Q&A for USDA-NRCS-NHQ-SOIL-20-NOFO0001003.pdf

Notice of Funding Opportunity: USDA-NRCS-NHQ-SOIL-20-NOFO0001003 2020 Soil Science Collaborative Research Proposals

Questions and Answers – As of 05/19/2020

Question 1. Does a subawardee have to be part of a CESU Network?

Answer 1. CESU project awards (e.g., cooperative agreements) can include subawards (or subcontracts) to organizations (universities or others) outside the CESU Network.

Question 2. Is there a cap on the % of the total budget that a subaward can be?

Answer 2. There is no “cap” on the percentage of the total budget that a subaward can be, however awards from this opportunity are not intended to be primarily “pass-through” in nature.

The extent of subawards is one element that will be evaluated as part of the Merit/Technical Criteria. Please see the Full Announcement, 2 CFR 200.74 and 2 CFR 200.459 for more information.

Question 3. Is there a cap on the total amount or percent of the total budget that can be budgeted for consulting/professional services?

Answer 3. There is no “cap” on what can be budgeted for consulting/professional services, however awards from this opportunity are not intended to be primarily “pass-through” in nature.

The extent of subawards is one element that will be evaluated as part of the Merit/Technical Criteria. Please see the Full Announcement, 2 CFR 200.74 and 2 CFR 200.459 for more information.

Question 4. (multiple inquiries) – “What is included in the 15 page limit?"

Answer 4. The 15 page limit applies to the paragraph it is contained in - Section D, #2, a.

Proposal – so all items listed in the Proposal paragraph (a. through r.) would need to be encompassed within the 15 pages (or less).

Question 5. Is the maximum length of 2 pages a total for all investigator resumes? We are 3 investigators, should we compile our resumes into 2 pages?

Answer 5. The maximum resume length is 2 pages per investigator; however you can compile resumes to conserve space if you choose. We recognize that 2 pages per investigator could take up a significant portion of the 15 pages, so we encourage you to focus the resume information to what is relevant to your proposed project.

Question 6. For our collaboration with NRCS, do you need a letter of support from them stating our collaborative effort? What kind of documentation is needed?

Answer 6. A letter of support for NRCS collaboration is acceptable but not required. If you wish to include one, please submit it via the "other attachments form" in your grants.gov application package. A standard letter of support format is acceptable. Letters of support will not be considered part of the 15 page limit.

Question 7. For collaborations with communities, do you need letters of support? If yes, how should we attach them?

Answer 7. A letter of support for collaboration(s) with communities is acceptable but not required. If you wish to include one, please submit it via the "other attachments form" in your grants.gov application package. Letters of support will not be considered part of the 15 page limit.

Question 8. Are items like "n. Investigator's qualification" exempt from the 15 page limit? I ask because I will have two Co-PIs, so if we each have a 2 page resume, that would eat up 6 pages of the 15 page proposal.

Answer 8. Investigator’s qualifications (resumes) are included in the limit. See Answer 5. for more information.