aid-asha-15-000001 - amendment 2 - 031115.pdf

Date: March 11, 2015

Subject: Amendment No. 2 to APS‐ASHA‐15‐000001 for Office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) Fiscal Year 2015 Program

A. Background and Purpose of this Amendment

The subject Annual Program Statement (APS) was issued on October 27, 2014, and Amendment No. 1 was issued on December 31, 2014. Amendment No. 2 has the following purposes:

To revise text in the Full Announcement; and

To answer questions received by USAID/ASHA regarding this solicitation.

B. Description of Amendment No. 2 to Full Announcement

SECTION D.3: “Application Submission and Deadline” (pg. 5‐6)

DELETE: Last paragraph completely.

INSERT: USAID/ASHA will review applications submitted at least 10 business days before the closing date of this APS for completeness only. The deadline for such reviews is 5:00pm Eastern Daylight Time on April 10, 2015.

Applicants that have provided incomplete applications before this deadline will be notified of any deficiencies, and permitted to resubmit a complete application prior to the closing date of this APS.

SECTION D.5.8: “Commodities Information (if applicable)” (pg. 10‐11); Add “as an attachment” at the end of the first sentence.

SECTION D.7.c, Attachments (page 12), after “construction drawings” and before “optional Survey on Ensuring Equal Opportunity”, insert “description of commodities,”

C. Questions and Answers

1. Q: Is there a limit to how many shipments or purchases of equipment may be funded by USAID/ASHA?

A: Provided that the total cost of the shipments or transactions funded by USAID/ASHA does not exceed the funds obligated by an award, there is no such limit.

2. Q: Are there any situations where the authorized geographic code referenced in the APS does not apply?

A: The authorized geographic code for awards equal to or greater than $250,000 is 937. For awards less than $250,000, the authorized geographic code is 935. The definition for these codes can be found in ADS 310 (http://www.usaid.gov/ads/policy/300/310). See 22 C.F.R. 228 for certain exceptions and for more details about the definition of commodities and services that must be procured within these geographic codes.

3. Q: Can USAID/ASHA accept any document in lieu of an independently audited financial statement, for example, for organizations that have very small cash flows?

A: No. Only audited financial statements are acceptable.

4. Q: Does the Overseas Institution (OSI) have to be a non‐profit institution?

A: No. Only the U.S. Organization is required to be a non‐profit organization. However, profit is not a reimbursable cost under ASHA grants.

5. Q: Can ASHA funds be used to finance the purchase of musical instruments or software such as Adobe Creative Suites or AutoCAD applications?

A: Yes. Procurement of commodities may include such items as library materials, specialized medical and research technology, and education equipment and furnishings. Certain items, including but not limited to vehicles or pharmaceuticals, are not eligible commodities for USAID/ASHA funds. See ADS 312 (http://www.usaid.gov/ads/policy/300/312) for a full description of restricted commodities.

6. Q: Are detailed budgets or quotations from constructors in the case of construction activities required, and if not, can they be included?

A: Detailed budgets or quotations from constructors are not required to be included in the application, but could be included as long as page limitations are adhered to.

7. Q: Do we supply our own budget format?

A: Yes, however the cost proposal and budget narrative cannot exceed two pages (see page 7 of the APS).

8. Q: If a project is pre‐selected, will further details be requested and can slight adjustments be made to the budget according to up‐to‐date quotations?

A: Applicants that are being considered for award will receive a letter from USAID/ASHA explaining that the application was favorably reviewed and will request additional information including Certifications and Assurances or budget adjustments.

9. Q: Once materials are submitted, can corrections be submitted?

A: Only complete applications will be accepted. No corrected applications will be considered if received after the application deadline.

10. Q: We are a USO and are partnering with an OSI. Will it be possible and advisable to include school construction and/or completion of school construction for two different locations but run by the same OSI in one application? Or is it better to submit two separate applications, one for each school location?

A: Per the APS, one application may request funds that benefit multiple organizational units at a given OSI (for example, multiple academic departments). In this case, the application would be regarded as benefitting one

(1) OSI and should be submitted via one (1) application.

11. Q: Can extended warranties for durable commodities be funded through the ASHA program?

A: Yes, but extended warranties must be for necessary maintenance and repair only and not exceed the estimated life of the commodity.

12. Q: Will past problems with disbursement of award funds under prior ASHA awards result in the application being rejected or otherwise weighted as unfavorable?

A: USAID/ASHA welcomes all applicants, regardless of whether or not they have applied for or received USAID/ASHA awards in the past. Per the APS, past performance is part of the technical application and evaluation criteria.

13. Q: Is $2,000,000 also the ceiling for a ‘non‐construction’ only application?

A: Yes. $2,000,000 is the ceiling for all awards.

14. Q: Can software expenses (example: adobe creative suites or auto‐cad) be included in requests for this

RFA?

A: See the answer to Question 5 above.

15. Q: Do schools overseas have to be accredited?

A. No, schools overseas are not required to be accredited.

16. Q: Can letters of support be submitted as part of a proposal?

A: Yes. ASHA welcomes letters of support, so long as they provide information relevant to past performance and are submitted with the application and by the deadline.

17. Q: For the APS, does the level of detail need to increase when the amount of requested funding increases for either commodities or construction? Does the level of frequency and detail of reporting increase with the amount of funding received for either construction or commodities?

A: The level of detail and frequency of reporting remains the same regardless of amount of funding requested or provided.

18. Q: Regarding evidence of land ownership or land lease, does an assertion on official letterhead fulfill the requirement? If not, what types of documentation are sufficient to substantiate land ownership/land lease?

A. Per Annex 1 of the APS, you must provide a copy of a title or lease demonstrating a legal right to the land to be used for construction for at least 20 years from the start of the project. If the title or lease was originally written in another language, provide an English translation. Where obtaining a formal lease or title is not possible due to local land right systems, provide a copy of any other document that establishes a right to use the land recognized by local government authorities, an English translation if the original document is not in English, and a brief (no more than 1 page) description of the context, the document provided, and an explanation as to how it demonstrates a legal right to use the land in question for at least 20 years from the start date of the project.

19. Q: Section 5.8 (Commodities Information) requests a table of materials that, if fully fleshed out, could stretch for a page or more. Can commodity information be provided as an attachment?

A: Please see amended language for Section 5.8 above.

20. Q: Are labor costs of construction eligible expenses for this APS?

A: Yes, all components of construction are eligible.

21. Q: I'm writing to confirm whether my organization is an eligible USO applicant for the above‐referenced program?

A: We are unable to make eligibility determinations prior to reviewing the entire application. As outlined in the APS, the applicant must be a registered tax‐exempt non‐profit organization in the United States, such as those organized under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. Organizations are not restricted to 501(c)(3) status.

22. Q: Our organization has different governing structures in place. How do we determine which Board of Directors to include in my application?

A: The Board of Directors you include in your application should be the board that oversees the operations of the legal entity that will be responsible for the implementation of the award.