Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program

 

The objective of the Patrick Leahy Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) program is to protect the lives of law enforcement officers by helping State, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies provide law enforcement officers with armor vests. Performance Measure 1: Total amount of federal funds that have been reimbursed to state and local jurisdictions for body armor vests. Performance Measure 2: Total number of body armor vests purchased as part of the program by state and local jurisdiction.

Active 16.607 Office of Justice Programs, Department of Justice C - Direct Payments For Specified Use Fiscal Year 2016 Please visit http://ojp.gov/bvpbasi/home.html for information pertaining to program accomplishments and vests purchased.
Fiscal Year 2017 Please visit http://ojp.gov/bvpbasi/home.html for information pertaining to program accomplishments and vests purchased.
Fiscal Year 2020 Since 1999, the BVP program has awarded more than 13,000 jurisdictions a total of $467 million in federal funds for the purchase of over one million vests (1,395,976) as of February 2020.
Fiscal Year 2021 Since 1999, over 13,000 jurisdictions have participated in the BVP Program, with a total of $548 million in federal funds for the purchase of over 1.4 million vests. For a complete list of FY21 grant awards please visithttps://www.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh241/files/media/document/fy_2021_bvp_awards.pdf
Fiscal Year 2022 Please visit https://www.ojp.gov/program/bulletproof-vest-partnership/program-resources#h449q Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 1998, as amended, Public Law 105-181, 34 U.S.C. 10531-10533, Statute 112,512
(Formerly cited as 42 USC Section 3796) Eligible applicants include any recognized unit of general government (states, counties, federally recognized tribes, cities, and local jurisdictions) recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau that employs law enforcement officers Only chief executives of jurisdictions (or their designees) may apply for funds.. The chief executive of the jurisdiction registers on-line, submits the jurisdiction application, and requests payment for completed vest orders. Only law enforcement officers may receive vests through this program. According to the Act, "law enforcement officer" means any officer, agent, or employee of a State, unit of local government, or an Indian tribe authorized by law or by a government agency to engage in or supervise the prevention, detection, or investigation of any violation of criminal law, or authorized by law to supervise sentenced criminal offenders. Eligible officers may be full-time, part-time, paid or volunteer. In order to receive BVP funds, jurisdictions must certify, during the application process, that all law enforcement agencies benefitting from the BVP Program have a written "mandatory wear" policy in effect. FAQ: https://www.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh241/files/media/document/FAQsBVPMandatoryWearPolicy_0.pdf The BVP Jurisdictions receiving funding for reimbursement of armor vest purchases must have in place a uniquely fitted vest requirement when the BVP applications are submitted. Eligible jurisdictions must be general purpose units of local government, Federally-recognized Indian tribes, the 50 state governments, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. The validity of the on-line registration process is verified through independent reviews which may include certification by the banking institutions serving the jurisdiction, the U.S. Census Bureau, and agencies within the U.S. Department of Justice. Preapplication coordination is required. This is an Internet-based program. The jurisdiction is required to complete and submit an on-line registration form, providing information about the jurisdiction's chief executive officer, program contact person, and electronic banking information. The registration process is handled through the program's web site https://www.ojp.gov/program/bulletproof-vest-partnership/overview. Only those jurisdictions with approved registrations are permitted to make application. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. The jurisdiction submits the application to BJA via the Internet web site https://grants.ojp.usdoj.gov/bvp/login/externalAccess.jsp. On-line instructions guide the jurisdiction through the application process. Law enforcement agencies or agencies with law enforcement functions which meet the Act's definition, will assist in completing the jurisdiction's on-line application by indicating the types, numbers, and costs of vests they intend to order. Only those jurisdictions that complete and submit applications will be eligible for funds from BJA. When a BVP recipient is notified of an award amount, the funds are not disbursed until the recipient logs into the BVP site and provides the receipt information for the vests. Once the payment request is made, BJA reviews the request for accuracy and completes payments on a monthly schedule. BVP funds will be available for drawdown for two years from the time of the award announcement. A current SAM registration is required to apply for BVP funds. Jurisdictions are also required to update their ACH banking in SAM (https://sam.gov). Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines A minimum of 15 working days may be required for complete registration validation, although jurisdictions and law enforcement agencies will have immediate access to certain program components during this validation process. A minimum of 60 working days may be required after the program closes for approval of the jurisdiction's application for funding. A minimum of 25 working days may be required for the electronic transfer of funds from the U.S. Treasury to the jurisdiction's bank account, once the request for funds has been received, reviewed, and approved by the Office of Justice Programs. Not applicable. Not applicable. Not applicable. The program pays up to 50 percent of the total cost of each vest order. Total cost includes the cost of the vests, vest carriers, attachments, inserts, and covers considered integral or essential for its proper care, use, and wearability, shipping, handling, fitting charges, and applicable taxes. The total invoiced price, after all vendor and prompt payment discounts have been deducted, is what the BJA uses to determine the Federal match. Not applicable. Payments and transactions are subject to audits by the General Accounting Office, Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General, state or local government auditors, and auditors from independent public accounting firms. Jurisdictions must follow their local procurement policies and procedures, including maintenance of reliable and accurate accounting systems, record keeping, and systems of internal control. In accordance with the requirement set forth in 2 CFR 200, Subpart F, grantees must maintain all financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other records pertinent to the award for at least 3 years following the close of the most recent audit. Statutory Formula: Title 34, Subtitle I Chapter 101 Public Law 90–351, title I, § 2501, as amended

Matching is voluntary. 50%. The program requires that each applicant jurisdiction be responsible for providing at least 50 percent of the cost of each vest purchased. Match funds must be from a nonfederal source. Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant funds or other federal funding sources may not be used to pay for that portion of the bullet proof vest (50%) that is not covered by BVP funds. Current legislation allocates funds first to jurisdictions with less than 100,000 residents.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. The BVP application usually opens in April and closes six weeks from the opening date. The BVP application only opens once per year. The BVP website has user guides and checklists for each step of the BVP application process: https://www.ojp.gov/program/bulletproof-vest-partnership/program-resources#h449q. Funds will be available approximately three to four months after the application deadline. Applicants will be notified, via email, when the award is made and the funds are available. When a BVP recipient is notified of an award amount, the funds are not disbursed until the recipient logs into the BVP site and provides the receipt information for the armor vests. Once the payment request is made, BJA reviews the request for accuracy and completes payments on a monthly schedule. BVP funds will be available for drawdown for two years from the time of the award announcement. A current SAM registration is required to apply for BVP funds. Jurisdictions are also required update their ACH banking in SAM. Please see the main BVP web site for more details: https://www.ojp.gov/program/bulletproof-vest-partnership/overview. None/Not specified. Joseph Husted
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Assistance
810 7th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20531 US
vests@usdoj.gov
Phone: 1-877-758-3787 https://www.ojp.gov/program/bulletproof-vest-partnership/overview 15-0404-0-1-754 (Direct Payments for Specified Use) FY 22$25,515,575.00; FY 23 est $30,000,000.00; FY 24 est $30,000,000.00; FY 21$25,700,668.00; FY 20$23,725,327.00; FY 19$21,328,548.00; FY 18$30,054,064.00; FY 17$17,394,757.00; - Not applicable. Please see the main BVP web site for more details: https://www.ojp.gov/program/bulletproof-vest-partnership/overview. Not applicable.