Skip directly to search Skip directly to A to Z list Skip directly to navigation Skip directly to page options Skip directly to site content

Administrative Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What may be purchased using NSSP cooperative agreement funds?

As stated in the FOA, Part II, Section D, Number 17, Funding Restrictions, awardees may use funds only for reasonable program purposes, including personnel, travel, supplies and services. Generally, awardees may not use funds to purchase furniture or equipment. Any such proposed spending must be clearly identified in the budget.

May cooperative agreement funds be used to enable transmitting data collected by an urgent care facility if that facility is affiliated with a participating hospital’s emergency department, as is the case with many children’s hospitals?

The applicant would need to provide a narrative justification and budget describing the expenditure, as well as how it relates to accomplishment of specific program objectives.

May we purchase software modules from a participating hospital’s software vendor in order to help that hospital’s emergency department transmit data?

No. these purchases are not allowed.

In our local health department (LHD), all our information technology (IT) services are provided by outside vendors. In order to send data to the NSSP’s BioSense application, our IT vendor must establish a VPN. Can we use cooperative agreement funds to pay the IT vendor’s overhead fee for establishing the VPN?

Yes.

How often must awardees report on performance measures?

Awardees must report quarterly on certain designated performance measures.   Other measures require reporting on a semi-annual or annual basis (e.g., participation in the annual grantee meeting). Through development of the evaluation plan, CDC will work with awardees to clearly define when to report results for relevant performance measures.

Cooperative agreement funds cannot be used for research projects, but what are the distinctions between a program evaluation project and a research project? For example, if we made an evaluation of NSSP data quality with intent to publish the findings, is that considered program evaluation or research?

For the NSSP cooperative agreement, “research” is developing a hypothesis, collecting original data, and analyzing that data. Evaluating existing data or programs is not considered research.

We want to hire a new staff member to recruit more hospital participation in the NSSP, oversee NSSP data, etc. The person will work 100% of the time on NSSP tasks. (We already have BioSense in place, but it is underused.) Can we use our cooperative agreement money to buy a computer and software for this person?

Yes, individually list the items in the supplies section of your budget. Show the unit cost of the items, total amount, provide justification for them and relate them to a specific program objective.

May we use NSSP cooperative agreement money to pay for holding a state-wide conference for potential NSSP participants to learn more about the program?

Public relations costs are allowable only for costs specifically required by the award or for costs of communicating with the public and the press about specific activities or accomplishments under the cooperative agreement.

Other Grants

Is this cooperative agreement closely aligned with Capability 13, Public Health Surveillance and Epidemiological Investigation, of the Public Health Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement?

Yes, CDC-RFA-OE15-1502 aligns with PHEP Capability 13, “Public health surveillance and epidemiological investigation is the ability to create, maintain, support, and strengthen routine surveillance and detection systems and epidemiological investigation processes, as well as to expand these systems and processes in response to incidents of public health significance.”

If we received Council of State and territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) challenge-grant money in order to connect to BioSense, can we also apply for this NSSP cooperative agreement?

Yes.

May we switch the funding for our current syndromic system from PHEP to this NSSP cooperative agreement if we receive one?

The PHEP cooperative agreement and the NSSP cooperative agreement are separate funding instruments. Any changes you are proposing to your existing PHEP cooperative agreement should be discussed with your PHEP program coordinator.

May NPPS cooperative agreement funds be used to pay a portion of shared personnel costs? For example, 75% of an epidemiologist’s salary would be paid using PHEP cooperative agreement funds and 25% paid using NPPS cooperative agreement funds?

Yes.

Review of Applicant Types

Are these NSSP cooperative agreements targeted toward new applicants or to applicants already funded under BioSense2.0?

NSSP cooperative agreement eligibility is not limited to new applicants or to current BioSense2.0 awardees. Any organization may apply that meets the eligibility requirements in Section C-2 of CDC-RFA-OE15-1502.

Is there a general expectation that cooperative agreement amounts will be higher for applicants without existing syndromic surveillance systems compared to jurisdictions that already have non-NSSP syndromic surveillance systems in place?

No. CDC has no preconceptions about funding amounts for jurisdictions of either group.

Eligibility

May we apply for an NSSP cooperative agreement if we already have 50% of our hospitals providing data to a syndromic surveillance system and we already are making plans to join NSSP?

Yes.

Are recipients of a BioSense Challenge Grant Award (administered through RTI) eligible to apply?

Yes.

