P21AS00252 - FY21 NCPTT NOFO.docx

U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service

Financial Assistance Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

12795 W Alameda Pkwy Lakewood CO 80228

645 University Parkway, Natchitoches, LA 71457

NOTE: All applications must be submitted via email with the required application documents as email attachments to NOFO-NCPTT@NPS.gov.

Table of Contents

Section A: Program Description

Federal Agency Name: Department of the Interior, National Park Service

Funding Opportunity Title: 2021 Preservation Technology and Training Grants

Funding Opportunity Number: P21AS00252

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 15.923

Legislative Authority: 54 U.S.C. § 305304 Preservation Grants

Federal Regulations: 2 C.F.R. § 200, 2 C.F.R. § 1402

Program Background Information and Objectives:

2021 Preservation Technology and Training Grants (PTT Grants) are intended to create better tools, better materials, and better approaches to conserving buildings, landscapes, sites, and collections. The PTT Grants are administered by the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT), the National Park Service’s innovation center for the preservation community.

The competitive grants program will provide funding to federal agencies, states, tribes, local governments, and non-profit organizations. PTT Grants will support the following activities:

· Innovative research that develops new technologies or adapts existing technologies to preserve cultural resources (typically $20,000)

· Specialized workshops or symposia that identify and address national preservation needs (typically $15,000 to $20,000)

· How-to videos, mobile applications, podcasts, best practices publications, or webinars that disseminate practical preservation methods or provide better tools for preservation practice (typically $5,000 to $15,000) The maximum grant award is $20,000. The actual grant award amount is dependent on the scope of the proposed activity. NCPTT does not fund "bricks and mortar" grants.

Secretary of the Interior Priorities:

This program supports Secretary of the Interior Priority1.a.” Utilize science to identify best practices to manage land and water and cultural resources and adapt to changes in the environment” in the following way, by creating new research, technology, and training to protect and conserve architecture, archeological sites and objects, cultural landscapes, and museum objects. The resulting products can be used to save cultural heritage important to the U.S. The work will lead to innovation in the preservation world.

Section B: Federal Award Information

Anticipated Federal Funding: $200,000.00 The amount of funding available per award for this NOFO will be determined once final FY 2021 appropriations have been made. This NOFO will be cancelled if FY 2021 appropriations are insufficient to support new awards.

Non-Federal Entity Cost Share:

Recipient cost share is not required for this agreement, but is encouraged.

Estimated Number of Agreements to be Awarded: 8-12 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 non-Federal entity.

Estimated Amount of Funding Available Per Award:

An estimated range of $5,000.00 To $20,000.00 of funding is anticipated for each award.

The amount of funding available per award for this NOFO will be determined as part of the application review process based on applications received and funding made available through appropriations. The actual grant award amount is dependent on the scope of the proposed activity.

Anticipated Start Date:

Projects receiving funding through this Notice of Funding Opportunity will start once funding has been secured and awards have been made. If the project is funded, applicants should expect to be able to begin work no sooner than July 2021.

Anticipated Term of the Agreement: August 15, 2021 – December 31, 2022 Agreement terms for funded projects are estimated to be completed within one year, depending on the negotiated project statement of work. Agreements are not effective until fully executed with signature from the NPS Financial Assistance Awarding Officer (FAAO).

Type of Agreements:

Grant Agreement - A legal instrument of financial assistance between The National Park Service and a non-Federal entity that, consistent with 31 U.S.C. § 6302, 6304:

(1) Is used to enter into a relationship the principal purpose of which is to transfer anything of value from the Federal awarding agency to the non-Federal entity to carry out a public purpose authorized by a law of the United States (see 31 U.S.C. § 6101(3)); and not to acquire property or services for the Federal awarding agency’s direct benefit or use;

(2) Is distinguished from a cooperative agreement in that it does not provide for substantial involvement between the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity and the non-Federal entity in carrying out the activity contemplated by the Federal award.

Substantial Involvement:

For a grant agreement no substantial involvement on the part of the National Park Service is anticipated.

Data Availability:

1) Applicability. The Department of the Interior is committed to basing its decisions on the best available science and providing the American people with enough information to thoughtfully and substantively evaluate the data, methodology, and analysis used by the Department to inform its decisions.

