attachment a-fy2012 art i rfa-final 01 03 12.pdf

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ATTACHMENT A

FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE

NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM

FISCAL YEAR (FY) 2012

REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS

ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEWS AND TRAINING

METHOD I GRANTS

States are required to use this solicitation to apply for the Administrative

Reviews and Training Method I Grants

APPLICATION DUE DATE: MARCH 2, 2012

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number (CFDA) number 10.579)

OMB BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-0512. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 60 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

Request for Applications

Administrative Reviews and Training

Method I Grants

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE

II. DATES

III. BACKGROUND

IV. WHO MAY APPLY

V. AVAILABLE GRANT FUNDS AND DEADLINES

VI. WHAT TO INCLUDE IN THE APPLICATION PACKAGE

VII. HOW TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION FOR FUNDING

VIII. EVALUATION INFORMATION

IX. ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS

X. APPLICATION PACKAGE FORMAT AND CHECKLIST

Separate Document

Attachment B – Additional Administrative Reviews Application Template for ART Method I

Grants

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I. INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE

The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-265) amended Section 22 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA), to establish a requirement that

State agencies (SAs) conduct additional administrative reviews (AARs) of selected local educational agencies. It also amended Section 7 of the Child Nutrition Act to provide funding for States to be used for administrative reviews and training of local educational agencies. Both of these requirements are focused on school food authorities (SFAs) which have demonstrated a high level of, or a high risk for, administrative error.

To assist SAs in achieving these requirements, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will fund FY 2012 Administrative Review and Training (ART) Method I Grants. The ART Method I grant funds will be available only to the 57 SAs that administer the National School Lunch

Program (NSLP) for the purpose of conducting AARs of SFAs that have demonstrated a high level of, or a high risk for, administrative error.

ART Method I grant funding will be awarded to assist SAs in conducting AARs as required under Section 22 of the NSLA. An AAR in the NSLP includes, but is not limited to, a review of applications, certification, verification, and/or meal counting, and meal claiming procedures.

These areas are covered by the Coordinated Review Effort (CRE) Performance Standard (PS1) and the verification component of the general areas of review. The CRE procedures for these areas, as specified in 7 CFR 210.18, must be used to conduct the additional review(s) unless alternate procedures are approved by FNS. If an AAR results in significant findings, the SA must conduct a follow-up review to confirm that all required corrective actions have been implemented. The requirement for AARs of such SFAs for school year 2011-2012 is described in FNS Memorandum SP 48-2011 (Additional Administrative Reviews (AAR) and State Retention of

Improperly-Paid Funds in School Year (SY) 2011-2012, September 6, 2011), which can be found on the Agency’s PartnerWeb at https://www.partnerweb.usda.gov and FNS website at http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Governance/policy.htm. Please note that the AAR requirements are published each school year. Instructions for school year 2012-2013 will be issued at a later date.

II. DATES

Applications must be submitted to Grants.gov on or before 5:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, March 2, 2012. Applications submitted after this date and time will not be considered for funding.

III. BACKGROUND

The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-265) amended Section 22 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, and Section 7 of the Child Nutrition Act of

1966 to establish a requirement that SAs conduct AARs of selected local education agencies, and training of selected SFAs. To support SAs in meeting these statutory requirements, FNS makes https://www.partnerweb.usda.gov/ http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Governance/policy.htm

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available ART Grants to reduce administrative errors and to conduct AARs. Method I awards are specifically for the purpose of conducting AARs. Since 2009, FNS has announced application opportunities for two types of ART grants: Method I ART grants which provide funding for conducting AARs and Method II ART grants that provide funding for training and oversight activities. This announcement describes the FY 2012 Method I grant application process. Information pertaining to Method II grants will be issued later in FY 2012.

IV. WHO MAY APPLY

Eligible applicants include all SAs that administer the NSLP. In this instance, the term SA means: (a) the State educational agency, and (b) any other agency of the State which has been designated by the Governor or other appropriate executive or legislative authority of the State and approved by the Department of Agriculture to administer the Program in schools. In instances where there are two agencies within a State, such as in the case where the public and private agencies are different, separate applications are acceptable. However, in all instances, in order to be considered, an application must be submitted by the SA(s) in response to this solicitation.

