2018-NIST-DR NOFO.pdf

2018-NIST-DR Notice of Funding Opportunity

June 28, 2018

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY (NOFO)

Disaster Resilience (DR) Research Grants Program

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• Federal Agency Name: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), United States Department of Commerce (DoC)

• Funding Opportunity Title: Disaster Resilience (DR) Research Grants Program

• Announcement Type: Initial

• Funding Opportunity Number: 2018-NIST-DR

• Assistance Listing Number: 11.609, Measurement and Engineering Research and

Standards

• Dates: Applications must be received at Grants.gov no later than 11:59 p.m.

Eastern Time, Monday, August 27, 2018. Applications received after this deadline will not be reviewed or considered. Applicants should be aware, and factor in their application submission planning, that the Grants.gov system is expected to be closed for routine maintenance at these times: from 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time, Saturday, July 21, 2018 until Monday, July 23, 2018 at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time; and again from 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time, Saturday, August 18, 2018 until 6:00 a.m.

Eastern Time Monday, August 20, 2018. Applications cannot be submitted when Grants.gov is closed. NIST expects to complete its review, selection of successful applicants, and award processing by June 2019. NIST expects the earliest estimated start date for awards under this NOFO to be August 2019.

Applicants are strongly urged to read Section IV.2.b., Attachment of Required Application Documents, found on pages 14 and 15 of this NOFO, with great attention. Applicants should carefully follow the instructions and recommendations regarding attachments and using Grants.gov’s Download Submitted Applications feature to check that all required attachments were contained in their submission. Applications submitted without the required documents will not pass the Initial Administrative Review, described in Section V.3.a. of this NOFO.

When developing the submission timeline, please keep in mind that: (1) all applicants are required to have a current registration in the electronic System for Award Management (SAM.gov); (2) the free annual registration process in the SAM.gov (see Section IV.3. and Section IV.7.a.2). of this NOFO) often takes between three and five business days and may take as long as two weeks; (3) applicants are required to have a current registration in Grants.gov; and (4) applicants using Grants.gov will receive email notifications over a period of up to two business days as the application moves through intermediate systems before the applicant learns via a validation or rejection notification whether NIST has received the application. (See http://www.grants.gov for full information on application and notification through Grants.gov). Please note that a federal assistance award cannot be issued if the designated recipient’s registration in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) is not current at the time of the award.

• Application Submission Address: Applications must be submitted using Grants.gov.

• Funding Opportunity Description: The Disaster Resilience (DR) Research

Grants Program seeks applications from eligible applicants to conduct research aimed at advancing the principles of resilience in building design and building codes and standards. Research proposals must support the overall effort of developing science-based building codes by evaluating potential technologies and architectural design criteria to improve disaster resilience in the built environment. Research projects must be aligned with existing NIST Engineering Laboratory (EL) Disaster Resilience programs, as described in Section I. of this NOFO, and any application that is non-research related (such as developing a product) will be disqualified.

• Anticipated Amounts: In FY 2018, NIST anticipates that up to approximately $3,000,000 may be available for NIST to fund new DR Research Grants Program projects. NIST anticipates funding five to fifteen awards in the range of $250,000 to $750,000 each with project performance periods of up to three (3) years, consistent with the multi-year funding policy (see Section II.2. of this NOFO). NIST may also make awards under this competition using FY 2019 appropriations, should such funding become available.

• Funding Instrument: Cooperative agreement.

• Who Is Eligible Applicants: All programs listed in this NOFO are open to all domestic non-Federal entities. Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, for-profit organizations, state and local governments, Indian tribes, and hospitals. Please note that, for the purposes of this NOFO, individuals and unincorporated sole proprietors are not considered “non- Federal entities” and are not eligible to apply. In addition, foreign entities are not eligible to apply.

• Cost Sharing Requirements: Matching funds are not required for this NOFO.

• Public Website, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and Webinar: NIST has a public website, http://www.nist.gov/el/disaster_NOFO.cfm that provides information http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.nist.gov/el/disaster_ffo.cfm pertaining to this Funding Opportunity1. NIST anticipates that a “Frequently Asked Questions” section or other resource materials will be maintained and updated on the website as needed to provide additional guidance and clarifying information that may arise related to this Funding Opportunity. Any amendments to this NOFO will be announced through Grants.gov.

Applicants must submit all questions pertaining to this Funding Opportunity in writing to millie.glick@nist.gov. Questions submitted to NIST may be posted on the public website, http://www.nist.gov/el/disaster_NOFO.cfm. Alternatively, applicants may ask questions during the informational public webinar as described in the next paragraph.

NIST will hold a webinar on July 11, 2018 to provide general information regarding this NOFO, offer general guidance on preparing applications, and answer questions.

