Core Civil Works Planning Guidance
	Chief's Reports
	Signed Director's Reports
	Guidance Memos
	Planning Bulletins
	Other Bulletins
	Planning Engineer Circulars (ECs)
	Planning Engineer Manuals (EMs)
	Planning Engineer Pamphlets (EPs)
	Planning Engineer Regulations (ERs)
	Economic Guidance Memoranda (EGMs)
	Planning Guidance Letters (PGLs)
	Policy Guidance Letters
	Memorandums of Agreement and Understanding
	USACE Reports and Manuals
	Lessons Learned
	Fact Sheets
	Archive of Policy
	WRDAs and Other Key Laws

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Fact Sheets
• Agency Decision Milestone At A Glance (2016)
  High level overview of the Agency Decision milestone. This one-page overview complements planning guidance, and includes best practices, read ahead requirements, and basics on the decision focus and decision-makers at each milestone meeting.
• Agency Specific Procedures: Key Information Point & Frequently Asked Questions (2024)
  This document includes informational key points and an FAQ about the proposed rule for USACE Agency Specific Procedures (ASPs) to Implement the Principles, Requirements, and Guidelines for Federal Investments in Water Resources (PR&G). The key points address the role of the PR&G and other related documents, and how the proposed ASPs will change USACE planning processes and guidance. The FAQ provides answers to pertinent questions, such as defining the PR&G and APSs, how the ASPs interact with other regulations and guidance, and why a rulemaking is being pursued.
• Alternatives Milestone At A Glance (2015)
  High level overview of the Alternatives Milestone. This one-page overview complements planning guidance, and includes best practices, read ahead requirements, and basics on the decision focus and decision-makers at each milestone meeting.
• CAP Section 103 Fact Sheet and Sample Request Letter (2017)
  This fact sheet provides information on Section 103 - Coastal Storm Damage Reduction Projects, under which USACE can partner with a non-federal sponsor to plan and construct small coastal storm damage reduction projects that have not previously been specifically authorized by Congress and are not part of a larger project.
• CAP Section 107 Fact Sheet and Sample Request Letter (2017)
  This fact sheet provides information on Section 107 - Commercial Navigation Improvements, under which USACE can partner with a non-federal sponsor to plan and construct commercial navigation projects that have not previously been specifically authorized by Congress and are not part of a larger project.
• CAP Section 1135 Fact Sheet and Sample Request Letter (2017)
  This fact sheet provides information on Section 1135 - Project Modifications for Improvement of the Environment, under which USACE can partner with a non-federal sponsor to modify structures and operations of water resources projects constructed by the Corps for the purpose of improving the quality of the environment. Restoration projects can also occur at locations where an existing Corps project contributed to the degradation of the environment.
• CAP Section 14 Fact Sheet and Sample Request Letter (2017)
  This fact sheet provides information on Section 14 - Emergency Stream Bank and Shoreline Protection, under which USACE can partner with a non-federal sponsor to plan and construct emergency stream bank and shoreline protection for public facilities in imminent danger of failing (e.g., roads, bridges, hospitals, schools, treatment plants).
• CAP Section 205 Fact Sheet and Sample Request Letter (2017)
  This fact sheet provides information on Section 205 - Small Flood Risk Management Projects, under which USACE can partner with a non-federal sponsor to plan and construct small flood damage reduction projects that have not previously been specifically authorized by Congress and are not part of a larger project.
• CAP Section 206 Fact Sheet and Sample Request Letter (2017)
  This fact sheet provides information on Section 206 - Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration, under which USACE can partner with a non-federal sponsor to develop aquatic ecosystem restoration and protection projects that improve the quality of the environment.
• Civil Works Planning Overview (2011)
  Overview talking points about the Civil Works Planning Program
• Civil Works Study and Project Partnerships (2015)
  Introduction to the partnership between USACE and non-federal sponsors in developing a feasibility study and recommendation of a Civil Works water resources project.
• Civil Works Transformation: Planning Modernization StrongPoint (2012)
  Overview of changes to USACE Planning Program delivery as part of the enterprise Civil Works Transformation initiative.
