How your readiness looks right now

• Tell me about the most recent incident or exercise where you needed surge support.
• How often do you run full EOC activations or large scale exercises in a typical year? Options: Monthly or more, Quarterly, Twice a year, Once a year, Less than once a year
• Who on your leadership team signs the paperwork to bring external surge staff into an activation? Options: State Emergency Director, FEMA regional admin, County emergency manager, Legal/procurement, Other
• In your last activation, which roles did external contractors fill and which roles remained unfilled? Options: EOC managers, Logistics coordinators, Mass care leads, Communications, Damage assessment, Other
• How quickly did cleared personnel actually reach site or the virtual EOC during that event? Options: Under 12 hours, 12 to 24 hours, 24 to 48 hours, 48 to 72 hours, Longer than 72 hours
• What single readiness gap from that event would you prioritize fixing first?

Where the first 72 hours feel most fragile

• If surge staff arrived 48 hours late, what breaks in your incident response and with what downstream consequences?
• Which decision points during the first 72 hours do you worry external teams will not understand without orientation? Options: Operations brief cadence, Resource request approvals, Public information coordination, Safety hold points, Other
• Describe a recent situation where staffing delays made initial response slower than expected, and what followed.
• How many critical tasks during the first 72 hours require cleared personnel rather than general support staff? Options: All critical tasks, Most critical tasks, About half, Few
• Who finds out first when your agency judges a contractor is not fitting into the Incident Command structure? Options: EOC lead, Incident Commander, Operations Chief, Procurement, Other
• What single failure in the first 72 hours would make you cancel a contractor activation immediately?

Who actually shows up and how they integrate

• Walk me through how your Incident Command assigns roles to incoming contractors, and where that process tends to stall.
• Which certifications and clearances do you require before someone can be assigned an operational role in the EOC? Options: NIMS ICS 100/200/700, Background check, State security clearance, Medical clearance, Other
• Are there roles you will not accept from an external team without a prior exercise demonstrating capability? Options: Yes, command roles, Yes, logistics leads, Yes, public information, No, we accept after paperwork only
• How long does it typically take to place an external staffer into an ICS chart from arrival to assigned position? Options: Under 2 hours, 2 to 6 hours, 6 to 12 hours, 12 to 24 hours, Longer than 24 hours
• What would stop you from using a deployed person even if they meet the paperwork and training requirements? Options: Prior commitments elsewhere, Security concerns, Insufficient local knowledge, Bad reference from past activation, Other
• If nominated surge staff are already committed elsewhere when you need them, how would that change your decision to award a task order now? Options: Cancel award, Delay award until availability confirmed, Accept partial capability, Proceed with a different vendor

The logistics and systems that must just work

• What breaks downstream when your logistics playbook meets a real deployment in your state or county?
• List the systems your team expects external staff to integrate with on day one, for example resource tracking, rostering, or clearance databases.
• Are APIs or service accounts already provisioned for those systems, and who owns those credentials? Options: Yes, IT/Infra owns them, Yes, EOC ops owns them, Partial, needs coordination, No, must be provisioned
• How often do situation report data feeds refresh, and have delays in those feeds affected decisions in past incidents? Options: Real time, Hourly, Every 4 hours, Daily, Irregular
• Describe any logistics vendors, staging sites, or contracting vehicles currently pre authorized for emergency mobilization.
• Name the single integration failure or supply chain gap that would immediately rule out taking external logistics support.

