Foa_Content_of_NOAA-NOS-OCS-2025-30451rev1.pdf

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

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Table of Contents

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

Executive Summary Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description II. Award Information III. Eligibility Information IV. Application and Submission Information V. Application Review Information VI. Award Administration Information VII. Agency Contacts VIII. Other Information

Executive Summary Federal Agency Name NOS Office of Coast Survey (OCS)

Funding Opportunity Title Joint Hydrographic Center 2025

Announcement Type Competitive

Funding Opportunity Number

NOAA-NOS-OCS-2025-30451

Assistance Listing Number(s) 11.400

Dates Deadline: Proposals must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 27, 2025

Period of Performance: Projects should have a start date no earlier than October 1, 2025 and an end date of no later than December 31, 2030.

Registration Requirements We strongly encourage all prospective applicants to begin required registrations as early as possible.

Completing the required registrations can take six weeks or longer. Submission due dates will not be extended because of registration delays. Submissions received after the due date will be considered late and will not be accepted.

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Applicant organizations must complete and maintain three registrations to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. These registrations include SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. The complete registration process for all three systems can take 4 to 6 weeks, so applicants should begin this activity as soon as possible. If an eligible applicant does not have access to the internet, please contact the Agency Contacts listed in Section VII for submission instructions.

Prior to registering with eRA Commons, applicant organizations must first obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from SAM.gov, if needed (refer to Section IV. Applications and Submission Information, Section C).

Organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their full SAM and Grants.gov registrations; however, all registrations must be in place by time of application submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.

Submission Validation When you submit an application to this competition you will receive notification of submission validation from Grants.gov and eRA Commons. Only validated applications are sent to NOAA to review. To ensure successful submission of an application, we strongly recommend that you submit a final and complete application at least three business days prior to the submission deadline.

In addition to the Grants.gov automated notification messages, once an electronic application is accepted in eRA Commons, you will receive an automated notification from eRA Commons that the completed application was received and that an application number will be assigned. If there are errors in the application, eRA Commons will send an automated email notification(s) of any errors or warnings identified by eRA Commons. You must resolve all eRA Commons errors prior to the application due date in order for the application to be processed.

You should save and print the proof of submission messages from both Grants.gov and eRA Commons.

If you do not receive an acceptance message from both Grants.gov and eRA Commons, you should follow up with the eRA Helpdesk at 1-866-504-9552 and the agency contact listed in Section VII to confirm NOAA’s receipt of the complete submission. See Section IV(G) for detailed instructions on submission validation requirements.

Funding Opportunity Description The purpose of this notice is to solicit proposals for a single cooperative agreement between NOAA and an institution of higher learning to operate and maintain a Joint Hydrographic Center as authorized in the Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act and the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act. Additional supportive policy statements for the guidance of activities at these centers include the November 2019 Presidential Memorandum on ocean mapping, which calls for mapping, exploring, and characterizing the U.S. EEZ to improve our Nation’s understanding of our vast ocean resources and to advance the economic, security, and environmental interests of the United States. Proposals submitted in response to this announcement should advance the purposes of the Acts and the Presidential Memorandum by addressing the Program Priorities described in this announcement.

This will be a 5-year, multiyear award. The intent is to make a single 5-year award. Total anticipated funding for this award is approximately $47,500,000.00 with approximately $9,500,000.00 to be released in FY 2025 and each subsequent year of the 5 years.

This document sets out requirements for submitting to NOAA-NOS-OCS-2025-30451

Full Text of Announcement https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/sam.gov/content/home__;!!FiG2giev53vN!6sxfF1sAvFOjycyhk2fdYVMXfZUYW1Ds_UXVaciBtzYJKo3z8ULHyQvQg4Ofc9vYVkBUxe6XLOLToDr9jML3HFOGrg$ https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.grants.gov/web/grants/home.html__;!!FiG2giev53vN!6sxfF1sAvFOjycyhk2fdYVMXfZUYW1Ds_UXVaciBtzYJKo3z8ULHyQvQg4Ofc9vYVkBUxe6XLOLToDr9jMLXTbXHRA$ https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.era.nih.gov/eracommons-timeline.htm__;!!FiG2giev53vN!6sxfF1sAvFOjycyhk2fdYVMXfZUYW1Ds_UXVaciBtzYJKo3z8ULHyQvQg4Ofc9vYVkBUxe6XLOLToDr9jMKhmRSrhg$

