portal must include proficiency test event registration and historical tracking of participants, supporting readiness and quality assurance activities across the network.

What is the "FERN Storeroom" feature mentioned in the opportunity?

The FERN Storeroom is described as an online secure ordering and inventory maintenance system. Authenticated users must be able to request supplies and track inventory, while administrators manage stock levels and maintain auditable records.

What is required for activation management and results data entry?

The portal must contain an activation management and results data entry database used by all members during exercises and real activation events, enabling standardized collection of operational information and test results when FERN is activated.

What is the methods repository and what must it do?

The portal must include a methods repository with search functionality, serving as a centralized, searchable library of methods and related documentation spanning network capabilities so laboratories can find and reference validated approaches.

Is there a requirement for a network-wide events calendar?

Yes. The portal must include a network-wide calendar of events that is automatically populated from events scheduled within the website environment, creating a single authoritative schedule and reducing duplication.

Does the opportunity include a public-facing website component?

Yes. In addition to secure internal collaboration areas for members and partner agencies, the award includes maintaining and enhancing the public-facing webpage to keep outward-facing content accurate and up to date.

What level of operational support is expected from the awardee?

Operational support expectations are high, including providing 24-hour helpdesk assistance and managing user accounts online. This implies continuous availability, rapid issue resolution, account provisioning and deprovisioning, and access controls appropriate for sensitive but nonpublic information.

Are there interoperability or data exchange requirements?

Yes. A key requirement is maintaining current data exchange with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's eLEXNET system for FERN users and laboratory data, ensuring the portal can share and synchronize relevant information with an established national laboratory data exchange system.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, indicating the work is intended for a university or similar public academic institution capable of operating secure systems and supporting a national laboratory network.

What is the funding instrument type and what does it imply?

The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement. This typically implies USDA FSIS expects substantial involvement during the project period, including shaping deliverables, coordinating requirements, and overseeing implementation details.

What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?

The award ceiling is $250,000.

How many awards does USDA FSIS expect to make?

The opportunity indicates one expected award.

What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA number associated with the opportunity is 10.479.

When was the opportunity created and what was the original closing date?

The opportunity was created on Aug 04, 2016, with an original closing date of Aug 11, 2016.

What does the short application window suggest about the project expectations?

The short window reinforces that USDA FSIS was likely seeking an entity ready to maintain and operate a working portal immediately, rather than an applicant proposing a lengthy development cycle before the platform becomes operational.

What makes this portal mission-critical in the context described?

It is described as mission-critical because it supports secure network-wide communication and collaboration, real-time readiness visibility, standardized reporting, training and proficiency tracking, emergency activation workflows, and logistics functions used during exercises and real response events.