ABPP FY 18 Funding Op Announcement for Grants.gov.docx

U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service

Financial Assistance Funding Opportunity Announcement

Table of Contents

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

AMERICAN BATTLEFIELD PROTECTION PROGRAM

Section I: Funding Opportunity Description

January 18, 2018, 3:00 P.M., ET (E.G. March 31, 2012, 4:00 P.M. (Mt/Et/Ct)

Section II: Funding Opportunity Announcement Objectives and Goals

Program Background Information

The purpose of this grant program is to provide seed money for projects that lead directly to the identification, preservation, and interpretation of battlefield land or historic sites associated with battlefields.

Program Objectives

The ABPP encourages an interdisciplinary, holistic approach to battlefield preservation. Grant proposals for projects that fit into a larger vision for the site are favored. To maximize effectiveness of battlefield protection efforts, applicant organizations are encouraged to work with partner organizations and Federal, State and local government agencies as early as possible to integrate their efforts into a larger battle site protection strategy.

Term of the Agreement

Agreement terms for funded projects are estimated to range between one and two years, depending on the negotiated project scope. Agreements are not effective until fully executed with signature from the NPS Awarding Officer. In most cases an agreement will expire after five years from the effective date, unless terminated earlier in accordance with 2 CFR, Part 200, Sections 200.338 and 200.339.

Prior to the expiration of this agreement, modifications may be proposed by either party and will become effective upon written approval of both parties.

Each activity or project under this agreement will be treated individually, with more detail through project statements, project plans and budgets developed cooperatively between the NPS and the recipient organization.

Section III: Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package

PLEASE NOTE: APPLICATIONS FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CAN BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY THROUGH GRANTS.GOV OR BY MAIL/COURRIER. SUBMISSION INFORMATION IS POSTED IN PART B OF SECTION IV BELOW.

An Application Package has been included within this Funding Opportunity Announcement for your convenience, found in Appendix C. The Application Package contains three mandatory forms, which must be submitted with your proposal, forms include: form SF-424 (Application for Financial Assistance), form SF-424A (Assurances) and The Application Package can also be accessed and downloaded from the Synopsis page of this announcement in Grants.gov.

1. Contents and Form of Application Submission

You must complete the mandatory forms and any applicable optional forms, in accordance with the instructions on the forms and the additional instructions below, as required by this Funding Opportunity Announcement. Do not include any proprietary or personally identifiable information.

· Standard Form 424 (SF 424) - Application for Federal Assistance Complete this form as much as possible with all applicable information.

· Standard Form 424A (SF 424A) - Budget Information Complete this form as much as possible with all applicable information

· Standard Form 424B or D (SF 424B) – Assurances This form must be signed and submitted with you application.

· Indirect Costs All overhead, indirect costs and F/A costs are to be contained in sum to 15% of the project total. Costs that exceed 15% for indirect expenses will not be allowed.

· Project Narrative - Proposal Submission Format The proposal is a narrative description that should specifically address each of the review criteria (see Section IV). The proposal text must be no longer than 5 pages, no smaller than font size 11, and have 1-inch margins. The 5-page limit includes all text, figures, references, and resumes (Forms SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B, and the check list, map, 2 pages of graphics are limited, but not within this 5 page limit). Additionally, only information that is pertinent to the proposal should be included.

· Complete Application Package should include:

· Completed SF 424 – Application for Financial Assistance

· Completed SF 424 A – Budget Information

· Signed SF 424 B - Assurances

· Project Narrative – 5 pages

· Other Documents required by program (project map and associated documents)

Submission from Successful Applicants

If selected for award, NPS reserves the right to request additional or clarifying information for any reason deemed necessary, including, but not limited to:

· Other budget information

· Scope clarification

· Name and phone number of the Designated Responsible Employee for complying with national policies prohibiting discrimination (See 10 CFR 1040.5)

Submission Dates and Times

Submittals:

· Applicants are held responsible for their proposals being submitted to the National Park Service. Applications must be received by January 18, 2018, 3:00 P.M., ET. You are encouraged to submit your application well before the deadline.

· Application preparation time may take several weeks, so please start the application process as soon as possible. Applications received after the deadline will not be reviewed or considered for award.

· If it is determined that a proposal will not be considered due to lateness, the applicant will be notified.