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I. Funding Opportunity Description A. Program Objective Through the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act, the Congress has authorized the creation, support, and maintenance of such joint centers as the Administrator of NOAA deems appropriate or necessary to carry out the purposes of the Act, and the Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act has authorized NOAA to operate up to three joint ocean and coastal mapping centers, including a joint hydrographic center, co-located with an institution of higher education. Additional supportive policy statements for the guidance of activities at these centers include the November 2019 Presidential Memorandum on ocean mapping, which calls for mapping, exploring, and characterizing the U.S. EEZ to improve our Nation’s understanding of our vast ocean resources and to advance the economic, security, and environmental interests of the United States. NOAA desires to competitively award funds to continue the operation of a Joint Hydrographic Center, originally created in 1999. The purpose of this notice is to solicit proposals for a cooperative agreement between NOAA and an institution of higher education to operate a Joint Hydrographic Center as authorized in the Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act and the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act. Proposals submitted in response to this announcement should advance the purposes of the Acts and the Presidential Memorandum by addressing the Program Priorities described in this announcement.

B. Program Priorities

1. Advance Technology to Expand and Strengthen U.S. Capabilities to Acquire High-Value Ocean and Coastal Geospatial Data:

a. Data Acquisition Improvement in the effectiveness, efficiency, and data quality of acoustic and lidar bathymetry and seafloor imaging systems, their included water column and seafloor backscatter and reflectance capabilities, their associated vertical and horizontal positioning and orientation systems, and other novel or emergent sensor technologies for hydrographic surveying and ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes mapping.

Improvement in the integration and concurrent operation of other sensor technologies and parameters that expand the efficiency and effectiveness of mapping operations, such as water column echo sounders, sub-bottom profilers, magnetometers, and gravimeters.

Improvement in the operation and deployment of uncrewed systems for hydrographic and ocean mapping and similar marine geospatial data acquisition missions. Enhancements in the efficiency and the hydrographic and related data acquisition capability of uncrewed systems in multiple scenarios including shore-based and ship-based deployments, line-of-sight and over-the-horizon operations, and long duration autonomous ocean and coastal mapping data acquisition operations.

Improvement of systems and technology for both remotely-managed and autonomous data acquisition systems and technologies for crewed and uncrewed platforms, vessels of opportunity, and volunteer data providers in a wide variety of data acquisition scenarios.

b. Adding Value to Data Improvement in technology and methods for adding value to hydrographic and ocean and coastal mapping sensor and ancillary sensor data through more efficient data processing, quality control, and quality assurance, including the determination and application of measurement uncertainty.

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Improvement in technology and methods for adding value to hydrographic and ocean and coastal mapping sensor and ancillary sensor data through more efficient detection, identification, and classification of fixed and transient targets and features on the seafloor and in the water column, including hydrocarbons. Technology and methods for determining confidence levels that fixed and transient targets are not present in survey data when not detected.

Development of improved tools and processes for adding bathymetric value to archived and new data from sonar systems primarily intended for water column measurements, such as fisheries split beam and multibeam echosounders through assessment, processing, and determination of uncertainty.

Development of improved tools and processes for adding value through assessment, processing, and innovative application of ocean mapping and coastal geospatial data from emerging sources such as drones, cameras, lidar scanners, optical sensors, satellites, and volunteer/crowd-sourced observing systems.

Development of approaches to adding value through the application of cloud services, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to the management, processing, assessment, and analysis of hydrographic and coastal and ocean mapping data from both established and emerging sources, as well as to data from associated systems such as water level and current sensors, ocean and Great Lakes observing systems, and regional and global precise positioning networks.

c. Supporting Ocean and Coastal Economic Activity Adaption and improvement of hydrographic survey and ocean mapping technologies including the development of potential new approaches and technologies in support of mapping the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone and U.S. Continental Shelf, and of “Blue Economy” activities in U.S. waters such as offshore mineral and resource development, coastal hazard planning, aquaculture, and the responsible management of U.S. living marine resources.

2. Delivery of Marine Geospatial Products and Services:

New and improved approaches to the delivery of bathymetric services, including, among others, sea- and lake-floor elevation models, depth comparisons and synoptic changes, hydrodynamic model boundary conditions, and depths from the National Bathymetric Source, the National Centers for Environmental Information archives, other enterprise databases, and international sources such as Seabed 2030.

Development of improved methods for transforming marine geospatial data in enterprise databases, electronic navigational charts and other navigation and non-navigation products, particularly in the context of the new S-100 framework and family of associated data standards.

Development of new approaches for the application of spatial data technology and cartographic science to hydrographic, ocean and coastal mapping, precision navigation, and nautical charting processes and products.

