eda rnta -integrator final 11-13-2015.pdf

ANNOUNCEMENT OF FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Federal Agency Name: Economic Development Administration (EDA), U.S. Department of

Commerce (DOC)

Federal Funding Opportunity Title: Integrating Economic Development Across the

Federal Government

Announcement Type and Date: Initial announcement of Federal Funding Opportunity

(FFO) publishing EDA’s application submission requirements and review procedures for applications received under EDA’s Research and Evaluation Program (R&E), as authorized by section 207 of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, as amended

(PWEDA) (42 U.S.C. § 3147). Effective date: Friday, November 13, 2015.

Funding Opportunity Number: EDA-HDQ-RNTA-2016-2004525

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.312, Economic

Development – Research and Evaluation.

Dates: To be considered timely a completed application must be transmitted and time-stamped at www.grants.gov (Grants.gov) no later than Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at

11:59 pm Eastern Time (ET). Any application received after Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at

11:59 pm Eastern Time will be considered non-responsive and will not be considered for funding. This announcement solicits applications for a research project and it is anticipated that one or multiple awards may be made. EDA expects to notify the applicant selected under this FFO by March 14, 2016.

Applicant Submissions: Applicants are advised to carefully read the application and submission information provided in section IV of this announcement. Applicants must submit applications electronically at Grants.gov.

Eligible Applicants: Pursuant to section 3(4) of PWEDA (42 U.S.C. § 3122(4)) and 13 CFR

§ 300.3 (Eligible Recipient), eligible applicants for and recipients of EDA investment assistance include a District Organization; an Indian Tribe or a consortium of Indian Tribes; a

State; a city or other political subdivision of a State, including a special purpose unit of a

State or local government engaged in economic or infrastructure development activities, or a consortium of political subdivisions; an institution of higher education or a consortium of institutions of higher education; or a public or private non-profit organization or association acting in cooperation with officials of a political subdivision of a State.

Federal Funding Opportunity Description: EDA is seeking applications for a one (1) year cooperative agreement to conduct research and analysis that results in tools for better aligning and integrating federal economic development programs. A core piece of this work will involve the creation and delivery of comprehensive, useable economic development program content that will facilitate access to and maximize the efficiency of such programs.

http://www.grants.gov/

Ultimately, such tools will permit communities seeking federal and other assistance to achieve their economic development objectives. Applicants should describe how they would develop and deliver comprehensive information, including an inventory of federal economic development programs and related content that identifies and clearly delineates the parameters for all economic development programs administered by all federal agencies. At a minimum, parameters for each program must include eligibility, typical uses, complementary uses, target applicant type, the types of activities supported by the program, other funding requirements or constraints and the outputs and outcomes expected by the programs. The ideal inventory would use the lens of EDA's logic model to identify how four key areas of economic development capacity are advanced through the identified federal economic development programs. Additionally, research and analysis will be conducted to explore the extent to which EDA's Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS) process could fulfill or better align with the economic/community/workforce development planning requirements of other Federal economic development programs. See section I.C of this FFO.

Recommendations are sought for improved alignment of planning requirements across such programs.

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

Integrating Economic Development Across the Federal Government

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Overview

B. Operational Capabilities

C. Comprehensive Development Strategies

D. Definition of Economic Development

E. Logic Model

F. Desired Activities and Outcomes

G. What is the purpose of the Research and Evaluation Program?

H. Statutory Authority for the Research and Evaluation Program

II. Award Information

A. What funding is available under this announcement?

B. What type of funding instrument will be used to make awards?

C. What is the anticipated period of performance and completion timeframe?

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. How to Obtain an Application Package

B. Content and Form of Application Submission

C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

D. Deadlines for Submission

E. How to Submit an Application

V. Application Review and Selection Process

A. Evaluation Criteria

B. Review and Selection Process

VI. Award Administration Information

A. Award Notification

B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

C. Reporting Requirements

D. Regulations, Administrative Requirements, and Cost Principles

E. EDA’s Non-relocation Policy

VII. Other Information

A. Freedom of Information Act Disclosure

B. Past Performance and Non-Compliance with Award Provisions

C. Restrictions Governing Making Grants to Corporations Convicted of Felony Criminal

Violations and/or Unpaid Federal Tax Liabilities

D. Intergovernmental Review

E. Implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

F. Requirements Pertaining to Publications and Data

VIII. Agency Contact

IX. Instructions for Application Submission via Grants.gov

Appendix A. Representation by Corporations Regarding an Unpaid Delinquent Tax

Liability or a Felony Conviction Under Any Federal Law

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Overview

EDA leads several Federal multi-agency initiatives that support transformative economic development and growth in economically challenged regions, and has been given the broad mandate to lead the federal economic development agenda.

