FOA-DLA202202 Funding Opportunity.docx

Funding Opportunity Number: DLA-202102 Page 4 of 12

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT

SUMMARY OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT

Federal Awarding Agency Defense Logistics Agency Office of Small Business Programs 8725 John J. Kingman Road, Suite 1127 Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6221 PTAP@dla.mil Funding Opportunity Title Procurement Technical Assistance Program Announcement Type Initial Funding Opportunity Number (www.grants.gov)

DLA-202202

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number and Title CFDA 12.002 - Procurement Technical Assistance for Business Firms Key Dates Refer to paragraph D.4 of this announcement.

Section A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

1. Authority. This program is authorized by Title 10 United States Code, Chapter 388, “Procurement Technical Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program”.

2. Funding instrument. Awards resulting from this announcement will be cost sharing cooperative agreements.

3. Regulations. Cooperative agreements resulting from this announcement will be governed by the regulations published in Chapter I, Subchapter C of Title 32, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and in Chapter XI of Title 2, CFR, which are referred to collectively as the DoD Grant and Agreement Regulations (DoDGARs).

4. PTAP General Terms and Conditions. The general terms and conditions that will apply to cooperative agreements resulting from this announcement are posted at www.dla.mil/SmallBusiness/PTAP/Resources/. These terms and conditions are referred to as the “PTAP General Terms and Condition Version 1.4 dated September 2020”.

5. Background and purpose of cooperative agreements. The Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP) was established by section 1241 of the Department of Defense (DoD) Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1985 (Public Law 98-525) in an effort to expand the number of businesses capable of participating in government contracts. Under this announcement, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) will award cooperative agreements to eligible program participants who will establish or maintain Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs). The PTACs serve as a resource for businesses to obtain information and training related to contracting opportunities with DoD, other federal agencies, state and local governments and with government prime contractors. Procurement professionals at the PTACs provide critical assistance to businesses seeking to participate in government contracts and most of the assistance they provide is free.

Section B. AWARD INFORMATION

1. Anticipated awards. We expect to award cost sharing cooperative agreements as a result of this announcement; however, we are not obligated to make any awards and reserve the right to revise or cancel this announcement. Awards will be for a one-year base period with three one-year option periods. This opportunity is competitive and only applications to provide service to (1) American Indian-Owned businesses, Indian Tribes, and Alaska Natives in any Bureau of Indian Affairs region with a particular need in Maine, North Carolina, Virginia, South Dakota, Alaska, Washington, and Oregon; and (2) Any business in unserved or underserved counties in New York, California, Washington, and the US Virgin Islands will be considered.

2. Cooperative agreements. Cooperative agreements differ from grants in that substantial involvement is expected between the recipient and the Federal agency when carrying out the award. Should you receive an award, we expect you to collaborate with DoD and other Federal agencies to accomplish the work set out in the PTAP General Terms and Conditions.

3. Funding period. Applicants should propose a one-year base period.

Section C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible applicants. Only those entities listed in this section are eligible to apply.

1. States. State means a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, a territory or possession of the United States, an agency or instrumentality of a State, and a multi-State, regional, or interstate entity having governmental duties and powers (refer to 10 U.S.C. 2411(1)(A)).

1. Local governments. Local government means a unit of government in a State, a local public authority, a special district, an intrastate district, a council of governments, a sponsor group representative organization, an interstate entity, or another instrumentality of a local government (refer to 10 U.S.C. 2411(1)(B)).

1. Private nonprofit organizations. Private nonprofit organization means an entity which is exempt from federal income taxation under Section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code, and no part of its earnings inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, and no substantial part of its activities is carrying on propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation or participating in any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office (refer to 10 U.S.C. 2411(1)(C)).

1. Economic enterprises. Economic enterprise means any Indian-owned (as defined by the Secretary of the Interior) commercial, industrial, or business activity established or organized for profit purposes or for nonprofit purposes. Provided, that such Indian ownership constitutes not less than 51 percent of the enterprise (refer to 10 U.S.C. 2411(1)(D)).