Proprietary technical discussions about specific project ideas will not be permitted and NIST staff will not critique or provide feedback on specific project ideas while such ideas are being developed by an applicant or brought forth during the Webinar, or at any time before the deadline for all applications. However, questions about the DR Research Grants Program, eligibility requirements, evaluation and award criteria, selection process, and the general characteristics of a competitive application can be addressed at the Webinar and by e-mail to millie.glick@nist.gov. There is no cost to attend the Webinar, but participants must register in advance. Participation in the Webinar is not required and will not be considered in the application review and selection process. Additional information on the DR Research Grants Program and the Webinar is available at https://www.nist.gov/news-events/events/2018/07/disaster-resilience-grants-webinar-2018.

Table of Contents

I. Program Description

II. Federal Award Information

III. Eligibility Information

IV. Application and Submission Information

V. Application Review Information

VI. Federal Award Administration Information

VII. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts

VIII. Other Information

1 Refer to Section VII. of this NOFO, Federal Awarding Agency Contacts, Programmatic and Technical Questions, if you seek the information at this link and it is no longer working or you need more information.

mailto:millie.glick@nist.gov http://www.nist.gov/el/disaster_ffo.cfm mailto:millie.glick@nist.gov https://www.nist.gov/news-events/events/2018/07/disaster-resilience-grants-webinar-2018 https://www.nist.gov/news-events/events/2018/07/disaster-resilience-grants-webinar-2018

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Program Description

The statutory authority for the Disaster Resilience (DR) Research Grants Program is 15 U.S.C. §§ 272(b)(4), (b)(5), (b)(8), (b)(10), and (c)(17) and (c)(18).

1. The Disaster Resilience (DR) Research Grants Program seeks applications from eligible applicants to conduct research aimed at advancing the principles of resilience in building design and building codes and standards. Research proposals must support the overall effort of developing science-based building codes by evaluating potential technologies and architectural design criteria to improve disaster resilience in the built environment. Research projects must be aligned with existing NIST Engineering Laboratory (EL) Disaster Resilience programs, as described below:

a) Structural Performance under Multi-Hazard Program. This program supports research to improve the understanding of windstorms (hurricanes, tornadoes, thunderstorms, and others) and coastal flooding events (storm surge and tsunamis), their impacts, and impact mitigation. Proposals are solicited to conduct research on:

1) quantification of wind loads on structural elements by computational wind engineering methods;

2) quantification of localized wind loads on non-structural exterior elements

(cladding, windows, roofing, doors, etc.) of common engineered structures by computational or experimental methods; and/or

3) development of new sensors and methods to collect spatiotemporal data on windstorm phenomena, including surface-level winds and near ground velocity profiles, atmospheric pressure, and storm surge flooding and velocity over what is normally dry land (water level, current, and waves).

These research areas support Strategic Priority 2 and Objective 6 of the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program (NWIRP) Strategic Plan (https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2017/03/13/strategic_plan_for _national_windstorm_impact_reduction_program_-_draft_f.pdf) and the objectives of NIST’s Structural Performance under Multi-Hazards Program (https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/structural-performance-multi-hazards-program).

b) Disaster and Failure Studies (DFS) Program. The program conducts research in disaster metrology that includes the development of innovative measurement and analysis methods—including field equipment, survey instruments, and assessment algorithms—to characterize hazard intensity, building and https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2017/03/13/strategic_plan_for_national_windstorm_impact_reduction_program_-_draft_f.pdf https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2017/03/13/strategic_plan_for_national_windstorm_impact_reduction_program_-_draft_f.pdf https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/structural-performance-multi-hazards-program https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/structural-performance-multi-hazards-program infrastructure performance, morbidity and mortality due to a damaged built environment, disaster recovery, and uncertainty in field studies.

Specific areas of research solicited in this funding opportunity include:

1) advancement of field reconnaissance methods and analysis of the performance of civil lifelines that impact the functionality of buildings, while accounting for uncertainty introduced in field data collection;

2) advancement of field reconnaissance methods and analysis of the recovery of critical social dimensions of resilience related to the built environment, while accounting for uncertainty introduced in field data collection; and/or

3) development of methods to assess the net benefits and life-cycle costs associated with recommendations typical of DFS investigations and studies.

Recent NIST activities for this program can be found at https://www.nist.gov/topics/disaster-failure-studies/about-disaster-and-failure-studies-program

c) Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Fire Program. This program conducts research to reduce risk of fire hazard in WUI communities. This research includes NIST mission-related measurement science research and services to develop wildland-urban interface fire risk exposure metrics; predict the spread of fires in WUI communities, assess fire performance of structures and communities, and mitigate effects of WUI fires on structures and communities through science-based codes and standards.

Specific areas of research solicited in this funding opportunity include the development, advancement, and deployment of measurement science to:

1) characterize the fundamental ignition phenomena including heat transfer, pyrolysis, and fluid dynamics that occur as a firebrand or a group of firebrands ignite a structural fuel package; and/or

2) develop material-based solutions to prevent firebrand ignition of structures to reduce the risk of fire spread in WUI communities.

