2017 CDLPI NOFA.pdf

U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Fiscal Year 2017 – Commercial Driver’s License Program

Implementation Grant Program

Notice of Funding Availability

Announcement Type: Discretionary (competitive) grant or cooperative agreement

Catalog of Federal

Domestic Assistance

Number:

20.232

Program Purpose:

The Commercial Driver's License Program Implementation

Grant (CDLPI) provides financial assistance to States to achieve compliance with the requirements of 49 CFR parts

383 and 384.

The CDLPI grant program also provides financial assistance for other entities capable of executing national projects that aid States in their compliance efforts and that will improve the national Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) program.

FMCSA provides financial assistance to States and other entities in complying with the requirements of section 31311;

to improve the State’s implementation of its commercial driver’s license program; and, for research, development and testing, demonstration projects, public education, and other special activities and projects relating to commercial driver’s licensing defined in the body of this NOFA.

Eligible Recipients:

Eligible applicants include agencies in each State (including the

District of Columbia) responsible for the development, implementation, and maintenance of the CDL program or that have a direct impact on a State’s compliance with 49 CFR parts

383 and 384.

For High Priority/Emerging Issues funding, eligible applicants include States (including the District of

Columbia), local governments, or other persons. NOTE:

Requested funding must serve a public purpose.

Application Due Date: July 23, 2017 (11:59 P.M. Eastern Time)

A. CDLPI GRANT FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENT

I. GRANTS OVERVIEW

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announces the Fiscal Year (FY)

2017 Commercial Driver's License Program Implementation (CDLPI) grant program Notice of

Funding Availability (NOFA) to solicit applications from State agencies, local governments, and other persons and organizations representing government agencies that support CDLPI activities.

All grants must serve a public purpose.

The goal of the national CDL program is to reduce the number and severity of commercial motor vehicle crashes in the United States by ensuring that only qualified drivers are eligible to receive and retain a CDL. This goal focuses on maintaining the concept that for every driver, there is only one driving record and only one licensing document, commonly referred to as "One Driver

— One License — One Record". States are required to conduct knowledge and skills testing before issuing a CDL; to maintain a complete and accurate driver history record for anyone who obtains a CDL and to impose driver disqualifications as appropriate.

Under part 383, the regulation

(1) Prohibits a commercial motor vehicle driver from having more than one commercial motor vehicle driver's license;

(2) Requires a driver to notify the driver's current employer and the driver's State of domicile of certain convictions;

(3) Requires that a driver provide previous employment information when applying for employment as an operator of a commercial motor vehicle;

(4) Prohibits an employer from allowing a person with a suspended license to operate a commercial motor vehicle;

(5) Establishes periods of disqualification and penalties for those persons convicted of certain criminal and other offenses and serious traffic violations, or subject to any suspensions, revocations, or cancellations of certain driving privileges;

(6) Establishes testing and licensing requirements for commercial motor vehicle operators;

(7) Requires States to give knowledge and skills tests to all qualified applicants for commercial drivers' licenses which meet the Federal standard;

(8) Sets forth commercial motor vehicle groups and endorsements;

(9) Sets forth the knowledge and skills test requirements for the motor vehicle groups and endorsements;

(10) Sets forth the Federal standards for procedures, methods, and minimum passing scores for

States and others to use in testing and licensing commercial motor vehicle operators; and

(11) Establishes requirements for the State issued commercial license documentation.

Part 384 of the regulation,

(1) Includes the minimum standards for the actions States must take to be in substantial compliance with each of the 22 requirements of 49 U.S.C. 31311(a);

(2) Establishes procedures for determinations to be made of such compliance by States; and

(3) Specifies the consequences of State noncompliance.

States are required to conduct knowledge and skills testing before issuing a CDL to maintain a complete and accurate driver history record for anyone who obtains a CDL and impose driver disqualification as appropriate.

Program funding is authorized by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, Pub.

L. No. 114-94, §§ 5101 and 5104 (2015). The CDLPI grant program is governed by 49 U.S.C.

§§ 31104 and 31313.

This NOFA provides important information about the FY 2017 CDLPI program activities/projects, guidance related to preparing and submitting a grant application, and the evaluation criteria used to assess proposals. Unless indicated otherwise, references to the CDLPI grant program include both Basic and High Priority/Emerging Issues activities/projects. The

FMCSA Grants Management Office (GMO) will make changes to the announcement via

Grants.gov if there are statutory changes to the CDLPI program for FY 2017 prior to the closing date of the application period.

The FMCSA expects to award up to $31,200,000 in CDLPI grant funding for FY 2017. This amount is subject to the availability of appropriations. In accordance with the provisions of the

Further Continuing and Security Assistance Appropriations Act, 2017, H.R. 2028, P.L. 114-254, approximately $17,000,000 is available to award at the time of this announcement.

CDLPI grant funds are awarded through a competitive grant process and no assurance of funding is implied or can be inferred.

