APPLICATION INSTRUCTONS FOR 2018-NTIA-SAPP-01 (2).pdf

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS for

2018-NTIA-SAPP-01

Applicants are strongly urged to use Grants.gov’s Download Submitted Applications option for checking that their application’s required attachments (see pages 2 through 4 of this document, and Section B.4. of the Full Announcement/NOFO document) were contained in their submission.

After submitting the application, follow the directions found in the Grants.gov Online Users Guide (http://go.usa.gov/cjaEh). Click first on Applicants; then click on Applicant Actions; go then to the “Check My Application Status” option, and choose Download Submitted Applications.

If any, or all, of the required attachments are absent from the submission, follow the attachment directions found on pages 7 and 8 of this document and in Section B.4. of the Full Announcement/NOFO document, resubmit the application, and check again for the presence of the required attachments.

This document consists of seven important sections:

1. Overview;

2. Required Application Forms and Documents;

3. Application Format;

4. Application Submission Process;

5. Attachment of Required Documents;

6. Verifying the Submission and Tracking the Application; and

7. Submission Date and Time.

1) Overview

We strongly recommend that applicants do not wait until the last minute to submit an application. Allowances will not make for any late submissions. To avoid any potential processing backlogs due to last minute Grants.gov registrations, applicants are highly encouraged to begin their Grants.gov registration process as early as possible.

When developing your submission timeline, please keep in mind that (1) all applicants are required to have a current registration in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov); (2) the free annual registration process in the electronic System for Award Management (SAM.gov) may take between three and five business days or as long as more than two weeks; and (3) electronic applicants are required to have a current registration in Grants.gov; and (4) applicants http://go.usa.gov/cjaEh 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.

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.

Applicants will find instructions on registering with SAM.gov as part of the Grants.gov process at: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html .

All applicants should be aware that adequate time must be factored into an applicant’s schedule for delivery of the application.

Submitters are advised that volume on Grants.gov may be extremely heavy leading up to the deadline date.

2) Required Application Forms and Documents There are two separate application packages for this grant opportunity: one for Lease Authority only (no RAN Construction Funds); and the other for RAN Construction Funds and for Lease Authority.

Please select the correct application package when applying.

a) Required Forms and Documentation for Lease Authority only (no RAN

Construction Funds)

1) Standard Form 424 (SF-424), Application for Federal Assistance: This must be signed by the applicant’s authorized organization representative (AOR).

Electronic signatures submitted through www.grants.gov satisfy this requirement. Item 8.d. Zip/Postal Code field should reflect the Zip code + 4 (#####-####) format. The list of assurances and certifications mentioned in Item 21 can be found in the SF-424B for Lease Authority applicants.

2) Standard Form 424A (SF-424A), Budget Information, Non-Construction Programs Applicants must complete this form.

Please carefully follow the directions found at:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/form-instructions/sf-424a-instructions.html when filling out this form.

3) Standard Form 424B (SF-424B), Assurances for Non-Construction Programs http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/form-instructions/sf-424a-instructions.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/form-instructions/sf-424a-instructions.html

4) CD-511 Certification Regarding Lobbying: Enter “2018-NTIA-SAPP-01” 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) Standard Form LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable)

6) Notice of FCC Approval, as described in Section B.3.c.

7) Technical Proposal: This proposal will consist of demonstration elements including charts, narratives, and other supporting artifacts in response to the program description (see Section B.5.a(4) ) and the evaluation criteria (see Section B.6.) A checklist of the required responses and documents to be included in this technical proposal is in Appendix B – Required Responses Checklist.

b) Required Forms and Documentation for those applying for RAN Construction

Funds and for Lease Authority

1) Standard Form 424 (SF-424), Application for Federal Assistance: This must be signed by the applicant’s authorized organization representative (AOR).

Electronic signatures submitted through www.grants.gov satisfy this requirement. Item 8.d. Zip/Postal Code field should reflect the Zip code + 4 (#####-####) format. The list of assurances and certifications mentioned in Item 21 can be found in the SF-424 D for applicants applying for both RAN Construction Funds and for Lease Authority.