Approvals, clearances, and things that stop timelines

• How quickly could your legal or security office approve contractor clearances during a declared emergency, and where have approvals slowed you down?
• Who is required to sign off for staff to operate in restricted facilities or to access sensitive information? Options: Security Officer, Legal Counsel, Incident Commander, Agency Director, Other
• Are there statutory or state specific compliance steps that have delayed activation in past incidents? Options: Yes, frequent delays, Occasional delays, Rarely, No
• How many background checks, medical clearances, or training verifications must be completed before someone is deployable for operational duties? Options: 1 to 2 checks, 3 to 4 checks, 5 or more
• Would you proceed with partial capabilities if required clearances cannot be obtained within your activation window, or would you pause the activation entirely? Options: Proceed with partial capabilities, Pause activation until clearances complete, Depends on role and risk

Who else you are considering and what would keep you with them

• What would the incumbent or an internal solution have to prove this year to make you stick with them instead of switching to an external partner?
• List the specific alternatives you have evaluated in the last 12 months, including internal surge pools, incumbent contractors, or mutual aid arrangements.
• Who internally has proposed solving the capability gap without outside vendors? Options: Preparedness branch, Operations, Procurement, Office of the Governor, Other
• Under what conditions would you choose to keep your current approach for another deployment cycle?
• Rank these evaluation criteria in order of importance: activation speed, staff clearance depth, cost per deployable, past deployment performance, ability to integrate into ICS. Options: Activation speed, Staff clearance depth, Cost per deployable, Past deployment performance, Ability to integrate into ICS
• Would inability to guarantee staff availability inside the first 24 hours be an absolute deal breaker for you? Options: Yes, deal breaker, Not necessarily, depends on role, No, acceptable if compensated elsewhere

Concrete acceptance criteria that would make you say yes

• Should a pilot demonstrate your primary readiness metric, who can sign the task order and how quickly could they do it?
• Select the measurable signals you require from exercises or a readiness check to accept a program. Options: X cleared staff on call, Deployable within 12 hours, Successful ICS integration in tabletop, After action corrective items closed <90 days, Other
• How do you measure success in the first 72 hours, and what numerical thresholds would make you consider the response effective?
• What obstacles inside procurement or budget cycles could delay award even if operational criteria are met? Options: Limited budget window, Procurement review timelines, Conflicting internal priorities, Contracting vehicle constraints, Other
• Name the contract term or timeline that, if met, would let you sign within days rather than months.

Timing, next steps, and who owns them

• Who will own day one coordination if we begin a readiness engagement next month, and what authorizations must they carry?
• How soon do you want a readiness plan delivered after kickoff, two weeks, four weeks, or eight weeks? Options: 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, Other
• Choose which artifacts you expect before kickoff from this list: authorized personnel lists, clearance rosters, staging site maps, contact trees. Options: Authorized personnel lists, Clearance rosters, Staging site maps, Contact trees
• Do you have a preferred evaluation window for a pilot or tabletop exercise, and if so when is the earliest available month?
• What internal step would follow receipt of a readiness report delivered within your target window, and who is enabled to start it?

• Operational Tabletop & Walkthrough

• Confirm the current state and its cost to your team
• You confirm the demonstrated workflow and mobilization timeline eliminate the observed integration and staffing gaps during the first 72 hours.
• Deliver a tailored first-72-hour runbook draft with named roles, escalation paths, communication endpoints, and mobilization timing within 5 business days.
• Map Incident Command integration and role ownership
• You agree the role mappings and escalation paths shown can be adopted into your Incident Command structure without extra orientation time.
• Provide your current Incident Command org chart and the proposed list of tabletop participants with clearance levels prior to the session.
• Walk through the mobilization timeline and first-72-hour playbook
• Identify two realistic scenarios (one rapid-onset, one complex/multi-jurisdiction) to use during the tabletop.
• You identify the remaining evidence needed to approve the readiness model (e.g., vetted personnel list, SLA metrics, and a trial exercise cadence).
• Provide a prioritized list of success signals and SLA thresholds you expect for first-72-hour coverage.
• Run two realistic first-72-hour scenarios using your context
• Confirm after-action capture and corrective action loop
• Forced validation, confirm this maps to what you described

• Operational Tabletop & Walkthrough (Solution Experience)
• Operational Tabletop Deck (Shell)
• Operational Tabletop Solution Brief