Additional information about wildland-urban interface WUI fire research at NIST can be found at https://www.nist.gov/el/fire-research-division-73300/wildland-urban-interface-fire-73305.

d) National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP). The program conducts research in the areas of earthquake impact reduction, including engineering for existing buildings and physical infrastructure/lifelines. Specific areas of research solicited in this funding opportunity include:

1) developing improved simulation capabilities and potential cost-effective solutions to mitigate earthquake vulnerabilities in older non-ductile masonry, structural steel or reinforced concrete buildings or building elements;

https://www.nist.gov/topics/disaster-failure-studies/about-disaster-and-failure-studies-program https://www.nist.gov/topics/disaster-failure-studies/about-disaster-and-failure-studies-program https://www.nist.gov/el/fire-research-division-73300/wildland-urban-interface-fire-73305 https://www.nist.gov/el/fire-research-division-73300/wildland-urban-interface-fire-73305

2) developing improved techniques, tools, and guidelines to assess the resilience of civil lifelines at both the individual component and system scales prior to an earthquake;

3) developing approaches and frameworks within the social sciences to improve engagement in mitigation of seismic risk at the state, region, and local community levels; and/or

4) conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the nation’s earthquake risk reduction progress over the years since the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 was enacted to the present.

Recent NIST research reports, workshop reports as well as published research-needs studies can be found on http://www.nehrp.gov.

2. Specifically, each application (see Section IV.2.a.6) of this NOFO, Proposal) must:

a) identify the specific disaster resiliency problem that the applicant proposes to solve, demonstrate that it aligns with or is complementary to one of the four existing EL disaster resilience programs described above, explain the problem’s difficulties, and describe the benefits that would accrue if the problem were solved;

b) propose a technical approach that directly addresses the identified problem;

c) provide a schedule of milestones for the overall project that includes metrics for measuring the success of the proposed efforts, and include plans for publication in professional literature and for technology transfer; and

d) describe the qualifications, proposed roles, and level of planned effort of the project participants, including the proposed role of the project lead.

Awards made under this announcement may include financial support for recipients to host and/or participate in special sessions at conferences, workshops, technical research meetings and other education and outreach activities relevant to and in support of their technical proposal.

Additional information on the DR Research Grants Program may be found at http://www.nist.gov/el/disaster_NOFO.cfm2.

3. NIST Annual Disaster Resilience Symposium: The Disaster Resilience

Symposium will take place at the NIST Gaithersburg campus in August of each year beginning August of 2018, and each NIST Disaster Resilience Award Recipient is required to attend. Applicants must budget for the participation in the NIST yearly Disaster Resilience Symposium in addition to any other travel.

2 Refer to Section VII. of this NOFO, Federal Awarding Agency Contacts, Programmatic and Technical Questions, if you seek the information at this link and it is no longer working or you need more information.

http://www.nehrp.gov/

a) The 2018 Symposium will be hosted August 14-15, 2018 and will feature the 2016 Disaster Resilience Grant Research Program recipients. The 2016 Disaster Resilience Grant Research Program awarded a total of just over $6 million to 12 of the 172 proposals received. These recipients will convene to present their research and findings, share insights and answer questions related to the research topics funded under the 2016-NIST-DR-01 program, which included Disaster and Failure Studies, National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, Wind Impact Reduction, and Reduced Ignition of Building Components in Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fires Project. Additionally, NIST researchers will present their work that supports advancement in U.S.

Disaster Resilience.

NIST will live stream the presentations to allow the Disaster Resilience Community and the public the opportunity to participate. The symposium will be open to the public. Registration details will be posted later.

b) In subsequent years, each recipient under this NOFO will give a presentation at the Symposium and describe the yearly progress and/or completion of research activities. Each recipient will have up to 45 minutes to make their presentation and will be followed by a 15-minute question and answer session. Additional information regarding the NIST Symposium can be found at https://www.nist.gov/news-events/events/2018/08/disaster-resilience-symposium

II. Federal Award Information

1. Funding Instrument. The funding instrument that will be used is a cooperative agreement. The nature of NIST’s “substantial involvement” will generally include collaboration with the recipients in developing and in implementing the approved scope of work.

2. Multi-Year Funding Policy. When an application for a multi-year award is approved, funding will usually be provided for only the first year of the project. If a project is selected for funding, NIST has no obligation to provide any additional funding in connection with that award. Continuation of an award to increase funding or extend the period of performance is at the sole discretion of NIST. Continued funding will be contingent upon satisfactory performance, continued relevance to the mission and priorities of the individual DR Research Grants Programs, and the availability of funds.

