ACCEPTING YOUR COPS OFFICE AWARD 

Frequently Asked Questions

How do we accept this award?

After receiving notice of an award from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS 

Office), please visit the following links to find materials and instructions related to your new award.

Award recipients will electronically receive an award package containing several important documents 

including your award document and a Financial Clearance Memo (FCM). The FCM outlines all approved 

budget costs, as well as any disallowed costs or items that require reprogramming, and any restrictions 

placed on your award funds. In addition, you will have access to your Award Owner’s Manual, which 

outlines in detail how to manage the administrative and financial matters of your award.

To officially accept and begin your COPS Office award, your agency must access www.cops.usdoj.gov

and select the “Account Access” tab in the upper right corner to log in, review, and electronically sign the 

Award Document (including Award Terms and Conditions) within 90 days of the date shown on the 

award congratulatory letter.

The document to accept your new award can be found in the award package. You should carefully read all 

award information prior to signing the Award Document and accepting your award. In order to 

electronically sign your Award Document, the appropriate account roles with E-Signature and User 

Permissions must be established and assigned in the COPS Office Agency Portal. The Agency Portal 

Instruction Manual, available on our website at 

www.portal.cops.usdoj.gov/GrantsManagement/HelpContents/UserGuide.pdf, has been enhanced to 

include a Quick Step Guide. This guide will provide your agency with all of the information needed to 

successfully establish Account Roles and assign User Permissions in preparation to sign the Award 

Document, as well as manage many aspects of your COPS Office award online. Please review and follow 

these steps carefully as this is the only method for signing your Award Document. If you have any 

additional questions, please feel free to call the COPS Office Response Center at 800-421-6770. 

Who must sign the award document?

The authorized officials are the law enforcement and government executives who have ultimate and final 

responsibility for all programmatic and financial decisions regarding this award as representatives of the 

legal award recipient. COPS Office awards require that both the top law enforcement executive (e.g., 

chief of police, sheriff, or equivalent) and the top government executive (e.g., mayor, board chairman, or 

equivalent) sign the award document. 

For COPS Office TRGP awards under CTAS, the government executive must electronically sign the 

award document. Once the COPS Office receives your accepted award, you will be able to begin 

administering your award and drawing down on your funds. Our Grant Payment Request System (GPRS) 

can provide you with specific financial information.
For non-law enforcement agencies (universities, etc.), the authorized officials are the programmatic and 

financial officials who have the ultimate signatory authority to sign contracts on behalf of your 

organization. Typically, these are the same executives named on your agency’s application. If you have 

any questions as to who should sign the award, please contact your jurisdiction’s local legal advisor. 

By when must the award document be signed?

Please electronically sign the award document and all award condition pages within 90 days of the date on 

the award congratulatory letter. Award funds will not be released until we have received your agency’s 

signed award document, your budget has received final clearance, and any other relevant award

conditions particular to your agency have been satisfied. Failure to submit your signed award document 

within the 90-day award acceptance period may result in your award being withdrawn and the funds 

deobligated without additional notification. If your agency requires an extension for accepting the award 

beyond the 90-day acceptance timeframe (for example, if the governing body needs more time before 

giving final approval), please submit a request through “Account Access” at www.cops.usdoj.gov. Be 

sure to explain the circumstances that prevent your agency from signing the award document within the 

90-day period and identify the date by which the award document will be electronically signed. The 

COPS Office will review such requests on a case-by-case basis. The COPS Office reserves the right to 

deny requests to extend the 90-day award acceptance period.

What if the government or law enforcement executive information on the award 

document has changed?

Please review the information on your award document carefully. If the actual law enforcement or 

government executive listed on the award document has changed, simply update that information through 

“Account Access”. Instructions can be found at www.cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/UserGuide.pdf. If you have any 

additional questions, please feel free to call the COPS Office Response Center at 800-421-6770. 

Where can we find a list of conditions that apply to our award? 

Attached to your award document are the award terms and conditions. The same conditions can also be 

found in the Award Owner’s Manual, which is available online at www.cops.usdoj.gov. In addition, if 

applicable, the special award conditions or high risk conditions are included in the award document 

supplement. Please read and familiarize yourself with these conditions. 

Where can we find the supporting paperwork for our award, such as the Award 

Owner’s Manual?

For your convenience, we have several supporting documents available online at www.cops.usdoj.gov to 

assist you in implementing your award. These resources include the following: 

• Award Owner’s Manual

• Frequently Asked Questions about the Federal Financial Report (SF-425) 

• Helpful Hints Guide for Completing the Federal Financial Report (SF-425) 

• Fact Sheet—Online Filing of FFR SF-425 Quarterly Federal Financial Reports

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About the Grant Payment Request System (GPRS) 
• Publication Request Form 

• Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Fact Sheet 

• Federal Civil Rights Statutes and Regulations Memorandum 

We still have questions about our award. What do we do?

If you still have questions, please feel free to call the COPS Office Response Center at 800-421-6770 and 

ask to speak with your state assigned Grant Program Specialist.

August 2017