• meeting
• slides
• document

• Deploy NIMS‑Certified EOC Incident Management Team
• Deploy Rapid Standby Response Teams (12‑hour activation)
• Operate Incident Logistics Coordination Cell
• Manage Commodity Staging and Distribution
• Operate Mass Care Sheltering and Feeding Operations
• Deploy Rapid Damage Assessment Teams with GIS Mapping
• Provide Public Health Preparedness Liaison Support
• Establish Tactical Communications Interoperability Node
• Facilitate Full‑Scale Exercise Execution
• Deliver After‑Action Report with Corrective Actions
• Provide Surge Administrative and Federal Mission Support
• Deliver NIMS‑ICS Training and Staff Certification

Deploy NIMS‑Certified EOC Incident Management Team

• How many NIMS (National Incident Management System) certified incident management staff do you require on-site in your emergency operations center (EOC) per 12-hour shift? Options: 0-5, 6-10, 11-20, 21+
• Do you need staff who already hold local credentialing or clearance (for example a state PIV badge or position-specific access to your EOC staging area)? Options: Yes, PIV or equivalent required, No local credentialing required, Conditional — we can sponsor clearance
• Which ICS (Incident Command System) functional positions must be filled by deployed personnel (select all required from your operational ICS 201/202 staffing plan)? Options: Incident Commander, Operations Section Chief, Planning Section Chief, Logistics Section Chief, Finance/Admin Section Chief, Liaison Officer, Public Information Officer
• Where will deployed team members physically stage within your EOC (room name, floor, or alternate staging location) and what on-site IT connectivity (wired VLAN, WiFi SSID) is available?
• Identify any EOC standard operating procedures (SOPs) or position task books we must comply with during integration (for example your EOC SOP, ICS position qualification job aids).
• Which activities are explicitly out of scope for EOC incident management under this statement of work (for example long-term recovery case management, contract management outside mission support)? Options: Long term recovery implementation, Legal counsel services, Permanent staffing beyond surge window, Other

Deploy Rapid Standby Response Teams (12‑hour activation)

• How many rapid standby team members do you require per surge wave for the first 72 hours after activation? Options: Up to 10, 11-25, 26-50, 51+
• Do you require personnel with specific FEMA mission assignment experience (specify mission assignment types such as mass care, logistics, or public health liaison)? Options: Mass care experience, Logistics/MAT experience, Public health incident assignment, No specific mission assignment requirement
• Which minimum background checks or clearances must standby personnel possess before activation (for example public trust, state background check, motor vehicle record checks)? Options: Public trust, State background check, MVR check, No specific requirement
• By what time after a formal activation notice must teams be deployable to your staging location (hours from activation to on-site)? Options: Within 6 hours, Within 12 hours, Within 24 hours, Custom SLA
• What acceptance criteria will confirm that a 12-hour rapid standby activation has been met (examples: manifested staff with PIV at staging, signed check-in on ICS 211, transport ETA within SLA)?
• Specify any surge conflicts we must evaluate when verifying availability (for example concurrent mission assignments, prior commitments to another state, or training schedules). Options: Concurrent FEMA mission assignment, Other state activation, Scheduled training, No conflicts expected

Operate Incident Logistics Coordination Cell

• Who is the designated primary logistics point of contact on your side (name, title, office phone) for coordination of the logistics cell?
• Which logistics management artifacts must the cell produce or maintain for your incident (select applicable documents such as ICS 213, resource requests, procurement logs)? Options: ICS 213 messages, Resource request tracker, Procurement log, Supply requisition forms
• Which vendor or contract integrators handle long‑lead procurements for your agency today (categories only, for example warehousing partners, transportation carriers)? Options: Warehousing, Transportation carriers, Third party logistics, None available
• Where are your preferred staging locations and what are their inbound receiving windows (facility name and typical operating hours)?
• Estimate the maximum daily throughput your logistics cell must coordinate during peak operations (for example pallets received per day, shipments dispatched per day). Options: <50 pallets/day, 50-200 pallets/day, 200-500 pallets/day, 500+ pallets/day
• Are there existing procurement or purchase order templates we must use for federal mission billing and documentation (for example your agency PO form or FEMA mission assignment billing template)? Options: Yes, templates provided, No, use vendor templates, We need templates created