1. Tribal organizations. Tribal organization means the recognized governing body of any Indian tribe; any legally established organization of Indians which is controlled, sanctioned, or chartered by such governing body, or which is democratically elected by the adult members of the Indian community to be served by such organization and which includes the maximum participation of Indians in all phases of its activities. Provided, that in any case where a cooperative agreement is made to an organization to perform services benefiting more than one Indian tribe, the approval of each such Indian tribe shall be a prerequisite to the making of such cooperative agreement (refer to 10 U.S.C. 2411(1)(D)).

1. Cost sharing or matching.

a. Cost sharing requirements. All awards we make as a result of this announcement require you to provide cost sharing, without which your application is ineligible for an award. Allowable contributions towards cost sharing requirements are discussed in the “Financial and Program Management” part of the PTAP General Terms and Conditions. Refer to paragraph E.4.a of this announcement and note that you are required to submit documentation to verify that you have the necessary commitments to meet cost sharing requirements and, if applicable, that your proposed service area is a distressed area.

b. Cost share ratio. Our share of cost is limited to no more than 60 percent unless you provide procurement technical assistance in a distressed area, in which case our share is limited to no more than 75 percent. You are required to share the cost of operating your PTAC and match our funds accordingly. Applicants from the US Virgin Islands are entitled by statute to waiver of cost matching funds up to $199,999.

c. Distressed area. Distressed area means an area of local government (i.e., usually a city or county) that has a per capita income of 80 percent or less of that State’s average or an unemployment rate that is one percent greater than the national average for the most recent 24-month period for which statistics are available. In addition, those areas described in paragraphs E.4.e of this announcement are distressed areas.

Section D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. Address to request application package. Application forms and other materials needed to apply are available for download on the internet at the websites in paragraph D.2 below.

2. Content and form of application submission. You may find, download and submit the application package at grants.gov by searching for the funding opportunity and at www.dla.mil/SmallBusiness/PTAP/Resources/.

3. System for Award Management (SAM). To apply for this funding opportunity the applicant entity must be registered in the System for Award Management. Proposals will not be accepted through Grants.gov or other methods unless the entity is registered in SAM. Registration in SAM now includes the acceptance of Certifications and Assurances. SAM may be accessed at https://sam.gov. Additionally, recipients must continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which you have an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal agency.

4. Submission dates and times.

Your application is due by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on May 1, 2021. The application instructions in paragraph D.2 of this announcement apply. The merit-based, competitive procedures in Section G of this announcement apply and selection for an award is competitive among all applicants.

5. Other application information.

a. When a due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, Federal holiday, or any other day when we are closed, the due date is extended until our following business day.

b. You must submit your application at grants.gov before it is due. We strongly recommend that you DO NOT wait until the application due date to begin the application process because of the time involved to complete the process and errors that could occur at grants.gov, which might require you to correct and resubmit your application. You are encouraged to submit your application at least 15 days prior to the due date.

c. We will use the date and time stamp provided by grants.gov to determine whether your application is timely or not.

d. If you request it, we may authorize you to mail a paper copy of the application instead of using grants.gov.

e. Any application that we receive after the exact time we specify for receipt is late and will not be considered unless we determine that accepting it would not unduly delay an award and that the late application would not displace another, timely application.

f. If you have any questions about the application process you may contact us at the address or email on page one.

6 Certifications and assurances. Your application includes the SF 424, “Application for Federal Assistance”. By signing the SF 424 (refer to its block 21) you are providing:

a. Your certification that you are an eligible applicant, as described in paragraph C.1 of this announcement;

b. Your assurance to comply with the “National Policy Requirements” part of the PTAP General Terms and Conditions; and

c. The certification regarding lobbying at Appendix A to 32 CFR Part 28.