However, despite that leadership role, many federal programs exist outside of EDA that have been issued their own mandates and appropriations to support regional or community-level economic development. This presents a significant challenge for communities as they seek to understand and access the full suite of federal economic development resources. To help facilitate access to these programs, and to maximize their efficiency, EDA is developing tools and dedicating resources to enhance coordination across agencies. These tools will seek to accelerate the effective integration of federal economic development resources and institutionalize the recent successes in placed-based initiatives to achieve better economic development outcomes. EDA expects that research under this project will coordinate with existing efforts funded by EDA, such as the StatsAmerica website at http://www.statsamerica.org/, to ensure optimal results for each project.

Desired outcomes of this research project are tools to assist economic development practitioners in integrating multiple economic development resources for supporting data-driven policies and economic development objectives. Currently, there is no readily usable inventory of economic development programs that can be used by communities, federal staff and economic development practitioners. Through this project, such a tool will be developed to identify optimal opportunities, positive confluences of programming or ideal sequencing for application to common economic development challenges.

EDA’s mission is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting innovation and competitiveness, preparing American regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. For more information about EDA’s mission, see http://www.eda.gov/about/.

http://www.eda.gov/about/

B. Operational Capabilities

Leveraging the agency’s experience in leading the Economic Recovery Support

Functions to enable post-disaster recovery coordination, EDA will be looking to build further operational capabilities to integrate economic development resources nation-wide. EDA intends to expand its staff to include a central integrated programming function that will be based at

EDA’s Headquarters. Such integrators will be expected to coordinate seamlessly with EDA’s field-based Economic Development Representatives and Regional staff, including Economic

Development Specialists. EDA’s experience in economic recovery has demonstrated a distinct need to conduct effective issue assessments, strategize about potential solutions, and then implement those solutions through technical assistance delivery mechanisms. This research project should extend that model to explore the ways in which issue identification can be conducted at the regional (multi-county), state, and multi-state regional levels. Further, the project should outline noteworthy practices for addressing common economic development coordination challenges through highlighting key technical assistance methods and practices.

C. Comprehensive Development Strategies

EDA’s Partnership Planning program helps communities develop and update CEDS, which articulate and prioritize the strategic economic goals of a recipient’s region. Coordinating regional economic development efforts across the federal government, based on EDA-supported

CEDS could have an enormous impact on fostering economic prosperity and resiliency. See section 203 (42 U.S.C. § 3143) of PWEDA and 13 CFR part 303.

Underlying the concept of the CEDS and at the foundation of EDA’s approach to economic development is its definition of economic development that emphasizes the importance of local capacity-building to long-term economic growth and prosperity. This definition has broad applicability to the field of economic development and is not restricted in its context to EDA, but rather to all economic development programs at all levels of government.

Recent EDA-supported research has identified new types of capacity-building measures that appear to correlate with increased innovation, product sales, employee training and knowledge and other benefits. EDA’s logic model (depicted under Logic Model described below) which facilitated the identification of these new capacity building measures, can be applied to many types of economic development programs which are funded by various federal agencies. As specific federal economic development programs are identified, it will be important to determine which type of capacity each program advances, consistent with EDA’s definition of economic development and logic model.

D. Definition of Economic Development

Economic Development is the expansion of capacities that contribute to the advancement of society through the realization of individual, firm and community potential. Economic development is measured by sustained increase in prosperity and quality of life through innovation, lowered transaction costs, and the utilization of capabilities towards the responsible production and diffusion of goods and services. This requires effective institutions grounded in norms of openness, tolerance for risk, appreciation for diversity, and confidence in the realization

Feldman, et al, “The Logic of Economic Development: A Definition and Model for Investment.” 2014; available at http://www.eda.gov/tools.

http://www.eda.gov/tools of mutual gain for the public and the private sector. Economic development is essential to creating the conditions for economic growth and ensuring our economic future.

EDA distinguishes economic development from economic growth, which is a simple increase in aggregate output. American cities and regional economies are restructuring in light of dramatic global economic integration and increased competition. There is a need to not only lift less prosperous places but to also ensure that the full range of communities can actively achieve their potential. A modern view of economic development requires creating the preconditions or capacities that support creativity, collaborative problem solving and information sharing, and lowering the costs of engaging in innovation.

E. Logic Model

EDA’s general logic model is useful to visually depict (reading right to left) how outcomes may be traced to types of capacity increases stemming from activities and programs.

