Tidal Basin-Michael Baker_BRIC_April 30 2026 Webinar

Slide Title

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Navigating BRIC What Subapplicants Need to Know

Live Webinar April 30, 2026 | 3:00–4:00 PM ET

Presented by Tidal Basin and Michael Baker International

tidalbasingroup.com | mbakerintl.com

BRIC Webinar

Welcome

Meet the Panel

PANELIST

MODERATOR

PANELIST

Eric Letvin, JD, PE, CFM Vice President of Resilience, Tidal Basin

Emily Allen Resilience Programs Team Lead, Michael Baker International

Mark Boone, CFM Sr. Director of Mitigation, Tidal Basin

Christine Caggiano, AICP/PP Technical Manager, Planning, Michael Baker International

Former FEMA executive and national disaster resilience leader with 30+ years of experience shaping hazard mitigation policy, program strategy, and implementation. Oversaw $5B in BRIC funding while at FEMA.

SME in HMA technical feasibility, guiding communities nationwide through grant development,

Mitigation SME with experience managing over $5B in programs and projects at state and local levels. Experienced with FEMA HMA and PA, NFIP, HUD CDBG and USDA NRCS.

Urban planner and mitigation strategist focused on hazard mitigation planning, stakeholder engagement, and turning risk reduction strategies into implementable projects.

compliance, and full project lifecycle. 20+ years experience with FEMA HMAs including HMGP, BRIC, and FMA

Agenda

Demystifying the benefit-cost analysis

What is BRIC and why does this cycle matter?

01.

05.

What’s in the FY 2024/2025 BRIC Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

Common pitfalls that can weaken or disqualify submissions

02.

06.

How our team can support before award and after selection

Application and eligibility basics for subapplicants

03.

07.

Funding and scoring in the FY2024/25 NOFO

04.

08.

Q&A

What is BRIC?

Projects that fit within BRIC’s guidelines • Flood risk reduction and stormwater resilience • Critical facility hardening and public building retrofits

Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) is FEMA’s pre-disaster mitigation program for projects that reduce risk before disasters happen.

• Utility, water, wastewater,

and other community lifeline protection

Supports infrastructure and construction projects that lower future disaster losses

Includes natural systems when they directly support infrastructure

Rewards measurable risk reduction, implementation readiness, and stronger building codes

Is intended to shift investment from reactive recovery to

• Transportation and public- asset protection

• Wildfire mitigation tied to infrastructure

proactive mitigation

• Natural systems that directly support infrastructure

NOFO: what’s new?

• More infrastructure-focused.

Why this matters

• Emphasis on construction-ready projects, measurable risk reduction, and implementation readiness . • Only infrastructure and construction projects that have at least conceptual design are eligible. • National Competition projects must include Go/No-Go milestones in the work schedule.

1. Scope, design maturity,

schedule, and documentation must line up earlier.

2. Teams that connect grant

strategy with engineering and delivery planning will be better positioned than teams treating each task separately.

• Simplified scoring for National Competition.

• Hazard mitigation plan development/updates and scoping not directly tied to a specific infrastructure project are not eligible .

• Phased projects are not eligible .

Applicants and funding

Who can apply?

BRIC Subapplication Basics

• Direct applicants include states, District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and federally recognized Tribal Nations • Local governments generally participate as subapplicants through an applicant agency • Multi-jurisdictional efforts are allowed, but one entity must serve as the subapplicant with primary responsibility • Subapplicants and applicants seeking project funds must have an approved hazard mitigation plan at the application deadline and at award, with limited exceptions

What Is Eligible • Infrastructure-focused projects • Limited capacity-building • Applicant and subapplicant management costs What Is Not Eligible • Phased projects • Hazard mitigation plan development • Stand-alone project scoping Critical Reminders • Subapplications go through the state • Many states require an early LOI or pre-application • Missing a state deadline means the project will not advance to FEMA

Poll #1

Do you know your state’s application process and deadlines?

Eligibility and Documentation

Complete = Moves Forward

Eligibility and Completeness Review

Application / Subapplication to FEMA

Incomplete = Does Not Advance

Eligibility Challenges

1. Defined project scope

5. Cost estimate

• Line-item cost estimate • Based on quantities derived from the conceptual design 6. Environmental & permitting pathway • What permits are likely required • Environmental considerations (wetlands, historic, etc.) 7. Schedule • Design → permitting → construction

2. Conceptual plans / drawings

• Concept-level engineering sketches

3. Basis of Design

• Design assumptions • Codes and standards used • Key calculations or modeling approach 4. Engineering analysis • Hydrologic & hydraulic modeling (for flood projects) • Structural concepts (for buildings)

Remember: 30% conceptual design is required for eligibility.