Manage Commodity Staging and Distribution

• Which commodity types will you require staging and distribution for during response (select all that apply)? Options: Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) or shelf-stable food, Bulk water, Blankets and cots, Medical supplies, Sanitation supplies
• What is your target distribution cadence for the first 7 days (for example X household kits per day, Y meals per day)?
• Which acceptance metric will you use to validate commodity delivery at point of distribution (for example percent of requested households served, delivery within 24 hours of request)? Options: % of requests fulfilled within SLA, Delivery within 24 hours, Signed distribution manifests at POD
• Do your distribution points require credential checks or registration (for example use of a state ID check, pre-registered household lists, or site check-in forms)? Options: State ID or registration required, Open public PODs, Combination
• Where are your nominated staging warehouses and what are their storage constraints (pallet positions, cold storage capacity)?
• Which inventory management system or manifest format must we integrate with for real-time commodity tracking (examples: your agency inventory ledger, spreadsheet manifest, or specific supply chain platform)?

Operate Mass Care Sheltering and Feeding Operations

• How many shelter beds and feeding slots must be supported in the initial 72-hour surge for your highest-risk county or region? Options: <100 beds, 100-500 beds, 500-2,000 beds, 2,000+
• Do your shelters require medical surge support such as medication administration, triage stations, or NDMS (National Disaster Medical System) coordination? Options: Basic first aid only, Medication support and triage, Full medical surge capability
• Which feeding model do you expect operated at shelters or community feeding sites (select all that apply)? Options: Hot meals prepared on-site, Shelf-stable meal distribution, Boxed meals for carry-out, Contracted feeding partners
• Identify any shelter-related registries or intake forms we must use (for example your shelter intake form, FEMA V2 registry, or state-specific registration form).
• Are there specific public health or sanitation standards the shelter operation must meet (for example handwashing stations per X people, wastewater constraints)? Options: Yes, we will provide standards, No extra standards, Refer to state public health guidance
• Who is the authority that will confirm shelter operation readiness and sign off on handover to your mass care lead (name or position)?

Deploy Rapid Damage Assessment Teams with GIS Mapping

• How many rapid damage assessment (Rapid Needs Assessment) teams do you want deployed initially, and what is the geographic area per team (square miles or number of counties)? Options: 1-2 teams, 3-5 teams, 6-10 teams, 10+
• Which damage assessment reporting formats does your agency require (for example FEMA Initial Damage Estimate, ICS 214 notes, or a GIS shapefile with assessed points)? Options: FEMA IDA format, GIS shapefiles/KML, Custom agency spreadsheet, Other
• Which GIS layers must be captured or referenced during assessments (for example critical infrastructure, flood extents, road closures, county parcel boundaries)? Options: Critical infrastructure, Flood extents, Road closures, Parcel boundaries, None
• Do assessment teams need access to agency imagery or remote sensing feeds (for example state aerial imagery, NOAA imagery, or point-of-impact photos)? Options: Yes, imagery provided, No imagery required, We need imagery-sharing arrangements
• Specify the turnaround time required for preliminary GIS maps and an initial damage assessment report after field data collection (hours or days). Options: Within 24 hours, Within 48 hours, Within 7 days, Custom
• Are there evacuation, access, or credential constraints for assessment teams in impacted jurisdictions that we must plan around (for example travel permits, law enforcement escorts)? Options: Permits required, Escorts required, No constraints, Other