Development of innovative and automated approaches and concepts for the compilation and validation of the next generation of navigation products in the S-100 ecosystem including S-101 Electronic Navigational Charts, S-102 Bathymetry, S-104 Water Levels, S-111 Surface Currents, and S-98 Cross Product Validation.

Development of improved methods and automated approaches to sounding selection and depth curve compilation for the Electronic Navigational Chart, taking into account how to resolve bathymetric features (rocks/wrecks/obstructions) at the appropriate scale for navigation.

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Development of efficient and practical automated and semi-automated methods for compilation of gridded ENC cells from authoritative curated data sources such as the National Bathymetric Source.

Development of tools and techniques supporting precision marine navigation and implementation of S- 100 and S-98 - Data Product Interoperability in S-100 Navigation Systems through systems such as chart display systems, portable pilot units, virtual and augmented reality systems, and prototypes that are real-time and predictive, are comprehensive of all navigation information (e.g., water levels, charts, bathymetry, models, currents, weather, vessel traffic, etc.), and support the decision process (e.g., efficient voyage planning, voyage management, and under-keel, overhead, and lateral clearance management) in navigation scenarios.

Improvement in the visualization, presentation, and timely display of hydrographic and ocean and coastal mapping data, vessel data, and other navigational support information such as water levels, currents, wind, and operational hydrodynamic model outputs for marine navigation. This would include real-time display of mapping data and 4-dimensional high-resolution visualization of hydrodynamic model output (water level, currents, temperature, and salinity, etc.) with associated model uncertainty and would incorporate intelligent machine analysis and filtering of data and information to support precision marine navigation.

Development of approaches for the autonomous interpretation and use of hydrographic and navigational information, including oceanographic and hydrodynamic models, in the operation of advanced systems such as minimally crewed and uncrewed vessels.

3. Develop and Advance Marine Geospatial and Soundscape Expertise:

Development, maintenance, and delivery of advanced curricula and short courses in hydrographic and ocean mapping science and engineering at the graduate education level—leveraging to the maximum extent the proposed research program and interacting with national and international professional bodies—to bring the latest innovations and standards into the graduate educational experience for both full-time education and continuing professional development.

Development, evaluation, and dissemination of improved models and visualizations for describing and delineating the propagation and levels of sound in the water from acoustic devices including echo sounders, and for modeling the exposure of marine animals to propagated echo sounder energy.

Improvements in the understanding of the contribution and interaction of echo sounders and other ocean mapping-related acoustic devices to/with the overall ocean and aquatic soundscape.

Effective delivery of the program’s research and development results through scientific and technical journals and forums and transition of research and development results to an operational status through direct and indirect mechanisms including partnerships with public and private entities, commercialization, licensing arrangements, and open-source repositories.

Public education, visualization tools, and outreach to promote hydrographic science, actively engage the future hydrographic workforce, convey the aims and enhance the application of hydrography, nautical charting, ocean, coastal and Great Lakes mapping, and related hydrodynamic models to safe and efficient marine navigation and coastal resilience.

4. Framework

The single selected proposal, written as a cooperative agreement, will:

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Support the objectives and priorities outlined in this announcement to improve the technology and practice of hydrographic surveying and coastal and ocean mapping in the United States.

Provide for the onsite presence of a NOAA Co-Director and designate a university Co-Director and indicate the availability of suitable space for the co-location of up to 14 NOAA employees, including the NOAA Co- Director. (Payment by NOAA for employee space will be through separate agreement.)

Document a robust data sharing plan in compliance with section VI.B.

Demonstrate the availability of suitable support facilities and infrastructure, including:

• Office and research space and facilities

• Educational infrastructure and space

• Information technology (IT) infrastructure

• Ocean mapping technology laboratory facilities and infrastructure

• Suitably outfitted and staffed vessel(s) for hydrographic and ocean mapping research, development, and education

Document the integration of the research program with a robust advanced education program holding accreditation or official recognition by a national or international hydrographic authority.

Demonstrate the availability of or provide for pier and waterfront facilities in the commuting area for berthing and supporting multiple survey vessels, including government-owned and operated vessels such as the Bay Hydrographer II or similar sized vessels. (Payment by NOAA for government-owned vessel berthing space will be through separate agreement.)

C. Program Authority Statutory authority for this program is provided under 33 U.S.C. 883a and 883d.

II. Award Information A. Funding Availability Subject to the availability of funding, this announcement describes how eligible applicants should apply for the Joint Hydrographic Center 2025 award.

