DHAPP_RAA PA_2020_Jan 7 2020 Revision.pdf

PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DoD)

Defense Health Agency

Title: Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program

Announcement Type: Initial Announcement

Funding Opportunity Number: W81XWH-21-DHAPP

Assistance Listing Number: 12.350 -- Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program

Key Dates: This announcement will be open to receive applications continuously until 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET), 23 September 2022, at which point all applications must be received.

Issued: September 2020

Table of Contents A. Program Description…

• Background…

• Program Objective

B. Federal Award Information… C. Eligibility Information… D. Application and Submission Information…

• Submitting a Proposal

• Proposal Narrative

• Formatting Requirements

• Required Documents

• Submission Dates and Times

• Application Receipt Notices

• Funding Restrictions

• Other Submission Information

E. Application Review Information…

• Review Criteria

• Review and Selection Process

• Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates

• Recipient Qualification

F. Federal Award Administration Information…

• Federal Award Notices

• Administrative and National Policy Requirements

• Reporting…

G. Federal Award Agency Contacts H. Other Information…

Attachment 1: Country Specific Narratives

A. Program Description

Background: The United States Government has a long history and extensive network of international collaboration and partnerships in the fight against HIV/AIDS, providing funding, technical assistance, and program support. These collaborations increase the fundamental understanding of HIV transmission and provide an evaluative basis for prevention and intervention success. The HIV/AIDS epidemic is devastating and Militaries, in particular, have been identified as a high-risk population.

DoD HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (DHAPP) works as part of the U.S. Government’s effort to save lives, prevent HIV infections, and accelerate progress toward achieving HIV/AIDS epidemic control in more than 50 countries around the world. DHAPP is positioned within the Defense Health Agency (DHA) and located at the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) in San Diego, California.

DHAPP has successfully engaged over 80 countries in efforts to combat HIV/AIDS among its respective military services. DHAPP is the Department of Defense’s military to military implementing arm of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) collaborating with the U.S. State Department (DoS), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Peace Corps, and other federal agencies. Working closely with U.S.

Department of Defense, U.S. Unified Combatant Commanders, Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), university collaborators, and other non-governmental organizations, DHAPP assists countries in establishing HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment programs in strengthening their capabilities to combat HIV.

DHAPP continues to rely upon the vital support of various partners such as local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) including faith-based organizations to implement HIV prevention, care and treatment programs across the globe. A customized plan is needed to assist militaries as they implement HIV/AIDS programs capable of reaching our shared goals for HIV epidemic control.

Applicants for an award should be aware of the country specific military’s HIV control activities and propose a plan that builds on the country specific military’s activities without duplicating efforts, creating parallel systems, or conflicting activities. The overall program manager for PEPFAR is the Department of State’s Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC).

DHAPP provides support for military-specific programs. Country HIV programs supported by PEPFAR funds can be found on the OGAC website: http://www.state.gov/s/gac/

DHAPP provides technical assistance, management, and administrative support to the HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment for foreign militaries through support to implementing partners.

In addition, DHAPP provides HIV program execution and monitors outcomes with staff that include country specific active duty military, civil service, and contractor personnel.

http://www.state.gov/s/gac/

Program Objective: DHAPP's objective, through the PEPFAR program, is to save lives, prevent HIV infections, and accelerate progress toward achieving HIV/AIDS epidemic control and to support the development of interventions and programs in military health systems that address these issues. DHAPP works with militaries of foreign countries to devise plans based on the following process:

• Meet with key partners in country to determine provisional major program areas and other technical assistance needs.

• Adapt DHAPP support to a country’s need for prevention, care and/or treatment of its HIV/AIDS situation based on an assessment of the country’s epidemic, and more specifically, in that country’s military.

• Strengthen the military capacity for ownership and behavioral changes over the long term.

• Consider program design by leveraging assets with other country partners who have/had successful prevention, care, and/or treatment efforts.

• Focus on prevention, care and/or treatment impact aligned with national implementation plans.

• Implement and monitor programs to ensure accountability and sustainability.

Countries and their militaries need strong evidenced based HIV programs with measurable courses of action that demonstrate the following specific attributes. Priorities for DHAPP include the following but are subject to change.

• Support and ownership from the military sector.

• Development of plans of action and support for military policies that further HIV epidemic control.

• Alignment with PEPFAR and national strategies and priorities.

