Incident Command System (ICS) Communications Unit Program

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

CLASSIFIED

DHS/OEC/ICTAP

OEC/ICTAP

Office of Emergency Communications / Interoperable Communications Technical Assistance Program

Incident Command System (ICS) Communications Unit Program

Sustainable Funding Strategy Tool

A supplement to the Incident Command System Communications Unit Implementation and Best Practices guide

ICS Communications Unit Program Sustainable Funding Strategy Tool

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How to Use This Template This template supplements the ICS Communications Unit Implementation and Best Practices guide. Use it within your agency to (a) conduct a sustainable funding cost estimate, (b) conduct a review and analysis of funding sources, and (c) outline a funding strategy to sustain your Incident Command System (ICS) Communications Unit (COMU) Program. SEARCH used several sources to develop this model:

1. Emergency Communications System Life Cycle Planning Guide, SAFECOM.1

2. How 2 Guide for Funding State and Local Public Safety Wireless Networks, Public Safety Wireless Network Program (PSWN).2

3. Interoperability Business Case: An Introduction to Ongoing Local Funding, SAFECOM.3

4. Fiscal Year 2011 SAFECOM Guidance on Emergency Communications Grants, SAFECOM.4

This template provides instructions on how to use the ICS Communications Unit Program Sustainable Funding Strategy Tool—what to consider, who to engage, and what information to collect—and provides three sample worksheets containing fictitious data. You may need to modify the worksheets to meet specific organizational needs. Step 1: Review Instructions and the SAMPLE ICS Communication Unit Program Sustainable Funding Strategy Worksheets Review the ICS Communications Unit Program Sustainable Funding Strategy Worksheets and Instructions to familiarize yourself with the cost categories, expenses, funding review categories, and components of each step of the ICS COMU Program funding strategy development process based on using three progressive worksheets:

COMU Program Sustainable Funding Cost Estimates – Identify and justify costs and revenue based on cost categories. The sample completed worksheet is on page 4, and the sample blank worksheet is on page 10.

Funding Review and Analysis – Identify, review, and analyze alternative funding sources that may have been previously untapped and determine which sources your staffing resources should pursue. The sample completed worksheet is on pages 6–7, and the sample blank worksheet on page 11.

Prioritized Funding Strategy – Prioritize and combine the data from the first two worksheets to create a basic funding strategy that can be the foundation of a sustainable funding strategy. The sample completed worksheet is on page 9, and the sample blank worksheet is on page 12.

The worksheets will assist in maintaining focus on the funding strategy development process specific to sustaining an ICS COMU program.

1 http://www.safecomprogram.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/OEC_System_Life_Cycle_Planning_Guide_Final.pdf 2 http://www.safecomprogram.gov/library/Lists/Library/Attachments/93/

How_to_guide_for_funding_state_and_local_PSWN.pdf 3 http://www.safecomprogram.gov/library/Lists/Library/Attachments/94/InteroberabilityBusinessCase.pdf 4 http://www.safecomprogram.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/FY_2011_SAFECOM_Guidance_121510.pdf


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Step 2: Complete the blank ICS Communications Unit Program Sustainable Funding Strategy Worksheets Once you have collected the needed information, populate the three blank ICS Communications Unit Program Sustainable Funding Strategy Worksheets (as illustrated herein on pages 9–11) with the necessary data, text, and related comments. Complete the worksheets in the order listed in Step 1.

NOTE To populate the blank worksheets, you need to download a customizable Excel document from http://www.publicsafetytools.info or www.search.org/products. This Excel document includes instructions provided as an imbedded comment in Cell A1 of each blank worksheet.

The information you collect can then translate into a basic funding strategy to support and sustain the evolution of your ICS Communications Unit Program. —SAMPLE COMU Program Sustainable Funding Cost Estimates Worksheet Instructions

COMPLETE THIS WORKSHEET FIRST 1. With stakeholder input, identify and list all of the one-time and recurring costs and

potential revenue in each cost category (Planning, Acquisition, Implementation, Support and Maintenance, Refresh, and Disposal). Insert additional pages and rows as needed.

2. Add notes, alternatives considered, benefits, and other information needed to justify the expense next to each line item.

3. Add notes and recommendations related to responsible organizations at the bottom of the worksheet as needed to clarify existing relationships, roles, and responsibilities.