7. Intergovernmental review. This opportunity is subject to Executive Order 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.” You are reminded that you may have to contact your state's Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to find out about and comply with your state's process under Executive Order 12372. The names and addresses of SPOCs are listed at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/SPOC-Feb.-2018.pdf .

8. Funding limitations. The Federal funding limitations shown below apply to FY20-funded awards. Funding is also contingent on your ability to meet the program’s cost sharing requirements, which are described in paragraph C.2 of this announcement. For example, in the case of a PTAC described in subparagraph 5.a below, the Federal share of cost could be as much as $1,000,000. Since we generally (i.e., except as described in paragraph C.2.b) will pay no more than 60 percent of the total cost, this means your proposed budget in this case would be $1,666,665 and the recipient’s share would be 40 percent, which is $666,666.

a. $600,000 in the case of an entity that operates a PTAC providing less than statewide coverage;

b. $1,000,000 in the case of an entity that operates a PTAC wholly within more than one service area of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). This means a PTAC that provides procurement technical assistance to all of the federally recognized Indian tribes or Alaska Native entities in one of the BIA regions and at least half of the tribes or Alaska Native entities in a second BIA region; or

c. $360,000 in the case of an entity that operates a PTAC wholly within one service area of the BIA. This means a PTAC that provides procurement technical assistance to federally recognized Indian tribes and/or Alaska Native entities, but does not meet the standard in subparagraph D.8.c above.

Section E. APPLICATION COMPONENTS

1. SF 424, Application for Federal Assistance. Complete the SF 424 and attach your proposed service area listing in block 14. You may use the template for the Proposed Service Area Listing available in the package posted to grants.gov, which provides an example of the information that we need in this attachment.

It is important that the amount you enter in block 18.a. of the SF 424 accurately reflects the amount of DoD funding that you are requesting with your application. By signing the SF 424, you are providing the certifications and assurances in the funding opportunity announcement.

2. SF 424A, Budget Information - Non-Construction Programs. Complete the SF 424A using the instructions for the form available here. The SF 424A includes your proposed budget and should be completed carefully to be consistent with other components of your application, especially the proposed budget.

3. Attachments. With the exception of Attachments 11 and 15 Non-SF424 Attachments should be scanned together and uploaded as one PDF file unless you intend to include the full text of an audit. Audits are usually large and should be uploaded as a separate attachment labeled or titled including “audit”. Whenever possible it is preferable to identity the URL where the audit may be reviewed instead of uploading a file containing the audit. Attachments 11 and 15 should be uploaded as separate attachments in Microsoft Excel Format.

If a particular attachment is not applicable, include an attachment with an affirmative statement that the attachment is not applicable and explain why. This is important for the proper processing of your application. Ensure that you follow grants.gov rules in naming and attaching files because attachments that do not follow the rules may cause the entire application to be rejected or cause issues during processing. Limit file names to 50 or fewer characters and use only the following characters when naming attachments: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, underscore ( _ ), hyphen (-), space and period. Do not attach multiple documents with the same file name or attach the same file more than once. A user guide and contact information for grants.gov support is provided here.

a. Attachment 1: Provide information that attests to the commitment of matching funds to your program. You may use the templates for Certification of Cost Matching Funds Letter and Third-Party Letter(s) of Commitment available on DLA’s Resources for PTACs webpage.

b. Attachment 2: Provide information to support any proposed third-party in-kind contributions. The information that we need is described in paragraph F.10 below. (

c. Attachment 3: Provide information to describe and provide a basis for fringe benefit amounts included in your budget. Simply stating what the rate is (e.g., 30%) does not adequately fulfill this requirement. Where fringe benefit rates have been approved in conjunction with an indirect cost rate, the negotiated rate memorandum should be provided and no further explanation is necessary.

d. Attachment 4: If indirect costs are included in the budget, attach a current copy of a negotiated rate memorandum from the cognizant federal agency. Cite the de minimis rate described in 2 CFR 200.414(f) if it applies.