Where to Submit:

· Applications may be submitted in hard copy to the National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program by the due date by mail or courier service.

· Submit Applications either electronically through Grants.gov OR by mail/courier; not both.

If mailing, please address to:

Kristen McMasters American Battlefield Protection Program National Park Service 1849 C Street, NW (7228) Washington, DC 20240

Intergovernmental Review

This funding opportunity is subject to Executive Order (EO) 12372 “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.” Applicants subject to EO 12372 must contact their State’s Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to find out about and comply with the State’s process. The names and addresses of the SPOC’s are listed in the OMB’s home page at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc/

Registration Process Requirements

There are several actions you must complete in order to submit an application with the Federal Government. Each applicant must register with the System of Award Management (SAM). You are required to have a DUNS number (Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System) in order to register with SAM. In order to submit an application through Grants.gov you must have an active SAM registration and register for submission permissions through the Grants.gov website. Utilize the following link to guide you through this process:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html

Registration processes for SAM can be found at https://www.sam.gov

START THIS PROCESS EARLY DON’T DELAY! Registration for DUNS, SAM, and Grants.gov are FREE! This process could take up to 3 days to register your organization.

Section IV: Application Review Information

A. Review Criteria

· NPS will evaluate and consider only those applications that separately address each of the merit review criterion.

· Each applicant is required to provide a detailed narrative of the following criteria elements. It is HIGHLY recommended that the Project Narrative have sections labeled as follows:

Criterion 1

Weight 15%

Project Summary (15 points) Question 1. Provide a short project title that is the same as given on SF424, #11. Check the appropriate box to indicate what type of project you propose to carry out. Select only one project category. ABPP encourages applicants to limit the scope of their projects to a manageable level of effort. A large project should be divided into phases, and future phases may be the subject of future grant applications (There is no guarantee that future applications will receive funding solely on the basis of having been funded in an earlier phase).

For guidance on battlefield preservation plans, please review the Guidance for Developing a Battlefield Preservation Plan, online at http://www.nps.gov/abpp/preservation/planning/Quick%20Guide_PreservationPlanGuidance.pdf.

Question 2. Proposed projects should contribute to long-term preservation goals for the site and, when appropriate, build on previous preservation work.

Question 5. List and quantify the number of copies of all final products - brochures, interim reports, final reports, maps, disks, plans, etc. - that will result from this grant. When planning your project budget, please note that ABPP will require a minimum of three (3) acid-free copies and one (1) digital copy of all products.

Criterion 2

Weight 20%

Threat to Site (20 points)

Question 6. Indicate the predominant current land use in the project area, as well as what current or future use local government has classified or zoned the area. This can be determined by contacting the local government planning office.

Question 7.

A – what is the known or estimated acreage of the historic scope of the entire battle (historic battlefield)?

B – what are the actual acres or percentage of acres identified in A. that remain basically or relatively unchanged since the time of the battle?

C – what are the actual acres or percentage of acres identified in B. that are threatened?

Question 9. “Threat” refers to the level of current or expected use or treatment of the site that is incompatible with the goals of historic preservation. The threat must be the main challenge addressed by this project. Threats are usually related, but not limited, to land use. Although of concern, reenactments, relic hunting and natural erosion by themselves are usually not considered a salient threat to preservation of a site unless remedied by this project.

Sites held in sympathetic ownership (i.e., owned by a government agency or private organization for the purpose of preserving the site) are considered to have a lower level of threat. Likewise, a battlefield that is already altered beyond recognition of its appearance at the time of battle is considered to have little or no threat.

Criterion 3

Weight 30%

Preservation Opportunity (30 points)

Question 13. Refers to the acreage that will be protected as a direct result of this project and is substantially preserved from the threat listed above.

Criterion 4

Weight 10%

Tasks, Schedule, and Products (10 points)

Question 18. Clearly state and accurately describe all of the project tasks, schedule, costs, and products. Include the cost of one trip to Washington, DC for an 8-hour grantee training session. Make sure to include a completion phase that will address materials stored to accepted archival standards, printing of three (3) acid-free copies of the approved final report, and production of one (1) digital copy of all final products.

Criterion 5

Weight 5%

Criterion 6

Weight 10%

Review and Selection Process

NPS personnel, and in some cases independent reviewers, will review all the proposals. All proposals for funding will be considered using the criteria outlined above. A summary of the review panel comments may be provided to the applicant if requested.