• Testing and treatment expansion to meet 2020 goals of 90-90-90 and 2030 goals of 95-95-

95 for people living with HIV. (The first goal is identifying 90/95 percent of all HIV-positive individuals in the population; the second goal is linking 90/95 percent of all those identified HIV positive people to consistent antiretroviral treatment; and the last goal is reaching 90/95 percent of all those on antiretroviral treatment to attain viral suppression.)

• Care and treatment plans should use the “Treat All” approach with differentiated models of care including tuberculosis (TB), hepatitis, cervical cancer in HIV positive women, other sexually transmitted infections (STI) other opportunistic infections, and care for those with advanced HIV disease.

• Reduction of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

• Combination prevention using biomedical, behavioral and structural support for sexual transmission of HIV and other STI.

• Prevention packages for specific populations including a comprehensive package for Key

Populations (KP), Priority Populations, and prevention interventions for young people.

• Stigma and discrimination reduction associated with HIV infection.

• Program monitoring to collect and report on PEPFAR indicators, ensure quality of service delivery using clinical and laboratory monitoring tools and to take rapid corrective action based on results.

• Strengthen HIV data collection systems for improved clinical decision making and program management.

• Promoting sustainability through capacity building of the military partner.

Transition to Local Partners: Local partners are encouraged to apply to this announcement.

• To sustain epidemic control, it is critical that the full range of HIV prevention and treatment services are owned and operated by local institutions, governments, and community-based and community-led organizations – regardless of current antiretroviral (ARV) coverage levels. The intent of the transitioning to local partners is to increase the delivery of direct HIV services, along with non-direct services provided at the site, and establish sufficient capacity, capability, and durability of these local partners to ensure successful, long-term, local partner engagement and impact.

B. Federal Award Information

The following information applies to awards issued under this announcement:

• Funding Amount: For each country where funding is available, Attachment 1 (Country

Specific Narrative) will contain a description of the work that is needed, along with the program areas and an approximation of the available funding. It should be noted that while dollar amounts are listed, this should be taken as an estimate of the funding for an effort whether a single amount or range is listed. Changes to Attachment 1 will be provided in the form of amendments to this announcement.

• Anticipated number of Federal awards: The anticipated number of awards for this program in FY21 will range from approximately 10 to 20, with the number of awards being determined based on the rigor and transformative potential of the proposals received, as well as the availability of funds. All funding decisions are final.

• The Period of Performance for these awards is 4 years

• Information regarding program funding amounts as well as total cost limitations within the application can be found in the country specific narrative outlined in Attachment 1.

• Investigators on collaborative projects should each write and submit separate, unique proposals, and provide the name and title of their collaborator’s proposal within the project narrative of the application.

• Awards will be made on an open continuous basis. Refer to your country specific narrative in Attachment 1 for more details. Cooperative agreements will be awarded under this announcement.

C. Eligibility Information

Eligible Applicants: All responsible sources from academia, industry, and non-governmental organizations may submit proposals under this announcement. No grants, contracts or cooperative agreements may be awarded directly to foreign military establishments. All respondents must demonstrate the active support of the in-country military and the DoD representative in the corresponding U.S. Embassy in the planning and submission of their proposals.

Other information:

• The Federal Assistance Certifications Report (completed as part of the SAM registration) is a required attestation that the entity will abide by the requirements of the U.S. laws and regulations; therefore, as applicable, you are still required to submit any documentation, including the SF LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable), and informing DoD of unpaid delinquent tax liability or a felony conviction under any Federal law. If applicable, the SF LLL should be submitted with the SF 424 form. See Section F. Federal Award Information for additional information.

• DoD required certifications: By checking “I agree” in block 17 of the SF 424 (see below) and signing the application as the authorizing official, you are certifying that your institution will be in compliance with these additional requirements:

o Institutions of higher education must certify compliance with 10 U.S.C 983, Institutions Of Higher Education That Prevent ROTC Access Or Military Recruiting On Campus: Denial Of Grants And Contracts From Department Of Defense, Department Of Education, And Certain Other Departments And Agencies, and 32 C.F.R. 216 Military Recruiting And Reserve Officer Training Corps Program Access To Institutions Of Higher Education.

o Recipient will not require any of its employees, contractors, or sub-recipients seeking to report fraud, waste, or abuse to sign or comply with internal confidentiality agreements or statements prohibiting or otherwise restricting those employees, contractors, sub-recipients from lawfully reporting that waste, fraud, or abuse to a designated investigative or law enforcement representative of a Federal department or agency authorized to receive such information.