e. Attachment 5: The federal share of cost is limited to no more than 60 percent of the total program cost unless you provide procurement technical assistance in a distressed area, in which case our share is limited to no more than 75 percent. Distressed area means an area of local government (i.e., usually a city or county) that has a per capita income of 80 percent or less of that State’s average or an unemployment rate that is one percent greater than the national average for the most recent 24-month period for which statistics are available. You need not conduct analysis if your proposed service area is designated by Bureau of Indian Affairs’ regions because these are automatically considered distressed areas.

If the proposed federal cost share exceeds 60% -

1) Attach an analysis verifying that your proposed service area meets the definition of a distressed area. Refer to the guidance provided here for additional assistance conducting your analysis.

i) Using per capita income. US Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) data must be used. In conducting your analysis, compare state and local area “per capita personal income” for the most recent year available; or

ii) Using unemployment rates. US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data must be used. In comparing national and local area unemployment rates, use the average taken over the most recent 24-month period for which both national and local area statistics are available (use “not seasonally adjusted” data). Use the latest final data available, i.e., do not use “preliminary” data published by BLS.

2) If you are proposing two separate budgets for providing services in both distressed and non-distressed areas, explain and justify the methodology that you used to separate the distressed and non-distressed portions of your budget. When preparing this information, ensure that your methodology is sufficiently explained so that it is clear that costs have been allocated in proportions that reasonably approximate the costs necessary to serve the distressed and non-distressed portions of your service area. Refer to F.11 below for additional information.

f. Attachment 6: Determination of Statewide coverage. Statewide means a PTAC that provides procurement technical assistance in at least one-half of a state’s counties or equivalent coverage (e.g., parishes, boroughs, etc) and serves at least three-fourths of the state’s labor force. If you propose a statewide program but will cover less than the entire state, attach documentation to verify that your service area meets the definition of statewide coverage. Refer to the guidance provided here for assistance in conducting your analysis. Use the most recent, annual labor force statistics available from the US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

g. Attachment 7: Program Execution Strategy. Describe how you will comply with the “Program Requirements” part of the PTAP General terms and Conditions, which are available here. Include all information necessary for us to conduct an evaluation of your application using the evaluation factors included in paragraph G.1. If you intend to earn program income, e.g. charge clients a fee for any services rendered or advertising/sponsorship, include a discussion concerning the amount of fees to be charged, how this income will be used to further program objectives, and assert your understanding that you’re required to report the gross program income on the SF 270 and SF 425.

For new programs, include an implementation plan including targets for significant implementation milestones such as the hiring of personnel, the execution of subawards and the opening of PTAC facilities. Identify targets for milestones as the number of calendar days elapsed following the start date of the proposed period of performance. You are encouraged to propose and adhere to the most expeditious implementation plan possible, which we may regard more favorably when evaluating your application.

h. Attachment 8: Attach information about each of the personnel positions included in your budget. You may use the template available here, which provides an example of the information that we need in this attachment. Describe the position and provide the name of the employee occupying positions that are filled.

i. Attachment 9: Attach a resume for the proposed Program Manager. The resume should describe the Program Manager’s qualifications, but not include personal information such as home address, personal telephone number, or ID numbers such as an Employee ID or social security number.

j. Attachment 10: N/A

k. Attachment 11: Attach budgets for your subawards in Microsoft Excel format, if you plan to make any, using Section B of the SF 424A (Section B is available here). If you have subrecipients, your budget should show the total amount of each subaward within your budget’s contractual cost category, where you should summarize the total amount of the subaward as a single line item – refer to F.6 below. Use Section B of the SF 424A to show the details of each subrecipient’s budget by cost category (i.e., personnel, fringe benefits, travel, etc). You can show up to four subawards on one SF 424A by listing subawards in Section B, line 6, column headings (1) – (4). Use additional pages if you need to. You do need to show Federal and Non-Federal shares or complete the other sections of the SF 424A for subrecipients.

