US Dept of Homeland Security FEMA 10/6/2022

law or regulation; and (3) all construction materials are manufactured in the United States—this means that all manufacturing processes for the construction material occurred in the United States. The Buy America preference only applies to articles, materials, and supplies that are consumed in, incorporated into, or affixed to an infrastructure project. As such, it does not apply to tools, equipment, and supplies, such as temporary scaffolding, brought to the construction site and removed at or before the completion of the infrastructure project. Nor does a Buy America preference apply to equipment and furnishings, such as movable chairs, desks, and portable computer equipment, that are used at or within the finished infrastructure project, but are not an integral part of the structure or permanently affixed to the infrastructure project. When necessary, recipients may apply for, and the agency may grant, a waiver from these requirements. (a) When the federal agency has made a determination that one of the following exceptions applies, the awarding official may waive the application of the domestic content procurement preference in any case in which the agency determines that: (1) applying the domestic content procurement preference would be inconsistent with the public interest; (2) the types of iron, steel, manufactured products, or construction materials are not produced in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities or of a satisfactory quality; or (3) the inclusion of iron, steel, manufactured products, or construction materials produced in the United States will increase the cost of the overall project by more than 25 percent. A request to waive the application of the domestic content procurement preference must be in writing. The agency will provide instructions on the format, contents, and supporting materials required for any waiver request. Waiver requests are subject to public comment periods of no less than 15 days and must be reviewed by the OMB Made in America Office. There may be instances where an award qualifies, in whole or in part, for an existing waiver described. For awards by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), existing waivers are available and the waiver process is described at'Buy America' Preference in FEMA Financial Assistance Programs for Infrastructure I FEMA.gov. For awards by other OHS components, please contact the applicable OHS FAO. To see whether a particular OHS federal financial assistance program is considered an infrastructure program and thus required to include a Buy America preference, please either contact the applicable OHS FAO, or for FEMA awards, please see Programs and Definitions: Build America, Buy America Act I FEMA.gov. Article 34 SAFECOM Recipients receiving federal financial assistance awards made under programs that provide emergency communication equipment and its related activities must comply with the SAFECOM Guidance for Emergency Communication Grants, including provisions on technical standards that ensure and enhance interoperable communications.