D. Application and Submission Information

Submitting a Proposal: DoD will only accept proposals submitted through Grants.gov on or before the date specified in the country specific narrative provided in Attachment 1. Read the instructions below about registering to apply for DoD funds. Applicants should read the registration instructions carefully and prepare the information requested before beginning the registration process. Reviewing and assembling the required information before beginning the registration process will alleviate last-minute searches for required information.

Organizations must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number, active System for Award Management (SAM) registration, and Grants.gov account to apply for grants. If individual applicants are eligible to apply for this funding opportunity, then you may begin with step 3, Create a Grants.gov Account, listed below.

Creating a Grants.gov account can be completed online in minutes, but DUNS and SAM registrations may take several weeks. Therefore, an organization's registration should be done in sufficient time to ensure it does not impact the entity's ability to meet required application submission deadlines. Note: Failure to allow enough time for the systems to complete the registration is not considered a valid explanation for why grants.gov did not accept the proposals.

Complete organization instructions can be found on Grants.gov at: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html

1) Obtain a DUNS Number: All entities applying for funding, including renewal funding, must have a DUNS Number from Dun & Bradstreet (D&B). Applicants must enter the DUNS Number in the data entry field labeled "Organizational DUNS" on the SF-424 form. For more detailed instructions for obtaining a DUNS Number, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html

2) Register with SAM: The applicant organization must also be registered in the Entity

Management functional area of the SAM with an “Active” status to submit applications through the Grants.gov portal. Verify the status of the applicant organization’s Entity registration in SAM well in advance of the application submission deadline. Allow several weeks to complete the entire SAM registration process. If an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements at the time the Federal awarding agency is ready to make a Federal award, the Federal awarding agency may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant

Announcement of Transition to SAM-Generated Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): As published in the Federal Register 10 July 2019 (https://www.federalregister.gov/ documents/2019/07/10/2019-14665/unique-entity-id-standard-for-awards-management), the UEI for awards management generated through SAM will be used instead of the DUNS number as of December 2020. All Federal awards including but not limited to contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements will use the UEI, and the DUNS will be phased out as the identifier within SAM. During the transition phase (July 2019 – December 2020), the DUNS number remains the official identifier. Organizations should continue to register in SAM using the DUNS number assigned by Dun & Bradstreet. As of December 2020, the SAM-generated UEI will be the official identifier for applicants. During the transition, your SAM registration will automatically be assigned a new UEI displayed in SAM. (For more information, visit General Services Administration (GSA): https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal- acquisition-service/office-of-systems-management/integrated-award-environment-iae/iae-information-kit/unique-entity-identifier-update.)

3) Create a Grants.gov Account: The next step is to register an account with Grants.gov.

Follow the on-screen instructions or refer to the detailed instructions at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration.html

4) Add a Profile to a Grants.gov Account: A profile in Grants.gov corresponds to a single applicant organization the user represents (i.e., an applicant) or an individual https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/07/10/2019-14665/unique-entity-id-standard-for-awards-management https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/07/10/2019-14665/unique-entity-id-standard-for-awards-management https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/office-of-systems-management/integrated-award-environment-iae/iae-information-kit/unique-entity-identifier-update https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/office-of-systems-management/integrated-award-environment-iae/iae-information-kit/unique-entity-identifier-update https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/office-of-systems-management/integrated-award-environment-iae/iae-information-kit/unique-entity-identifier-update https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/office-of-systems-management/integrated-award-environment-iae/iae-information-kit/unique-entity-identifier-update https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration.html applicant. If you work for or consult with multiple organizations and have a profile for each, you may log in to one Grants.gov account to access all your grant applications. To add an organizational profile to your Grants.gov account, enter the DUNS Number for the organization in the DUNS field while adding a profile. For more detailed instructions about creating a profile on Grants.gov, refer to: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/add-profile.html

5) EBiz POC Authorized Profile Roles: After you register with Grants.gov and create an Organization Applicant Profile, the organization applicant's request for Grants.gov roles and access is sent to the EBiz POC. The EBiz POC will then log in to Grants.gov and authorize the appropriate roles, which may include the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) role, thereby giving you permission to complete and submit applications on behalf of the organization. You will be able to submit your application online any time after you have been assigned the AOR role. For more detailed instructions about creating a profile on Grants.gov, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/authorize-roles.html

6) Track Role Status: To track your role request, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/track-role-status.html

Electronic Signature: When applications are submitted through Grants.gov, the name of the organization applicant with the AOR role that submitted the application is inserted into the signature line of the application, serving as the electronic signature. The EBiz POC must authorize people who are able to make legally binding commitments on behalf of the organization as a user with the AOR role; this step is often missed, and it is crucial for valid and timely submissions.