The FY17 grant program does not require matching funds from participants.

NOTE: Information will be drawn from successful applications and used by FMCSA for the Secretary’s Annual Report on the CDLPI Program.

II. FY 2017 NATIONAL PRIORITIES

The FMCSA’s three core principles are: 1) raising the bar to enter the motor carrier industry; 2) requiring compliance with high safety standards to remain in the industry; and 3) removing high-risk carriers, drivers, and service providers from operation. In support of this mission, FMCSA will partner with CDL stakeholders including, but not limited to, State Driver Licensing

Agencies (SDLAs), commercial motor vehicle drivers and employers, the U.S. Armed Forces, State court officers, and multi-State partnerships.

All applications must support a public purpose. The FMCSA cannot award grant funding to individuals for personal gain, such as obtaining the specialized training required for CDL licensing or to any private business for direct financial gain or profit that does not provide benefit to the national CDL program, such as purchasing a new tractor-trailer for a driving school. The

FMCSA will award grants under this announcement in two separate categories:

CDLPI Basic Grants: Only SDLAs are eligible. Applications that support the development, implementation, and maintenance of all or part of the CDL program or that have a direct impact on a State’s compliance with the provisions of 49 CFR parts 383 and 384. Priority is given to funding projects that will enable States to achieve and/or sustain full compliance or, in the case of a State that is making a good faith effort toward substantial compliance with the requirements in sections 31311 and 31313, to improve the implementation of its commercial driver’s license program.

For FY 2017, priority will be given to applications that also assist States in achieving or sustaining compliance with the requirements of related rulemakings, such as the CDL Testing and Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP) Standards Final Rule, and the Medical Examiner’s

Certification Integration Rule.

Compliance with CDL regulations includes addressing existing or repeat open findings shown in the Automated Compliance Review System (ACRS) and proposing strategies for mitigating those findings. Open findings and proposed strategies should be described in the CDL Program

Self-Assessment section of the application.

The FMCSA encourages proposals from States to acquire resources that will enable the SDLA to develop a documented self-auditing process for sustained, ongoing, self-directed CDL program monitoring.

Although full compliance with FMCSA regulations and Federal statutes is the primary focus of the CDLPI grant program, FMCSA also encourages applications for projects that promote partnership efforts that lead to higher levels of substantial compliance. Examples include partnerships among several States to resolve compliance issues that are common among the partner States, partnerships between SDLAs and courts within the same State, partnerships among SDLAs and Federal or non-Federal stakeholders, partnerships among law enforcement agencies across several jurisdictions to promote CDL compliance, and/or partnerships between

SDLAs and employers, including military CDL employers, to ease the transition from military service and to assist in obtaining a CDL. Specifically, FMCSA will give priority to proposals for multi-jurisdictional partnerships that support workforce development and communication or on-site consultation on best practices and/or the resolution of barriers to compliance. Priority will also be given to proposals that enable SDLAs to modify existing systems to transmit Canadian convictions electronically.

The CDLPI grant program is not intended to supplement ongoing operational costs of State CDL programs. Its primary purpose is to assist States in achieving and sustaining compliance with the provisions of 49 C.F.R. parts 383 and 384. For this reason, funding for annually recurring State administrative costs receives a lower priority than funding associated with compliance issues or innovative CDL program improvements.

CDLPI High Priority/Emerging Issues Grants: States, local governments, and other entities capable of executing national projects that aid States in their compliance efforts and that will improve the national CDL program are eligible. Examples include projects that support research, development, demonstration projects, public education, and other activities that directly relate to improving the commercial driver licensing process and increasing motor vehicle safety, that are of benefit to all jurisdictions of the United States, or are designed to address national safety concerns and circumstances. Applications for CDLPI grant funding that provide training and/or technical assistance, facilitate the timeliness, accuracy, and completeness of CDL data exchange; offer direct guidance or consultation to CDL stakeholders on best practices, or demonstrate an innovative approach with potential benefit to the national CDL program are also eligible for High Priority/Emerging Issues grant funding.

The FMCSA encourages applications for projects that enhance the expertise of court officers in prosecuting, adjudicating, and transmitting CDL violations. The FMCSA also encourages applications for projects that facilitate the detection and prevention of fraud in the CDL process including, but not limited to, issuance, testing, record-keeping, and data reporting.

In addition, FMCSA encourages projects that demonstrate partnerships between States and non-

State stakeholders, as well as partnerships among several States, to achieve the stated goals of the grant program.

Projects for organizing meetings or conferences to address persistent and common CDL compliance issues among the SDLAs are also eligible for CDLPI High Priority/Emerging Issues funding. Applications for this type of project must include a detailed budget, timelines for completion of the application’s components, and a detailed plan for execution, including venue selection, assistance with attendee travel, development of the meeting’s agenda in consultation with FMCSA, on-site support during the meeting, and post-meeting requirements. Post-meeting requirements include, but are not limited to, processing attendee travel vouchers; preparing a final report that includes a general overview of the meeting’s successes and areas for improvement, a list of attendees, attendee feedback, and minutes from the meeting’s sessions.