V. AVAILABLE GRANT FUNDS AND DEADLINES

Available funds will be awarded to SAs in the form of grants; however, the submission of a request for funds does not guarantee funding. The actual number of awards will depend on the availability of funds.

Funding may be requested up to $3,500 per review. Due to variations in SA size, SAs may be allowed to request more than $3,500 per SFA review. If an SA requests more than $3,500 per review, appropriate justification must be provided to enable FNS to determine whether or not the increase is justifiable. All costs, including indirect costs, must be actual and documented. SAs may request funding for reviews to be completed by September 30, 2013. The funds may cover activity for the remainder of the school year 2011-2012 and activity for school year 2012-2013.

All grant funds must be obligated and all program activities under the grant (other than activities relating to the close out of the grant) must be completed by September 30, 2013. The close out of the grant must occur 90 days later, by December 31, 2013, and all obligations incurred under the grant must be liquidated by this date. The final reports are due to FNS no later than

December 31, 2013. Please see Section VI below for additional reporting requirements.

VI. WHAT TO INCLUDE IN THE APPLICATION PACKAGE

State agencies must provide the following required information with their application:

Name and location of SFA

Risk Factor

Size of SFA

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Number of Staff Days associated with the review

Number of Staff Associated with the review

Funding Requested (maximum amount of $3,500 per SFA unless appropriate justification is provided for amounts that exceed $3,500)

Targeted Start and Completion Dates

SAs may use the template in Attachment B, Application for Funding for Additional

Administrative Reviews, to provide this required information, or they may design another format to submit this information, as long as all mandatory information is provided.

The application package must include:

A completed Attachment B, or other format of choice that includes all mandatory information listed on Attachment B;

Form SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance Application cover page identifying the title of the grant award being sought and narrative explaining how the funds are to be used;

Form SF- 424A, Budget Summary;

Form SF-424B, Assurances Non-Construction Programs;

Form SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities;

If the budget requests indirect costs, the applicant must provide a copy of its most recently approved Federal indirect cost rate agreement.

All the required forms can be located on the following grants.gov website at http://www.grants.gov/agencies/aforms_repository_information.jsp, and the FNS website at www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/grants.htm

VII. HOW TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION FOR FUNDING

Applicants may receive the Request for Applications (RFA) package by downloading the application from the FNS website, www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/grants.htm or by downloading the application from www.grants.gov website.

Applications must be submitted to Grants.gov on or before 5 pm Eastern Standard Time

March 2, 2012. Applications submitted after this date and time or submitted via mail service, facsimile or e-mail will not be considered for funding.

Electronic Submission

Applicants must submit applications electronically through www.grants.gov. To submit the application electronically via the www.grants.gov website, there are a number of steps in the registration process that will be required before the application may be submitted. It is very important that users of the grants.gov system familiarize themselves with the requirements for system use. Please be aware that in order to use the grants.gov system, users will need to register http://www.grants.gov/agencies/aforms_repository_information.jsp http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/grants.htm http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/grants.htm http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/

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online at Grants.gov and obtain both a Data Universal Number (DUNS) and a Central Contractor

Registry Number.

Applications received after the deadline date will be deemed ineligible and will not be reviewed or considered. FNS will not consider any additions or revisions to an application once it is received. FNS will not accept mailed, faxed, or hand-delivered applications.

When applicants apply through www.grants.gov they will receive a confirmation notice that the application has been accepted by the system. Applicants must then send an email to notify the

FNS Grant Officer that the proposal has been submitted through the www.grants.gov portal and that they have received a confirmation notice from www.grants.gov that the application has been accepted by the system. When using the grants.gov portal to apply, we strongly recommend that you submit the online application at least two weeks before the application deadline in case there are problems with the website.

Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering Systems (DUNS) Number and Central Contractor

Registration (CCR)

In order to submit your application via www.grants.gov, you must have obtained a Data

Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, registered in both the Central Contractor

Registration (CCR) system, and on Grants.gov. Therefore the applicant is advised to allow ample time to initiate its grants.gov application submission. All applicants must have current

CCR status at the time of application submission and throughout the duration of a Federal Award in accordance with 2 CFR Part 25. Please visit the following websites to obtain additional information on how to obtain a DUNS number (www.dnb.com) and register in the CCR Registry

(www.bpn.gov/ccr).

Below is some additional information that should assist the applicant through this process:

DUNS Number: In order to obtain a DUNS number, if your organization does not have one, or if you are unsure of the number you can contact Dun and Bradstreet via the internet at www.dnb.com or by calling 1-888-814-1435, Monday thru Friday, 8am-9pm EST. There is no fee associated with obtaining a DUNS number.

CCR Registration: Once the DUNS number is assigned the entity must be registered at the

Central Contract Registration website via www.bpn.gov/ccr. According to the website, registration usually takes 3-5 business days. This is a free on-line registrant database for the U.S

Federal government.

Grants.gov Registration: In order to apply for a grant, your organization must complete the

Grants.gov registration process at www.grants.govapplicants/get_reistered.jsp. Generally, the registration process takes between 3-5 business days.

http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.bpn.gov/ccr http://www.dnb.com/ http://www.bpn.gov/ccr

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All questions regarding the application and electronic submission notification should be referred to the FNS Grant Officer, Carla Garcia via email at Carla.Garcia@fns.usda.gov.

VIII. EVALUATION INFORMATION

All applications that meet the deadline for submission will be screened for completeness and conformity to the requirements of this solicitation. FNS anticipates funding all eligible, complete and responsive applications.

FNS will prescreen all applications to ensure that they contain the required documents and information. Refer to Section VI, What to include in the Application Package. If an application does not include all appropriate information, FNS will consider the application to be non-responsive and will eliminate it from further evaluation. Applications that do not meet this initial screening will not be evaluated further.

The Government is not obligated to make any award as a result of this RFA. Only the recognized FNS authorized signature can bind the USDA, Food and Nutrition Service to the expenditure of funds related to the award’s approved budget.

IX. ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS

The grant program will be awarded and administered in accordance with the following Federal and program regulations and the corresponding OMB Circulars.

Government-wide Regulations

a. 2 CFR Part 25: ―Universal Identifier and Central Locator Contractor Registration‖

b. 2 CFR Part 170: ―Reporting Subaward and Executive Compensation Information‖

c. 2 CFR Part 175: ―Trafficking in Persons: Grants and Cooperative Agreements‖

d. 2 CFR Part 180: ―Government-wide Debarment and Suspension (Non-Procurement)‖

e. 2 CFR Part 417: ―USDA Non-procurement Debarment and Suspension‖

USDA Regulations

7 CFR Part 3015: Uniform Federal Assistance Requirements implementing OMB directives

(OMB Circular A-87, Cost Principles for State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments);

7 CFR Part 3016: Uniform Federal Assistance Requirements for Grants and Cooperative

Agreements to State and Local Governments;

mailto:Carla.Garcia@fns.usda.gov

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7 CFR Part 3018: Restrictions on Lobbying;

7 CFR Part 3021: Government-wide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Financial

Assistance);

7 CFR Part 3052: (OMB Circular A-133) Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit

Organizations; and

7 CFR Part 15: Discrimination; Civil Rights

Confidentiality of an Application

When an application results in an award, it becomes a part of the record of FNS transactions, available to the public upon specific request. Information that the Secretary determines to be of a confidential, privileged, or proprietary nature will be held in confidence to the extent permitted by law. Therefore, any information that the applicant wishes to have considered as confidential, privileged, or proprietary should be clearly marked within the application. The original copy of an application that does not result in an award will not be released to the public.

Funding:

Use of Funding:

Funds authorized cannot be used for reviews that are currently carried out using State

Administrative Expense (SAE) funds.

Funds cannot be used for local-level expenses associated with administrative reviews or training activities.