Proposal Narrative: All proposals must be submitted in English or they will be rejected.

Formatting Requirements:

• Font: Times New Roman, 12 point

• Margins: 1 inch on all sides

• Paper size: 8 ½ by 11"

• Single-spaced

Required Documents: All elements and forms listed below are required, except as stated, for a proposal to be determined complete and must be submitted in English.

Cover Page - Should include the words “Technical Proposal” as well as the following:

1) Funding Opportunity number

2) Targeted Country

3) Title of Proposal

4) Identity of Prime Respondent and complete list of subcontractors, if applicable

5) Technical Contact (name, title, address, phone, fax and e-mail)

6) Administrative/Business Contact (name, title, address, phone, fax and e-mail) https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/add-profile.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/authorize-roles.html

7) Duration of effort

8) Table of Contents: Section, Title and page numbers are required

Project Abstract – Concise, single-spaced abstract, not to exceed 4000 characters, summarizing the proposed program effort, including the name of the Offeror institution/organization, anticipated public benefit, type of substantial involvement by the Government objectives, assessed need, and anticipated impact and results. Applications with abstracts exceeding 4000 characters will be withdrawn from consideration.

The project abstract must contain a summary of the proposed activity suitable for dissemination to the public. It should be a self-contained description of the project and should contain a statement of objectives and methods to be employed. It should be informative to other persons working in the same or related fields and insofar as possible, understandable to the technically literate lay reader. This abstract must not include any proprietary/confidential information.

Section I: Technical Approach. The following items shall be addressed:

Executive Summary. Brief description of proposed activities, goals, purposes, and anticipated results. Briefly describe technical and managerial resources of your organization. Describe how the overall program will be managed. State the bottom line funding request.

Background Information. Provide general background information about the host country and its military, including conditions and issues that have relevance to HIV transmission and HIV prevention programs. This information should include data on HIV prevalence. Other possible information to include: population size, economic conditions, political conditions, conflicts and border disputes, country infrastructure, and host nation military HIV program accomplishments or priorities to date and other donors, resources leveraged, etc. Information provided in this section should demonstrate awareness of the conditions and needs within the country and it’s military.

Goal and Objectives. Describe (a) the overall program goal of the project, and (b) the specific objectives that are measurable and time phased, consistent with the objectives and numerical targets that are described in the program narrative. See DHAPP current Priority activities in Section II. A. Program Description for reference.

Statement of Work. In an Excel spreadsheet, provide a summary of the planned activities for each program area. Use the following column headings: Country, Offeror, Funds Requested, and Brief Activity Narrative.

Work Plan. Clearly detail the scope and plan of the effort. Describe the specific methods (e.g., surveys, interviews, surveillance, etc.) you will use to accomplish the proposed objectives. All anticipated work must be aligned with the national guidelines of the host country. If the plan includes a training/education program or other intervention, please describe these in detail.

Training should be aligned with national standards where possible. It is anticipated that the proposed plan will be incorporated as an attachment to the resultant award instrument. To this end, such proposals must include a severable self-standing plan without any proprietary restrictions that can be attached to the agreement award.

Data Management Plan. Proposals must include a supplementary document of no more than two pages labeled "Data Management Plan". This supplementary document should include:

a) The types of data, guidance, physical data collections, software, training materials, and other materials to be used or produced in the course of the project;

b) The standards to be used for data and metadata format and content (where existing standards are absent or deemed inadequate, this should be documented along with any proposed solutions or remedies);

c) Data governance policies for access and sharing including provisions for appropriate protection of privacy, confidentiality, security, intellectual property, or other rights or requirements; in cases where Personal Health Information is collected, identify appropriate national/international standard to be used for data protection. Data is considered property of the military partner.

d) Policies and provisions for re-use, re-distribution, and the production of derivatives; and

e) Plans for archiving data and other information products (reports), and for preservation of access to them.

f) A valid Data Management Plan may include only the statement that no detailed plan is needed, as long as the statement is accompanied by a clear justification.

Monitoring and Evaluation. State how you will demonstrate that the proposed program will have an impact on military members and/or their families and state the specific PEPFAR Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting (MER) indicators of performance that will be used.