2) Use of Data. The regulations at 2 CFR 200.315 apply to data produced under a Federal award, including the provision that the Federal Government has the right to obtain, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the data produced under a Federal award as well as authorize others to receive, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use such data for Federal purposes.

3) Availability of Data. The recipient shall make the data produced under this award and any subaward(s) available to the Government for public release, consistent with applicable law, to allow meaningful third party evaluation and reproduction of the following:

(a) The scientific data relied upon;

(b) The analysis relied upon; and

(c) The methodology, including models, used to gather and analyze data.

Conflict of Interest:

1) Applicability.

(a) This section intends to ensure that non-Federal entities and their employees take appropriate steps to avoid conflicts of interest in their responsibilities under or with respect to Federal financial assistance agreements.

(b) In the procurement of supplies, equipment, construction, and services by recipients and by subrecipients, the conflict of interest provisions in 2 CFR 200.318 apply.

2) Requirements.

(a) Non-Federal entities must avoid prohibited conflicts of interest, including any significant financial interests that could cause a reasonable person to question the recipient's ability to provide impartial, technically sound, and objective performance under or with respect to a Federal financial assistance agreement.

(b) In addition to any other prohibitions that may apply with respect to conflicts of interest, no key official of an actual or proposed recipient or subrecipient, who is substantially involved in the proposal or project, may have been a former Federal employee who, within the last one (1) year, participated personally and substantially in the evaluation, award, or administration of an award with respect to that recipient or subrecipient or in development of the requirement leading to the funding announcement.

(c) No actual or prospective recipient or subrecipient may solicit, obtain, or use non-public information regarding the evaluation, award, or administration of an award to that recipient or subrecipient or the development of a Federal financial assistance opportunity that may be of competitive interest to that recipient or subrecipient.

3) Notification.

(a) Non-Federal entities, including applicants for financial assistance awards, must disclose in writing any conflict of interest to the DOI awarding agency or pass-through entity in accordance with 2 CFR 200.112, Conflicts of interest.

4) Recipients must establish internal controls that include, at a minimum, procedures to identify, disclose, and mitigate or eliminate identified conflicts of interest. The recipient is responsible for notifying the Financial Assistance Officer in writing of any conflicts of interest that may arise during the life of the award, including those that have been reported by subrecipients. Restrictions on Lobbying. Non-Federal entities are strictly prohibited from using funds under this grant or cooperative agreement for lobbying activities and must provide the required certifications and disclosures pursuant to 43 CFR Part 18 and 31 USC 1352.

5) Review Procedures. The Financial Assistance Officer will examine each conflict of interest disclosure on the basis of its particular facts and the nature of the proposed grant or cooperative agreement, and will determine whether a significant potential conflict exists and, if it does, develop an appropriate means for resolving it.

6) Enforcement. Failure to resolve conflicts of interest in a manner that satisfies the Government may be cause for termination of the award. Failure to make required disclosures may result in any of the remedies described in 2 CFR 200.338, Remedies for Noncompliance, including suspension or debarment (see also 2 CFR Part 180).

Other Information:

1) Applications for renewal or supplementation of existing projects are not eligible to compete with applications for new Federal awards.

2) ARTICLE XXII - SECTION 508 OF THE REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973 (29 U.S.C. §794 (d))

While the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. § 794d), do not apply to financial assistance agreements, the NPS is subject to the Act's requirements that all documents posted on an NPS or NPS-hosted website comply with the accessibility standards of the Act. Accordingly, final deliverable reports prepared under any resulting agreements and submitted in electronic format must be submitted in a format whereby NPS can easily meet the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. NOTE: Quarterly Progress Reports and financial reports are not considered final deliverables and therefore the following requirements do not apply.

All electronic documents prepared under resulting agreements must meet the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. The Act requires that all electronic products prepared for the Federal Government be accessible to persons with disabilities, including those with vision, hearing, cognitive, and mobility impairments. View Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, Standards and Guidelines for detailed information.