NOTE: Indirect costs cannot be charged on non-staff travel.

The FMCSA encourages proposals that improve the national CDL program by providing a State perspective to national CDL decision-making and policy development. To accomplish this purpose, States are encouraged to submit applications for State personnel to participate in a temporary detail to FMCSA Headquarters offices similar to the Intergovernmental Personnel Act

(http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-authorities/intergovernment-personnel-act/).

All support provided by a State employee through this type of application must serve a public purpose in terms of providing a State perspective so as to improve the efficiency and http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-authorities/intergovernment-personnel-act/ effectiveness of the national CDL program. Possible assignments may include, but are not limited to, assisting in the development of a standardized best practice approach for use by States in the detection and prevention of fraud. This assignment is expected to begin on or about April

1, 2018, and is expected to last four to 12 months. The FMCSA will provide up to100% of the costs of employee salary, fringe benefits, travel (both official travel on behalf of the assignment and routine trips home), lodging and per diem rates, and other expenses associated with working at FMCSA headquarters for up to one year.

III. IMPORTANT CHANGES FOR FY 2017

1. THE FIXING AMERICA’S SURFACE

TRANSPORTATION ACT

Although this grant program has traditionally not included any required matching funds from participants in the past, the FAST Act makes provision for a match of up to 15 percent of the total project cost, to be implemented at the Agency’s discretion. However, given this recent legislative change on matching requirements where there previously was none, and the potential impact to State budgets this fiscal year, FMCSA has determined that there is no matching funds requirement for FY 2017 CDLPI grants. In future years, FMCSA anticipates phasing in this matching requirement, but information on specific matching requirements in future fiscal years will be announced in forthcoming notices of funding availability.

Prior to the FAST Act, the CDLPI grant program was limited to awarding not more than 20 percent of the program’s $30,000,000 annual funding appropriation, totaling $6,000,000, for

High Priority/Emerging Issues grants, reserving the remaining $24,000,000 exclusively for State

Driver Licensing Agency (SDLA) awards under the CDLPI Basic program. This limitation was eliminated under the FAST Act but, to date, has remained in effect for the CDLPI grant program.

Effective FY 2017, FMCSA may choose to award more than 20% of appropriated funding for High Priority/Emerging Issues projects. Implementation of this change will depend on the applications received for this type of project.

2. TITLE VI ASSESSMENTS

There will be two required Title VI Program documents for FY 2017 including the FMCSA Title

VI Program Assurance and the FMCSA Title VI Program Compliance Plan. These documents are located on Grants.gov in the “Full Announcement” tab. These forms are required and must be submitted by all FMCSA direct grant applicants into Grants.gov.

The self-certification assurance ensures that the grant applicant will comply with Title VI and related nondiscrimination authorities to ensure that no person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, low-income, or Limited English

Proficiency be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity for which the applicant receives

Federal financial assistance from FMCSA. FMCSA's Office of Civil Rights is currently working with all FY 2016 and FY 2017 grant applicants to develop the Compliance Plans. Grant applicants will sign and date the Assurance form and will submit the Assurance and the approved

Plan with the application. Please note that an approved Title VI Program Compliance Plan is required before an award may be made. For more information, please contact Mr. Lester Finkle, FMCSA National Title VI Program Manager, at 202-366-4474 or lester.finkle@dot.gov.

IV. AWARD INFORMATION

Use the information below to help you make an informed decision about whether to submit an application.

Total amount of funding FMCSA expects to award:

$31,200,000

Anticipated number of awards/ cooperative agreements:

mailto:lester.finkle@dot.gov

Expected Amounts of

Individual Awards

Other than the program appropriation, there is no prerequisite minimum or maximum funding amount for a single award.

Minimum and maximum award amounts are required by

Grants.gov when creating a funding notice and are shown in the announcement solely for that purpose.

Anticipated start date/periods of performance:

Upon execution of a Notice of Grant Award through the award’s end date. Funds are available up to five fiscal years total, until

September 30, 2021). NOTE: when requesting a period of performance on the SF-424 application form, applicants should carefully consider how long it will take to complete the grant’s activities and objectives. An application requesting a realistic and feasible four-year period of performance is preferable to an application requesting a two-year period of performance that results in a grant with multiple extension requests.

Application Type:

Applications are for new awards only and for activities or projects occurring during the stated period of performance. Although the applicant’s CDLPI program may be an ongoing one, each fiscal year requires a new grant. No FY 2017 grant funding can be added to a previous or current award. Funding amounts made available for reimbursement may be impacted by limitations placed on the spending authority and appropriations enacted for

FMCSA. The FMCSA will reimburse 100 percent (100%) of eligible costs. There is no recipient matching funds requirement for FY 2017 grant applications. See the FAST

Act section of Important Changes and Reminders for FY

2017 above for an explanation of future matching funds projections.