l. Attachment 12: Attach your proposed performance goals and explain how you developed them. Include goals for 1) number of new clients; 2) hours of counseling time; and 3) number of participated events. Refer to the instructions for the DLA Form 1806 in Appendix A to the PTAP General Terms and Conditions for more information about your goals.

m. Attachment 13: Attach an organizational chart showing the PTAC’s placement within the host organization and lines of reporting for the Program Manager to the head of the host organization, including all positions within that line of authority. Identify positions, and include employee’s names for filled positions. For those PTACs utilizing subrecipient and/or satellite offices, show the organizational placement and relationship of these entities to the PTAC.

n. Attachment 14: Attach a copy (or URL) of your latest audit in accordance with Subpart F of 2 CFR Part 200 (formerly OMB Circular A-133). If you are a for-profit entity, attach a copy of your audit pursuant to 32 CFR §34.16. If available, you may provide the URL (i.e., web address) of an audit that is available on the internet in lieu of attaching a copy. If you did not expend Federal awards exceeding the thresholds that trigger these audit requirements, describe the amounts and sources of Federal awards that you did expend during your last fiscal year.

o. Attachment 15: Attach a budget breakdown in Microsoft Excel format, that shows the individual line items of cost that makeup the higher-level budget that you included in the SF 424A. You may use the template available here, which provides an example of the information that we need in this attachment. Refer to Section F below for examples and guidance on how to describe budgeted costs. Ensure that it is clear how you calculated the total amount of indirect costs (F&A) included in your budget. Use additional pages to show indirect cost calculations if necessary. Program Income rolled over into the proposed award from the prior year annual award must be included in the budget.

p. SF LLL, Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying. Appendix A in 32 CFR Part 28 requires you to complete and submit the SF LLL if you engage in certain types of lobbying. Review 32 CFR Part 28, “New Restrictions on Lobbying,” and attach the SF LLL if it is applicable.

Section F. PROGRAM BUDGET AND SELECTED ITEMS COST

Use the budget to show the separate items of cost included in your proposal so that we can make a determination concerning the reasonableness of your overall budget. Provide detailed descriptions of costs to show how amounts were arrived at and the basis of your estimates. Ensure that there is no ambiguity as to whether a particular cost is necessary for the efficient operation of a PTAC. Guidance is provided below on describing costs and including them in the appropriate cost category. Similar to how you describe costs, if your proposal includes third-party in-kind contributions, they should be described and their values included in the appropriate cost category.

1. Personnel

List all of your personnel positions included in the budget. Subrecipient personnel costs should usually not be included here – refer to paragraph F.6 below.

Describe each position’s percent of time working on the program in terms of the time employed by you. For example, show a staff member who dedicates all of his or her time to the PTAC while employed as a 100% contributor, regardless of whether that person is a full or part-time employee. Less than 100% contributors are those personnel that share time between the PTAC and other programs in the course of their employment with you. Describe the position, location, and include the name of employee occupying positions that are filled.

2. Fringe Benefits

Show fringe benefit costs for each position you included in the budget. Subrecipient fringe benefits costs should usually not be included here, but instead as contractual costs – refer to paragraph F.6 below.

3. Travel

Separate and describe the purpose of each travel item. Provide an estimate that includes, as applicable, the number of travelers, names of travelers, number of days lodging, airfare, meal allowance, rental car, conference registration fees, mileage and mileage rate, etc. Provide the basis for your estimates.

a. Local travel. Provide the purpose, mileage and mileage rate for any local travel. A summary entry may be made for recurring routine trips. Describe the basis for estimated amounts such as an estimated number of miles per year.

b. Training. Identify the course to include name, source and duration. Consider the free online training through the Defense Acquisition University (DAU), especially in the areas of Contracting (CON) and Small Business Programs (SBP).

c. Registration fees. Registration fees related to travel should be listed with the related travel expense. Include conference, seminar, workshop and event fees.