Provide Public Health Preparedness Liaison Support

• Which public health functions do you want a liaison to support during activation (select all that apply)? Options: Surveillance and case reporting, Vaccination clinics logistics, Medical countermeasure distribution, Risk communication to healthcare partners
• Do liaisons need prior experience with CDC, Health and Human Services, or state public health incident structures and their forms (specify which agency templates, for example CDC situation reports)? Options: CDC templates, State templates, HHS coordination experience, No specific agency template
• Where should the liaison be co-located during response (your Health Department EOC, unified coordination, or remote virtual cell)? Options: Co-located in Health EOC, Co-located in general EOC, Remote virtual cell
• What reporting cadence do you require from the public health liaison (for example situational brief every 6 hours, daily SITREP)? Options: Every 4 hours, Every 6 hours, Daily, Other
• Are there specific public health data-sharing agreements or HIPAA considerations we must observe for patient-level data during the liaison mission? Options: Yes, HIPAA constraints, No PHI exchange required, We will anonymize data
• Identify the primary state public health contact and their preferred communication channel for liaison coordination (name, email, phone, and channel).

Establish Tactical Communications Interoperability Node

• Which radio bands and talkgroups must the interoperability node bridge (for example VHF fire, UHF law enforcement, 800 MHz regional talkgroups)? Options: VHF fire, UHF law enforcement, 800 MHz trunked, Satellite communications
• Do you require mesh or cellular-based data backhaul for field voice and data, and which data throughput must be sustained (kbps or Mbps)? Options: Low bandwidth <1 Mbps, 1-10 Mbps, 10+ Mbps, Not required
• Which certification or testing artifacts must be delivered to accept the node (for example radio interoperability test log, site survey report, or P25 interoperability checklist)? Options: Radio test log, Site survey report, P25 checklist, Other
• Where will the node be physically hosted during operations (facility name, mobile command vehicle, or remote tower site)? Options: EOC facility, Mobile command vehicle, Pre-identified tower site, Other
• Specify expected uptime SLA for the communications node during the surge window (percent uptime over daily operations). Options: 99% uptime, 95% uptime, Custom SLA
• Are there encryption or credential requirements for interoperable voice channels (for example MELs, keys, or agency-specific encryption policies)? Options: Encryption required, No encryption required, Agency will provide keys

Facilitate Full‑Scale Exercise Execution

• Which exercise objectives must be validated during the full-scale exercise (for example first 72-hour surge mobilization, EOC stovepipe integration, shelter population management)? Options: 72-hour mobilization, EOC-Field integration, Mass care operations, Communications interoperability
• Do you require exercise control and evaluation (C/E) teams that will produce an exercise evaluation guide and record observations against your exercise objectives? Options: Yes, full C/E required, No, site will provide C/E, Partial support
• Where will exercise play be staged and which real-world facilities must be used as exercise venues (facility names and addresses)?
• What inject cadence and realistic constraints should be used to test decision making (for example simulated communications outages, road closures, or competing resource requests)? Options: Communications outage, Road closures, Competing resource requests, All of the above
• Who is authorized to declare exercise injects as resolved and sign the exercise completion memo (name or position)?
• Specify any regulatory or grant-related milestones the exercise must meet for compliance (for example HSGP grant exercise requirements, FEMA exercise report templates). Options: HSGP compliance, FEMA exercise template, No specific grant requirement

Deliver After‑Action Report with Corrective Actions

• What format do you require for the After Action Report and Improvement Plan (AAR-IP) delivery (for example FEMA AAR templates, PDF executive summary plus editable AAR-IP spreadsheet)? Options: FEMA AAR template, PDF + editable AAR-IP spreadsheet, Custom agency format
• Which performance metrics must the AAR-IP measure against your success signals (for example time-to-first-resource, percent of staffing positions filled within SLA, accuracy of damage assessment counts)? Options: Time-to-first-resource, % staffing positions filled within SLA, Accuracy of damage counts, Other
• How quickly after exercise or activation do you require the draft AAR-IP to be submitted for review (days)? Options: Within 7 days, Within 14 days, Within 30 days, Custom
• What acceptance criteria will validate the AAR-IP as complete for your purposes (for example CAPs assigned with owners and due dates, executive summary approved by your director)?
• Who on your team will own tracking of corrective actions after delivery and what tool do you use for tracking (for example your CAP tracking spreadsheet, FEMA CAP tool, or a project management system)? Options: State CAP spreadsheet, FEMA CAP tool, Other project management tool
• Are you requesting support for implementation of corrective actions beyond delivery of the AAR-IP (for example project management for CAP implementation)? Options: Yes, implementation support requested, No, delivery only, Possibly — need discussion