Indicators of performance and associated targets need to be specific and measurable (e.g., 100 military members will receive Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) counseling, 2 laboratories will be established). Also, state how you will collect this information.

Schedule and milestones. Provide a schedule and description of major milestones or tasks to be accomplished in the proposed program by quarter (e.g., by 3-month period). No set number of milestones is required; the number and nature of the milestones will depend on your program and objectives.

In-Country Participation. Describe the involvement of the host country’s military and its leadership in: (a) the development of the proposal (and/or the ideas presented in the proposal), and in (b) the planned execution of the proposed program bearing in mind the long term sustainability and host country military ownership of the program.

Relevance of the Program. (a) Describe the relevance of the proposed program to the needs, priorities and circumstances of the host country’s military; (b) describe how the proposed program fits into the overall HIV strategy for the country and/or the country's military. If the respondent has previously performed and accomplished HIV prevention, treatment, or system strengthening efforts involving the host country’s military, it should describe its past and current efforts.

Section II: Management and Qualifications Approach

The Management Plan will provide a clear description of how the cooperative agreement will be managed, including the approach to addressing potential problems. The plan shall outline, where applicable, which organization/sub-awardee will carry out the various tasks specified in the technical approach. The prime partner will be responsible for all technical activities regardless of the activities implemented by the sub-partner or other member of the team. The application team (including home office support and other sub-partners) needs to describe the role of each staff member named under key personnel, technical expertise, and estimated amount of time he or she will devote to the program. Given the funding limit of the award and the broad scope, applicants may want to propose innovative ways to reduce managerial costs of sub-partners such as sharing office space, vehicles, etc. It is expected that sub-partners will not set up separate offices and separate managerial units, but instead offer specialized technical support under the prime partner.

The application shall discuss proposed technical, managerial and other personnel as deemed appropriate to implement the tasks described above, inclusive of a coordination plan for other partners working in the district or sub-district. Such staff should have played important technical and country-level support roles in the past and current health and HIV and AIDS programs. The staffing plan shall elaborate what and how long-term and short-term technical and management assistance will be provided to the program to accomplish tasks and objectives.

The application shall provide summary role descriptions, responsibilities and qualifications of all key personnel relevant to successful implementation of the proposed technical approach.

In proposing the overall staffing plan, the applicant should ensure that experience in implementing similar programs of focus and scale in the country is represented. In particular, the application should consider:

a) Program Director: The applicant is required to appoint a Program Director. The Program Director should have demonstrated capabilities in management, institutional capacity building, high-level strategic visioning and leadership, and experience in working effectively with district, provincial and national government authorities. Prior experience in senior level management of similar programs is absolutely required. Demonstrated experience is required in coordination and collaboration with broad set of stakeholders, including multi-lateral and international donors and local and international Non- Governmental Organizations (NGO). The Program Director must have background and experience in more than one technical area of the program and experience or familiarity in management in an integrated, comprehensive, clinic-based program environment. Written and oral communications skills in English must be demonstrated.

b) Other Personnel: Applicant has the discretion to determine the proper number and mix of additional key personnel, short-term technical staff, and others to meet award requirements.

c) Consultants: Applicant may propose a mix of international and local advisors and specialists to cover the full range of objectives and activities. The management plan shall also demonstrate how the applicant will use in-country experts and resources. All personnel must demonstrate written and oral communications skills in English. Familiarity and demonstrated experience with the political, social, economic and cultural context of the country is required.

The application should support the organization’s effectiveness and provide partnership arrangements. The applicant should propose how they will coordinate with the host country military as well as with other district partners and/or PEPFAR partners working across program areas. If the applicant intends to develop institutional partnerships/teaming arrangements for implementation of the cooperative agreement (sub-recipients or alliances), the application must specify the nature of organizational linkages. This includes their relationships between each other, lines of authority and accountability, and patterns for utilizing and sharing resources. Applicants that intend to utilize sub-awards should indicate the extent intended, the method of identifying sub-awardees, and the tasks/functions they will be performing. Applicants that plan to team up with other organizations, or government agencies for the implementation of the agreement should outline the services to be provided by each agency or organization and should discuss how the collaboration with these partners fits into the Applicant’s proposed management plan. Applicant should state whether or not they have any existing relationships with the proposed partners and, if so, should include the Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) in the Attachment/Annex. It is not expected at this time that offerors should include host country military letters of support or MOUs as these will be negotiated after award once district and sub-district allocation are finalized.