Government investments take a long time to translate into the outcome measures that they attempt to influence. Government investment, however, can build capacity that will translate into a set of realized outcomes fostering economic development. The logic is that government investment builds the resources and infrastructure that enable private sector activity to succeed.

In EDA’s Logic Model, there are two phases of Realized Outcomes, which are the results of private sector utilization of the capacity that is the result of government investment. EDA investment builds capacity in places and communities. The uptake by the private sector utilizing that capacity produces tangible outcomes, such as jobs, exports and additional investment. The ultimate policy objectives on the right-hand side are articulated as long-term Prosperity and

Quality of Life. The left-hand side of the Logic Model provides the current set of EDA programmatic inputs: Public Works, Economic Adjustment, Regional Innovation Strategies, Partnership Planning, Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms (TAAF), Technical Assistance.

The underlying logic and definition of economic development that EDA uses is discussed in more detail in a seminal work, produced as part of a grant supported by EDA.

Ibid.

F. Desired Activities and Outcomes

EDA seeks to accomplish the following activities and outcomes with this award:

a) Develop key content for a toolkit for integrating economic development across all federal economic development programs by:

o Building a comprehensive inventory from existing models and researching additional content, as necessary, for economic development resources especially federal economic development programs;

Such an inventory must include key parameters for each economic development program, (at a minimum: eligibility, target applicant type, geographic level of engagement, the types of activities supported by the program, and the outputs and outcomes generated by the programs) o Categorizing content (including but not limited to federal economic development programs) consistent with EDA’s logic model and definition of economic development, demonstrating which envisioned program activities are linked to which types of outputs and outputs to outcomes at the regional level; and

b) Provide noteworthy practices in collaboration and coordination across programs, identifying where positive confluences have led to accelerated recovery or expanded economic development.

c) Analyze and document the extent to which EDA’s CEDS meet the requirements established by other federal agencies for plans related to economic development activities and highlight any gap areas. Produce recommendations for bridging those gaps (i.e.

aligning the planning requirements of other federal economic development programs to those of EDA’s CEDS).

d) Provide recommendations for media and technology delivery channels to maximize usability by EDA staff, practitioners and communities.

G. What is the purpose of the Research and Evaluation Program?

Through the Research and Evaluation (R&E) program, EDA supports the development of tools, recommendations, and resources that shape Federal economic development policies and inform economic development decision-making at the local level. R&E program investments provide critical, cutting-edge research and best practices to regional, state, and local practitioners in the economic development field, thereby enhancing understanding and implementation of economic development concepts throughout the country. EDA also regularly evaluates the impacts and outcomes of its various programs as a means of identifying policy and program modifications that will increase the agency’s efficiency and effectiveness.

H. Statutory Authority for the Research and Evaluation Program

The authority for the R&E program is listed in section 207 (42 U.S.C. § 3147) of

PWEDA, and 13 CFR part 306, subpart A. EDA’s regulations, which will govern an award made under this announcement, are codified at 13 CFR chapter III.

II. Award Information

A. What funding is available under this announcement?

EDA anticipates that the award made under this announcement will involve a twelve (12) month period of performance and plans to allocate up to $300,000 in no-year funds appropriated for this purpose through the R&E program. However, as of November 13, 2015, the full amount of FY 2016 appropriations is not available and EDA is operating under the authority of the

Continuing Appropriations Act, 2016 Pub. L. No. 114-53 (October 30, 2015). This Continuing

Resolution allocates to EDA a level of funding based on FY 2015 funding levels, but on a pro-rated basis, until the enactment of additional or full-year FY 2016 appropriations or December

11, 2015, whichever occurs first. EDA expects funding levels for FY 2016 to be similar to that in FY 2015, but the final amounts will not be known until Congress passes a FY 2016 appropriations act.

The funding period and funding amount is subject to the availability of funds at the time of award, as well as to DOC and EDA priorities at the time of award. Neither DOC nor EDA will be held responsible for application preparation costs. Publication of this FFO does not obligate DOC or EDA to award any specific cooperative agreement or to obligate all or any part of available funds.

B. What type of funding instrument will be used to make awards?

Subject to the availability of funds, EDA anticipates that an award made under this competitive solicitation will be in the form of a cooperative agreement. For a cooperative agreement, the nature of EDA’s “substantial involvement” (to be included in the terms and conditions of the award) will generally be collaboration between EDA and the recipient on the scope of work. However, other possible examples of EDA’s “substantial involvement” may include, but are not limited to: (i) authority to halt immediately an activity if detailed performance specifications are not met; (ii) stipulation that the recipient must meet or adhere to specific procedural requirements before subsequent stages of a project may continue; (iii) involvement in the selection of key recipient personnel; and (iv) operational involvement and monitoring during the project to ensure compliance with statutory requirements.