4. Calculate each column and insert the values in the appropriate sub-total and total rows.

a) When using the electronic version of this template, watch for formulas imbedded in the worksheet. If you added columns or rows, check the validity of the formulas before finalizing to ensure accuracy.

5. When using the electronic version of this template, these instructions are included as an embedded comment in Cell A1 on each “BLANK” worksheet. The instructions are not included on the “SAMPLE” worksheets.


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—SAMPLE COMU Program Sustainable Funding Cost Estimates Worksheet (Completed)

Complete this worksheet first


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—SAMPLE Funding Review and Analysis Worksheet Instructions

COMPLETE THIS WORKSHEET SECOND 1. With stakeholder input, identify and list all the funding alternatives you can think of

under "Funding Alternatives." Insert additional pages and rows as needed.

2. Review each funding alternative for availability, ability to distribute funds across several cost categories, as well as the potential for legal and stakeholder issues. Use the rating scale below to indicate the degree of challenge or potential to obtain funding that each alternative presents. Place that value in the space provided under “Funding Mechanism Review and Analysis”:

Blank – overly complicated and/or no potential to obtain 1 – several challenges and/or potential to obtain 2 – average challenges and/or potential to obtain 3 – few challenges and/or considerable potential to obtain 4 – very few, if any, challenges and/or very high potential to obtain 3. After reviewing each alternative, determine the overall potential by dividing the total

of the reviewed categories by 4. Place the numerical value in the "Overall Potential" column.

4. Determine at what level of overall potential the funding alternative becomes worth the allocation of resources to pursue and place a symbol of your choosing in the "Target Alternative" column to identify those funding alternatives that meet or exceed that criteria. In the example below, 2.5 out of 4 was the required overall potential needed to consider pursuing a funding source.

5. If you want to prioritize the entire list, additional criteria can be determined for secondary, tertiary targets and a corresponding symbol placed in the "Target Alternative" column. This practice can be useful for comparison purposes when it is time to update the funding strategy.



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—SAMPLE Funding Review and Analysis Worksheet (Completed)

Complete this worksheet second


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—SAMPLE Prioritized Funding Strategy Worksheet Instructions

COMPLETE THIS WORKSHEET THIRD (last) 1. Enter the “Targeted Alternatives” from the Funding Review and Analysis Worksheet

in the "Prioritized Funding Sources" column for each cost category. Given the distribution and usage limitations of some funding sources, expect the prioritized order of the funding sources to differ to a certain degree for each cost category. Insert additional pages and rows as needed.

2. Enter the list of Targeted Alternatives into the rows between the “NOTES:” and “Total Cost Allocations by Responsible Organization” sections. Since the priority orders vary, it can be helpful to complete this section in alphabetical order.

3. Under the "Targeted Funds ($)" column, distribute the amount of available or potential funds for each Targeted Alternative across the cost categories where the source is listed.

4. Total the targeted funds for each funding alternative and enter the amount next to the funding source in the alphabetical list between the “NOTES:” and “Total Cost Allocations by Responsible Organization” sections.

a. When using the electronic version of this template, embed formulas into the worksheet to total these columns. This can be useful as you apply “what-if scenarios” to your funding strategy.

b. Remember: If you add, delete, or modify columns and rows, check the validity of the formulas before finalizing to ensure accuracy.

5. Place any notes related to the funding source in the row between the cost categories and alphabetical funding alternative list.

6. Place any notes related to the cost allocations by responsible organization in the section at the bottom of the worksheet.

7. The completed worksheet provides an initial approach to a funding strategy that can be further refined and developed to determine a sustainable funding strategy.


When used together, the completed worksheets can then translate into a basic funding strategy. Use it as the foundation of a more comprehensive funding strategy to support and sustain the evolution of your ICS COMU Program.


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—SAMPLE Prioritized Funding Strategy Worksheet (Completed)

Complete this worksheet third (last)


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—SAMPLE COMU Program Sustainable Funding Cost Estimates Worksheet (Blank)

Complete this worksheet first


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—SAMPLE Funding Review and Analysis Worksheet (Blank)

Complete this worksheet second


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—SAMPLE Prioritized Funding Strategy Worksheet (Blank)

Complete this worksheet third (last)

Incident Command System (ICS) Communications Unit Program

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