V. CDLPI PROGRAM AND PROJECT/ACTIVITIES

The CDLPI grant program is not intended to supplement ongoing operational costs of State CDL programs. Its primary purpose is to assist States in achieving and sustaining compliance with the provisions of 49 CFR parts 383 and 384. For this reason, funding for annually recurring State administrative costs receives a lower priority than funding associated with compliance issues or innovative CDL program improvements.

To be eligible for a Basic CDLPI Grant, States must:

Assume responsibility for adopting and administering State safety laws and regulations that are compatible with the Federal CDL requirements of 49 C.F.R. parts 383 and 384;

Comply with the requirements of related rulemakings, such as the CDL Testing and

Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP) Standards Final Rule and the Medical Examiner’s

Certification Integration Final Rule. The FMCSA may make a grant to a State under this program only if it complies with or is making a good faith effort toward substantial compliance with the requirements of 49 U.S.C.§ 31311; and

As a condition of the grant per § 32306 of MAP-21, States must provide FMCSA with access to all State licensing status and driver history records via an electronic information system, subject to 18 U.S.C.§ 2721.

At its discretion, FMCSA will consider applications received from SDLAs to be for Basic

CDLPI grant funding unless the application specifically indicates otherwise

Applications received from non-State organizations are only eligible for High Priority/Emerging

Issues grant funding. It is expected that these grants will be issued as cooperative agreements, and applications must include all required documents and in addition, must clearly describe the anticipated level and nature of FMCSA participation until the grant is closed.

VI. PROGRAM COST ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

For fiscal year 2017 CDLPI awards, there is no cost sharing or matching requirement for this grant program.

Costs charged to FMCSA grants must be in accordance with the applicable cost principles. All reimbursable items must be necessary, reasonable, allocable, and allowable to accomplish the goals of the program. These standards are described in the applicable cost principles and administrative requirements in 2 C.F.R. §§ 200.400 through 200.475, with the exception of §§

200.416-200.417, which include Special Considerations (only) for States, Local Governments, and Indian Tribes, and §§ 200.418-200.419, which include Special Considerations (only) for

Institutions of Higher Education. Contact the FMCSA Grants Management Office for additional information.

Eligible CDLPI grant program costs may include, but are not limited to:

Personnel expenses, including recruitment and screening, training, salaries and fringe benefits, and supervision. Personnel expenses included in an organization’s indirect cost rate must not be included as a direct cost in the grant budget.

Equipment and travel expenses, including but not limited to per diem expenses directly related to the enforcement of CDL regulations, vehicles, uniforms, supplies, materials, communications equipment, vehicle maintenance, fuel, and oil.

Indirect expenses for facilities, other than fixed scales, used to conduct CDL testing or program support or to house CDL personnel, support staff, and equipment to the extent that those costs are measurable and recurring (e.g., rent and overhead).

Clerical and administrative expenses, to the extent necessary and directly attributable to the grant project.

Expenses related to the improvement of real property (e.g., refurbishing of paved areas for conducting off-road skills tests) that do not materially increase the value of the property.

Expenses related to data acquisition, storage, and analysis that are not being requested under any other FMCSA grant program’s funding, that are specifically identifiable as program-related, and that are intended to improve efficiency; the proposal should clearly demonstrate the extent to which these costs will directly benefit the grant program, pro-rating the expense as applicable.

Note: Applications requesting information technology funding, such as upgrades or modifications to existing software or equipment, are subject to review by FMCSA’s

Office of Research and Information Technology.

The FMCSA will not approve reimbursement requests for indirect costs if an approved indirect cost rate agreement is not in force for the period of time that the indirect cost expenses are incurred. An indirect cost agreement must be included with the application if indirect costs are a part of the application’s budget.

The FMCSA will not approve pre-award costs. The incurrence of pre-award costs in anticipation of receiving a competing award imposes no obligation on FMCSA either to make the award or to increase the amount of the approved budget if an award is made for less than the amount anticipated and is inadequate to cover the pre-award costs incurred.

B. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

The FMCSA utilizes Grants.gov (www.grants.gov) for accepting application forms under this program. Unsolicited applications will not be accepted. See Appendix A for a checklist to ensure your application package is complete and submitted correctly.

Step 1: To apply, the applicant must first complete the

Grants.gov registration process. Note that the registration process for new users can take as long as four weeks.

Step 2: Every applicant must be registered in the

System for Award Management (www.SAM.gov) before submitting the application; 2) provide a valid

Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number in its application; and 3) continue to maintain an active

SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application under consideration by FMCSA.