4. Equipment

Equipment means tangible personal property (including information technology systems) having a useful life of more than one year and a per-unit acquisition cost which equals or exceeds the lesser of the capitalization level established by you for financial statement purposes, or $5,000. Individual items costing less (e.g., most computers and printers) are supplies rather than equipment.

Describe the purpose of any equipment and the basis for your estimated amounts. Where equipment is being replaced, provide the age of the equipment needing replacement and justify the need for its replacement. Note there is a Federal interest in any equipment that you acquire or improve under an award. Refer to the Part 5, “Property Administration,” in the PTAP General Terms and Conditions.

5. Supplies

General office supplies may be summarized on a monthly basis, showing the monthly amount x 12 and the estimated total. Individual supply items in excess of $1,000 per month or $12,000 per year should usually be shown separately. Items such as computers costing less than $5,000 each should normally be shown as supplies.

6. Contractual

Itemize consultant and contractor costs (may not exceed 10% of total program cost). Include a description of the purchase and an explanation as to why it is necessary. Explain how costs were derived and include the basis for estimates (e.g., number of hours and the cost per hour). Show the cost of subawards under contractual, which can usually be summarized in a single line item.

7. Other

Items may include, but are not limited to, computer software, copying, postage, printing, publications, subscriptions and telephone. Itemize disparate items separately and describe the basis for their cost. Do not include generic, all-inclusive, items such as “event costs” or “utilities” without providing details.

a. Rental expenses. Show costs for rental of office space and other facilities. Include the address of the property and describe how it is priced such as an annual cost per square foot or a monthly or daily rental rate.

b. Facilities and utilities. If it is not part of indirect cost, include cost related to facilities and itemize different components such as electrical, telephone and internet access.

c. Publications and subscriptions. Itemize costs for each individual publication or subscription.

d. Memberships. Itemize membership costs for business, technical and professional organizations. Note that the costs of individual memberships are not allowable costs (e.g., personal memberships for your staff).

8. Indirect Costs

Show your indirect cost base, rate and amount of indirect charges. Ensure calculations are clear, especially if you use more than one rate (for example, if you use on- and off-campus rates or different rates for separate locations). Do not include applicable subrecipient or subcontractor indirect costs, which should instead be included with the corresponding line item under contractual. The Cost Share Budget Information Worksheet (CSBIW) form is useful to document indirect costs when you use subrecipients.

9. Program Income Earned on the Prior Year Award

If applicable, show the amount of program income rolled over from the prior year award and anticipated to be used to fund the proposed award.

10. Supporting Documentation for In-Kind Contributions

Third-party in-kind contributions are non-cash contributions (i.e., property or services) that a third party furnishes to you or your subrecipients that are to be counted towards meeting the award’s cost sharing requirements. Refer to FMS Article VI, “Cost sharing or matching,” in the PTAP General Terms and Conditions for more information on the valuation of cost sharing or matching contributions. Provide the information below to support each third-party in-kind contribution that you propose to use. Note that FMS Article VI requires that you obtain our prior approval before you use any third-party in-kind contribution that was not included your budget.

a. Describe your need for the contribution so that there is no ambiguity as to whether it is necessary for the efficient operation of the PTAC.

b. Show the value that you derived based on the principles in 2 CFR 200.306 (or in 32 CFR 34.13 if you are a for-profit entity).

c. Cite the paragraph in 2 CFR 200.306 or 32 CFR 34.13 that applies.

d. Describe how you determined that the value that you propose to use is fair and reasonable. Please do not submit the evidence supporting your valuation unless requested by the Grants Officer. Examples of price analysis techniques include, but are not limited to:

1) Comparison of the value with proposed prices you received in response to a solicitation for the purchase of the same or similar items;