Merit Review

Each criteria element will be scored on a 0-10 point scale:

The following numerical rating values may be assigned: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and 0. The scoring of each criterion must be based on the strengths and weaknesses of the application narrative. To assist in assigning an appropriate score, the following will be used as a guideline:

Selection

The Selection Official may consider the merit review recommendation, program policy factors like 80% of funding goes towards projects at battlefields of national significance; 20% goes towards projects at battlefields of state or local significance, and the amount of funds available. All preservation projects must support a battlefield goal of the program and therefore be of advantage to the mandated program goals of the ABPP.

Discussions and Award

The Government may enter into discussions with a selected applicant for any reason deemed necessary, including, but not limited to: (1) only a portion of the application is selected for award; (2) the Government needs additional information to determine that the recipient is capable of complying with the requirements of DOI Financial Assistance Regulations and/or (3) special terms and conditions are required. Failure to resolve satisfactorily the issues identified by the Government will preclude award to the applicant.

Section V: Award Administration Information

1. Award Instrument Information

Projects will be funded, subject to the availability of funds, by issuance of a grant agreement.

The final award agreement will identify the amount of funding provided by NPS, any cost share provided by the Recipient, a detailed Statement of Work (SOW) for the project, a project plan and detailed project budget. The project budget shall include detailed information on all cost categories, and must clearly identify all project costs. Unit costs shall be provided for all budget items including the cost of work to be provided by contractors/sub-recipients. Additionally, applicants shall include a narrative description of the items included in the project budget, including the value of in-kind contributions of goods and services provided to complete the project when cost share is identified to be included. Cost categories can include but are not limited those costs items included on the SF424 and project budget.

An agreement issued by the NPS and signed by the NPS Awarding Officer obligates NPS funds. Notification of a successful proposal does not constitute authority to incur costs.

Funding Restrictions

Funding:

All funding is contingent upon the availability and appropriation of funds by the United States Congress.

Cost Principles:

Costs must be allowable in accordance with the applicable Federal cost principles referenced in 2 CFR Part 200, Subpart E – Cost Principles.

Pre-award Costs:

Must comply with 2 CFR Part 200.458 and requires prior approval from the Awarding Officer.

Award Notices

After an applicant’s proposal is selected for award, the applicant will receive a letter from the Awarding Officer. This letter will detail the next steps in the awarding process. Once all clearances and reviews have been conducted, a grant agreement will be sent for signature. Work cannot begin before the recipient receives a fully executed copy of the cooperative agreement which contains the signature of the Awarding Official.

Notice of Selection:

NPS will notify the applicant selected for award by July 2018. This notice of selection is not an authorization to begin performance. (Pre-award expenses will not be reimbursed).

Organizations whose applications have not been selected will be advised as promptly as possible. This notice will explain why the application was not selected.

Administrative and National Policy Requirements

1. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)

By accepting Federal financial assistance, your organization agrees to abide by the applicable federal regulations in the expenditure of federal funds and performance under this program.

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl

2 CFR Part 200 - UNIFORM ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS, COST PRINCIPLES, AND AUDIT REQUIREMENTS FOR FEDERAL AWARDS

Standard Award Terms and Conditions

This agreement incorporates the Standard Award Terms and Conditions found at the following Dept. of Interior website as if they were given here:

http://www.doi.gov/pam/programs/financial_assistance/TermsandConditions.cfm

Acceptance of a Federal Financial Assistance award from the Department of the Interior carries with it the responsibility to be aware of and comply with the terms and conditions of award. Acceptance is defined as the start of work, drawing down funds, or accepting the award via electronic means. Awards are based on the application submitted to, and as approved by and are subject to the terms and conditions incorporated either directly or by reference in the award document. Code of Federal Regulations/Regulatory Requirements, as applicable are listed below (Contact the Awarding Officer with any questions regarding the applicability of the following):

· 2 CFR Part 175 Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000

· 2 CFR Part 182 & 1401 Government-wide Requirements for a Drug-Free Workplace

· 2 CFR Part 180 & 1400 Government-wide Debarment and Suspension (Non-procurement)

· 43 CFR 18 New Restrictions on Lobbying

Special Terms and Conditions

Order of Precedence:

Any inconsistency in the agreement shall be resolved by giving precedence in the following order: (a) Any national policy requirements and administrative management standards; (b) 2 CFR Part 200, in its entirety; (c) requirements of the applicable OMB Circulars and Treasury regulations; (d) special terms and conditions; and (e) all agreement sections, documents, exhibits, and attachments; (f) and the recipient’s project proposal.