C. What is the anticipated period of performance and completion timeframe?

EDA anticipates a twelve (12) month period of performance, subject to the availability of funds, EDA policy, and satisfactory performance under the award. Applicants should ensure that their proposal and budget clearly specify how they will complete the Scope of Work within this timeframe. A typical period of performance begins with an initial kickoff meeting between the recipient and EDA staff to discuss project scope and to ensure that all parties are in agreement as to project terms. After the initial meeting, the recipient generally submits a final work plan to

EDA staff for review and approval. Progress and financial reports and project work will be submitted to EDA based on the dates agreed to during the initial meeting and as outlined in the award special terms and conditions.

The recipient will be expected to submit a draft report and toolkit, at least 60 days before the end of the period of performance for EDA’s review. Based on the agency’s review, EDA may request technical and substantive revisions to the draft report and toolkit. If these revisions are incorporated and the draft is ultimately approved, EDA will then approve publication of a final research report which the recipient may not sell and the recipient will brief EDA senior management on research methods and report results.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Pursuant to section 3(4) of PWEDA (42 U.S.C. § 3122(4)) and 13 CFR § 300.3 (Eligible

Recipients), eligible applicants for and recipients of EDA investment assistance include a

District Organization; an Indian Tribe or a consortium of Indian Tribes; a State; a city or other political subdivision of a State, including a special purpose unit of a State or local government engaged in economic or infrastructure development activities, or a consortium of political subdivisions; an institution of higher education or a consortium of institutions of higher education; or a public or private non-profit organization or association acting in cooperation with officials of a political subdivision of a State.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

Generally, the amount of the EDA cooperative agreement may not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of the project. However, under this announcement, the Assistant Secretary of

Commerce for Economic Development (“Assistant Secretary”) has established a maximum EDA investment rate of up to 80 percent where the project (a) merits, and is not otherwise feasible without, such an increase to the EDA investment rate; or (b) will be of no or only incidental financial benefit to the recipient. See section 204(c)(3) of PWEDA (42 U.S.C. § 3144); 13 CFR §

301.4(b)(4).

The applicant must show that the matching share will: (i) be COMMITTED to the project for the project period, (ii) be AVAILABLE as needed, and (iii) NOT BE CONDITIONED OR

ENCUMBERED in any way that may preclude its use consistent with the requirements of EDA investment assistance. EDA will consider the nature of the contribution (cash or in-kind), the amount of any matching share funds, and fairly assess any in-kind contributions in evaluating the cost to the Federal government and the feasibility of the project budget (see section V. below).

While cash contributions are preferred, in-kind contributions, fairly evaluated by EDA may provide the non-Federal share of the total project costs. See section 204(b) of PWEDA (42

U.S.C. § 3144). In-kind contributions, which may include assumptions of debt and contributions of space, equipment, and services, are eligible to be included as part of the non-Federal share of eligible project costs if they meet applicable Federal cost principles and uniform administrative requirements.

Funds from other Federal assistance awards are considered matching share funds only if authorized by the statute, which may be determined by EDA’s reasonable interpretation of the statute. See the definition of “Local Share or Matching Share” at 13 CFR § 300.3. The applicant must show that the matching share is committed to the project for the entire period of performance, will be available as needed, and is not conditioned or encumbered in any way that precludes its use consistent with the requirements of EDA investment assistance. See 13 CFR §

301.5.

See 2 CFR § 200.306.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. How to Obtain an Application Package

Applicants may access the application package for this FFO electronically at www.grants.gov (Grants.gov). Applicants may search for this funding opportunity on Grants.gov using Funding Opportunity Number “EDA-HDQ-RNTA-2016-2004525”. All components of the appropriate application package may be accessed and downloaded (in a screen-fillable format) at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply_for_grants.jsp. The preferred electronic file format for attachments is Adobe portable document format (PDF); however, EDA will accept electronic files in Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, or Microsoft Excel. Applicants are advised that they must complete the registration process prior to submitting an application through Grants.gov;

however, please note that registration is not required for an applicant to access, view, or download the application package. Even though an applicant may be able to view and download an application, if the applicant has not correctly completed the Grants.gov registration process, the applicant will not be able to submit the application for EDA’s review. Alternatively, an applicant eligible for assistance under this announcement may request a paper application package by contacting RNTA@eda.gov.

B. Content and Form of Application Submission

To be considered complete, an application package must consist of:

All required forms;

The Proposal, which includes the Executive Summary, Project Narrative, Organizational Capacity/Project Management Experience and Budget Description;

Major Milestones/Deliverables and

Addenda to the Proposal.