For Grants.gov assistance, contact:

Phone: 1-800-518-4726 (toll-free) or 606-545-5035

Business Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Closed on Federal holidays

Email: support@grants.gov

Modifications to an application after it has been submitted will require a resubmission of the entire application package. The applicant must notify the FMCSA GMO prior to resubmitting the package. Submitting changes to an application that has already been submitted to and validated by Grants.gov without contacting the FMCSA GMO could significantly delay application submission and may result in the application not being accepted as complete.

The FMCSA will not consider a late application except under extraordinary circumstances. A late application will only be accepted if there is a large-scale natural disaster or a Grants.gov system issue that threatens the timely submission of a grant application. Problems with computer systems at the applicant organization, failure to follow the application instructions or failure to submit or complete the program application or complete required registrations by the submission deadline are not considered system issues.

How do I know that my application has been received by Grants.gov?

Once Grants.gov has received your submission, you will receive email messages to advise you of the progress of your application through the system.

Over the next two business days, you should receive two emails: 1) confirms application receipt by the Grants.gov system; and 2) indicates that the application has either been successfully validated by Grants.gov prior to transmission to FMCSA or has been rejected due to errors. The applicant assumes responsibility for a timely and complete submission. Click here for more information mailto:support@grants.gov http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply-for-grants.html

1) Content and Format of Application Submission

Refer to Attachment B for budget narrative guidance.

Refer to Attachment C for project narrative guidance.

2. Application Package Requirements

Please see Appendix A – Application Package Checklist for a list of required documents and their respective locations.

C. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

All applications received by the due date are subject to an initial intake review to determine if: (1) the application includes all required documents – see Attachment A; and

(2) the application is eligible for award in accordance with the program’s priorities.

Applications that meet those two criteria are then evaluated by a cross-discipline team made up of a technical review panel (TRP), grant specialists, program officers, and

FMCSA staff responsible for day-to-day grant management and oversight.

1) TRP Merit Review

This review provides an independent assessment of the technical/programmatic merit of an application. At least three qualified individuals are selected to review each application to ensure diversity of perspective and knowledge. TRP individuals are selected based on their technical education and experience.

TRP reviewers will evaluate each application to determine the extent to which it:

o describes a CDLPI project that reflects the program’s priorities and statutory requirements and that will likely achieve successful completion within the award’s period of performance;

o uses the components described in the Content and Format of Application

Submission section shown above; components will be evaluated on their clarity, completeness, and appropriateness and the extent to which they demonstrate: that the project can be implemented and managed as described, that the Applicant has the resources to perform the project’s tasks, and that the performance goals and measures associated with the defined outcomes include quantitative and qualitative measures that will accurately define success and results; this information will be drawn from successful applications and used by FMCSA for the Secretary’s Annual Report on the CDLPI Program;

o demonstrates that resource allocation is sufficient to achieve the project’s objectives; the reviewers will consider whether budget components such as staffing, equipment, training, and travel components are clearly linked to the project’s goal(s) and are necessary to adequately compensate, equip, train, and enable personnel to conduct the activities included in the project plan and whether proposed expenditures are eligible, reasonable, allowable, allocable, and necessary;

o includes clearly-identified performance goals and measurements that are supported by an appropriate and identified data source and that includes benchmarks and timelines that will facilitate evaluating the applicant’s progress towards project completion; and o includes a monitoring and evaluation component that indicates how the recipient will continuously contribute to the success of the project by evaluating performance and outcomes and making adjustments as necessary; this component also enables FMCSA to properly monitor the grant-funded activities.

TRP members will utilize the ratings shown below for each of these components as a summary determination based on all components reviewed.

Highly Responsive: Applicant fully addresses all aspects of the criterion, convincingly demonstrates that it will meet the Government's performance requirements, and demonstrates minimal or no weaknesses.

Responsive: Applicant fully addresses all aspects of the criterion and demonstrates the likelihood of meeting the Government's expectations and requirements, but may include a few weaknesses.

Somewhat Responsive: Applicant addresses most aspects of the criterion and demonstrates the ability to meet the Government's performance requirements but contains significant weaknesses and/or a number of minor weaknesses. These weaknesses may be addressed by recommending the award and including a specific programmatic or administrative post-award term and condition or a reduction to requested funding.

Not Responsive: Applicant does not sufficiently address the criterion and the information presented indicates a strong likelihood of failure to meet the

Government’s requirements.

2) Budget Review/Cost Analysis

This review provides an assessment of: whether costs are allowable in accordance with Federal grant requirements, including the appropriateness and reasonableness of the budget estimate and the resources to be dedicated to the project; the reasonableness and feasibility of the schedule relative to the application timeline. The budget evaluation helps identify project-related risks which must be considered prior to recommendation, in addition to those risks arising from technical uncertainty. Reviewers will evaluate applications to determine the extent to which:

Elements of work included in the application have associated budget costs and, conversely, all elements in the applicant’s budget have corresponding work elements included in the application;

Costs in each cost category are allowable, allocable, necessary and reasonable per the

Office of Management and Budget Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost

Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards and are not duplicative of other budget line items.