This will be a 5-year, multiyear award. The intent is to make a single 5-year award. Total anticipated funding for this award is approximately $47,500,000.00 with approximately $9,500,000.00 to be released in FY 2025 and each subsequent year of the 5 years. This award and the subsequent annual releases of funds are subject to the availability of FY 2025 appropriations and the appropriations of each subsequent FY. The initial award and subsequent annual release of funds will be adjusted based on available funding.

There is no guarantee that funds will be available to make awards for this federal funding opportunity or that any proposal will be selected for funding. If an applicant incurs any costs prior to receiving an award agreement signed by an authorized NOAA official, they do so at their own risk of these costs not being included in a subsequent award. In no event will NOAA or the Department of Commerce be responsible for any proposal preparation costs. Recipients and sub-recipients are subject to all Federal laws and agency policies, regulations, and procedures applicable to Federal financial assistance awards.

B. Project/Award Period

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The anticipated start date is January 1, 2026 with the project expected to be completed by December 31, 2030.

This is a multi-year funding opportunity. Proposals should request funding for five years. This multi-year award may be funded incrementally on an annual basis, but once the cooperative agreement is awarded the recipient will not compete for funding in the subsequent four years.

When the successful multi-year proposal is approved, funding initially will be provided for only the first year of the program. The Project start date should be no earlier than October 1, 2025 and no later than January 1, 2026. Funding in years two, three, four, and five is contingent upon availability of funds from Congress, satisfactory performance, and is at the sole discretion of the agency.

C. Type of Funding Instrument This funding instrument is a cooperative agreement to an eligible institution. A cooperative agreement is used when substantial involvement of the federal government during performance of the proposed work is anticipated. Some examples of NOAA substantial involvement include but are not limited to the presence of a NOAA Co-Director for coordination with NOAA, federal research collaboration, co-location of federal employees and vessels, federal participation in educational activities, and joint use of federal vessels and equipment.

The proposal should clearly identify this funding instrument in the proposal abstract and cover sheet.

III. Eligibility Information A. Eligible Applicants Eligible funding applicants are institutions of higher education in the United States.

To be eligible to apply or receive an award, applicant organizations must complete and maintain three registrations;SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons. For each, the complete registration process can take 4 to 6 weeks, so applicants must begin this activity as soon as possible and well before the proposal due date. For more information on how to meet these registration and application submission requirements without errors, we advise all to carefully review relevant Applicant and Grantee Training modules: https://www.commerce.gov/ocio/programs/gems/applicant-and-grantee-training. Additionally, we advise that all carefully read ‘Additional Application Package Forms’ within the ‘Full Proposal Required Elements’ section below.

B. Cost Share or Matching Requirement No cost sharing is required or desired under this program. Applicant resource commitment will, however, be considered in the competitive selection process. Refer to Part V, Section A, (Overall Qualifications of Applicant) for further information.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility Federal agencies are not allowed to receive funds under this announcement

IV. Application and Submission Information A. Address to Request Application Package

Application packages are available online and can be downloaded from www.grants.gov under opportunity NOAA-NOS-OCS-2025-30451. If an eligible applicant does not have access to the internet, please contact the Agency Contacts listed in Section VII for submission instructions.

https://sam.gov/content/home https://www.grants.gov/ https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.grants.gov/web/grants/home.html__;!!FiG2giev53vN!6sxfF1sAvFOjycyhk2fdYVMXfZUYW1Ds_UXVaciBtzYJKo3z8ULHyQvQg4Ofc9vYVkBUxe6XLOLToDr9jMLXTbXHRA$ https://www.commerce.gov/ocio/programs/gems/register-your-organization-era-commons https://www.commerce.gov/ocio/programs/gems/applicant-and-grantee-training http://www.grants.gov/

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B. Content and Form of Application This section provides an overview of these required proposal elements (and where to locate them).

Applications must adhere to the provisions under "Required Elements" below. Failure to adhere to these provisions will result in a delay in award processing or rejection of the application, based on the extent of the noncompliance.

The submitting applicant must redact all Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in the application materials prior to final submission to grants.gov. PII that must be redacted from the application includes, but is not limited to, social security number, date of birth, student identification number (from transcripts) or other information which if lost, compromised, or disclosed without authorization, could result in harm, embarrassment, inconvenience, or unfairness to an individual.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This proposal package will be using a different set of forms than the standard forms used for previous Joint Hydrographic Center proposals. Instead of the “SF424 NOAA Standard Non- Construction Application Package” of forms, this application will include the “SF424 NOAA Research & Related (R&R) Forms Package.” While many of the forms may be familiar, please pay special attention to the headings and instructions in this section.