The following summarizes some of the requirements for preparing NPS reports in conformance with Section 508 for eventual posting by NPS to an NPS-sponsored website. For specific detailed guidance and checklists for creating accessible digital content, please go to Section 508.gov, Create Accessible Digital Products. All accessible digital content must conform to the requirements and techniques of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 or later, Level AA Success Criteria.

(a) Electronic documents with images Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element (including photographs, charts and equations) in all publications prepared in electronic format. Use descriptions such as "alt" and "longdesc" for all non-text images or place them in element content. For all documents prepared, vendors must prepare one standard HTML format as described in this statement of work AND one text format that includes descriptions for all non-text images. "Text equivalent" means text sufficient to reasonably describe the image. Images that are merely decorative require only a very brief "text equivalent" description. However, images that convey information that is important to the content of the report require text sufficient to reasonably describe that image and its purpose within the context of the report.

(b) Electronic documents with complex charts or data tables When preparing tables that are heavily designed, prepare adequate alternate information so that assistive technologies can read them out. Identify row and column headers for data tables. Provide the information in a non-linear form. Markups will be used to associate data cells and header cells for data tables that have two or more logical levels of row and column headers.

(c) Electronic documents with forms When electronic forms are designed to be completed on-line, the form will allow people using assistive technology to access the information, field elements, and functionality required for completion and submission of the form, including all directions and cues.

Section C: Eligibility Information

Application Due Date: 03/15/2021 5:00 PM, MT An applicant's failure to meet an eligibility criterion by the time of the application deadline will result in the application being excluded from consideration. This includes but is not limited to late and incomplete application packages.

1. Eligible Applicants In accordance with 54 U.S.C.§305304(c). Preservation grants, eligible applicants may include—

(1) Federal and non-Federal laboratories;

(2) accredited museums;

(3) universities;

(4) nonprofit organizations;

(5) System units and offices and Cooperative Park Study Units of the System;

(6) State Historic Preservation Offices;

(7) tribal preservation offices; and

(8) Native Hawaiian organizations.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching Non-Federal cost sharing is not required to be eligible for an award under this NOFO.

Per 2 C.F.R. § 200.306 Cost sharing or matching, under Federal research proposals, voluntary committed cost sharing is not expected. It cannot be used as a factor during the merit review of applications or proposals for research projects.

Section D: Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package An application package has been included within this NOFO for your convenience, found in Appendix A. 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 (Budget Information), and form SF-424B (Assurances).

2. Contents and Form of Application Submission You must complete the mandatory forms and any applicable optional forms, in accordance with the instructions below, as required by this NOFO. Do not include any proprietary or personally identifiable information. A complete application should include:

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

· Standard Form 424A - Budget Information Applicants must provide an estimated cumulative budget for the total project in the proposal. The estimated budget must align with the projected scope of work presented in the application.

· Detailed Budget to support the SF-424A A detailed Budget Justification is required noting all cost categories, cost item descriptions, quantities, costs per unit, and resultant calculations (including any proposed cost share). The Budget Justification may be submitted on the optional “Budget Justification” template (Excel) in the Application Package in Appendix A, or in another format of your choosing.

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

· Project Narrative - Proposal Submission Format The project narrative will be a file attachment in the application. Create the file in Microsoft Word or Word compatible software.

· The project narrative must follow the outline below:

· PROJECT TITLE:

· PROJECT TYPE: CHOOSE ONE

· Research

· Workshop

· Symposium

· Technical Publication

· Mobile Application

· Video

· Podcast

· Webinar

· PROJECT DISCIPLINE: CHOOSE ONE

· Archeology

· Architecture

· Collections Management

· Engineering

· Historic Landscapes

· Materials Conservation

· PROJECT FOCUS: CHOOSE ONE

· Disaster Planning and Response

· Innovative Techniques for Documentation

· Pioneering Treatments for Materials

· Managing Vegetation in an Historic Context

· Translating Preservation Practice to the Public

· Other

· PROJECT ABSTRACT: (250 words)

· INNOVATION: Please explain how your project addresses, uses or adapts innovative preservation technology (100 words)

· NATIONAL NEED AND IMPACT: Describe the project’s significance and national impact (250 words). How will this project benefit the American Public? How can this project be used in other regions of the country? Does this project cut across disciplines?