3) Federal Awarding Agency Review of Risk Posed by Applicants

This review provides a risk assessment of each applicant’s organization. The risk assessment is conducted in several parts:

a debarment and suspension review that includes a review of the applicant’s administrative capability self-certification form and a check against the records in

SAM;

a review of the applicant’s history with other Federal agencies as shown in the Single

Audit Clearinghouse Database and an evaluation of the applicant’s Single Audit in accordance with the Single Audit Act.

The FMCSA may, at its discretion, request further information and/or conduct an audit to confirm compliance as indicated on the SF-LLL – Disclosure of Lobbying

Activities form, as provided for in the United States Code or the Code of Federal

Regulations.

Based on the Agency’s risk assessment findings, FMCSA may determine that the applicant is not eligible and/or qualified to receive the award and may use that determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant. The FMCSA may also require additional grant award terms and conditions.

4) Applicant Past Performance with FMCSA

This review provides information that is considered a possible indicator of future performance.

Applicants that have previously received FMCSA grant funding will be evaluated in part on their ability to complete prior year awards on time; their compliance with those grant terms and conditions, and the results of FMCSA grant monitoring activities. Applicants that have not previously received grant funding from FMCSA are not subject to this review and their applications will not be eliminated from funding consideration.

Reviewers will evaluate each application to determine the extent to which:

The application is written in a manner that will allow FMCSA to monitor performance based on FMCSA reporting requirements;

The proposed project/program is reasonable in scope, addresses existing and emerging commercial driver’s license safety issues, and is likely to succeed in achieving its goals;

The proposed expenditures are reasonable and necessary for the project’s success, based on prior personnel, budgetary practices, and past performance, and costs are allowable under applicable Federal regulations and

The applicant has effectively managed current project tasks (e.g., performance is within budget and on schedule).

Reviewers will also:

Document any issues or findings from monitoring activities (e.g., audit, program, or process reviews) that demonstrate the applicant’s violation of the grant terms and conditions;

Consider whether the applicant’s previous performance and financial reports were submitted late, were incomplete or incorrect, and/or consistently required an extension of the deadline for submission;

Provide feedback on the application’s significance, approach, and feasibility.

5) Consideration of Program-Specific Aspects

The FMCSA may consider other factors in reviewing applications in addition to the application’s technical merit, budget, risk assessment, and past performance. These factors relate to program-specific policy areas that may be considered when preparing award recommendations. CDLPI program-specific factors may include but are not limited to:

The extent to which a project complements the applicant’s existing program or enhances its capabilities;

The extent to which a project supports the applicant’s potential for continued success in achieving and maintaining compliance with all CDL program requirements currently in effect or scheduled to take effect in the near future;

The extent to which a project demonstrates an innovative approach with potential benefit to the nationwide CDLPI program, if applicable.

6) Communications

After the application review process, FMCSA may find it necessary to contact the applicant with additional questions or for clarification of the application’s components. Contact with applicants by FMCSA does not constitute any assurance that funding will be awarded. The FMCSA also reserves the right to make reductions in the scope of work, funding level, period, or method of support) prior to recommending any project for funding. Although the process is intended to be collaborative, FMCSA reserves the right to make final decisions on all awards. Applicants may be required to submit a supplemental budget or project narrative based on a partial or modified grant recommendation.

The FMCSA does not expect to make awards prior to August 2017.

D. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

The FMCSA reviews all applications as required in 2 CFR §§ 200.204 and 205 and in accordance with program-specific legislative/regulatory requirements to evaluate the applicant’s responsiveness to the NOFA. Following that review, FMCSA will either approve an application for award (in full or in part) or decline the application; all awards are subject to the availability of funds. Applicants chosen for grant funding are formally notified electronically by the FMCSA grant management system (GrantSolutions, www.grantsolutions.gov). Unsuccessful applicants are notified by electronic mail. The FMCSA cannot award grants or release information concerning applications recommended for funding until approval is obtained from the Agency’s

Secretary. Further, FMCSA cannot award grants until the enactment of authorizing legislation, an appropriations act, budget authority, and apportionment from the Office of Management and http://www.grantsolutions.gov/

Budget (OMB). The FMCSA may issue partial funding awards up to the level authorized.

Additional information on the budget process may be found in OMB A-11:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars_default/.

The FMCSA may award a grant or a cooperative agreement under this program. Cooperative agreements are defined in the Federal Grant and Cooperative Agreement Act (31 U.S.C. §§

6301-6308) and function as grants but require more substantial involvement by FMCSA than required for grants. Two factors may affect FMCSA’s decision to award a grant rather than a cooperative agreement: 1) the principal purpose of the award and; 2) the degree of Federal involvement. Notwithstanding these factors, all awards to non-SDLA entities will be issued as cooperative agreements. The Notice of Grant Award (NGA) to the recipient will specify whether the award is a grant or a cooperative agreement and will include any special award terms and conditions, if applicable.