• Master Services Agreement (MSA)
• Statement of Work (SOW)
• Task Order / Activation Order Form
• Activation Timeline & Mobilization Schedule
• Response Service Level Agreement (SLA)
• Mutual Responsibilities & Surge Delivery Annex
• Personnel Clearance & Background Check Addendum
• Procurement and Security Rider (public sector)
• Pricing & Payment Terms

• Go-live Health Check (weeks 1-4)
• First Measurement Review (weeks 4-10)
• Acceptance Gate Decision (around day 90)
• After-Action Review Detailed review (post-exercise or activation)
• Ongoing Operational Sustainment Review (quarterly)

• Publish the after-action executive summary and the full findings index to the shared workspace.
• List remediation tasks for any failed criteria with firm deadlines for closure.
• Confirm the named buyer signatory and archive the acceptance record in the program folder.
• Publish the formal acceptance record including pass/fail outcomes and the signatory name.
• Open remediation tickets for any conditional or failed criteria with target closure dates.
• Distribute the acceptance evidence package to the buyer and seller program leads.
• Present consolidated after-action findings
• Convert all after-action findings into tracked corrective actions or enhancements with target closure dates.
• Achieve initial assignment or owner-validated status for at least 90 percent of findings to meet the percent-assigned-owner expectation.
• Establish the cadence for corrective action burn-down reporting tied to the quarterly sustainment review.
• Populate the corrective action tracker with each finding, priority, and target closure date.
• Re-confirm success criteria and owners
• Schedule the next corrective action burn-down checkpoint and include required data exports.
• Trend review for key metrics
• Maintain visibility on whether median activation time and corrective action closure rate remain within Service Scope tolerances.
• Drive closure of persistent high-priority issues and reassign or de-prioritize stale enhancement requests.
• Agree concrete, time-boxed commitments for the next quarter and the reporting artifacts required.
• Update the quarterly dashboard with validated metric sources and share with the governance team.
• Close or re-scope any enhancement requests that lack business justification and document the decision.
• Produce the next quarter's workplan with milestones tied to metric improvements and issue closure targets.
• Confirm that required readiness artifacts are present and accurate per Service Scope.
• List and time-box all critical blockers with remediation tasks and target completion dates.
• Establish the data sources that will feed the first measurement meeting.
• Publish the deployment validation checklist results and link source documents.
• Log each surfaced blocker into the issue tracker with a target remediation date.
• Confirm and document the data owners and sources for activation and staffing metrics.
• Present first measurement data
• Establish whether median activation time and surge fill rate are trending to meet Service Scope targets.
• Document a time-boxed remediation plan for each metric gap with completion dates aligned to the Acceptance Gate.
• Agree the evidence package that will be presented at the Acceptance Gate meeting.
• Publish metric dashboards and the raw data used for the measurement for audit.
• Create remediation tasks for each identified root cause with target resolution dates tied to the acceptance timeline.
• Schedule data collection and verification activities required for the Acceptance Gate evidence package.
• Restate acceptance criteria and numeric targets
• Produce a documented acceptance decision for the deliverables tied to Service Scope criteria.
• Map findings to acceptance criteria and capability gaps
• Present outcome data against each criterion
• Diagnose deviations
• Deployment validation
• Open issues and blocker burn-down
• Early operational signals
• Enhancement request triage
• Document pass/fail per criterion
• Prioritize corrective actions
• Agree corrective actions
• Confirm readiness for Acceptance Gate
• Operational readiness snapshot
• Agree tracking and resolution timelines
• Formal acceptance decision and signatory capture
• Blockers and open issues
• Agree next-quarter commitments
• Agree immediate remediation actions
• Agree remediation for any failed or conditional criteria
• Capture enhancement requests