· BACKGROUND: Offer the pertinent background information, written for a general audience (500 words)

· METHODOLOGY: Explain the methodology to be used in the project (up to 1,000 words)

· REFERENCES: Please provide no more than a one page list of bibliographic references for the project.

· WORK PLAN: Provide a bulleted list of tasks with time frame. Insure work plan is feasible and can be completed in one year. (500 words)

· Example:

· Month One: Purchase all supplies and test materials

· Months Two through Five: Develop test protocols

· Months Six through Eight: Undertake tests

· Month Nine: Compare test results

· Months Ten through Eleven: Write up results and all final protocols

· Month Twelve: Make necessary revisions and submit grant reports

· DISSEMINATION PLAN: Explain how the results of your project will be disseminated to the end users. (250 words)

· QUALIFICATIONS: Prepare a narrative summary of the expertise of the team. (500 words) Attach one-page resumes of each team member.

· BUDGET NARRATIVE: Prepare the SF-424A according to directions. Insure that travel and salaries meet federal guidelines. If the project is expected to generate income, for example by registration fees for a workshop or symposium, please indicate the nature and source of the income. How will these funds be used to offset costs for the project? (250 words)

· OUTCOMES: Describe tangible outcomes associated with project (500 words). In addition to the interim and final reports required for the grant, will there be other products? Written papers? Presentations? Social Media? Websites? Handbooks? Etc.

· The proposal is a narrative description that should specifically address each of the review criteria (see Section E). The proposal text must be no longer than 13 pages, no smaller than font size 12, and have 1-inch margins. The 13-page limit includes all text, figures, references, and resumes (Forms SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B, SF-LLL, and the statement of indirect charges are not counted as part of the 13 page limit). Additionally, only information that is pertinent to the proposal should be included.

· Indirect Costs If your proposed budget includes indirect costs, the rate as proposed must meet the requirements of 2 CFR Part 200, Section 200.414 and 2 CFR Part 200, Appendix III through Appendix VII as applicable. A negotiated indirect cost rate agreement must be provided with your proposal. Proposals that fail to document their indirect costs will have those costs disallowed.

NOTE: This funding opportunity has a mandatory limitation on administrative costs. The total administrative costs, direct and indirect, charged for carrying out grants under this section may not exceed 25 percent of the aggregate costs.

· Other Documents Required by the Program -

· Statement of Overlap: All applicants must provide a statement to identify whether or not any overlap exists between the proposed project and any other active or anticipated projects in terms of activities, costs, or time commitment of key personnel, including any application that was submitted for funding consideration to any other potential funding source (Federal or non-Federal). If no overlap or duplication exists, a sample statement to satisfy this requirement might be: “[Insert Applicant Name] affirms that no overlap or duplication exists between the proposed project in this application and any other active or anticipated project in terms of activities, costs, or time commitment of key personnel, including any application that was submitted for funding consideration to any other potential funding source (Federal or non-Federal).” If any overlap or duplication does exist, applicants must provide a description of the overlap including when the overlapping or duplicative proposal(s) were submitted, to whom (entity and program), and when funding decisions are expected to be announced. The statement and the description of overlap or duplication, when applicable, may be provided within the proposal or as a separate attachment to the application. If at any time a proposal is awarded funds that would be overlapping or duplicative of the funding requested from NPS, the applicant must immediately notify the NPS point of contact. Any overlap or duplication of funding between the proposed project and other active or anticipated projects may impact selection and/or funding amount.

· Key Contacts Form: Please provide the contact information for:

· the person responsible for signing the grant agreement and

· the principal or project lead

· Other Attachment: Project Cover Sheet: Please provide basic information requested in the cover sheet for the proposal.

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

(a) Other budget information

(b) Financial capability

(c) Evaluation of risk

(d) Name and phone number of the Designated Responsible Employee for complying with national policies prohibiting discrimination (See 43 C.F.R. § 17)

3. Unique entity identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) Each applicant (unless exempt under 2 CFR §25.110) is required to:

(a) Be registered in SAM;

(b) Provide a valid unique entity identifier in its application (currently a DUNS number);

(c) Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal awarding agency.