Funding Buckets and Key Caps

State/Territory Allocation $112M

Tribal Set-Aside $50M Capability/capacity-building

State/Territory Building Code Plus-Up $56M Up to $1M per state/territory for eligible building code adoption and enforcement activities. An applicant may not receive more than 15% of total available funding across all categories, including management costs.

activities capped at $2M federal share per applicant; remaining eligible hazard mitigation projects may flow to National Competition.

Up to $2M per state/territory; directly tied infrastructure activities and hazard mitigation projects.

Tribal Building Code Plus-Up $25M

National Competition $757M

Only eligible building code adoption and enforcement activities can be funded.

Unlimited number of hazard mitigation project subapplications, each capped at $20M federal share.

Building Code Plus-Up

Eligible Activity Examples

Electronic / digital resources to support code adoption and enforcement

Modeling and studies to support enhanced building code flood provisions

Code adoption and enforcement activities

Code official training and certification

iccsafe.org/bric For more information:

National Competition Scoring Criteria

5 / 15 / 30 points

Up to 20 points

20 points

15 points

5 points

10 points

Building Code Adoption and Enforcement Current model codes, local adoption, and strong enforcement can increase score.

Small Impoverished Community Statutory designation with supporting documentation.

Construction Readiness Conceptual, preliminary, or detailed design maturity.

Risk Reduction Narrative

New Applicant or Sub-applicant Rewards communities / applicants not previously selected in BRIC National Competition.

Implementation Measures Show cost control, schedule management, monitoring,

Show how risk is reduced, resilience is increased, and ancillary benefits are realized.

innovation, and available staff / resources.

Up to 100 Points Total

Design maturity, credible implementation planning, and a strong resilience story matter as much as technical eligibility.

Construction Readiness Scoring

5 points

Conceptual Design Infrastructure projects with basic conceptualization and design (i.e., at least 30% design ).

Preliminary Design Infrastructure projects with refined and detailed design, including major systems, materials, dimensions, and draft specifications (i.e., greater than 30% design ). Detailed Design Infrastructure projects with detailed drawings and specifications for bidding, permitting, and actual construction (i.e., 90% design or greater ).

15 points

30 points

Poll #2

What are your biggest challenges in developing the benefit-cost analysis?

State Letter of Interest / Pre-Application Requirements

Not sure about your state’s requirements or deadline? Contact your State Hazard Mitigation Officer (SHMO) or the state mitigation team for confirmation.

Your state may require a Letter of Interest (LOI) or pre-application before submitting a BRIC application.

Did you miss the deadline? Don’t worry. Starting conversations with your state now can help position your

Several states have already closed their LOI/pre-application windows, including: Massachusetts, Ohio, Florida, Washington, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and California.

project for future funding rounds.

Even if the LOI deadline has passed, it may still be worthwhile to check with your state to determine whether there is any flexibility for project consideration.

De-Mystifying Benefit-Cost Analysis

What is Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA)? FEMA’s method for evaluating cost-effectiveness: Does the project prevent more damage than it costs?

FEMA’s Expectations

• Well-defined project scope

• Alignment between budget, scope, and BCA • Clear explanation of risk reduction

How It Works: • Benefits: damages avoided in the future • Costs: design and construction expenses • BCR = Benefits ÷ Costs • A BCR of 1.0 or higher indicates eligibility

BCA is not complicated math. It’s a straightforward demonstration of how today’s investment saves money and

Two Approaches: • Pre-Calculated Benefits (using FEMA’s standard values) • Full BCA (tailored to the specific project)

Compounding Benefits: occur when one mitigation project prevents losses multiple times, across multiple events, over its useful life

mitigates future disaster impacts.

Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) Updates

What changed

What applicants need to know

• The BCA discount rate is back at 7% following Office of Management and Budget changes in 2025. • What does this mean for applicants? Projects will need to show stronger, more immediate benefits to be considered cost effective. • Most recent pre-calculated benefit values went effective on April 8, 2025.

