Construction Project Assistance Funding Process

The process and required documents needed to receive approved funding.

To accept your funding offer, you must first submit a Drinking Water Infrastructure Final Application with attachments to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES). All loans and grants must be approved by the G&C for the applicant to enter an agreement with the State. Once NHDES receives the final application, staff will draft the loan and grant agreements and send to the applicant for signatures. The G&C process takes 10 to 12 weeks after NHDES receives the signed documents. It is important to take this time into account when coordinating design and construction and disbursement of funds.

All grant and loan agreements must include the following legal documents (click on each drop-down section for a detailed list). NHDES staff will assist you in drafting and gathering these documents and submitting to G&C for approval.

Note: Construction costs may not be covered until G&C approval, however, non-construction costs (i.e. engineering analysis, design, and consultation) may be reimbursed.

Standard documents required for both grants and loans

Certificate of Insurance: A current insurance certificate that shows the applicant has: 1) General liability insurance in amounts not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate for bodily injury or death any one incident, and $500,000 for property damage; and 2) workers’ compensation and employee liability insurance for all employees engaged in the performance of the project.
Certificate of Good Standing: Get the current certificate from the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s website. These expire annually on April 1, so certificate must be current when submitted to G&C. (This does not apply to state or local governments.)
State of New Hampshire Vendor Code: All funding recipients must register and obtain a vendor code from the State.

Documents required for grants

Certificate to Vote and Accept Grant Funds: This form certifies the applicant is willing to enter into a grant agreement with the State of New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and designates a person to sign documents on behalf of the grantee.
Meeting minutes to accept the funds: All grant recipients must obtain authority to accept grant funds and designate an authorized representative from the grantee’s governing body to sign the documents. This requires a vote at a meeting of the governing body and meeting minutes submitted to NHDES. The meeting minutes need to: 1) state that the governing body approves to accept the funds from the Drinking Water and Groundwater Trust Fund and enter into a grant agreement with NHDES; and 2) identify the person and their title who has the authority to sign the grant documents on behalf of the governing body.

Documents required for loans

Authority to Borrow Funds for a Public Entity or Authority to Borrow Funds for a Private Entity: These forms authorize the borrower to enter into a loan agreement with the State and authorizes a representative(s) to sign all loan documents and disbursement requests associated with the project.
Warrant article, resolution or vote by governing body: The borrower must provide evidence, supported by a vote held by the governing body, that they have the authority to raise, appropriate, and spend the requested loan funds and designate a person to sign the loan documents. The vote must include the full loan amount(s).
Copy of bylaws and articles of incorporation.
Loan agreement: This is a template Loan Agreement and Promissory Note used by the State of New Hampshire that sets the terms of the loan, repayment and interest rate. Once NHDES has received the Authority to Borrow and supporting articles, staff will draft the loan agreement and submit to G&C for approval.
Financial documents and additional loan instruments (private entities only): For private borrowers, NHDES will coordinate with the New Hampshire Business Finance Authority to perform a financial review and compile additional items required for the loan closing. The closing may take place after G&C approval and an attorney representing NHDES will facilitate signing the final documents.

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Environmental review

An environmental review is required for all water infrastructure construction projects receiving funding assistance through the DWGTF. This review evaluates the potential environmental and socioeconomic impacts of the funded project to ensure it meets all federal, state and local requirements, and environmental regulations. Part of the process involves a public announcement of the project to provide the opportunity for public comment. NHDES serves to coordinate the environmental review process with the applicant and issue an environmental determination (Categorical Exclusion or Finding of No Significant Impact), or a requirement for the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement.

Funding recipients, or their consultants, are required to submit an Environmental Review Form to initiate the environmental review process. NHDES requests the template be submitted before the project goes out to bid and once the project scope and boundaries of the entire disturbed areas are defined.

Environmental Review Form

Disbursements

Requests for disbursements can be made no more than monthly upon receipt of a disbursement request from the borrower, provided all required documentation is received. Non-construction project related costs (i.e. engineering analysis, design, bid solicitation) that occur after NHDES issues an award offer but before G&C approval, may be eligible for reimbursement once the funding agreement is in place.

DWGTF Disbursement Request Form

Design and construction

All projects require the preparation, submittal and approval of engineering design plans and a competitive bid process. After bids are solicited and a contractor is selected, NHDES issues an "Authorization to Award" and project construction may commence. Bid specification front-end documents are provided by NHDES.

General condition of front-end documents

Receiving the funds

All NHDES funding programs use the New Hampshire State Vendor System to pay disbursement request(s). Payments are paid according to how the vendor is setup in the vendor system. Please make sure you have the most current and accurate information in the vendor profile, including contact information and mailing address for payment. The default way that you will receive funds is via mail with a paper check.

Did you know?

You can receive your payments by direct deposit! NHDES strongly encourages recipients enroll in direct deposit for more efficient payment processing. To enroll, you must complete and sign the State Treasury Enrollment Form. To request an enrollment form and instructions, please send an email to achprocessing@treasury.nh.gov. A form will be sent by regular mail to your business address in your state vendor profile. Fill out the form completely, sign (signature must be notarized) and mail directly to the state treasury.