3. Funding Availability. In FY 2018, NIST anticipates that up to approximately $3,000,000 may be available for NIST to fund new DR Research Grants Program projects. NIST anticipates funding five to fifteen awards, ranging from $250,000 to $750,000 total for each award over a project performance period of up to three (3) years, consistent with the multi-year funding policy (see Section II.2. of this NOFO).

https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2017/08/nist-funds-12-projects-make-communities-more-resilient-disasters https://www.nist.gov/document/2016-nist-resilience-ffopdf https://www.nist.gov/topics/disaster-failure-studies https://www.nist.gov/el/materials-and-structural-systems-division-73100/national-earthquake-hazards-reduction-program https://www.nist.gov/el/materials-and-structural-systems-division-73100/national-earthquake-hazards-reduction-program https://www.nist.gov/topics/windstorm-impact-reduction https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/reduced-ignition-building-components-wildland-urban-interface-wui-fires-project https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/reduced-ignition-building-components-wildland-urban-interface-wui-fires-project https://www.nist.gov/news-events/events/2018/08/disaster-resilience-symposium https://www.nist.gov/news-events/events/2018/08/disaster-resilience-symposium

NIST does not intend to publish a separate FY 2019 Disaster Resilience NOFO.

Therefore, if NIST receives FY 2019 appropriations to support this program, NIST will use the FY 2019 funds to make awards to applications received under this competition.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants. All programs listed in this NOFO are open to all domestic non- Federal entities. Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, for-profit organizations, state and local governments, Indian tribes, and hospitals. Please note that, for the purposes of this NOFO, individuals and unincorporated sole proprietors are not considered “non-Federal entities” and are not eligible to apply. In addition, foreign entities are not eligible to apply.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching. Matching funds are not required for this NOFO.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package. The application package is available at www.grants.gov under Funding Opportunity Number 2018-NIST-DR.

2. Content and Format of Application Submission. NIST will disqualify any applications that do not contain the documents required, exceed the page limitation of 11 pages for the Proposal, or fail to indicate to which of the four program areas they are applying, as specified below.

All documents must be in English, including but not limited to the initial application, any additional documents submitted in response to a NIST request, all reports, and any correspondence with NIST.

a) Required Forms and Documents

The Application must contain the following elements:

1) SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance. The SF-424 must be signed by an authorized representative of the applicant organization.

• “SF-424, Item 8.d. Zip/Postal Code field, should reflect the Zip code + 4 (#####-####) format.”

• SF-424, Item 12, should list the NOFO number 2018-NIST-DR.

• SF-424, Item 18, should list the total budget information for the duration of the project.

• The list of certifications and assurances referenced in Item 21 of the SF- 424 is contained in the SF-424B.

2) SF-424A, Budget Information - Non-Construction Programs. The budget should reflect anticipated expenses for the project, considering all potential cost increases, including cost of living adjustments.

• The Grant Program Function or Activity on Line 1 under Column (a) should be entered as “Measurement and Engineering Research and Standards.” The Assistance Listing Number on Line 1 under Column (b) should be entered as “11.609”.

• Section A, line 1., column (e) should reflect the full budget request for the project.

• Use Section B – Budget Categories to reflect the budget breakdown by year. Column (1) should be used for the first year; Column (2) should be used for the second year; and Column (3) should be used for the third year.

• Section C is for matching funds. Matching funds are not required for this

NOFO.

• Section D, line 13 should reflect the breakdown of the first year’s budget by quarter.

• The budget estimate for the second year of the award should be entered in Section E, field 16, column (b). Section E, field 16, column (c) should reflect the third year’s budget estimate.

3) SF-424B, Assurances - Non-Construction Programs

4) CD-511, Certification Regarding Lobbying. Enter “2018-NIST-DR” in the

Award Number field. Enter the title of the application used in field 15 of the SF- 424, or an abbreviation of that title, in the Project Name field.

5) SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable)

6) Proposal. The Proposal is a document of no more than eleven (11) pages responsive to the program description (see Section I. of this NOFO) and the evaluation criteria (see Section V.1. of this NOFO). The Proposal must contain the following elements: the Cover Page, the Executive Summary, and the Technical Proposal. Page limits for these components are cited below.

Note: references and bibliographies count against the page limits.

a) The Cover Page

The Cover Page consists of four (4) elements:

i. The name and address of the applicant institution, and the name, address, and contact information for the application’s Principal Investigator.

ii. The specific component Disaster Resilience research grant program to which the application is being submitted, using the following choices:

1) Structural Performance under Multi-Hazard Program;

2) the Disaster and Failure Studies Program;

3) Wildland Urban Interface Fire Program; or

4) the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program.

iii. Statement of Relevance and Benefit to the General Public.

Using no more than two or three sentences, describe the relevance and benefit of the research proposed in this application to the public. This statement should be succinct and use plain language that can be understood by a general audience.

iv. Statement of Collaboration with NIST Employees.