• Comprehensive Documentation of Benefits in Decision Document Fact Sheet (2021)
  o The Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) January 5, 2021 "Comprehensive Documentation of Benefits in Decision Document" policy directive seeks to ensure that USACE has carefully evaluated, calculated, and documented the totality of a proposed project's benefits and impacts to support USACE recommendations for potential future investments in water resources projects. Benefit categories include social, environmental, and economic; the policy directive requires evaluation and consideration of a proposed project's benefits across all these categories. A Comprehensive Documentation of Benefits Frequently Asked Questions document, developed in July 2022, is now available for reference.
• Corps Planning: Feasibility Studies & Project Delivery (2017)
  The Corps' Civil Works Planning Program conducts a broad range of studies, including studies leading to new projects that require Congressional authorization, studies involving evaluation and design of projects under continuing authorities, and reexaminations of existing projects.
• Corps Planning: Floodplain Management Services (2023)
  Through the Floodplain Management Services (FPMS) program, the Corps provides information on flood hazards to local interests, state agencies, and other federal agencies to guide development of the floodplains of the rivers of the United States.
• Corps Planning: Planning Assistance to States (2024)
  Two types of planning assistance are offered through the Planning Assistance to States (PAS) program, Comprehensive Plans and Technical Assistance. Any State, or group of States, may partner with the Corps under the PAS program. Local governments, regional coalitions of governmental entities, Federally-recognized Tribes and U.S. Territories are also eligible partners in the PAS program. A cost share waiver is available for eligible economically disadvantaged communities as defined in the Implementation Guidance for Section 160 of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022, which includes but is not limited to Federally-recognized Tribes and U.S. Territories. The PAS program is authorized by Section 22 of WRDA 1974, as amended, and is sometimes referred to as the "Section 22" program.
• Corps Planning: Planning SMART, Building Strong (2017)
  Planning plays a vital role in supporting the Corps Civil Works water resources development and management mission. The Corps' water resources planners help decision-makers identify water resources problems, conceive solutions to them and compare the importance of the inevitable conflicting values inherent in any solution. Planning knowledge and skill is used across Civil Works mission areas and throughout the Civil Works project development and implementation process – not just in the early "planning" phases of project development. This fact sheet provides an overview of the various activities of USACE Civil Works Planning.
• Corps Planning: Risk-Informed Planning (2017)
  USACE Civil Works Planning has always been about solving problems and making decisions under uncertainty. With today's complex challenges and limited resources we must be more efficient and effective in how we conduct planning studies. By placing the six-step planning process in a risk management framework, USACE Planning teams are better able to identify and communicate the way they use information and reduce uncertainty to inform decisions through iterations of the risk-informed planning process.
• Digitally Signing Federal Register Submission Documents (2018)
  A step by step guide for digitally signing documents submitted to the Federal Register, including how to add an electronic signature to MS Word documents, accepted file types, and how to include multiple signatories.
• Fact Sheet: 2023 Pilot Program for Water Resources Projects in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (2023)
  This fact sheet provides information on how to apply to the 2023 pilot program under the Continuing Authorities Program (CAP), which fully funds small water resources projects for economically disadvantaged communities under Section 165 of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) 2020.
• Feasibility Study Process for Water Supply Reallocation Studies (2022)
  These diagrams provide an overview of the timeline for a 3x3x3 water supply reallocation feasibility study as well as key strategies for achieving project delivery.
• Frequently Asked Questions: Director's Policy Memorandum 2018-05 (30 July 2018) (2018)
  Frequently Asked Questions on Director's Policy Memorandum 2018-05: Improving Efficiency and Effectiveness in USACE Civil Works Project Delivery (Planning Phase and Planning Activities). These FAQs cover questions about operationalizing risk and risk-informed planning, the study team and resourcing, milestones and decision-making, and review.
• Got OSE? Tools, Tips & Techniques (2022)
  This fact sheet contains tools, tips, and techniques for documenting and assessing Other Social Effects (OSE) within the six-step Planning process.
• Interagency Nonstructural Efforts: How the Corps Can Assist with Activities that Reduce Flood Risk (2020)
  Under the Floodplain Management Services (FPMS) Program, the Corps provides a wide range of technical services and planning guidance to support effective management of the floodplains associated with the rivers of the United States. Interagency nonstructural efforts that focus on flood risk reduction activities are services that can be provided through FPMS and support non-federal governments while promoting a collaborative approach. Each Fall, a "Call for Proposals" is issued internally within the Corps for such efforts and specifies the coming year's proposal submission requirements, evaluation criteria, and review processes.