If an applicant is approved for award, the GMO will issue the NGA to the applicant via

GrantSolutions. The NGA is the document used to enter into a relationship whose principal purpose is to transfer something of value from the Federal awarding agency to a grant recipient

(or pass-through entity or sub-grantee) to carry out a public purpose authorized by a law of the

United States. Grants cannot be used to acquire property or services for the Federal awarding agency or for a pass-through entity or sub-grantee's direct benefit or use. Acceptance of the grant award constitutes the grantee’s agreement to comply with all applicable statutes, regulations, executive orders, OMB circulars, and terms and conditions of the award, including the reporting requirements shown below.

1) Reporting Requirements

The grant terms and conditions outline the reporting requirements that the recipient must meet after award. Reporting responsibilities include quarterly program performance reports using the

Performance Progress Report (SF-PPR) and quarterly financial status using the Federal Financial

Report (SF-FFR, also known as the SF-425). Recipients may elect to submit financial reports electronically through GrantSolutions and/or by email; contact the GMO for additional http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars_default/ information. Recipients should submit quarterly performance reports via email. Additional quarterly report information and other required forms and templates are available at:

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/mission/grants/grantee-resources.

2) Cost Reimbursement Requirements

All FMCSA grant programs are cost reimbursable, which means that grant recipients must first expend their own money before vouchering by submitting an invoice to FMCSA for costs associated with activities identified in the grant agreement. Recipients will be reimbursed by

FMCSA for actual costs incurred provided that the costs are reasonable, eligible, allowable, and allocable in accordance with the OMB regulations and FMCSA policy, within the approved budget, and supported by documentation. Recipients must request reimbursement at least once each quarter.

The FMCSA will not reimburse an amount that is more than the Federal share of costs incurred as of the date of the voucher.

Recipients must submit requests for reimbursement electronically through the Delphi eInvoicing

System (iSupplier). Additional information is available at: http://www.dot.gov/cfo/delphi-einvoicing-system.

Additional provisions that apply to this solicitation and/or awards made under this solicitation, including but not limited to those related to DUNS, SAM, and administrative capability, can be found in the Grants.gov application package under the “Related Documents” tab. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review all documents when preparing applications. Contact FMCSA’s

GMO if you have questions on these provisions.

E. OTHER INFORMATION

This NOFA is intended for informational purposes and reflects current planning. If there is any inconsistency between the information contained in this NOFA and the terms of any resulting funding agreement, the terms of the funding agreement are controlling. Additionally, FMCSA http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/mission/grants/grantee-resources http://www.dot.gov/cfo/delphi-einvoicing-system http://www.dot.gov/cfo/delphi-einvoicing-system may make changes or additions to this NOFA. All changes will be announced through

Grants.gov. We encourage you to sign up for Grants.gov emails to be notified of the changes at:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/manage-subscriptions.html

The FMCSA plans to conduct an informational web-based conference for all prospective applicants. During this conference, FMCSA staff will review NOFA requirements; share best practices and lessons learned; and answer questions from prospective applicants as allowed by

Agency policy. Conference registration information will be posted to this NOFA announcement on Grants.gov.

The FMCSA is not obligated to make any Federal award as a result of this announcement.

Funding amounts made available under this program may be impacted by limitations placed on the spending authority and appropriations enacted for FMCSA. The FMCSA is not responsible for any monies expended outside the scope of the grant agreement by the applicant and is not responsible for any monies expended prior to the award date on the grant agreement.

Issuance of the NOFA and communication with prospective applicants do not constitute an award commitment on the part of FMCSA. The FMCSA reserves the right to reduce or revise applicant budgets as necessary. Only FMCSA authorizing officials can obligate the Federal government.

An application may be withdrawn at any time before a final funding decision is made regarding the application; however, withdrawn applications normally will not be returned. One copy of each application that is not selected for funding, including those that are withdrawn, will be retained by FMCSA for a period of three years.

As an applicant, your submission certifies that the statements made in the grant application are true and correct.

You may find the following documents helpful in developing your application:

The FAST Act is the U.S. Department of Transportation’s $305 billion authorization

(over fiscal years 2016 through 2020) for highway, highway and motor vehicle safety, public transportation, motor carrier safety, hazardous materials safety, rail, and research, http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/manage-subscriptions.html technology, and statistics programs. The FMCSA authority is located in Title VI of the

FAST Act. https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/hr22/BILLS-114hr22enr.pdf.

FMCSA Grant and Program Regulations can be found at:

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations e-CFR Part 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements (Omni-Circular) https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_circulars

Analysis and Information Online (A&I) is FMCSA’s online resource center for analytical data, statistics, recent studies, and reports on truck and bus safety:

https://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/.