The Organization’s Qualifications - In this section, the applicant should describe its organizational knowledge, capability and experience in managing similar programs. This includes activities in institutional capacity building, HIV and AIDS policy development and implementation, delivery of integrated, comprehensive district-based HIV-related services for care and treatment and collaborations with donors, host country governments, and NGOs to strengthen health and HIV and AIDS systems. Offeror shall also describe its organizational capability in collaborating with the host country military, donors, and NGOs to strengthen health and HIV/AIDS systems, and to improve the quality and use of data for decision making and advance organizational capacity building. The Applicant should also describe the organizational knowledge, capability, and experience of the other proposed team members (sub-contractors and/or grantees) in successfully managing similar programs.

Current and Pending Support – The applicant must provide information on all current and pending projects, including subsequent funding in the case of continuing contracts, grants and other assistance agreements and proposals that involve the proposed Technical Program Manager.

All current project support from whatever source (e.g., Federal, State, local or foreign government agencies, public or private foundations, industrial or other commercial organizations) must be listed.

The information must also be provided for all pending proposals already submitted concurrently to other possible sponsors, including DHA. Concurrent submission of a proposal to other organizations will not prejudice its review by DHA. Provide the following information:

• Title of award or project title;

• Source and amount of funding (annual direct costs; provide award numbers for all current awards);

• Percentage effort devoted to each project;

• Technical contact (name, address, phone, e-mail);

• Administrative/Business contact (name, address, phone, e-mail);

• Period of performance;

• The proposed project and all other projects or activities requiring a portion of time of the proposed Technical Program Manager and other proposed senior personnel must be included, even if they receive no salary support from the project(s); The total award amount for the entire award period covered (including indirect costs) must be shown as well as the number of person-months or labor hours per year to be devoted to the project, regardless of the source of support;

• Commitment proposed for the Technical Program Manager in terms of person-months per year for each year.

All submissions will be protected from unauthorized disclosure in accordance with applicable law and DoD regulations. You are expected to appropriately mark each page of the submission that contains proprietary information.

The following SF 424 forms and attachments, as applicable are required for all applications:

SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance - (included in the application package available on grants.gov posted with this Program Announcement). This form must be sent as the cover page for all proposals. Complete all required fields in accordance with the “pop-up” instructions on the form and the following instructions for specific fields. Please complete the SF-424 first, as some fields on the SF-424 are used to auto-populate fields on other forms.

SF424 Research and Related Budget - (available at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/r-r-family.html)

Budget Narrative Attachment Form – Attach the Budget justification to this form.

Provide a separate Adobe .pdf document to provide appropriate justification and/or supporting documentation for each element of cost proposed. Click “Add Attachment” to attach.

SF-424B, Assurances - Nonconstruction Programs - (included in the application package available on grants.gov posted with this Program Announcement).

The program described in Section I above includes non-construction elements. Therefore, the mandatory forms for non-construction programs must be completed. Non-construction activity costs should be included on the SF-424A.

Project Abstract Form – The project abstract must identify the problem and objectives, technical approaches, anticipated outcome of the effort, if successful, and impact on the DoD capabilities.

Use only characters available on a standard QWERTY keyboard. Spell out all Greek letters, other non-English letters, and symbols. Graphics are not allowed and there is a 4,000-character limit including spaces.

Do not include proprietary or confidential information. The project abstract must be marked by the applicant as “Approved for Public Release”. Abstracts of all funded projects will be posted on the public DTIC website: https://dodgrantawards.dtic.mil/grants

Any modifications to the Project Narrative or Budget Form require submission of a changed/ corrected Grants.gov application package to Grants.gov prior to the application submission deadline.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/r-r-family.html https://dodgrantawards.dtic.mil/grants

Submission Dates and Times: Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET), on the date specified in the country specific narrative in Attachment 1.

Applicants are responsible for submitting their applications in sufficient time to allow them to reach Grants.gov by the time specified in this announcement. If the application is received by Grants.gov after the exact time and date specified as the deadline for receipt, it will be considered “late” and will not be considered for review. Acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt by Grants.gov includes documentary evidence of receipt maintained by Grants.gov.

To avoid the possibility of late receipt, which will render the application ineligible for consideration, it is strongly recommended that applications be uploaded at least 24-48 hours days before the deadline. This will help avoid problems caused by high system usage or any potential technical and/or input problems involving the applicant’s own equipment.