Funds must be expended in accordance with activities outlined in the template.

Funding for approved proposals will be provided through the Letter of Credit process in the same manner as other funds. However, SAs will be required to separately track and report these funds via SF-425 Financial Status Report.

Assurances:

Applicants must provide assurance that they are neither suspended nor debarred prior to FNS making an award.

Applicants chosen for award will also be required to ensure that all sub-contractors and sub-grantees are neither excluded nor disqualified under the suspension and debarment rules found at 7 CFR Sec. 3017.300 by doing any one of the following:

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a) Checking the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) found at www.epls.gov

b) Collecting a certification that the entity is neither excluded nor disqualified.

Since a Federal certification form is no longer available, the grantee or sub-grantee electing this method must devise its own; and include a clause to this effect in the sub-grant agreement and in any procurement contract expected to equal or exceed

$25,000 awarded by the grantee or a sub-grantee under its grant or sub-grant.

If chosen, the applicant must also agree to make a good faith effort, on a continuing basis, to

(A) maintain a drug-free workplace (including taking specific actions described at 7 CFR

Sec. 3021.200 through 3021.230); and (B) identify all workplace locations where work under

Federal award will be performed (7 CFR Sec. 3021.200). Since Federal entities will no longer collect a paper certification, this may include the following:

a) Notifying all sub-grantees and contractors of the Drug Free Workplace rules,

b) Making conforming changes to your internal procedures, directives, training materials, etc., and

c) Incorporating the new rules into your sub-grantee monitoring practices.

Reporting:

All SAs receiving FY 2012 Administrative Review and Training Method I Fund Grants are required to submit the following reports in accordance with the deadlines noted:

a) Quarterly Financial Reports. Grantees will be required to submit quarterly SF-425 financial reports and a final SF-425 financial report electronically via the FNS ―Food

Programs Reporting System‖ (FPRS). In order to access FPRS, States are required to have USDA e-authentication to access FPRS. Further instructions regarding data entry into FPRS, reporting format and dates will be provided to those receiving awards.

b) Semiannual Progress Reports. The Semiannual Progress Reports must include (in narrative form): 1) a brief description of the planned review activities for the report period; 2) accomplishments for each activity and completion dates; 3) a description of any deviations from the approved plan—this summary should discuss difficulties encountered and solutions developed; and 4) any other unique aspects that would be useful to share including the number and names of local educational agencies that were reviewed using the grant funds. More detailed instructions and completion dates will be provided to those receiving awards.

X. APPLICATION PACKAGE FORMAT AND CHECKLIST

Format

FNS strongly encourages interested SAs to adhere to the following application format.

Applications should be typed on 8½ by 11 inch white paper with at least 1 inch margins on the http://www.epls.gov/

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top and bottom. All pages should be single-spaced, in 12 point font. All pages must be numbered.

The application package must be submitted through www.grants.gov and include the following required forms:

Application Template (Attachment B or other format);

Standard Form 424, Application for Federal Assistance;

Standard Form 424A, Budget Summary

Standard Form 424B, Assurances – Non Construction Programs;

Form SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable)

RFA Application Checklist:

All proposals submitted under this RFA must contain the applicable elements as described in this announcement. The application must be submitted electronically through www.grants.gov, by

5:00pm EST on March 2, 2012. The following checklist has been prepared to assist in ensuring that the proposal is complete and in the proper order prior to submission.

Read the RFA carefully, usually more than once.

Have you obtained a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and registered the number into the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) system?

Have you prepared and submitted the appropriate forms as shown under the Required

Grant Applicant Forms section of this RFA.

RFA CFDA # 10.579

Have you included your contact information: telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address?

Have you addressed, met, and considered any program specific requirements or restrictions?

Does the proposed project proposal and budget meet the bona fide needs of the RFA?

Is a budget summary included?

o Does it agree with the calculations shown on the OMB budget form?

o Is the budget in line with the project description?

Be sure to submit a timely application into www.grants.gov in order to meet the RFA application deadline.

FNS reserves the right to request additional information not clearly addressed.