FMCSA Grantee Resources: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/mission/grants/grantee-resources

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, which contains detailed program descriptions for 2,296 Federal assistance programs available to State and local governments (including the District of Columbia), Federally-recognized Indian tribal governments, Territories

(and possessions) of the United States, domestic public, quasi-public, and private for-profit and nonprofit organizations and institutions, specialized groups, and individuals.

The CDLPI program can be found at:

https://www.cfda.gov/index?s=program&mode=form&tab=step1&id=ccc813b35cf1ec40 cf14947dbe5f08d0.

Requirements for State Participation 49 USC § 31311

Agency Contact

For questions about this NOFA, please contact the FMCSA GMO by:

https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/hr22/BILLS-114hr22enr.pdf https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=b3b39db8057b826c64f9adac9aa472a9&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5 https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_circulars https://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/ http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/mission/grants/grantee-resources https://www.cfda.gov/index?s=program&mode=form&tab=step1&id=ccc813b35cf1ec40cf14947dbe5f08d0 https://www.cfda.gov/index?s=program&mode=form&tab=step1&id=ccc813b35cf1ec40cf14947dbe5f08d0 https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title49/pdf/USCODE-2011-title49-subtitleVI-partB-chap313-sec31311.pdf

E-mail: FMCSA_GrantMgmtHelpdesk@dot.gov

Telephone: (202) 366-0621

Mail: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Grants Management Office (MC-BG), 1200 New Jersey Ave, SE, West Building, Washington, DC 20590

Office hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

F. ATTACHMENTS

The following attachments have been added to Grants.gov under this announcement. These attachments are available in Grants.gov under the “Related Documents” tab.

Attachment A: Application Package Requirements Checklist

Attachment B: Budget Narrative Guidance

Attachment C: Program Narrative Guidance

Attachment D: United States Department of Transportation Standard Title VI/Non-

Discrimination Program Assurance and Plan mailto:FMCSA_GrantMgmtHelpdesk@dot.gov

Attachment A - Application Package Checklist

Careful review of the application notice of funding availability and use of this checklist are strongly encouraged to ensure that a complete application is submitted. Application packages that do not contain all of the required forms and documents may not be considered for funding. The table below lists the required documents that must be contained in the application package (if applicable), the document description and its location. This checklist is provided for your convenience and does not have to be submitted with your application.

Document Name Document Description & Location Document Included?

Standard Form (SF) 424

Application for Federal

Assistance

(Required Form)

Standard application form for all Federal assistance requests.

This form is available in the Grants.gov application kit.

YES ☐ NO ☐

SF-424A Budget

Information for Non-Construction

Programs

Standard application form for all Federal assistance requests relating to non-construction grant programs.

SF-424B Assurances for

Non-Construction

Programs non-construction grant programs indicating that the applicant organization is in substantial compliance with applicable Federal laws to accept and manage Federal funds.

Grants.Gov Lobbying

Form the limitation on the use of appropriated funds to influence certain

Federal contracting and financial transactions under Title 31 U.S.C.

Section 1352.

SF-LLL Disclosure of

Lobbying Activities

(If Applicable)

Standard application form for all Federal assistance requests to disclose lobbying activities. Only applicable to applicants that have lobbying activities to disclose.

Key Contacts Form

Standard application form for all Federal assistance requests that must contain contact information for the following three roles (indicate in the form if a contact is performing more than one role):

1) Authorized Designated Official (individual for review and acceptance of award);

2) Principal Investigator/Program Director (individual responsible for the technical completion of the proposed work.); and

3) Financial Official (individual authorized to accept payments).

1)YES ☐

2)YES ☐

3)YES ☐

1)NO ☐

2)NO ☐

3)NO ☐

7 Attachment Form

Form used to submit supplemental attachments, such as project and budget narratives, to support the grant application.

YES ☐

NO ☐

Project Narrative

(Required Document)

Project narrative that includes: brief introduction, program overview, problem statement, performance objective(s), program activity plan(s), and performance measurement plan(s).

Use the “Attachments Form” located in the Grants.gov application package to attach the various files that make up your grant application.

Budget Narrative

(Required Document)

Includes a thorough description and clear justification of each project’s cost budget category (object class or type of expense) listed on the SF-

424A budget form, and shows how the cost was derived. Budget

Narrative Guidance is available in Grants.gov under the “Related

Documents” tab and is included in Attachment B.

Indirect Cost Rate

Information

(If Applicable)

If the application’s budget includes indirect costs, the applicant must provide either the fully executed, negotiated agreement from its cognizant Federal agency – or – if the rate will not be approved by the application due date, the letter of renewal or letter of request that was sent to the cognizant agency. Use the “Attachments Form” located in the Grants.gov application package to attach the various files that make up your grant application.

FMCSA Administrative

Capability

Questionnaire

Applicant self-certification that enables FMCSA to assess the adequacy of the applicant’s administrative management systems.