2) Comparison with previous contract prices for the same or similar items, if both the validity of the comparison and the reasonableness of the previous price(s) can be established;

3) Comparison with published price lists or published market prices;

4) Comparison with rates you paid for similar work; and

5) Comparison to an independent appraisal or estimate (see the specific requirement below for donated space).

e. The value of donated space must not exceed the fair rental value of comparable space as established by an independent appraisal (refer to 2 CFR 200.306(i)(3) or 32 CFR 34.13(b)(4)). Upon request by the Grants Officer, provide a copy of an independent appraisal to support your valuation if the third-party in-kind contribution is donated space.

11. Budget Development

When part, but not all, of your service area meets the definition of a distressed area you may, but are not required to, propose a separate budget for your service to the distressed portion of your total service area so that you can utilize the higher federal cost share that we are authorized to provide for service to distressed areas. If you decide to do this, you must include both a distressed area budget and a non-distressed area budget in your application. In preparing your application, you must reasonably estimate the cost of serving the distressed and non-distressed portions of the service area and describe how you did this when determining the cost sharing ratio “Distressed and non-distressed area budgets” section in the “Program Requirements” part of the PTAP General Terms and Conditions for additional requirements that apply if you structure your program this way.

Section G. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

When used in this section, the term “Program Requirements” means the requirements in the “Program Requirements” part of the PTAP General Terms and Conditions.

1. Criteria.

a. Evaluation factors. We will use the factors below to evaluate your application. We will make awards to the applicants whose applications we determine to be the best value, cost and other factors considered. The factors past performance, technical capability, management, and cost are of equal importance.

i. Past performance.

ii. Technical capability.

iii. Management.

iv. Cost.

b. Description of evaluation factors.

i. Past performance. We will evaluate your past performance to determine how relevant recent work you accomplished is to the work required by Program Requirements and the degree to which you satisfied your previous customers. You are responsible for identifying recent and relevant work you accomplished and for providing references so that we may obtain information regarding customer satisfaction.

We may also consider past performance information that we obtain from sources other than you, including Federal, State, and local government agencies, Better Business Bureaus, published media and electronic databases. The lack of recent and relevant past performance information will result in our assignment of a neutral rating (i.e. neither favorable nor unfavorable) for this factor.

Pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 2413(d), we will give significant weight to past performance of entities operating PTACs established by this program and will consider successful past performance under cooperative agreements with us to be more meritorious than other, comparable past performance. More meritorious past performance includes that of two or more PTACs that combine and apply as a single entity, even if the resulting entity is new; however, it does not include the past performance of subrecipients or other sub elements/organizations of a PTAC that breakaway and apply separately.

ii. Technical capability.

1) Personnel. We will evaluate your application to ascertain the degree to which your proposed personnel meet Program Requirements. Our evaluation will consider qualifications, including relevant experience and education, as well as the availability of the proposed personnel.

2) Facilities. We will evaluate your application to ascertain the degree to which the facilities you propose meet Program Requirements. We will also consider the availability of your facilities.

iii. Management.

1) Technical understanding. We will evaluate your understanding of Program Requirements. We will not consider a simple statement of understanding or playback of Program Requirements to demonstrate your understanding.

We will evaluate the soundness of your approach to implementing a program pursuant to Program Requirements. In addition, your application must demonstrate credibility, realism, and logic in providing procurement technical assistance to businesses and the required deliverables to us under a cooperative agreement.

2) Program management. We will evaluate how you intend to manage and coordinate the effort under a cooperative agreement, including planning, assigning responsibility, controlling personnel, controlling utilization of resources, tracking deliverables, monitoring performance and obtaining feedback from your clients. Our evaluation will also consider your proposed performance goals, your procedures for monitoring and controlling costs; your procedures for identifying problems, resolving them and ensuring that they do not reoccur; any proposed subrecipients and/or subcontractors and the degree to which you will use them; and your Program Implementation Plan, if applicable.