2) Standard Form 424C (SF-424C), Budget Information – Construction Programs:

Please carefully follow the instructions found at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/form-instructions/sf-424c-instructions.html when filling out this form.

3) Standard Form 424D (SF-424D), Assurances - Construction Programs

4) CD-511 Certification Regarding Lobbying: Enter “2018-NTIA-SAPP-01” 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) Standard Form LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable)

6) Notice of FCC Approval, as described in Section B.3.c.

7) Technical Proposal: This proposal will consist of demonstration elements including charts, narratives, and other supporting artifacts in response to the program description (see Section B.5.a(4)) and the evaluation criteria (see https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/form-instructions/sf-424c-instructions.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/form-instructions/sf-424c-instructions.html

Section B.6.) A checklist of the required responses and documents to be included in this technical proposal is in Appendix B – Required Responses Checklist.

8) Detailed Budget Spreadsheet and Budget Narrative

The RAN Construction Grant Funds Budget should document how RAN construction grant funds will be spent, not the total cost for the RAN Project.

The budget justification will consist of a budget narrative and budget detail spreadsheet. The budget justification must provide sufficient explanation of each budget category, as reflected in the SF-424C, in order to establish the need for the funds in each cost category and the basis for the figures used in the applicant’s budget. The narrative must be organized to clearly correspond to the information provided in the budget spreadsheet. Detail provided in the spreadsheet and/or narrative must also be sufficient so that the reviewers can interpret how costs were estimated or calculated.

Proposed funding levels must be consistent with the project scope, and only allowable costs should be included in the budget (see Funding Restrictions, Section B.4.e, for the eligible and ineligible costs for this program). General information on cost allowability is available in the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards at 2 CFR Part 200 (http://go.usa.gov/SBYh).

9) Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable) If indirect costs are included in the proposed budget, provide a copy of the approved indirect cost rate agreement that was negotiated with a cognizant federal agency. 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 (http://go.usa.gov/hKbj).

Alternatively, in accordance with 2 CFR § 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. In order to request indirect costs under a de minimis rate, the applicant agency must not receive more than $35 million in direct federal funding. As described in 2 CFR § 200.403, costs must be consistently charged as either indirect or direct costs, but may not be double charged or inconsistently charged as both. If chosen, this methodology once elected must be used consistently for all federal awards until such time as a non-federal entity chooses to negotiate for a rate, which the non-federal entity may apply to do at any time. Applicants proposing a 10 percent de minimis rate pursuant to 2 CFR § 200.414(f) should note this election as part of the budget portion of the application.

http://go.usa.gov/SBYh http://go.usa.gov/hKbj

3) Application Format

(1) E-mailed and Facsimile (fax) Submissions Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov. NTIA will not accept emailed or faxed applications.

(2) Figures, Graphs, Images, and Pictures

Items should be of a size that is easily readable or viewable and may be in landscape orientation.

(3) Font

Font should be easy to read (10-point minimum). Smaller type may be used in figures and tables but must be clearly legible.

(4) Line spacing

Applicants may use single spacing or double spacing.

(5) Margins One (1) inch top, bottom, left, and right.

(6) Page Layout

Portrait orientation except for figures, graphs, images, and pictures. Paragraphs are to be clearly separated from each other by double spacing, paragraph formatting or equivalent.

(7) Page Limit

Page limits for each requested narrative are listed in the evaluation criteria Section B.5.a.

Applicants may request a page limit waiver on narratives if additional explanation is required to provide a sufficient response.

Page limit excludes: SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance; SF-424A, Budget Information, Non-Construction Programs; SF-424B, Assurances – Non-Construction Programs; SF-424C, Budget Information – Construction Programs; SF-424D, Assurances - Construction Programs; CD-511, Certification Regarding Lobbying; SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities; Detailed Budget Spreadsheet and Budget Narrative.

(8) Page Numbering

Number pages sequentially.