Indicate if` the application proposes collaborations with specific NIST employees, and cite the Technical Proposal page or pages where the collaboration is detailed.

Applicants proposing collaborations with specific NIST employees should carefully read Section VI.2.e) of this NOFO.

The Cover Page must not exceed one (1) single-sided page and counts toward the eleven (11) page limit of the Proposal.

b) Executive Summary.

The Executive Summary is a concise summary/abstract of the proposed project that contains a summary of the proposed activity and is suitable for dissemination to the public. The Executive Summary should be a self-contained document that identifies the name of the applicant, the project director/principal investigator(s), the project title, the objectives of the project, a description of the project, including methods to be employed, the potential impact of the project (i.e., benefits, outcomes), and major participants (for collaborative projects). This document must not include any proprietary or sensitive business information as NIST may make the Executive Summary available to the public after awards are issued.

The Executive Summary must not exceed one (1) single-sided page and counts toward the 11-page limit of the Proposal.

c) Technical Proposal

The Technical Proposal consists of three (3) components: (i) Problems, Solutions and Technical Approach; (ii) Statement of Work and Potential Impact of the Results; and (iii) Qualifications and Experience of Key Personnel and Resources Availability.

i. Problems, Solutions and Technical Approach. This is a description of the problems proposed to be solved, why the problems are difficult, and the alignment with existing NIST Engineering Laboratory Disaster Resilience programs. This section should explain what solutions are needed to overcome the problems, who would benefit from the solutions, and what the anticipated impacts are if the problems are solved. This section should also include a description of the technical approach that the applicant plans to employ to solve the identified problems and to achieve the anticipated impacts.

This section will be evaluated in accordance with the Problems, Solutions and Technical Approach evaluation criteria (see Section V.1.a). of this NOFO).

ii. Statement of Work and Potential Impact of the Results. This is a complete statement of work to meet the technical approach that directly addresses the problems described in the Problems, Solutions and Technical Approach. The statement of work must include a schedule of milestones for the overall project, the applicant’s plan to manage the project tasks, and metrics for measuring the success of the proposed efforts and potential impact of the results. This section should include plans for publication in professional literature and for technology transfer. Refer to Sections VI.2.g.

and h. for application requirements for proposals involving human subjects and/or live vertebrate animals, as applicable.

This section will be evaluated in accordance with the Statement of Work and Potential Impact of the Results evaluation criteria (see Section V.1.b). of this

NOFO).

iii. Qualifications and Experience of Key Personnel and Resources

Availability. This is a description of the qualifications, proposed roles, and level of planned effort of the project participants, including the proposed role of the project leader, key personnel and staff. A resume of the project leader is required (see Section IV.2.a.9). of this NOFO). A description of the applicant’s access to the necessary equipment and facilities to accomplish the proposed objectives should be included.

This section will be evaluated in accordance with the Qualifications and

Experience of Key Personnel and Resources Availability evaluation criteria (see Section V.1.c). of this NOFO).

The Technical Proposal must not exceed nine (9) single-sided pages and counts toward the eleven (11) page limit of the Proposal.

7) Budget Narrative. (This does not count toward the page limit). The Budget Narrative must provide a detailed breakdown of each of the object class categories as reflected on the SF-424A. The budget justification should address all the budget categories (personnel, fringe benefits, equipment, travel, supplies, other direct costs and indirect costs) for which Federal funds are requested. The written justification should include the necessity and the basis for the cost.

Proposed funding levels must be consistent with the project scope, and only allowable costs should be included in the budget. Information on cost allowability is available in the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards at 2 C.F.R. Part 200 (http://go.usa.gov/SBYh), which apply to awards in this program. Information needed for each category is as follows:

a) Personnel – At a minimum, the budget justification for all personnel should include the following: name, job title, commitment of effort on the proposed project in terms of average number of hours per week or percentage of time, salary rate, total direct charges on the proposed project, description of the role of the individual on the proposed project and the work to be performed.

b) Fringe Benefits – Fringe benefits should be identified separately from salaries and wages and based on rates determined by organizational policy.

The items included in the fringe benefit rate (e.g., health insurance, parking, etc.) should not be charged under another cost category.

c) Travel – For travel costs required by the recipient to complete the project, the budget justification for travel should include the following: destination; names and number of people traveling; dates and/or duration; mode of transportation, lodging and subsistence rates; and description of how the travel is directly related to the proposed project. For travel that is yet to be determined, please provide best estimates based on prior experience. If a destination is not known, an approximate amount may be used with the assumptions given for the location of the meeting. Applicants must budget for the participation in the NIST yearly Disaster Resilience Symposium in addition to any other travel (see Section I.3).

d) Equipment – Equipment is defined as an item of property that has an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more (unless the organization has established lower levels) and an expected service life of more than one year. Any items that do not meet the threshold for equipment can be included under the supplies line item. The budget justification should list each piece of equipment, the cost, and a description of how it will be used and why it is necessary to the successful completion of the proposed project. Please note http://go.usa.gov/SBYh that any general use equipment (computers, etc.) charged directly to the award should be allocated to the award according to expected usage on the project.

e) Supplies – Supplies are defined as all tangible personal property other than that described as equipment. Provide a list of each supply, and the breakdown of the total costs by quantity or unit of cost. Include the necessity of the cost for the completion of the proposed project.

f) Contractual (i.e. Contracts or Subawards) – Each contract or subaward should be treated as a separate item. Describe the services provided and the necessity of the subaward or contract to the successful performance of the proposed project. Contracts are for obtaining normal goods and services.