Applications that do not contain all required forms listed in each part, or that fail to adhere to the instructions in this FFO, may be considered incomplete and may not be considered for funding. Additional application materials not requested under this FFO will not be reviewed or evaluated.

Applicants are advised to carefully read the instructions contained in this FFO and in all forms contained in the application package. It is the sole responsibility of each applicant to ensure that a complete application package is received.

1. Required Forms

All applicants must include the following forms at the time of application submission. The forms should be uploaded as separate Adobe PDF files. All forms listed in this section will be available in the Grants.gov application package.

1. One Form ED-900A (Additional EDA Assurances for Construction Or Non-

Construction Investments) from each co-applicant.

2. One Form SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance) from each co-applicant.

3. One Form SF-424A (Budget Information – Non-Construction Programs) per project.

4. One Form SF-424B (Assurances-Non-Construction Programs) from each co-applicant.

5. One Form CD-511 (Certification Regarding Lobbying) from each co-applicant.

6. One Form SF-LLL (Disclosure of Lobbying Activities) from each co-applicant.

2. Proposal Content

The Proposal must clearly articulate the overall goals of the project, the specific and distinct

Scopes of Work and concrete activities that will be accomplished under it. The Proposal must also demonstrate each applicant’s capability to implement the proposed activities in accordance with the requirements of this FFO. Applications will be evaluated based on the Evaluation

Criteria outlined in section V. Applicants should carefully adhere to the page limits specified for each section of the proposal. Pages beyond the specified page limit for each section will not be read or considered.

a) Project Narrative

The Project Narrative should address all activities that will be undertaken using the funds requested under this FFO, a summary of how these activities support the overall project’s goals, and a clear vision for the final report. The Project Narrative may not exceed 15-single sided, 8.5x11-inch pages, with a minimum 12-point font and 1-inch margins. Within the Project

Narrative, applicants should address the following elements:

Applicants should discuss how they would identify and define what constitutes key content for a toolkit to improve coordination across programs supportive of economic development. Applicants should also describe how they would develop an inventory of federal economic development programs by updating, consolidating and adding to existing inventories.

Applicants should discuss what requirements and parameters for economic development programs they would include as part of their inventory. (To give just a few examples, these should include at a minimum: eligibility, target applicant type, geographic level of engagement, the types of activities supported by the program, and the outputs and outcomes generated by the programs.) Additionally, applicants should explain how they would categorize content via the lens of EDA’s logic model.

At a minimum, the following deliverables are required, and the applicant should identify how they plan to meet each of the requirements including quantity, level, and depth, and also identify any additional intermediate products and services:

1) Develop key content for a toolkit for integrating economic development across the federal government economic development programs by:

o Building a comprehensive inventory from existing models and researching additional content as necessary;

o Identifying what constitutes key parameters for economic development programs, (for example: eligibility, target applicant type, geographic level of engagement, the types of activities supported by the program, and the outputs and outcomes generated by the programs) o Categorizing content consistent with EDA’s logic model and definition of economic development, demonstrating how activities are linked to outputs and outputs to outcomes for the targeted set of activities and metrics; and o Identifying and providing additional content to help program integrators understand how to identify issues and best support community economic development.

Successful applicants will demonstrate their knowledge of existing economic development programs and inventories and detail how they will coordinate with federal agencies and EDA grantees;

Successful applicants will also discuss a proposed methodology for categorizing content and how they will identify optimal opportunities, positive confluences of programming or ideal sequencing.;

Applicants should also identify potential, additional content that the applicant foresees gathering to develop the content of toolkit to help program integrators with identification of issues and optimal support of programs.

2) Provide noteworthy practices in collaboration and coordination across programs, identifying where positive confluences have led to accelerated economic recovery or expanded economic development by identifying noteworthy practices in collaboration and coordination.

Successful applicants will demonstrate their knowledge of what types of factors lead to positive confluences and what constitutes noteworthy practices in accelerated economic development;

Successful applicants should reflect knowledge of what types of sequencing and partner building leads to noteworthy practices; and

Successful applicants will suggest some examples that lend themselves to case studies and replicable practices to accelerate economic development by implementation of an integrated approach.

3) Analyze and document the extent to which EDA's CEDS meet the requirements established by other federal agencies for plans related to economic development activities and highlight any gap areas. Produce recommendations for bridging those gaps (i.e. aligning the planning requirements of other federal economic development programs to those of

EDA's CEDS) by:

o Describing the requirements of other federal agencies for programs related to economic development and analyzing the extent to which existing CEDS fulfill these needs.