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

A financial assistance agreement will not be made with a non-Federal entity until the non-Federal entity has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and SAM requirements. If a non-Federal entity has not fully complied with the requirements by the time that an agreement is ready for award, a determination may be made that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award. That determination may be used as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant.

4. Submission Dates and Times Applicants are held responsible for their proposals being submitted to the National Park Service. Applications must be received by 03/15/2021, 5:00 PM, MT. Applicants are encouraged to submit the 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 was not considered due to lateness, the applicant will be notified during the selection process.

5. Intergovernmental Review This funding opportunity is not 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/

6. Funding Restrictions Costs incurred by the applicant prior to the start date of the period of performance of a signed Federal award are only allowable with written approval by a Financial Assistance Awarding Officer.

7. Other Submission Requirements – Where to Submit Applications must be submitted by email to the National Park Service by the deadline identified in paragraph 4 above. Applications submitted by other means or not received by the deadline will not be considered.

Applications must be submitted via email with the required application documents as email attachments to NOFO-NCPTT@NPS.gov by the deadline identified in paragraph 4 above. Applications submitted by other means or not received by the deadline will not be considered.

Please note, when submitting your application through the email submission inbox, full applications must not exceed 25 megabytes of data.

In the event the applicant experiences technical difficulties with submitting their application, please contact: Kevin Ammons (Kevin_Ammons@nps.gov or 318-356-7444) or Todd Wilson (todd_wilson@nps.gov or 303-358-8403).

START THIS PROCESS EARLY DON’T DELAY!

Section E: Application Review Information

1. Criteria NPS will evaluate and consider only those applications that separately address each of the merit review criteria. Each applicant is required to provide a detailed narrative, in accordance with section D.2., of the following criteria elements. It is HIGHLY recommended that the project narrative have sections labeled as follows:

Criterion 1

Criterion 2

INNOVATION

Address, use or adapt innovative preservation technology. Is the research new and different from other projects? Is the project technical in nature and technically sound? Would results improve preservation practice? Does the proposed project address a published NCPTT Research Priority? If so, which one?

Criterion 3

NATIONAL NEED AND IMPACT

Describe the project’s significance and national impact. How does this project address a wide range of preservation needs? How are the project results applicable to more than one cultural resource?

Criterion 4

Criterion 5

Criterion 6

BUDGET

Propose a budget that is reasonable and customary for the expected outcomes. Are the costs necessary and reasonable for the performance of the grant? Are unit costs used to describe salaries and benefits? If your proposed budget includes indirect costs, negotiated indirect cost rate agreement must be provided with your proposal.

2. Review and Selection Process NPS personnel, and in some cases independent reviewers, will review all 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.

a. Initial Review Prior to conducting the comprehensive merit review, an initial review will be performed to determine whether: (1) the applicant is eligible for an award; (2) the information required by the NOFO has been submitted; (3) all mandatory requirements of the NOFO are satisfied; and (4) the proposed project is responsive to the program objectives of the NOFO (program determination). If an applicant fails to meet the requirements or objectives of the NOFO, or does not provide sufficient information for review, the applicant will be considered non-responsive and eliminated from further review.

b. Comprehensive Merit Review All applications that satisfactorily pass the initial review will be eligible for the Comprehensive 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:

c. Selection The Selection Official may consider the merit review recommendation, program policy factors, and the amount of funds available to select applications for funding.

Program Policy Factors:

1. Geographic distribution

2. Leveraging of federal resources and partnerships (including cost sharing)

3. Equitable distribution of funding to a range of program objectives

d. 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 applicant is capable of complying with the requirements of DOI Financial Assistance Regulations, and/or (3) additional specific terms and conditions are required. Failure to satisfactorily resolve the issues identified by the Government may preclude award to the applicant.

3. Evaluation of Applicant Risk In accordance with 2 C.F.R. § 200.205, applications selected for funding will be subject to a pre-award risk assessment which may include a review of information contained within the applicant’s proposal, past audits, Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS), and/or past performance on previous Federal financial assistance awards. Negative information that leads to an applicant being designated as “Medium Risk” or “High Risk” may result in specific conditions, as identified in 2 C.F.R. § 200.207, being incorporated into the final award.

4. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates

Estimated date of Federal Award: August 1, 2021

Estimated date notifying successful and unsuccessful applicants: June 1, 2021

Section F: Federal Award Administration Information

1. Federal Award Notices Upon being selected for the award, successful applicants will receive a notification of the selection of their application for funding. NPS will notify the applicant selected for award by June 1, 2021. A notice of selection is not an authorization to begin performance on an agreement. This notice 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 non-Federal entity receives a fully executed copy of the grant agreement which contains the signature of the Financial Assistance Awarding Officer. Any pre-award costs incurred prior to the receipt of a signed agreement or written notice signed by a Financial Assistance Awarding Officer authorizing pre-award costs, is at the applicant’s own risk. A signed grant agreement signed by a Financial Assistance Awarding Officer is the only authorizing document to begin performance.

Organizations whose applications have not been selected will be advised as promptly as possible.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

a. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) By accepting Federal financial assistance, the non-Federal entity agrees to abide by the applicable Federal regulations in the expenditure of Federal funds and performance under this program: 2 C.F.R. Part 200 - Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements For Federal Awards

b. Standard Award Terms and Conditions 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 the 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 the Financial Assistance Awarding Officer. All financial assistance awards 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 within Appendix B of this announcement (Contact the Financial Assistance Awarding Officer with any questions regarding the applicability of any terms and conditions).

· 2 C.F.R. Part 175 - Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000

· 2 C.F.R. Parts 182 & 1401 - Government-wide Requirements for a Drug-Free Workplace

· 2 C.F.R. Parts 180 & 1400 - Government-wide Debarment and Suspension (Non-procurement)

· 43 CFR. 18 - Restrictions on Lobbying

c. 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 C.F.R. Part 200, in its entirety; (c) requirements of the applicable OMB Circulars and Treasury regulations; (d) special terms and conditions; (e) all agreement sections, documents, exhibits, and attachments; (f) and the non-Federal Entity’s project proposal.

d. Modifications The agreement may be modified by written agreement signed by both the non-Federal entity’s Authorized Representative and the Financial Assistance Awarding Officer. Administrative changes (i.e. Financial Assistance Awarding Officer name change, etc.) which do not change the statement of work, agreement amount, etc., or otherwise affect the non-Federal entity may be signed unilaterally by the Financial Assistance Awarding Officer. Additionally, a unilateral modification may be utilized if it should become necessary to impose remedies for non- compliance, suspension or termination of 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 Financial Assistance Awarding Officer shall be allowed in any manner or degree to modify or otherwise effect the terms of the agreement.

e. Payments All applicants must be registered in the System for Awards Management (SAM) prior to award under this NOFO. 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 the Treasury Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) system. All non-Federal entities 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 non-Federal 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.

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

g. Cost Principles:

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

h. Pre-award Costs:

Must comply with 2 CFR Part 200.458 and requires written approval from the Financial Assistance Awarding Officer.

3. Reporting

a. Financial Status Reports:

A report of expenditures is required as documentation of the financial status of awards according to the official accounting records of the non-Federal entity. The financial information will be reported by completing and submitting the Federal Financial Report (FFR), SF425. At a minimum, financial reports will be required annually and shall be submitted within 90 calendar days after the end of the annual reporting period. The Financial Assistance Awarding Officer may designate a reporting schedule requiring more frequent reporting based on the assessment of risk. The reporting requirements will be defined within the grant agreement. A final FFR shall be submitted no more than 90 calendar days after the end date of the agreement.

The FFR can be downloaded at:

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

The NPS Financial Assistance 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 Financial Assistance Awarding Officer, the non-Federal entity must ensure that the information submitted is accurate, complete, and consistent with the non-Federal entity’s accounting system. The non-Federal entity’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.

b. Performance Reports:

A report of performance is required as documentation of performance towards the accomplishments of the Federal award and detailing project activity and participant profile information. At a minimum, performance reports will be required annually and shall be submitted within 90 calendar days after the end of the annual reporting period. The Financial Assistance Awarding Officer may designate a reporting schedule requiring more frequent reporting based on the assessment of risk. The reporting requirements will be defined within the grant agreement. A final performance report shall be submitted no more than 90 calendar days after the end date of the agreement.