3) Cost sharing contributions. We will evaluate the nature and type of commitments you propose to satisfy cooperative agreement cost sharing requirements. We will consider the degree to which your commitments will contribute to the success of your proposed program, the significance of the commitments that you have made and whether those commitments demonstrate that you have taken a meaningful interest in the success of your proposed program.

iv. Cost. We will consider the proposed cost to us for the period of performance in conjunction with the other non-cost factors to determine best value. If your proposed costs appear unrealistic, you are cautioned that we may infer a lack of understanding of Program Requirements, increased risk of performance or lack of credibility on your part. The cost per counseling hour is calculated by dividing the total program cost by the number of counseling hours proposed and is usually expected to be less than $417.

2. Review and selection process.

a. Review of applications. We will review applications conforming to this announcement in accordance with the procedures in this section. We may provide you the opportunity to cure a deficiency resulting from an irregularity in your application or may waive the deficiency. We reserve the right to request any additional information we need to evaluate your application and your failure to provide the information in the time frame requested may result in us rejecting your application.

b. Duplicate coverage. Duplicate coverage of service areas exists when the proposed service areas of two or more applicants overlap. We will make a determination on a case-by-case basis as to the acceptability of duplicate coverage.

c. Selection process. We contemplate that we will make multiple awards; however, we may not make awards to all acceptable applicants. We will make award decisions to optimize the use of program funds while at the same time maximizing the availability of procurement technical assistance. We will make funding decisions on an agreement-by-agreement basis and in the best interest of the overall program. In making selections among otherwise acceptable applicants, we will generally give funding priority to those applicants that are operating established PTACs and have a successful performance record (refer to 10 U.S.C. 2413(d)).

d. Other pre-award procedures. On a case-by-case basis, we may request a pre-award credit report, audit, survey or other review to determine if you meet the standards in 32 CFR 22.415. We may delay an award decision until all necessary reviews are complete. Based on the results of a review, we may decide not to make an award, make an award subject to additional conditions or may delay an award until after you resolve any deficiencies identified.

3. Recipient Integrity and performance.

a. Prior to making an award with a total amount of Federal share greater than the simplified acquisition threshold, we are required to review and consider any information about you that is in the OMB-designated integrity and performance system. Currently, the OMB-designated system is the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) (see 41 U.S.C. 2313);

b. You, at your option, may review information in FAPIIS (or successor OMB-designated system) and comment on any information about you that a Federal awarding agency previously entered and is currently in the system; and

c. We will consider any comments by you, in addition to the other information in FAPIIS (or successor OMB-designated system), in making a judgment about your integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk as described in 2 CFR 200.205 “Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants.”

Section H. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

1. Award notices. Awards resulting from this announcement will be bilateral (i.e., we both sign) cooperative agreements.

2. Administrative and national policy requirements. Refer to the “National Policy Requirements” part of the PTAP General Terms and Conditions for national policy requirements that will apply to awards. Among others, these requirements include disclosures by you required in Subpart C of 2 CFR Part 180, as adopted by DoD at 2 CFR Part 1125.

3. Reporting. Refer to the “Financial, Programmatic, And Property Reporting” part and the “Submitting and maintaining recipient information” article in the PTAP General Terms and Conditions for reporting requirements that will apply to awards. Refer to paragraph H.2 above for disclosures that also apply.

Section I. OPTION TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE AWARD

Duration. This is an opportunity for a base year plus three subsequent option year awards. Among other things, options are contingent on the continuation of enabling legislation for this program, the availability of funds and your compliance with award terms and conditions and performance during prior periods. We may exercise an option by modifying a previous award or by making a new award. Either case requires both us and you to sign a supplemental agreement.

Section J. AGENCY CONTACTS

If you have any questions about this announcement you may contact us at the address or email on page one. Help using grants.gov is available at grants.gov/web/grants/support.html image1.png