The entire population of our state is less than one million. What is the meaning of the reference on page 14 of CDC-RFA-OE15-1502 that says an organization must serve a population size of at least one million people?

It means that under the eligibility criteria described in CDC-RFA-OE15-1502 your state would be eligible to apply as a single state health department representing a population less than 1 million people as estimated by the U.S. Census (2013 estimate).

Can current BioSense 2.0 awardees apply for a NSSP cooperative agreement or is eligibility restricted to jurisdictions that have not had the opportunity to be a BioSense 2.0 awardee?

Applying for an NSSP cooperative agreement is not limited to current BioSense 2.0 awardees. This FOA applies to all jurisdictions that meet the eligibility requirements in Section C-2 of CDC-RFA-E15-1502.

Other

The approximate number of cooperative agreement awards available has decreased to 25, which closely resembles the number of jurisdictions under funding opportunity CDC-RFA-OE12-1202 with existing syndromic surveillance systems. Does this eliminate smaller states from funding opportunities under funding opportunity CDC-RFA-OE15-1502?

No, it doesn’t. The eligibility criteria allow a single state health department representing a population less than 1 million people as estimated by the U.S. Census (2013 estimate) and /or the District of Columbia Department of Health to apply. In addition, a collaborating group of jurisdictions representing an area with a total combined population equal of at least one million people as estimated by the 2013 U.S. Census may also apply. In this case, one of those jurisdictions should serve as the lead applicant.

If 100% of our hospitals are already reporting ER data to our current non-NSSP syndromic surveillance system, could receiving this cooperative agreement award benefit us in any way?

Yes, it might be used to improve the quality, timeliness, utility, and sharing of data, as well as increasing collaboration among state and local jurisdictions through a National syndromic Surveillance Community of Practice.

If we don't have a data-user agreement with ASTHO and we already conduct syndromic surveillance activities, is it possible to get a letter committing to signing a DUA by our health officer in time? Who do you contact at ASTHO to get a DUA?

Applicants without a current DUA are required to submit a letter signed by their health officer committing to signing the DUA within the first six months of funding. You can contact Scott Gordon (SGordon@astho.org) for a copy of the DUA.

Should we include only year-1 activities in our project narrative, or include year’s 1‒4?

Focus primarily on year-1 activities and follow up with short descriptions of years 2, 3 and 4.

In terms of framing our proposals, how knowledgeable about syndromic surveillance are members of the cooperative agreement application panel?

We’re recruiting CDC full time employees as volunteers for our objective review panel. Their experience includes knowledge of CDC surveillance programs, as well as objective review experience.

Do you intend to distribute cooperative agreement funds equally between the current BioSense 2.0 awardees and new awardees, or will the distribution be dependent on the number of applications received?

The distribution of cooperative agreement funds will depend on the number of successful applications we receive. Awards are made based on the objective review and ranking of each application on their own merit, and how well they meet the established review criteria.

If our cooperative agreement application is not approved, can we retract our Information Sharing and Data Use Agreement?

Yes, you can.

The closing date for submitting the application package is stated as 5/15/15 in the “Download Application Package” section of Grants.gov, but reads as 4/20/15 in the funding opportunity announcement. What does this mean?

We investigated this and found that date the 5/15/15 deadline stated in grants.gov is not correct. We have resolved the problem. The correct due date for remains applications is 4/20/2015, 11:59 PM, U.S. Eastern Time.

Where can I find the “attached logic model diagram” referenced in Section 2(a) of the FOA?

The logic model diagram has been inserted into the FOA through the grants announcement module for uploading to www.grants.gov, and can be found in Part II Section 2(a) of the amended announcement.

It is optional to include a letter of intent with our application package. Is there a specific format for the LOI and where can we find it?

There is no specific LOI format. If an LOI is submitted, its information will be used to help estimate the application-review work load and to plan our review process. If a LOI is submitted, we recommend at a minimum the letter should contain:

  • Number and title of this FOA, which is CDC-RFA-OE15-1502;
  • Descriptive title of the proposed project, which is The National Syndromic Surveillance Program: Enhancing Syndromic Surveillance Capacity and Practice; and  
  • Name, address, and telephone number of the principal investigator or project director.

What is a jurisdictional working group? Am I required to share my jurisdictional working group plan?

A jurisdictional working group is composed of different stakeholders who can help improve syndromic surveillance practices at the jurisdictional level.  Ideally, if one doesn’t currently exist, the working group should be established within 6 months of the awardee receiving funding.

Yes, the work plan should be shared with the project officers during quarterly updates.

Top