Modifications:

The agreement may be modified by written agreement signed by both the recipient’s Authorized Representative and the NPS Awarding Officer. Administrative changes (i.e. Awarding Officer name change, etc.) which do not change the statement of work, agreement amount, etc. or otherwise affect the recipient may be signed unilaterally by the Awarding Officer. Additionally, a unilateral modification may be utilized if it should become necessary to impose remedies for non- compliance, suspend or terminate the agreement in accordance with 2 CFR 200, Section 200.338 – 200.342.

All other changes shall be made by means of a bilateral modification to the agreement. No oral statement made by any person, or written statement by any person other than the NPS Awarding Officer shall be allowed in any manner or degree to modify or otherwise effect the terms of the agreement.

Payments

All applicants must be registered in the System for Awards Management (SAM) prior to award under this FOA. Instructions for registering for SAM are located at http://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM . All applicants must maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times while they have an active Federal award or an application under consideration.

All applicants must also be registered with and willing to process all payments through the Department of Treasury Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) system. All recipients with active NPS financial assistance agreements must be enrolled in ASAP under the appropriate Agency Location Code(s) (ALC) and the Data Universal Number System (DUNS) Number prior to the award of funds. If a recipient has multiple DUNS numbers they must separately enroll within ASAP for each unique DUNS Number and/or Agency. Note that if your entity is currently enrolled in the ASAP system with an agency other than NPS, you must enroll specifically with NPS in order to process payments.

Liability

a) Insurance:

It is suggested that recipient (1) obtain liability insurance or (2) demonstrate present financial resources in an amount determined sufficient by the Government to cover claims brought by third parties for death, bodily injury, property damage, or other loss resulting from one or more identified activities carried out in connection with this financial assistance agreement.

b) Insured:

The federal government shall be named as an additional insured under the recipient's insurance policy.

c) Indemnification:

The recipient hereby agrees to indemnify the federal government, NPS or from any act or omission of the Recipient, its officers, employees, or (members, participants, agents, representatives, agents as appropriate), (1) against third party claims for damages arising from one or more identified activities carried out in connection with this financial assistance agreement and (2) for damage or loss to government property resulting from such an activity. This obligation should survive the termination of this Agreement.

i. To purchase public and employee liability insurance at its own expense from a responsible company or companies with a minimum limitation of one million dollars ($1,000,000) per person for anyone claim, and an aggregate limitation of Three Million Dollars ($3,000,000) for any number of claims arising from any one incident. The policies shall name the United States as an additional insured, shall specify that the insured shall have no right of subrogation against the United States for payments of any premiums or deductibles due thereunder, and shall specify that the insurance shall be assumed by, be for the account of, and be at the insured's sole risk. Prior to beginning the work authorized herein, the Recipient shall provide the NPS with confirmation of such insurance coverage.

ii. To pay the United States the full value for all damage to the lands or other property of the United States caused by the Recipient

iii. To provide workers' compensation protection to the Recipient, its officers, employees, and representatives.

iv. To cooperate with NPS in the investigation and defense of any claims that may be filed with NPS arising out of the activities of the Recipient, its agents, and employees.

v. In the event of damage to or destruction of the buildings and facilities assigned for the use of the Recipient in whole or in part by any cause whatsoever, nothing herein contained shall be deemed to require NPS to replace or repair the buildings or facilities. If NPS determines in writing, after consultation with the Recipient that damage to the buildings or portions thereof renders such buildings unsuitable for continued use by the Recipient, NPS shall assume sole control over such buildings or portions thereof If the buildings or facilities rendered unsuitable for use are essential for conducting operations authorized under this Agreement, then failure to substitute and assign other facilities acceptable to the Recipient will constitute termination of this Agreement by NPS.

d) Flow-down:

For the purposes of this clause, "Recipient" includes such sub-recipients, contractors, or subcontractors as, in the judgment of the recipient and subject to the Government's determination of sufficiency, has sufficient resources and/or maintains adequate and appropriate insurance to achieve the purposes of this clause.