Subawardees perform part of the project scope of work. For each subaward, applicants must provide budget detail justifying the cost of the work performed on the project.

g) Construction - Not an allowable cost under this NOFO.

h) Other Direct Costs – For costs that do not easily fit into the other cost categories, please list the cost, and the breakdown of the total costs by quantity or unit of cost. Include the necessity of the cost for the completion of the proposed project. Only allowable costs can be charged to the award.

This section will be evaluated in accordance with the Budget Narrative evaluation criteria (see Section V.1. d). of this NOFO).

8) Indirect Cost Rate Agreement. (This does not count toward the page limit).

If indirect costs are included in the proposed budget, provide a copy of the approved negotiated agreement if this rate was negotiated with a cognizant Federal audit agency. If the rate was not established by a cognizant Federal audit agency, provide a statement to this effect. If the successful applicant includes indirect costs in the budget and has not established an indirect cost rate with a cognizant Federal audit agency, the applicant will be required to obtain such a rate in accordance with the Department of Commerce Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions https://go.usa.gov/xXRxK.

Alternatively, in accordance with 2 C.F.R. § 200.414(f), applicants that have never received a negotiated indirect cost rate may elect to charge indirect costs to an award pursuant to a de minimis rate of 10 percent of modified total direct costs (MTDC), in which case a negotiated indirect cost rate agreement is not required. Applicants proposing a 10 percent de minimis rate pursuant to 2 C.F.R.

§ 200.414(f)should note this election as part of the budget and budget narrative portion of the application.

https://go.usa.gov/xXRxK

9) Resumes of Key Personnel. A resume for the project leader is required.

This individual is considered key personnel to the project. Resumes of additional key personnel may be supplied. Resumes are limited to two pages per individual.

10) Data Management Plan. Consistent with the NIST Policy 5700.003, Managing

Public Access to Results of Federally Funded Research, and NIST Order 5701.004, Managing Public Access to Results of Federally Funded Research”, applicants must include a Data Management Plan (DMP).

The DMP is a supplementary document of not more than two pages that must include, at a minimum, a summary of proposed activities that are expected to generate data, a summary of the types of data expected to be generated by the identified activities, a plan for storage and maintenance of the data expected to be generated by the identified activities, and a plan describing whether and how data generated by the identified activities will be reviewed and made available to the public. As long as the DMP meets these NIST requirements, it may take the form specified by the applicant’s institution or some other entity (e.g., the National Science Foundation7 or the National Institutes of Health8).

All applications for activities that will generate scientific data using NIST funding are required to adhere to a DMP or explain why data sharing and preservation are not within the scope of the project.

For the purposes of the DMP, NIST adopted the definition of “research data” at 2 C.F.R. § 200.315(e)(3) (available at http://go.usa.gov/3sZvQ).

Reasonable costs for data preservation and access may be included in the application.

The sufficiency of the DMP will be considered as part of the administrative review (see Section V.3.a). of this NOFO); however, the DMP will not be evaluated against any evaluation criteria.

b) Attachment of Required Documents

Items IV.2.a.(1) through IV.2.a.(5) above are part of the standard application package in Grants.gov and can be completed through the download application process.

3 https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2017/05/09/Final-P-5700.pdf 4 https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2017/05/09/Final-O-5701_0.pdf 7 http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/dmp.jsp 4 http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing/data_sharing_guidance.htm http://go.usa.gov/3sZvQ https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2017/05/09/Final-P-5700.pdf https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2017/05/09/Final-O-5701_0.pdf http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/dmp.jsp http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing/data_sharing_guidance.htm

Items IV.2.a.(6) through IV.2.a.(10) must be completed and attached by clicking on “Add Attachments” found in item 15 of the SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance. This will create a zip file that allows for transmittal of the documents electronically via Grants.gov.

Applicants should carefully follow specific Grants.gov instructions at www.grants.gov to ensure the attachments will be accepted by the Grants.gov system. A receipt from Grants.gov indicates only that an application was transferred to a system. It does not provide details concerning whether all attachments (or how many attachments) transferred successfully.

Applicants using Grants.gov will receive a series of e-mail messages over a period of up to two business days before learning whether a Federal agency’s electronic system has received its application.