Successful applicants will demonstrate their understanding of the CEDS process and value added from CEDS;

Successful applicants will demonstrate knowledge of other agencies planning requirements, including any existing gaps; and

Successful applicants will discuss leveraging of EDA CEDS and possible synergies with other programs.

o Identifying any gaps and developing recommendations for how planning requirements could be aligned.

Successful applicants will discuss how steps to align planning requirements will be identified and recommendations developed;

Successful applicants will discuss how recommendations would be developed to be actionable and realistic.

4) Provide recommendations for media and technology delivery channels to maximize usability by EDA staff, practitioners and communities by:

o Identifying the pros and cons of different delivery channels and recommending optimal delivery channels to maximize usability of economic development program content by EDA staff, practitioners and communities.

b) Organizational Capacity and Project Management

A separate section on Organization Capacity, including Project Management experience should address all activities that will be undertaken using the funds requested under this FFO, a summary of how these activities support the overall project’s goals, and a clear vision for the final report. Organization Capacity and Project Management may not exceed 5-single sided, 8.5x11-inch pages, with a minimum 12-point font and 1-inch margins. Note: resumes for key personnel should be included under Addenda to the Proposal and will not count against the page limitations of this section. (See Addenda section below). Within the Organization Capacity and

Project Management section, applicants should address how the applicant will be able to work collaboratively with Federal partners and economic development organizations, and demonstrate:

o Subject matter expertise in the various aspects of a regional ecosystem including, economic development, workforce development, planning and others.

o Functional expertise in the major components of the work, including leadership and facilitation of projects related to robust programmatic content, actionable recommendations and toolkits.

o Experience coordinating with Federal Project Managers and collaborating with various partners (including a discussion of the extent of participation of government agencies, private sector interests, education providers, non-profits, community and labor groups, workforce boards, utilities, etc).

c) Budget Description

A separate budget narrative must be created and submitted to describe the costs associated with each line item on the Form SF-424A. Supporting documentation listing the components of these categories must be included. The budget narrative should include the following:

1. A personnel plan listing all positions proposed to be charged to the project whether as Federal or non-Federal costs. The personnel plan must include the position titles, salaries, percentage of time dedicated to the project, and amount of salary charged to the project for each staff member assigned to the project. The sum of all salaries charged to the project must equal the amount on the

“Personnel” budget line item on Form SF-424A. The personnel plan should provide a description of how the personnel will carry out the proposed plan, including the adequacy and previous performance of the proposed team to carry out project activities.

2. A description of the source, nature, and amount of all non-EDA funds for the project. All non-EDA funds must be committed to the project, available as needed, and not conditioned or encumbered in any way that would preclude their use consistent with the purpose of the project. Applicants must also attach documentation confirming non-EDA (matching or cost share) funding.

3. As described in section III.B above, if the applicant is requesting a federal share higher than 50% of the total project costs, then the applicant must provide justification as to why the project (a) merits, and is not otherwise feasible without, such an increase to the EDA investment rate; or (b) will be of no or only incidental financial benefit to the recipient.

4. If contracts will be used to complete part or all of this project, applicant must include a statement that contracts will be awarded by competitive bid, or if contracts will not be awarded by competitive bid, applicant must provide adequate documentation that sole source justifications can be made in accordance with the

Uniform Administrative Requirements (2 C.F.R. part 200; see 2 C.F.R. §

200.320(f)).

d) Schedule of Major Milestones and Deliverables

All Applicants must submit a schedule detailing the expected start and end date of all major milestones and deliverables described in the Project Narrative. The schedule should be outlined in months, so that it is easily discernable in how many months the applicant could start the project from the date of project award, in how many months each of the key project milestones and deliverables will be accomplished from the date of project award, and the anticipated number of months after the date of project award that the project will be completed, not to exceed the twelve (12) month award period.

e) Addenda to the Proposal

Applicants must also submit the following Addenda to the Proposal in PDF format.

Applications that do not include the required Addenda may be considered incomplete and/or non-responsive and may not be reviewed.

1) Resumes of Key Personnel

Applicants must attach the resumes of key project staff, which should not exceed two pages in length (per resume). Resumes should be compiled and uploaded together as one PDF file.

2) Additional Requirements for Non-Profit

In addition to all applicable items listed above, EDA applicants that are non-profit organizations must submit the following:

A certificate of good standing from the State of its incorporation that is less than twelve (12) months old;

A copy of the organization’s Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws;

A copy of the most recent (not older than 18 months) IRS Form 990 (Return of

Organization Exempt from Income Tax) (without attachments or schedules).