Reporting

Financial Status Reports:

Report of expenditures is required as documentation of the financial status of awards according to the official accounting records of the recipient’s organization. The financial information will be reported by completing and submitting the Federal Financial Report (FFR), SF425. Reports may be required quarterly, semi-annually or annually. The reporting requirements will be determined by the Awarding Officer and defined in the individual Task Agreements.

Reports shall be submitted no more than 30 calendar days after the end of the reporting period. The final FFR is no more than 90 calendar days after the end date of the agreement. The recipient shall submit a completed original Federal Financial Report (FFR).

The FFR can be downloaded at:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/standard_forms/ffr.pdf

The NPS Awarding Officer will review the report for patterns of cash expenditures and assess whether performance or financial management problems exist. Before submitting the FFR to the NPS Awarding Officer, recipients must ensure that the information submitted is accurate, complete, and consistent with the recipient’s accounting system. The recipient’s Authorized Certifying Official’s signature on the FFR certifies that the information in the FFR is correct and complete and that all outlays and obligations are for the purposes set forth in the agreement documents, and represents a claim to the Federal government. Filing a false claim may result in the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.

Performance Reports:

Performance Reports may be required quarterly, semi-annually or annually. The reporting requirements will be determined by the Awarding Officer and defined in the Agreements.

Reports shall be submitted no more than 30 calendar days after the end of the reporting period. The final FFR is no more than 90 calendar days after the end date of the agreement. Recipients shall submit an annual performance report to the NPS Awarding Officer and the Agreement Technical Representative at the end of each year of the agreement detailing project activity and participant profile information.

Non-Compliance:

Failure to comply with the reporting requirements contained in this agreement may be considered a material non-compliance with the terms and conditions of the award. Non-compliance may result in withholding of future payments, suspension or termination of the agreement, recovery of funds paid under the agreement, and the withholding of future awards.

Section VI: Other Information

1. Modification or Changes to the Announcement

Notices of any modifications to this announcement will be posted on Grants.gov. You can receive an email when a modification or an announcement message is posted. When you download the application at Grants.gov; you can also register to receive notifications of changes through Grants.gov.

Government Right to Reject or Negotiate

NPS reserves the right, without qualification, to reject any or all applications received in response to this announcement and to select any application, in whole or in part, as a basis for negotiation and/or award.

Evaluation and Administration by Non-Federal Personnel

In conducting the merit review evaluation, the Government may seek the advice of qualified non-Federal personnel as reviewers. The Government may also use non-Federal personnel to conduct routine, nondiscretionary administrative activities. The applicant, by submitting its application, consents to the use of non-Federal reviewers/administrators. Non-Federal reviewers must sign conflict of interest and non-disclosure agreements prior to reviewing an application. Non-Federal personnel conducting administrative activities must sign a nondisclosure agreement.

Notice of Right to Conduct a Review of Financial Capability

NPS reserves the right to conduct an independent third party review of financial capability for applicants that are selected for negotiation of award (including personal credit information of principal(s) of a small business if there is insufficient information to determine financial capability of the organization).

Notice of Potential Disclosure under Freedom of Information Act

Applicants should be advised that identifying information regarding all applicants, including applicant names and/or points of contact, may be subject to public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, whether or not such applicants are selected for negotiation of award.

Personally Identifiable Information

In responding to this Announcement, Applicants must ensure that Protected Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is not included in the following documents: Project Abstract, Project Narrative, Biographical Sketches, Budget or Budget Justification. These documents will be used by the Merit Review Committee in the review process to evaluate each application. PII is defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as:

Any information about an individual maintained by an agency, including but not limited to, education, financial transactions, medical history, and criminal or employment history and information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as their name, social security number, date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, biometric records, etc., including any other personal information that is linked or linkable to an individual. This definition of PII can be further defined as: (1) Public PII and (2) Protected PII.

Public PII:

PII found in public sources such as telephone books, public websites, business cards, university listing, etc. Public PII includes first and last name, address, work telephone number, email address, home telephone number, and general education credentials.

Protected PII:

PII that requires enhanced protection. This information includes data that if compromised could cause harm to an individual such as identity theft.

Appendix A - Application Package Forms SF 424, SF 424A, SF 424B image1.jpg