• Meeting the Nation's Water Resources Challenges: Shaping the Corps of Engineers Planning and Project Portfolio (2019)
  This document provides an overview of Corps Planning, and the vital role it plays in supporting the Corps Civil Works water resources development and management mission.
• Partnering with the Corps: Assistance to States, Tribes & Communities (2017)
  The Corps' Civil Works Planning Program works with State, Tribal, and local governments to provide or coordinate technical assistance and engineering expertise through a variety of programs.
• Planning Modernization (2016)
  An update on the Corps Planning Modernization efforts.
• Planning Terms and Acronyms (2022)
  Frequently used terms and acronyms in the USACE Planning process
• Quick Reference to Climate Considerations (2018)
  This quick reference guidance addressed three relevant climate factors to achieve expedient climate risk-informed decision-making: datums, sea level change, and climate-impacted hydrology. This quick reference synthesizes but does not supplant or replace existing policy and guidance.
• Report to Congress on Future Water Resources Development (2016)
  Overview of the annual Report to Congress on Future Water Resources Development. The Report identifies feasibility studies and water resources projects that the Congress may consider for authorization. This Report is a requirement of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (WRRDA), Section 7001, and is sometimes known as the "7001 Report."
• Report to Congress on Future Water Resources Development Fact Sheet (2021)
  This fact sheet provides an overview of the annual Report on Future Water Resources Development to Congress, also known as the "7001 Report." It provides information for non-federal interests on how to submit a proposal for inclusion in the Report.
• Section 1210(b) of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA) Fact Sheet (2011)
  This FEMA fact sheet provides information on Section 1210(b) of the DRRA, which allows for FEMA to use the funds from the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) to implement certain mitigation activities that fall within the scope of USACE (i.e., federally authorized water resources development projects). For more information on HMGP, which assists in implementing long-term hazard mitigation planning and projects following a Presidential major disaster declaration, visit the FEMA HMGP website. Note: Once HMGP funding is applied to construction of a federally authorized water resources development project, no further federal funding may be provided for the project's construction.
• SMART Planning & Feasibility Study Frequently Asked Questions (8 January 2015) (2015)
  Frequently Asked Questions on SMART Planning & Feasibility Study Implementation have been updated and reposted. If your question is not answered here, please submit your question/comment via the front page Suggestion Box.
• SMART Planning & Feasibility Study Implementation (27 March 2013) (2013)
  High-level talking points on SMART Planning & Feasibility Study implementation to help U.S. Army Corps of Engineers personnel at all levels respond to questions about Planning Modernization and feasibility study execution via SMART Planning.
• SMART Reconnaissance Studies (2014)
  Overview of the nine reconnaissance studies begun in FY14.
• Tentatively Selected Plan Milestone At A Glance (2016)
  High level overview of the Tentatively Selected Plan milestone. This one-page overview complements planning guidance, and includes best practices, read ahead requirements, and basics on the decision focus and decision-makers at each milestone meeting.
• The Importance of Early Coordination Under the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (2024)
  This fact sheet provides information on the importance of early coordination under the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (FWCA) with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service during the study process, particularly within the scoping phase. It provides an overview of early coordination activities under the FWCA during scoping, ideas for innovative engagement with the Services, and relevant resources for study teams.
• Transforming the Current Pre-authorization Study Process (2011)
  An introduction to the "new planning paradigm" that would evolve into the SMART Planning process for conducting feasibility studies.
• USACE Flood Risk Management Mission Overview (2021)
  This fact sheet provides an overview of the USACE Flood Risk Management mission.
• USACE Knowledge Now Video Library First-Time Login Instructions (2022)
  In order to view recordings of previous PCoP webinars, USACE staff must use their credentials to access the USACE Knowledge Now video library. This document guides new users through the process of accessing the USACE Knowledge Now video network, setting up a profile, and accessing the Planning channel.
• USACE Planning Portfolio Profiles: Key Feasibility Studies Underway in FY15 (2015)
  List of key feasibility studies underway in FY15, including new studies and "legacy" feasibility studies being managed to completion.
• USACE Planning Portfolio Profiles: New Feasibility Studies (2015)
  Overview of the 19 feasibility studies beginning in 2015