(9) Page Size

21.6 centimeters by 27.9 centimeters (8 ½ inches by 11 inches)

(10) Application Language English

(11) Typed Document

All applications, including forms, must be typed.

(12) Application Replacement Pages Once applications are submitted, they are deemed final and complete. All applications must be submitted by the submission deadline. If revisions or replacement pages are necessary, applicant may submit with NTIA’s approval.

4) Application Submission Process

Electronic applications must be submitted via Grants.gov at www.grants.gov, under announcement 2018-NTIA-SAPP-01.

Submitters of electronic applications should carefully follow specific Grants.gov instructions to ensure the 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- NTIA-SAPP-01 announcement, contact the Federal Awarding Agency contact listed in Section B.13.

Applicants are encouraged to start early and not wait until the due date before logging on and reviewing the instructions for applying through Grants.gov. The Grants.gov registration process must be completed before a new registrant can apply electronically. The registration process takes three (3) to five (5) business days. If problems are encountered, the registration process can take up to two (2) weeks or more. All applicants must have a valid UEI 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 website. See also Section B.4.b.(5). 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 authorized individual(s) will be able to submit the application, and the system may need time to process a submitted application. All 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 U.S. or from a U.S. Territory, please call 800-518-4726. If calling from a place other than the U.S. 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.

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 http://www.grants.gov/ the “Applicants” tab produces two useful sources of information, Grant Applications and Applicant Resources, which applicants are advised to review.

An applicant 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. It is recommended that applicants closely follow the detailed information in these subcategories in order to 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 applications. Applicants are advised that traffic volume on Grants.gov may be extremely heavy as the deadline date approaches.

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 NTIA by Grants.gov.

5) Attachment of Required Documents

If applying for Lease Authority only:

Items (1) through (5) in section 2)a. of this document, Required Application Forms and Documents, are part of the standard application package in Grants.gov and can be completed through the download application process.

Items (6) through (7) in section 2)a. of this document, Required Application Forms and Documents, 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.

If applying for RAN Construction Funds and for Lease Authority:

Items (1) through (5) in section 2)b. of this document, Required Application Forms and Documents, are part of the standard application package in Grants.gov and can be completed through the download application process.

Items (6) through (9) in section 2)b. of this document, Required Application Forms and Documents, 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.

6) Verifying the Submission and Tracking the Application

The Grants.gov Online Users Guide available at the Grants.gov site (http://go.usa.gov/cjaEh) provides vital information on application process. See especially the “Check My Application Status” option, found by clicking first on Applicants, and then by clicking on Applicant Actions.

Use this feature to verify that all required attachments were present in the submission.

After submitting the application, follow the directions found in the Grants.gov Online Users Guide (http://go.usa.gov/cjaEh). Click first on Applicants; then click on Applicant Actions; go then to the “Check My Application Status” option, and choose Download Submitted Applications. Follow the directions found there. Remember, in order for this to work, don’t just visit Grants.gov. Log in. And remember to click on the record found on the Check My Application Status screen in order to see the List of Forms and Files Received screen.

If any, or all, of the required attachments are absent from the submission, follow the attachment directions found in the Full Announcement/NOFO document, resubmit the application, and check again for the presence of the required attachments.

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 its own Agency Tracking Numbers.

http://www.grants.gov/ http://go.usa.gov/cjamz

7) Submission Date and Time Complete applications for the State Alternative Plan Program must be electronically submitted through www.grants.gov, under announcement 2018-NTIA-SAPP-01.

Applications or portions thereof submitted by mail, courier, email, or by facsimile will not be accepted. Applications submitted electronically through the online www.grants.gov system must be received no later than 90 calendar days from the FCC’s notification of alternative State plan approval. All application forms and documents must be included with an applicant’s submission via www.grants.gov.

Applicants should be aware, and factor in their application submission planning, that the Grants.gov system routinely closes for maintenance. Applications cannot be submitted when Grants.gov is closed.

http://www.grants.gov/