Buy America Notice for NOFO 05.20.2022.docx

United States Department of the Interior

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

1849 C Street, NW Washington, DC 20240 Notice to Applicants Regarding the Applicability of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Build America, Buy America ActApplicants should note that Public Law 117-58 makes certain requirements for infrastructure-related purchases support in whole or in part by federal financial assistance. These requirements apply to both federal and non-federal (matching) share of a grant award.

What is Infrastructure?

As defined in Section 70912(5) of the above law, “infrastructure”:

includes, at a minimum, the structures, facilities, and equipment for, in the United States, roads, highways, and bridges; public transportation; dams, ports, harbors, and other maritime facilities; intercity passenger and freight railroads; freight and intermodal facilities; airports; water systems, including drinking water and wastewater systems; electrical transmission facilities and systems; utilities; broadband infrastructure; and buildings and real property. Infrastructure includes facilities that generate, transport, and distribute energy.

What are Recipient Responsibilities Under the Law?

Recipients are hereby notified that none of the funds provided under this award may be used for a project for infrastructure unless:

1. all iron and steel used in the project are produced in the United States--this means all manufacturing processes, from the initial melting stage through the application of coatings, occurred in the United States;

2. all manufactured products used in the project are produced in the United States—this means the manufactured product was manufactured in the United States; and the cost of the components of the manufactured product that are mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States is greater than 55 percent of the total cost of all components of the manufactured product, unless another standard for determining the minimum amount of domestic content of the manufactured product has been established under applicable law or regulation; and

3. all construction materials are manufactured in the United States—this means that all manufacturing processes for the construction material occurred in the United States.

The Buy America preference only applies to articles, materials, and supplies that are consumed in, incorporated into, or affixed to an infrastructure project. As such, it does not apply to tools, equipment, and supplies, such as temporary scaffolding, brought to the construction site and removed at or before the completion of the infrastructure project. Nor does a Buy America preference apply to equipment and furnishings, such as movable chairs, desks, and portable computer equipment, that are used at or within the finished infrastructure project, but are not an integral part of the structure or permanently affixed to the infrastructure project.

Waivers

When necessary, recipients may apply for, and the Department of the Interior (DOI) may grant, a waiver from these requirements. The DOI may waive the application of the domestic content procurement preference in any case in which the agency determines that one of the below circumstances applies:

1. Non-availability Waiver: the types of iron, steel, manufactured products, or construction materials are not produced in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities or of a satisfactory quality;

2. Unreasonable Cost Waiver: the inclusion of iron, steel, manufactured products, or construction materials produced in the United States will increase the cost of the overall project by more than 25 percent; or

3. Public Interest Waiver: applying the domestic content procurement preference would be inconsistent with the public interest.

If a recipient determines that one of the above criteria applies, a request to waive the application of the domestic content procurement preference must be submitted to the financial assistance awarding officer in writing. Waiver requests shall include the below information. The waiver shall not include any privacy act information, sensitive data, or proprietary information within their waiver request. Waiver requests will be posted to www.doi.gov/grants/buyamerica and are subject to public comment periods of no less than 15 days. Waiver requests will also be reviewed by the Made in America Office.

1. Type of waiver requested (non-availability, unreasonable cost, or public interest).

2. Requesting entity and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) submitting the request.

3. Department of Interior Bureau or Office who issued the award.

4. Federal financial assistance listing name and number (reference block 2 on DOI Notice of Award)

5. Financial assistance title of project (reference block 8 on DOI Notice of Award).

6. Federal Award Identification Number (FAIN).

7. Federal funding amount (reference block 11.m. on DOI Notice of Award).

8. Total cost of Infrastructure expenditures (includes federal and non-federal funds to the extent known).

9. Infrastructure project description(s) and location(s) (to the extent known).

10. List of iron or steel item(s), manufactured goods, and construction material(s) the recipient seeks to waive from Buy America requirements. Include the name, cost, countries of origin (if known), and relevant PSC or NAICS code for each.

11. A certification that the recipient made a good faith effort to solicit bids for domestic products supported by terms included in requests for proposals, contracts, and nonproprietary communications with the prime contractor.

12. A statement of waiver justification, including a description of efforts made (e.g., market research, industry outreach) by the recipient, in an attempt to avoid the need for a waiver. Such a justification may cite, if applicable, the absence of any Buy America-compliant bids received in response to a solicitation.

13. Anticipated impact if no waiver is issued.

There may be instances where an award qualifies, in whole or in part, for an existing DOI general applicability waiver as described at: https://www.doi.gov/grants/BuyAmerica/ GeneralApplicabilityWaivers. If the specific financial assistance agreement, infrastructure project, or non-domestic materials meets the criteria of an existing general applicability waiver within the limitations defined within the waiver, the recipient is not required to request a separate waiver for non-domestic materials. Questions pertaining to waivers should be directed to the financial assistance awarding officer.

Definitions “Construction materials” includes an article, material, or supply, other than an item of primarily iron or steel; a manufactured product; cement and cementitious materials; aggregates such as stone, sand, or gravel; or aggregate binding agents or additives, that is or consists primarily of:

· non-ferrous metals;

· plastic and polymer-based products (including polyvinylchloride, composite building materials, and polymers used in fiber optic cables);

· glass (including optic glass);

· lumber; or

· drywall.

“Domestic content procurement preference’’ means all iron and steel used in the project are produced in the United States; the manufactured products used in the project are produced in the United States; or the construction materials used in the project are produced in the United States.

“Infrastructure” includes, at a minimum, the structures, facilities, and equipment for, in the United States, roads, highways, and bridges; public transportation; dams, ports, harbors, and other maritime facilities; intercity passenger and freight railroads; freight and intermodal facilities; airports; water systems, including drinking water and wastewater systems; electrical transmission facilities and systems; utilities; broadband infrastructure; and buildings and real property. Infrastructure includes facilities that generate, transport, and distribute energy.

‘‘Project’’ means the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of infrastructure in the United States.

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