Applicants are strongly advised to use Grants.gov’s Download Submitted Applications option to check that their application’s required attachments were contained in their submission.

After submitting the application, follow the directions found at this link, https://go.usa.gov/xQqeh in the Grants.gov Online Users Guide.

If any, or all, of the required attachments are absent from the submission, follow the attachment directions found above, resubmit the application, and check again for the presence of the required attachments.

If the directions found at https://go.usa.gov/xQqeh are not effective, please contact the Grants.gov Help Desk immediately. If calling from within the United States or from a U.S. territory, please call 800-518-4726. If calling from a place outside the United States or a U.S. territory, please call 606-545-5035. E-mails should be addressed to support@grants.gov. Assistance from the Grants.gov Help Desk will be available around the clock every day, with the exception of Federal holidays. Help Desk service will resume at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time the day after Federal holidays.

Applicants can track their submission in the Grants.gov system by following the procedures at the Grants.gov site (http://go.usa.gov/cjamz). It can take up to two business days for an application to fully move through the Grants.gov system to

NIST.

NIST uses the Tracking Numbers assigned by Grants.gov, and does not issue Agency Tracking Numbers.

c) Application Format

1) Paper, E-mail and Facsimile (fax) Submissions. Will not be accepted.

http://www.grants.gov/ https://go.usa.gov/xQqeh https://go.usa.gov/xQqeh mailto:support@grants.gov http://go.usa.gov/cjamz

2) Figures, Graphs, Images, and Pictures. Should be of a size that is easily readable or viewable and may be landscape orientation and will count toward the overall 11- page limit of the proposal.

3) Font. Easy to read font (12-point minimum). Smaller type may be used in figures and tables but must be clearly legible.

4) Page Limit. The Proposal for Applications is limited to eleven (11) pages.

Resumes are also excluded from the Proposal page count. Resumes are limited to two (2) pages each. The Data Management Plan, limited to two (2) pages, is also excluded from the Proposal page count.

5) Page size. 21.6 centimeters by 27.9 centimeters (8 ½ inches by 11 inches).

6) Application language. English.

d) Application Replacement Pages. Applicants may not submit replacement pages and/or missing documents once an application has been submitted. Any revisions must be made by submission of a new application that must be received by NIST by the submission deadline.

e) Pre-Applications. There are no pre-applications with this NOFO.

f) Statement of Intent. To assist NIST in gauging interest and planning for the evaluation process, all potential applicants are strongly encouraged to send an e-mail to el_agreementsspecialist@nist.gov with “Disaster Resilience [program title for to which you intend to apply to] Competition” in the subject line indicating intent to apply. The statement of intent will only be used for competition planning purposes; it will not be used as part of the evaluation process or to eliminate any applicants from consideration under this NOFO. An applicant will receive full consideration under this NOFO if they do not submit a statement of intent.

g) Certifications Regarding Federal Felony and Federal Criminal Tax

Convictions, Unpaid Federal Tax Assessments and Delinquent Federal Tax Returns. In accordance with Federal appropriations law, an authorized representative of the selected applicant(s) may be required to provide certain pre-award certifications regarding federal felony and federal criminal tax convictions, unpaid federal tax assessments, and delinquent federal tax returns.

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM). Pursuant to

2 C.F.R. part 25, applicants and recipients (as the case may be) are required to: (i) be registered in SAM before submitting its application; (ii) provide a valid unique entity identifier in its application; and (iii) continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal mailto:el_agreementsspecialist@nist.gov award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal awarding agency, unless otherwise excepted from these requirements pursuant to 2 C.F.R. § 25.110.

NIST will not make a Federal award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and SAM requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time that NIST is ready to make a Federal award pursuant to this NOFO, NIST 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.

4. Submission Dates and Times. Applications must be received at Grants.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday, August 27, 2018. Applications received after this deadline will not be reviewed or considered. Applicants should be aware, and factor in their application submission planning, that the Grants.gov system is expected to be closed for routine maintenance at these times: from 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time, Saturday, July 21, 2018 until Monday, July 23, 2018 at 6:00 a.m.

Eastern Time; and again from 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time, Saturday, August 18, 2018 until 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time Monday, August 20, 2018. Applications cannot be submitted when Grants.gov is closed. NIST expects the earliest estimated start date for awards under this NOFO to be August 2019.

When developing your submission timeline, please keep in mind that: (1) all applicants are required to have a current registration in the electronic System for Award Management (SAM.gov); (2) the free annual registration process in the SAM.gov (see Sections IV.3. and IV.7.a.2). of this NOFO) often takes between three and five business days and may take as long as two weeks; (3) applicants are required to have a current registration in Grants.gov; and (4) applicants using Grants.gov will receive email notifications over a period of up to two business days as the application moves through intermediate systems before the applicant learns via a validation or rejection notification whether NIST has received the application.