Prior to submission, carefully review the PDF Guidelines for submission found here:

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide/format-and-write/format-attachments.htm.

Recent applicants have encountered rejected applications for formatting issues, especially:

• All attachments must be in PDF form.

• Do not use “bundling” or “portfolio” features to combine PDFs into a single document. Everything must be visible in the PDF.

• Descriptive filenames may only be 50 characters or less (including spaces).

• Keep attachment file size to 100 MB or less.

• eRA won’t accept any pages larger than the U.S. standard letter paper size (8.5” x 11”).

We strongly recommend that applicants attempt to submit their full proposals at least a few days prior to the due date in case these or other issues impact your submission, as they are not reasons we can extend the deadline. If you have issues during the submission process, please contact theeRA Service Desk

Required Elements:

Applications must include the following elements. Failure to adhere to these provisions will result in a delay in award processing or rejection of the application, based on the extent of the noncompliance.

Full Proposal Required Elements

1. Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile Form (Grants.gov, OMB Control No. 4040-0001) This form must be completed and include a profile for the Principal Investigator and any co-PI(s).

CVs and RELEVANT Current and Pending Support for each person’s profile will also be attached to this form. The first listed PD/PI on the application must include their eRA Commons ID in the “Credential, e.g., agency login” field of form. Failure to register in eRA Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the Applicant Identifier field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application. eRA Commons registration can take 2-3 weeks to be approved, so it is encouraged to start the registration process as soon as possible. NOAA is not involved with eRA registration.

Additional personnel included on the form do not need to include this information, however eRA will create a warning recommending those personnel also have valid eRA Commons IDs. Again -it is not required that those additional personnel include valid eRA Commons IDs regardless of the warnings created by the eRA system.

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide/format-and-write/format-attachments.htm https://www.era.nih.gov/need-help

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2. Research and Related Budget Form The Research and Related Budget is a single form that will need to be completed covering the entire award by budget period following the instructions from Grants.gov. At the end of the Research and Related Budget form, “Section L” provides space for one attachment titled, “Budget Justification.” The budget narrative for the project must be attached there. The budget narrative should explain the budget items by object class category (both federal and non-federal/match) in sufficient detail to enable review of the appropriateness of the funding requested. Additional budget narrative guidance can be found at: NOAA Grants Management Division's Budget Narrative Guidance

Required Use of American Iron, Steel, Manufactured Products, and Construction Materials

Buy America Preference. Recipients of an award of Federal financial assistance from the Department of Commerce (Department) for a program for infrastructure are hereby notified that none of the funds provided under this award may be used for an infrastructure project unless:

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

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

3. all construction materials are manufactured in the United States – this means that all manufacturing processes for the construction material occurred in the United States. The construction materials standards are listed below.

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

Categorization of articles, materials, and supplies. An article, material, or supply should only be classified into one of the following categories: (i) Iron or steel products; (ii) Manufactured products; (iii) Construction materials; or (iv) Section 70917(c) materials. An article, material, or supply should not be considered to fall into multiple categories. In some cases, an article, material, or supply may not fall under any of the categories listed in this paragraph. The classification of an article, material, or supply as falling into one of the categories listed in this paragraph must be made based on its status at the time it is brought to the work site for incorporation into an infrastructure project. In general, the work site is the location of the infrastructure project at which the iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials will be incorporated.

Application of the Buy America Preference by category. An article, material, or supply incorporated into an infrastructure project must meet the Buy America Preference for only the single category in which it is classified.

Determining the cost of components for manufactured products. In determining whether the cost of components for manufactured products is greater than 55 percent of the total cost of all components, use the following instructions:

1. For components purchased by the manufacturer, the acquisition cost, including transportation costs to the place of incorporation into the manufactured product (whether or not such costs are paid to a domestic firm), and any applicable duty (whether or not a duty-free entry certificate is issued); or https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/gmd_budget_narrative_guidance_-_05-24-2017_final.pdf https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/gmd_budget_narrative_guidance_-_05-24-2017_final.pdf

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2. For components manufactured by the manufacturer, all costs associated with the manufacture of the component, including transportation costs as described in paragraph (a), plus allocable overhead costs, but excluding profit. Cost of components does not include any costs associated with the manufacture of the manufactured product.

Construction material standards. The Buy America Preference applies to the following construction materials incorporated into infrastructure projects. Each construction material is followed by a standard for the material to be considered “produced in the United States.” Except as specifically provided, only a single standard should be applied to a single construction material.