• Start the BCA early. Don’t wait until the project scope and budget are finalized. Know which BCA path applies. • Streamlined does not mean simple. Flood projects, acquisitions, elevations, and reconstruction still require clear, well-organized documentation—even when a streamlined option is available. • Keep everything aligned. The BCA inputs, project scope, cost estimates, and supporting technical documents must all match.

Common Application Pitfalls

• Unclear or incomplete scope of work. Someone outside the project team should be able to understand what is being built, where it is located, what hazards are being addressed, and why the project matters. • Inconsistencies across the application. Scope, narrative, BCA, maps, engineering assumptions, and supporting documentation should tell the same story. • Budgets that do not tie to the line-item cost estimate or design assumptions.

Bottom line

Pay attention to the details. Inconsistencies, missing information, and incorrect project identification can make or break your application.

• Design maturity that is too thin for the funding bucket being pursued.

• Missing or weak documentation for cost share, mitigation plan consistency, site inventory, or building code status. • Waiting too long to gather EHP, permitting, procurement, and stakeholder input.

Benefit-Cost Analysis Risks

For mitigation projects outside of SFHA, use of Damage Frequency Assessment without real values and documented occurrences.

Using the wrong recurrence interval for historic events or relying on weak damage histories.

Unsupported values, missing source documents, or assumptions that are not referenced.

Treating pre-calculated benefits as a shortcut for documentation quality. They still require the right eligibility proof.

Failing to account for residual risk after project implementation.

Application Deadlines

State, territorial, and tribal deadlines may be earlier

Application window opened March 25, 2026

BRIC deadline: July 23, 2026 at 3:00 PM ET

FEMA advises completing registrations well ahead of submission.

One United Team for BRIC Support

Infrastructure and mitigation planning, engineering design, environmental services, geospatial support, construction-ready project development, building code support, and construction management.

Grants, program management, FEMA GO, BCA coordination, mitigation planning support, and recipient/subrecipient administration experience.

One team for application coordination and alignment of scope, design, budget and schedule means faster procurement and mobilization.

How We Can Help

Before award

After selection

• Screen projects for BRIC fit, funding-bucket alignment, and scoring potential • Support stakeholder engagement, strategic communications, state pre-applications, subapplications, and FEMA GO narratives • Coordinate conceptual-to-preliminary design inputs, technical documentation, cost estimating, and BCA support • Address mitigation plan consistency, building code strategy, and EHP/permitting readiness • Help identify compliant procurement pathways and available contract vehicles so support can start quickly if the project moves forward

• Respond to RFIs and follow-up documentation requests • Organize recipient and subrecipient management costs, schedules, scopes, and reporting responsibilities • Advance engineering design, permitting, EHP coordination, and construction packaging • Support construction management, field execution coordination, reimbursement readiness, and documentation control

• Maintain audit-ready records through closeout

Q&A

Prabhnoor Multani

Eric Letvin

Emily Allen

Mark Boone

Christine Caggiano Adrienne Sheldon

Resources

• FEMA BRIC Program Page – overview, links, and current support materials: https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/learn/building-resilient-infrastructure-communities

• FY 2024/25 BRIC NOFO – view the full Notice of Funding Opportunity: https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/361620

• State Hazard Mitigation Officer List – identify correct state contact and subapplication process: https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/state-local-territorial-governments/state-contacts

• FEMA GO – application submission, reporting, invoicing, and payment tracking: https://www.fema.gov/grants/guidance-tools/fema-go

• BCA Page – cost-effectiveness tools, methodologies, and support: https://www.fema.gov/grants/tools/benefit-cost-analysis

• BCA Helpline – Questions can be submitted to: bchelpline@fema.dhs.gov

Visit our BRIC page for more information

• EHP Resources – environmental and historic preservation guidance and job aids: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/environmental-historic

• Building Code Adoption Tracking – confirm code adoption status relevant to scoring: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management/building-science/bcat

• HMA Guide – program policy, guidance, and job aids across the grant lifecycle: https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/learn/hazard-mitigation-assistance-guidance

Thank you.

Let us help you build the right project, submit a stronger application, and stay supported through delivery.

For more information, contact Eric Letvin, Vice President of Resilience, Tidal Basin

Resilience@tidalbasingroup.com

tidalbasingroup.com | mbakerintl.com

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