DHAPP cannot make allowances/exceptions to its policies for submission problems encountered by the applicant organization using system-to-system interfaces with Grants.gov.

If an emergency or unanticipated event interrupts normal federal government processes so that applications cannot be received by Grants.gov by the exact time specified in this announcement, and the situation precludes amendment of the announcement closing date, the time specified for receipt of applications will be deemed to be extended to the same time of day specified in this announcement on the first work day on which normal federal government processes resume.

Application Receipt Notices: After an application is submitted to Grants.gov, the Authorized Representative (listed in Block #19 of the SF-424) will receive a series of three e-mails from Grants.gov. The first e-mail will confirm receipt of the application by the Grants.gov system.

The second e-mail will indicate that the application has either been successfully validated by the system prior to transmission to DoD or has been rejected due to errors. This second email will also determine if the proposal is late based on the aforementioned receipt time. The third e-mail should be received once DoD has confirmed receipt of the application usually within 10 days from the application due date. The last e-mail will indicate that the application has been received and provide the assigned tracking number. Applicants can track the status of their applications at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/track-my-application.html.

Funding Restrictions:

Information regarding funding restrictions can be found in the country specific narrative in Attachment 1.

Other Submission Information:

Applicant Support: Grants.gov provides applicants 24/7 support via the toll-free number 1- 800- 518-4726 and email at support@grants.gov. For questions related to the specific grant opportunity, contact the number listed in the application package of the grant you are applying for.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/track-my-application.html mailto:support@grants.gov

If you are experiencing difficulties with your submission, it is best to call the Grants.gov Support Center and get a ticket number. The Support Center ticket number will assist the DoD with tracking your issue and understanding background information on the issue.

Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission:

The AOR who submitted the application will receive an acknowledgement of receipt and a tracking number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) from Grants.gov with the successful transmission of their application. This AOR will also receive the official date/time stamp and Grants.gov tracking number in an email serving as proof of their timely submission.

When DoD successfully retrieves the application from Grants.gov, and acknowledges the download of submissions, Grants.gov will provide an electronic acknowledgment of receipt of the application to the email address of the AOR who submitted the application. Again, proof of timely submission shall be the official date and time that Grants.gov receives your application.

Applicants using slow internet, such as dial-up connections, should be aware that transmission can take some time before Grants.gov receives your application. Again, Grants.gov will provide either an error or a successfully received transmission in the form of an email sent the AOR attempting to submit the application. The Grants.gov Support Center reports that some applicants end the transmission because they think that nothing is occurring during the transmission process. Please be patient and give the system time to process the application.

Application Withdrawal: An applicant may withdraw an application at any time before award by written notice or by email. Notice of withdrawal shall be sent to the Grants Officer identified in this announcement. Withdrawals are effective upon receipt of notice by the Grants Officer.

E. Application Review Information

Review Criteria:

Proposals will be selected through a technical and business decision-making process with technical considerations being most important. The following scored criteria are listed in descending order of importance.

a. Technical Approach

• Goals and Objectives. The proposal clearly states the overall goal(s) of the program and has specific, measurable objectives. The proposal is relevant to established DHAPP priority activities

• Work Plan. The proposal contains sound scientific methods, an appropriate work plan described in sufficient detail and appropriate deliverables.

• Methodology for monitoring and evaluation procedures. The proposed plan includes a description of how the program will have an impact on the country’s military and clearly states the indicators of performance that will be used to monitor effectiveness.

• Schedule and milestones. The proposed plan for HIV prevention efforts is feasible and contains concrete, achievable schedule and milestones.

• Relevance to the host country’s military. The proposal clearly describes the involvement of the host country military and the relevance of the proposed program to the needs, priorities, and circumstances of the host country’s military.

b. Qualifications

• Key Personnel are qualified and eligible to perform the work.

In addition, the following unscored criteria will also contribute to the overall evaluation of the application:

• Whether the applicant qualifies as a local partner. To be considered a local partner, the applicant must submit supporting documentation demonstrating their organization meets at least one of the three criteria listed below.