1. Non-ferrous metals. All manufacturing processes, from initial smelting or melting through final shaping, coating, and assembly, occurred in the United States.

2. Plastic and polymer-based products. All manufacturing processes, from initial combination of constituent plastic or polymer-based inputs, or, where applicable, constituent composite materials, until the item is in its final form, occurred in the United States.

3. Glass. All manufacturing processes, from initial batching and melting of raw materials through annealing, cooling, and cutting, occurred in the United States.

4. Fiber optic cable (including drop cable). All manufacturing processes, from the initial ribboning (if applicable), through buffering, fiber stranding and jacketing, occurred in the United States. All manufacturing processes also include the standards for glass and optical fiber, but not for non-ferrous metals, plastic and polymer-based products, or any others.

5. Optical fiber. All manufacturing processes, from the initial preform fabrication stage through the completion of the draw, occurred in the United States.

6. Lumber. All manufacturing processes, from initial debarking through treatment and planing, occurred in the United States.

7. Drywall. All manufacturing processes, from initial blending of mined or synthetic gypsum plaster and additives through cutting and drying of sandwiched panels, occurred in the United States.

8. Engineered wood. All manufacturing processes from the initial combination of constituent materials until the wood product is in its final form, occurred in the United States.

Waivers When necessary, recipients may apply for, and the Department may grant, a waiver from these requirements.

To help federal agencies and recipients meet BABA requirements, the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) National Network™ provides a service to connect stakeholders, including recipients, to U.S.

manufacturers that have relevant production capabilities and capacities to help fulfill current market and supply chain needs. Recipients considering a BABA nonavailability waiver are strongly encouraged to contact the NIST/MEP for assistance with supplier scouting services prior to seeking a BABA nonavailability waiver. Further information on the NIST/MEP supplier scouting services is available at:

https://nist.gov/mep/supply-chain/supplier-scouting.

When the Department has made a determination that one of the following exceptions applies, the awarding official may waive the application of the Buy America Preference in any case in which the Department determines that:

1. applying the Buy America Preference would be inconsistent with the public interest (public interest waiver);

2. the types of iron, steel, manufactured products, or construction materials are not produced in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities or of a satisfactory quality (nonavailability waiver); or

3. the inclusion of iron, steel, manufactured products, or construction materials produced in the United States will increase the cost of the overall project by more than 25 percent (unreasonable cost waiver).

https://nist.gov/mep/supply-chain/supplier-scouting https://nist.gov/mep/supply-chain/supplier-scouting

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A request to waive the application of the Buy America Preference must be in writing. The Department will provide instructions on the format, contents, and supporting materials required for any waiver request.

Waiver requests are subject to public comment periods of no less than 15 days and must be reviewed by the Made in America Office.

There may be instances where an award qualifies, in whole or in part, for an existing waiver described on the Department’s Build America, Buy America website found at https://www.commerce.gov/oam/build-america-buy-america.

Definitions “Buy America Preference” means the “domestic content procurement preference” set forth in section 70914 of the Build America, Buy America Act, which requires the head of each Federal agency to ensure that none of the funds made available for a Federal award for an infrastructure project may be obligated unless all of the iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials incorporated into the project are produced in the United States.

“Construction materials” means articles, materials, or supplies that consist of only one of the items listed in paragraph (1) of this definition, except as provided in paragraph (2) of this definition. To the extent one of the items listed in paragraph (1) contains as inputs other items listed in paragraph (1), it is nonetheless a construction material.

1. The listed items are:

1. Non-ferrous metals;

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

3. Glass (including optic glass);

4. Fiber optic cable (including drop cable);

5. Optical fiber;

6. Lumber;

7. Engineered wood; and

8. Drywall.

2. Minor additions of articles, materials, supplies, or binding agents to a construction material do not change the categorization of the construction material.

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

and structures, facilities, and equipment that generate, transport, and distribute energy including electric vehicle (EV) charging.

“Infrastructure project” means any activity related to the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of infrastructure in the United States regardless of whether infrastructure is the primary purpose of the project. See also paragraphs (c) and (d) of 2 CFR 184.4.

“Iron or steel products” means articles, materials, or supplies that consist wholly or predominantly of iron or steel or a combination of both.

“Manufactured products” means:

1. Articles, materials, or supplies that have been:

1. Processed into a specific form and shape; or

2. Combined with other articles, materials, or supplies to create a product with different properties than the individual articles, materials, or supplies.