3) Copy of Current, Approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if

Applicable)

If facilities and administrative costs (sometimes referred to as indirect costs) are included in the budget, the applicant must include a copy of its current Facilities and Administrative Cost

Rate Agreement or documentation establishing that it has a pending application. An applicant that does not have a current Facilities and Administrative Cost Rate Agreement negotiated and approved by the Department of Commerce (or by the applicable cognizant Federal agency) may propose facilities and administrative costs in its budget. However, the applicant must prepare and submit a facilities and administrative cost allocation plan and rate proposal or a negotiated indirect cost rate as required by 2 CFR part 200 “Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost

Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards.” The allocation plan and the rate proposal must be submitted to EDA’s Office of Regional Affairs (or applicable cognizant

Federal agency) within ninety days from the award start date. In addition, in accordance with 2

C.F.R. § 200.414(f), any non-Federal entity that has never received a negotiated indirect cost rate, except for those non-Federal entities described in Paragraph D.1.b of Appendix VII to 2

C.F.R. Part 200 (specifically, a governmental department or agency that receives more than $35 million in direct Federal funding), may elect to charge a de minimis rate of 10 percent of modified total direct costs. The maximum dollar amount of allocable facilities and administrative costs for which EDA will reimburse a recipient shall be the lesser of the: (i) line-item amount for the Federal share of facilities and administrative costs contained in the EDA-approved budget for the award, or (ii) Federal share of the total allocable facilities and administrative costs of the award based on the cost rate approved by EDA (or applicable cognizant Federal agency);

provided that the cost rate is current at the time the costs were incurred and provided that the rate is approved on or before the award end date. The applicant should include a statement in its budget narrative if the applicant does not have, or has not applied for, a Facilities and

Administrative Cost Rate Agreement.

4) Comments from the State Clearinghouse to comply with Executive

Order 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs,” if applicable.

If the comment period has not expired or comments were not received, a copy of the applicant’s request for comments is sufficient; however, in that instance, the final determination will be required prior to award. Detailed information on the State Clearinghouse process can be accessed at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc.

C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

Each applicant (unless the applicant is an individual or Federal awarding agency that is excepted from those requirements under 2 CFR §25.110(b) or (c), or has an exception approved by the Federal awarding agency under 2 CFR §25.110(d)) must: (i) be registered in SAM

(www.sam.gov) before submitting its application; (ii) provide a valid unique identifier in its application; and (iii) 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 EDA. EDA may not make a Federal award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and SAM requirements and, if the applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time EDA is ready to make a

Federal award, EDA may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant.

D. Deadlines for Submission

To be considered timely, a completed application, regardless of the format in which it is submitted, must be transmitted and time-stamped at www.grants.gov no later than Wednesday, January 13, 2016, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Any application transmitted or received, as the case may be, after Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time will be considered non-responsive and will not be considered for funding.

Applicants are advised that they are solely responsible for ensuring that EDA receives complete, timely, and accurate applications. EDA will not accept any changes, additions, revisions, or deletions to applications after the closing date and time have passed. EDA may contact an applicant for additional clarifications regarding its application after final evaluations by the review panel.

E. How to Submit an Application

Applicants are required to submit applications electronically in accordance with the instructions provided at www.grants.gov. EDA will not accept facsimile and paper (hard copy) transmissions of applications.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to start early and not to wait until the approaching deadline before logging on and reviewing the application instructions at www.grants.gov.

Applicants should save and print written proof of an electronic submission made at www.grants.gov. If problems occur, the applicant is advised to (a) print any error message received; and (b) call the www.grants.gov Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726 for assistance. The

Contact Center is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (except for Federal holidays). The following link is useful resources: http://www.grants.gov/help/help.jsp. If you do not find an answer to your question under “Applicant FAQ’s.” try consulting the “Applicant User Guide” or contacting www.grants.gov via email at support@grants.gov or telephone at 1-800-518-4726.

V. Application Review and Selection Process

A. Evaluation Criteria

To apply for an award under this announcement, an eligible applicant must submit a completed application package to EDA in accordance with section IV. of this FFO. Applications that do not meet all requirements or that exceed the page limitations set forth in section IV.B. of this announcement may be considered non-responsive and may not be considered by the review panel. A panel comprised of at least three Federal employees will be formed to review applications. The review panel will evaluate applications and rate and rank them using the evaluation criteria identified below, sub-criteria will be weighed equally towards the respective criteria’s point total.