• (1) an individual must be a citizen or lawfully admitted permanent resident of, and have his/her principal place of business in the country served by the PEPFAR program with which the individual is or may become involved, and a sole proprietorship must be owned by such an individual; or

• (2) an entity (e.g., a corporation or partnership):

• a) must be incorporated or legally organized under the laws of, and have its principal place of business in, the country served by the PEPFAR program with which the entity is or may become involved;

• b) must be at 75% beneficially owned by individuals who are citizens or lawfully admitted permanent residents of that same country, per sub-paragraph (2)(a)

• c) at least 75% of the entity’s staff (senior, mid-level, support) must be citizens or lawfully admitted permanent residents of that same country, per sub-paragraph (2)(a), and at least 75% of the entity’s senior staff (i.e., managerial and professional personnel) must be citizens or lawfully admitted permanent residents of such country; and

• d) where an entity has a Board of Directors, at least 51% of the members of the Board must also be citizens or lawfully admitted permanent residents of such country; or

Review and Selection Process: Proposals will not be evaluated against each other but will be scored based on the criteria listed above. DHAPP’s intent is to review proposals as soon as possible after they arrive; however, proposals may be reviewed periodically for administrative reasons.

The ultimate recommendation for award of proposals is made by DHAPP or other technical experts. Recommended proposals will then be forwarded to the U.S. Army Medical

Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA). Any notification received from USAMRAA indicating the Applicant’s proposal has been recommended does not ultimately guarantee an award will be made. This notice indicates that the proposal has been selected in accordance with the evaluation criteria stated above and has been sent to the USAMRAA Grants Division to conduct cost analysis, determine the Applicant’s responsibility, to confirm whether funds are available, and to take other relevant steps necessary prior to making the award.

Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates: Decisions are expected to be announced by acceptance/declination letters via email. All awards are expected to be in place as specified in the country specific narrative in Attachment 1.

Recipient Qualification: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has issued final guidance implementing section 872 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 as it applies to grants. As required by section 872, OMB and the General Services Administration have established the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) as a repository for government-wide data related to the integrity and performance of entities awarded federal grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts.

This final guidance implements reporting requirements for recipients and awarding agencies;

requires awarding agencies to consider information in FAPIIS before awarding a grant or cooperative agreement to a non-federal entity; and addresses how FAPIIS and other information may be used in assessing recipient integrity.

a. Federal awarding agencies must report information to FAPIIS about any termination of an award due to a material failure to comply with the award terms and conditions; any administrative agreement with a non-federal entity to resolve a suspension or debarment proceeding; and any finding that a non-federal entity is not qualified to receive a given award, if the finding is based on criteria related to the entity’s integrity or prior performance under federal awards.

b. Federal awarding agencies, prior to making award to a non-federal entity, must review information in FAPIIS to determine that entity’s eligibility to receive the award.

c. Recipients of federal contracts, grants, and cooperative agreement awards with a cumulative total value exceeding $10,000,000 are required to provide information to FAPIIS on certain civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings that reached final disposition within the most recent five year period and that were connected with the award or performance of a federal award; and to disclose semiannually the information about the criminal, civil, and administrative proceedings described in section 872(c).

d. Notice of funding opportunities and federal award terms and conditions to inform a non-federal entity that it may submit comments to FAPIIS (https://www.fapiis.gov) about any information the federal awarding agency had reported to the system about the non-federal entity, for consideration by the awarding agency in making future awards to the non-federal entity.

https://www.fapiis.gov/

F. Federal Award Administration Information

Federal Award Notices: Notification of selection of all applications will be e-mailed by the USAMRAA Grants Officer.

The notification e-mail regarding a successful application must not be regarded as authorization to commit or expend DoD funds. An award signed by the USAMRAA Grants Officer is the authorizing document. Applicants whose applications are recommended for negotiation of award will be contacted by a USAMRAA Grant Specialist to discuss any additional information required for award. This may include representations and certifications, revised budgets or budget explanations, or other information as applicable to the proposed award. The award start date will be determined at this time.

Administrative and National Policy Requirements: Each cooperative agreement awarded under this announcement will be governed by the general terms and conditions in effect at the time of the award that conform to DoD’s implementation of OMB guidance applicable to financial assistance in 2 CFR part 200, “Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards.”

Awards made under this announcement are subject to the Department of Defense Directive 6485.02E which can be found here:

https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodd/648502E.pdf?ver=2018-06- 01-130040-790

A. Certification

Certification of compliance with the national policy requirement regarding lobbying activities is required from all recipients of awards over $100,000. Submission of this certification is required by 31 USC 1352 and is a prerequisite for making or entering into an award over $100,000.

Complete SFLLL (Disclosure of Lobbying Activities), if applicable, and attach to Block 18 of the SF424 (Application for Federal Assistance) Form.

Certification for…