2. If an item is classified as an iron or steel product, a construction material, or a Section 70917(c) material under 2 CFR 184.4(e) and the definitions set forth in 2 CFR 184.3, then it is not a manufactured product. However, an article, material, or supply classified as a manufactured product under 2 CFR 184.4(e) and paragraph (1) of this definition may include components that are construction materials, iron or steel products, or Section 70917(c) materials.

https://www.commerce.gov/oam/build-america-buy-america https://www.commerce.gov/oam/build-america-buy-america

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“Predominantly of iron or steel or a combination of both” means that the cost of the iron and steel content exceeds 50 percent of the total cost of all its components. The cost of iron and steel is the cost of the iron or steel mill products (such as bar, billet, slab, wire, plate, or sheet), castings, or forgings utilized in the manufacture of the product and a good faith estimate of the cost of iron or steel components.

“Section 70917(c) materials” means cement and cementitious materials; aggregates such as stone, sand, or gravel; or aggregate binding agents or additives. See Section 70917(c) of the Build America, Buy America Act.

IMPLEMENTATION OF DOMESTIC SOURCING REQUIREMENT

Prior to initiation of any construction that may arise in this award, the Recipient is required to inform the NOAA Grants Officer and the Federal Program Officer whether it is using iron, steel, manufactured products, or construction materials as described in the Specific Award Condition in this award on Required Use of American Iron, Steel, Manufactured Products, and Construction Materials. In addition, the Recipient is required to inform the NOAA Grants Officer and the Federal Program Officer whether those materials are produced or manufactured in the United States, or alternatively, it is requesting one or more waivers, as described in the award condition. The Recipient is required to coordinate with NOAA regarding its compliance with this Term.

3. Research & Related Other Project Information Form (Grants.gov, OMB Control No. 4040-0001) This form must be completed for the application and should also be used to attach the Project Abstract, the Project Narrative, Bibliography & References Cited (if applicable), and any other relevant forms or information as applicable. See form-specific instructions available on Grants.gov for additional instructions as needed.

a. Project Summary/Abstract Attachment Using 4,000 characters or less, the Project Abstract should provide an overview of the application. Ensure the Project Abstract succinctly describes the project in plain language that the public can understand and use without the full proposal. It should be a self-contained description of the application and should contain a general statement of objectives and methods to be employed. It should be informative for other people working in the same or related fields and understandable to a technically literate lay reader. Do not include personally identifiable, sensitive or proprietary/confidential information. This project abstract information (as submitted) will be made available on public websites and/or databases including USAspending.gov.

Project Abstract Elements:

• Use the following format:

o Purpose:

o Activities to be performed:

o Expected Outcomes:

o Intended Beneficiaries:

o Subrecipient Activities:

• Keep it short. In most cases, each element above should be a couple of sentences to a paragraph in length.

• DO NOT repeat the Proposal Title. The Proposal Title is always presented with the Project Description, so including it in the abstract is not necessary.

• Include a clear description regarding the purpose of the project. Characteristics of strong abstracts include a plain language description of the purpose for the project (which may include specific performance goals, indicators, milestones, or expected outcomes of the project), activities to be performed, deliverables and expected outcomes, intended beneficiary or recipient.

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• Keep it simple. Do not use abbreviations, acronyms, technical terminology, or agency-specific terms. The intended audience is Congress and the public, not specific interested parties and/or federal employees. The education level of the reader should be assumed to be the fifth grade of elementary school. Even those who are highly educated will appreciate a simply written document.

b. Project Narrative Attachment The total number of pages in the project narrative should not exceed 70 pages (single-spaced, 11- or 12-point font) excluding the cover page, a table of contents and the project abstract noted above. Applicants do not need to use the entire 70-page maximum. Depending on the proposed activities, a shorter description may suffice. Any works cited, CVs, letters of support, current and pending support, and NEPA Questionnaire sections included do not contribute to the 70-page limit.

Project Narrative Elements:

• Cover page(s) (does not count towards page limit) o Project title, recipient institution, and names, titles, affiliations, and contact information

(email and phone) of PIs, co-PIs, and Financial Representative o Project start and end dates, o Budget overview - Total cost of requested funding by partner and proposed funding for each year.

o Brief project summary including primary objectives and intended benefits

• Project introduction.

• Background. Provide sufficient background information for NOAA and/or non-NOAA reviewers to independently assess the relevance of the proposed effort. Summarize the problem(s) to be addressed and the status of ongoing efforts to address the identified needs. Summarize the relationship of the proposed work to previous efforts and to NOAA hydrographic and ocean mapping missions.