1. Strategic Approach (50 points)

Documented approach to meeting the elements identified in the Scope of Work including:

o Developing key content for a toolkit for integrating economic development across the federal government economic development programs;

o Building a comprehensive inventory from existing models and researching additional content, as necessary, for economic development resources especially federal economic development programs;

o Particularly, by identifying how key content will be selected, what the immediate parameters for inclusion and how additional parameters may be http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/help/help.jsp mailto:support@grants.gov identified, and how a lens consistent with EDA's logic model and definition of economic development will be applied, o Providing noteworthy practices in collaboration and coordination that demonstrate positive confluences leading to accelerated recovery or expanded economic development;

o Analyzing and documenting the extent to which EDA's CEDS meet the requirements established by other federal agencies for plans related to economic development activities and highlight any gap areas; and o Producing recommendations for bridging those gaps (i.e. aligning the planning requirements of other federal economic development programs to those of EDA's

CEDS).

o Producing recommendations for media and technology delivery channels to maximize usability by EDA staff, practitioners and communities

2. Organizational Capacity and Personnel (20 points)

Adequacy of the applicant’s team to carry out the proposed work and achieve success;

Qualified personnel that, as a group, demonstrate project management expertise, as well as demonstrated success in all aspects of the scope of work;

The education, experience, and professional accomplishments of each organization and all key personnel;

Adequacy of the applicant’s team in the various subject matter necessary to implement research on performance measurement, metrics and economic development and deliver practical, sound recommendations;

Previous performance of the organizations and key personnel making up the team, as applicable;

Strength of the proposed management plan to achieve the project goals and manage partner organizations and project staff.

3. Feasibility of Budget and Any Proposed Match (15 points)

Meet the proposed Scope of Work covering Budget including:

Completeness of a proposed budget, including the extent to which it adequately supports and covers complete project;

Strength of any proposed match including documented commitments;

Identification of how Federal funds will be used and how any cash match will be used;

Extent to which budgetary challenges and risks are identified and mitigation strategies are proposed.

4. Feasibility of Milestones and Deliverables (15 points)

Meet the proposed Scope of Work covering “Milestones and Deliverables” including:

Strength of the proposed management plan to achieve the project goals and manage partner organizations and project staff;

Completeness of a proposed schedule including the extent to which appropriate targets, deliverables, and milestones are clearly defined;

Strength of the plan to achieve key milestones and timeline dates, measure progress toward targets and the likelihood that milestones will be met;

Extent to which challenges and risks to the timeline are identified and mitigation strategies are proposed.

B. Review and Selection Process

As set forth below, EDA staff will review all applications received to ensure that they are complete and eligible to receive funding.

1. Review for Eligibility and Completeness

EDA staff will conduct an eligibility and technical completeness review of all applications received by the application deadline. Applications received from ineligible entities will not be considered for funding. Additionally, applications that do not contain all forms and required documentation listed in section IV.B. of this FFO may be deemed non-responsive and excluded from further consideration. EDA expects all applicants to complete and include all required forms and documentation. However, EDA, in its sole discretion, may determine that an omission is a non-substantive technical deficiency if it can easily and quickly be rectified or cured, and therefore, may continue its consideration of the application despite the deficiency.

2. Merit Review Panels

Merit Review Panels, comprised of at least three Federal employees, will evaluate the applications against the evaluation criteria enumerated in section V.A. of this FFO and award up to 100 points to each application. Application scores will be determined by each panelist on an individual basis, and the average of the individual ratings will produce a panel score. For each competition, the Merit Review Panels will prepare a priority funding order for the applications— based on its consideration of the evaluation criteria—and recommend to the EDA Grants Officer, in such priority order, those applications that merit consideration for EDA funding.

3. Grants Officer’s Decision

The Merit Review Panel’s recommendations will be forwarded to EDA’s Deputy

Assistant Secretary for Regional Affairs (DAS/RA), who is the Grants Officer under this announcement. The DAS/RA has been delegated the authority to make the final decision on whether to fund an application and may select a project for funding that differs from the Merit

Review Panel’s priority recommendations based on any of the following four (4) Selection

Factors or use these four Selection Factors to break a tie for applications that are otherwise considered equal in merit:

1) A determination that the selected application better meets the overall objectives of the R&E program (see section I.H. of this FFO);

2) The ability of a project to start quickly;

3) The applicant’s performance under previous awards; or

4) The availability of funds.

The DAS/RA’s final decision must be consistent with EDA’s and DOC’s published policies. Should the DAS/RA make a selection that differs from the Merit Review Panels’ ranked applications, the DAS/RA will document the rationale for the decision in writing.

However, if EDA does not receive satisfactory applications, the DAS/RA may not…