(See http://www.grants.gov for full information on application and notification through Grants.gov.). Please note that a federal assistance award cannot be issued if the designated recipient’s registration in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) is not current at the time of the award.

5. Intergovernmental Review. Applications under this Program are not subject to

Executive Order 12372.

6. Funding Restrictions. Applications for product development and/or commercialization are not considered responsive to this NOFO. Profit or fee is not an allowable cost.

7. Other Submission Requirements

a) Applications must be submitted electronically. Applications must be submitted via Grants.gov at www.grants.gov.

1) Applicants should carefully follow specific Grants.gov instructions to ensure that all attachments will be accepted by the Grants.gov system. A receipt from Grants.gov indicating an application is received does not provide information about whether attachments have been received. For further information or questions regarding applying electronically for the 2018-NIST- DR announcement, contact Christopher Hunton by phone at 301-975-5718 or by e-mail at grants@nist.gov.

2) Applicants are strongly encouraged to start early and not wait until the approaching due date before logging on and reviewing the instructions for submitting an application through Grants.gov. The Grants.gov registration process must be completed before a new registrant can apply electronically.

If all goes well, the registration process takes three to five business days. If problems are encountered, the registration process can take up to two weeks or more. Applicants must have a valid unique entity identifier number and must maintain a current registration in the Federal government’s primary registrant database, the System for Award Management (https://www.sam.gov/), as explained on the Grants.gov Web site. See also Section IV.3. of this NOFO. After registering, it may take several days or longer from the initial log-on before a new Grants.gov system user can submit an application. Only individuals authorized as organization representatives will be able to submit the application, and the system may need time to process a submitted application. Applicants should save and print the proof of submission they receive from Grants.gov. If problems occur while using Grants.gov, the applicant is advised to (a) print any error message received and (b) call Grants.gov directly for immediate assistance. If calling from within the United States or from a U.S. territory, please call 800-518-4726. If calling from a place other than the United States or a U.S. territory, please call 606-545-5035. Assistance from the Grants.gov Help Desk will be available around the clock every day, with the exception of Federal holidays.

Help Desk service will resume at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time the day after Federal holidays. For assistance using Grants.gov, you may also contact support@grants.gov.

3) To find instructions on submitting an application on Grants.gov, Applicants should refer to the “Applicants” tab in the banner just below the top of the www.grants.gov home page. Clicking on the “Applicants” tab produces two exceptionally useful sources of information, Grant Applications and Applicant Resources, which applicants are advised to review.

Applicants will receive a series of e-mail messages over a period of up to two business days before learning whether a Federal agency’s electronic system has received its application. Closely following the detailed information in mailto:grants@nist.gov https://www.sam.gov/ mailto:support@grants.gov these subcategories will increase the likelihood of acceptance of the application by the Federal agency’s electronic system.

Applicants should pay close attention to the guidance under “Applicant FAQs,” as it contains information important to successful submission on Grants.gov, including essential details on the naming conventions for attachments to Grants.gov applications.

All applicants should be aware that adequate time must be factored into applicants’ schedules for delivery of their application. Applicants are advised that volume on Grants.gov may be extremely heavy leading up to the deadline date.

The application must be both received and validated by Grants.gov. The application is “received” when Grants.gov provides the applicant a confirmation of receipt and an application tracking number. If an applicant does not see this confirmation and tracking number, the application has not been received. After the application has been received, it must still be validated. During this process, it may be “validated” or “rejected with errors.”

To know whether the application was rejected with errors and the reasons why, the applicant must log in to Grants.gov, select “Applicants” from the top navigation, and select “Track my application” from the drop-down list. If the status is “rejected with errors,” the applicant may still seek to correct the errors and resubmit your application before the deadline. If the applicant does not correct the errors, the application will not be forwarded to NIST by Grants.gov.

Refer to important information in Section IV.4. Submission Dates and Times, to help ensure your application is received on time.

b) Amendments. Any amendments to this NOFO will be announced through

Grants.gov. Applicants may sign up on Grants.gov to receive amendments by e-mail or may request copies from Millie Glick by telephone at (301) 975-5962 or by e-mail to millie.glick@nist.gov.

V. Application Review Information

1. Evaluation Criteria. The evaluation criteria that will be used in evaluating applications and assigned weights (for a total of 100 points) are as follows:

a) Problems, Solutions and Technical Approach. (0-35 points, each sub-criterion will be given approximately equal weight) Reviewers will evaluate:

mailto:millie.glick@nist.gov

1) how well the applicant demonstrates a clear understanding of the problems and solutions;

2) the fitness, alignment and complementary nature of the proposed technical approach within the context of existing Engineering Lab DR Research Program (see Section I. of this NOFO); and

3) the degree to which the technical approach is comprehensive, innovative, feasible, and…