• Personnel. List the program personnel and briefly relate their background to their role in the proposed effort.

• Equipment and Facilities. Describe the equipment and facilities available for carrying out the proposed work.

• Project objectives. Provide a list of clearly defined objectives. For each objective, provide a concise statement explaining how it is aligned with the goals and priorities of this funding opportunity.

• Proposed Effort. Formulation of the proposed effort into subject area themes is encouraged. For each theme or work area, describe the research and development or outreach/education efforts to be carried out, and the approach to the effort. List the key investigators, partners and staff, describe their roles, and explain how this project leverages their expertise.

• Anticipated outcomes, deliverables, and benefits.

• Project timeline. Provide a timeline for accomplishing the proposed work, which covers the entire duration of the project. Include approximate dates for key milestones related to the proposed work, including the accomplishment of anticipated outcomes and release of deliverables.

• Applicants submitting proposals that involve the use of human test subjects should state so clearly in their application. These proposed research activities require approval of the applicant’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) before such research can proceed. Applicants are responsible for obtaining IRB approval from their institution and providing that documentation to NOAA once the approval is obtained and prior to any NOAA-funded human subject testing. Proposals intending to use human test subjects should specify clearly in the timeline approximately when IRB approval will be obtained and when the testing is expected to occur.

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• Letters of support (if included, does not count towards page limit). All letters of support should be included here.

• Current and pending support (if included, does not count towards page limit). Describe any current or pending sources of support if applicable.

c. Bibliography & References Cited Attachment (if applicable) (does not count toward the 70-page limit) If applicable, provide a bibliography of any references cited in the Project Narrative. Each reference must include the names of all authors (in the same sequence in which they appear in the publication), the article and journal title, book title, volume number, page numbers, and year of publication. Include only bibliographic citations. Applicants should be especially careful to follow scholarly practices in providing citations for source materials relied upon when preparing any section of the application.

d. Resumes (does not count toward 70-page limit) Provide curriculum vitae (CV) for the PI and any Co-PI, and abbreviated CVs for other key personnel critical to the success of the project. CVs should address qualifications relevant to conducting the proposed work. For other than the PI and Co-PIs, publication, presentation, and cruise listings should be limited to those in the last five years with to five other relevant publications.

4. Additional Application Package Forms In addition to the forms required above, standard federal forms and assurances are required and can be found with the application package on Grants.gov. These include:

a. SF-424 R&R Form (Grants.gov, OMB Control No. 4040-0001)

This form, titled “Application for Federal Assistance,” must identify the entire funding period, as well as the federal funding amount being requested by the applicant and any non-federal matching fund amount. The form must be completed with the institution’s accurate EIN and DUNS and point of contact and signed by the institution’s authorized representative or designee. Total federal and non-federal amounts listed in the SF-424 R&R, the Cumulative Budget of the Research and Related Budget form, and budget narrative must be the same.

Applicants will be required to enter their organization’s Congressional District in the SF424 R&R form. For tips on finding and entering your Congressional District correctly, please review the information found here:

https://grantsgovprod.wordpress.com/2017/06/21/how-to-find-your-congressional-district-for-the-sf-424-form/

b. SF-424B Assurances (Grants.gov, OMB Control No. 4040-0007) The form, titled “Assurances – Non-Construction Programs,” must be completed and signed by the institution's authorized representative or designee.

c. CD-511 (Grants.gov, US DOC) The form, titled “Certification Regarding Lobbying,” must be completed and signed by the institution’s authorized representative or designee.

d. SF-LLL (Grants.gov, OMB Control No. 0348-0046) - optional form, include if appropriate https://grantsgovprod.wordpress.com/2017/06/21/how-to-find-your-congressional-district-for-the-sf-424-form/ https://grantsgovprod.wordpress.com/2017/06/21/how-to-find-your-congressional-district-for-the-sf-424-form/

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This form, titled “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities,” is an optional form and should be included if appropriate. If included, it must be completed and signed by the institution’s authorized representative or designee.

Proposals submitted in response to this Announcement must include a Data Management Plan (up to 2 pages). See Section VI.B., Administrative and National Policy Requirements, below for additional information on what the plan should contain.

Environmental Compliance Questionnaire for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity Applicants (OMB Approval Number: 0648-0538 Expiration Date:

11/30/2024) is found at National Environmental Policy Act | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

• Applicants are required to complete part of the questionnaire. Answer all questions except Numbers 12 and 15 through 45. Applicants should answer the NEPA questions to the best of their ability in as much detail as possible.