In accordance with 2 C.F.R. 200 § 200.328, the performance reports shall contain brief information on:

(1) A comparison of actual accomplishments to the objectives of the Federal award established for the period. Where the accomplishments of the Federal award can be quantified, a computation of the cost (for example, related to units of accomplishment) may be required if that information will be useful. Where performance trend data and analysis would be informative to the Federal awarding agency program, the Federal awarding agency should include this as a performance reporting requirement;

(2) The reasons why established goals were not met, if appropriate; and

(3) Additional pertinent information including, when appropriate, analysis and explanation of cost overruns or high unit costs.

Before submitting the performance report to the NPS Financial Assistance Awarding Officer, the non-Federal entity must ensure that the information submitted is accurate, complete, and consistent with the non-Federal entity’s Federal financial report. Filing false information may result in the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.

c. Non-Compliance:

Failure to comply with the reporting requirements contained in an 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. The specific information regarding type, frequency and means of submission of post-Federal award reporting requirements will be contained in the award document.

4. Reporting Matters Related to Recipient Integrity and Performance:

If the total value of your currently active grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from all Federal awarding agencies exceeds $10,000,000 for any period of time during the period of performance of this Federal award, then you as the recipient during that period of time must maintain the currency of information reported to the System for Award Management (SAM) that is made available in the designated integrity and performance system (currently the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS)) about civil, criminal, or administrative proceedings in accordance with Appendix XII to 2 C.F.R. 200.

Section G: Federal Awarding Agency Contacts Questions and Requests pertaining to this Notice of Funding Opportunity shall be submitted to:

Agency Contact Information for Administrative Questions:

Agency Contact Information for Programmatic and Technical Questions:

Natchitoches, LA 71457

Section H: Other Information:

1. Program Information

The PTT Grants Program has been operational since 1994. The grants program has one call annually, which typically takes place in the Fall of each year. To learn more about the grants program, see www.ncptt.nps.gov.

2. Proprietary and Personally Identifiable Information

a. 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. Applicants must identify any proprietary information within their applications.

b. Personally Identifiable Information In responding to this NOFO, 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.

3. Routine Notices to Applicants

a. Modification or Changes to the Notice of Funding Opportunity Notices of any modifications to this NOFO 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.

b. 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.

c. 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.

d. 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).

Appendix A - Application Package Forms SF424, SF424A, SF424B, Example Detailed Budget, Cover Sheet

Appendix B - NPS Standard and Special Award Terms and Conditions

This appendix provides the standard and special terms and conditions for financial assistance agreements awarded by the National Park Service to assist applicants in developing proposals in response to this Notice of Funding Opportunity. It is the responsibility of the non-Federal entity to review the final terms and conditions incorporated into any resulting financial assistance agreement at the time of award as the terms and conditions in this appendix are subject to change based on executive orders, changes to regulations, or changes to policy. Additional award specific terms and conditions may also be included in any resulting financial assistance agreement based on program requirements or evaluation of applicant risk.

1. PAYMENT

A. Projects will be funded, subject to the availability of funds, by issuance of a grant agreement, cooperative agreement, or master cooperative agreement with subsequent task agreements. An agreement issued and signed by the NPS Financial Assistance Awarding Officer obligates NPS funds. Notification of a successful proposal does not constitute authority to incur costs. Once the grant agreement, cooperative agreement, and subsequent task agreements (if applicable) for a successful proposal has been signed by the NPS Financial Assistance Awarding Officer, the recipient may incur costs as specified in the approved budget submittal.

B. Method of Payment. Payment will be made by advance and/or reimbursement through the Department of Treasury’s Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) system.

1. Requesting Advances. Requests for advances must be submitted via the ASAP system. Requests may be submitted as frequently as required to meet the needs of the Financial Assistance (FA) Recipient to disburse funds for the Federal share of project costs. If feasible, each request should be timed so that payment is received on the same day that the funds are dispersed for direct project costs and/or the proportionate share of any allowable indirect costs.