FY18CMVOST NOFO_Final Version.pdf

Notice of Funding Opportunity Summary Information

Federal Agency Name: U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA) Grants Management Office (MC-BG) 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE West Building Washington, DC 20590

Funding Opportunity Title: Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training Program

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: FM-DTG-18-001

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number:

20.235

Key Date – Application Due Date: May 14, 2018 (5:00pm EST)

Primary Point of Contact: Rikita Jarrett, 202-366-4186, rikita.jarrett@dot.gov

SECTION A - PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

1) General

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announces the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training (CMVOST) grant program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications from organizations that provide Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) operator training, including accredited public or private colleges, universities, vocational-technical schools, post-secondary educational institutions, truck driver training schools, associations and State and local governments, including Federally-recognized Native American Tribal governments that support CMVOST activities.

The FMCSA is responsible for the implementation and administration of the CMVOST grant program which is authorized by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, Pub.

L. No. 114-94, § 5101(b) and (c) (2015). The CMVOST program is governed by 49 U.S.C. §§ 31103 and 31104. In accordance with the provisions of the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (P.L. 115-56), only a portion of the entire FY 2018 funding is presently available, and is at the FY 2017 appropriations level. However, FMCSA anticipates that authorized funding for the entirety of FY 2018 will be available at the time of award.

The Department of Transportation Secretary’s strategic goals are:

• SAFETY: Reduce transportation-related fatalities and serious injuries across the transportation system.

• INFRASTRUCTURE: Invest in infrastructure to ensure safety, mobility and accessibility and to stimulate economic growth, productivity and competitiveness for American workers and businesses.

• INNOVATION: Lead in the development and deployment of innovative practices and technologies that improve the safety and performance of the Nation’s transportation system.

• ACCOUNTABILITY: Serve the Nation with reduced regulatory burden and greater efficiency, effectiveness and accountability.

FMCSA’s three core principles support the Secretary’s strategic goals. The FMCSA’s three core principles are: 1) raising the bar to enter the motor carrier industry; 2) requiring compliance with high safety standards to remain in the industry; and 3) removing high-risk carriers, drivers, and service providers from operation.

The CMVOST grant program supports the Secretary’s strategic goals. The purpose is to expand the number of commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders possessing enhanced operator safety training to help reduce the severity and number of crashes on U.S. roads involving CMVs and to assist current or former members of the U.S. Armed Forces, including National Guard and Reservists to obtain a CDL.

This NOFO provides important information about the FY 2018 CMVOST program activities/projects and guidance related to preparing and submitting a grant application.

CMVOST grant funds are awarded through a competitive grant process and no assurance of funding is implied or should be inferred.

After the initial posting of the NOFO, the FMCSA Grants Management Office (GMO) may make changes to the NOFO announcement in www.Grants.gov if there are statutory changes to the CMVOST program for FY 2018.

2) FY 2018 CMV OST National Priorities.

All applications must support a public purpose listed below. The FMCSA may not award grant funding to individuals for personal gain, such as individual requests for obtaining specialized training required for CDL licensing or to any private business for direct financial gain or profit.

i) to expand the number of commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders possessing enhanced operator safety training to help reduce the severity and number of crashes on U.S. roads involving CMVs.

Applicants should provide information such as

a) the number of students to be recruited, trained, and placed;

b) the duration, curriculum, and general content of the training;

c) job placement for the students following graduation;

d) innovative approaches to training delivery; and

e) monitoring and evaluating protocols that are in place to measure success and performance outcomes.

ii) to assist current or former members of the U.S. Armed Forces, including National Guard and Reservists to obtain a CDL.

The spouses and children of service members are also eligible for such training, with or without the service member. These individuals are referred to as “Qualified Students” and referenced as such for the remainder of this document.

In addition to providing similar information to that above in subsection (i), applicants should also provide information such as:

a) Proximity to a military installation or other nearby opportunities to reach veterans; and

b) Existence of on campus Veterans Affairs.

iii) Administrative Relief for Grantees Impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.

a) Prioritization of Funding.

FMCSA will prioritize funding to States (including local/municipal jurisdictions), Territories, if applicable, and other eligible applicants severely impacted by hurricanes Irma, Harvey and Maria that occurred during calendar year 2017.

Severely impacted for the purposes of this prioritization means an area that was declared a “major disaster” by the President of the United States, the Governor of a State, or their authorized representatives; the FMCSA Field Administrator; or a Federal, State, or local government official having authority to declare an emergency, as defined under 42 U.S.C. § 5122, for the hurricane events mentioned previously. If a jurisdiction or area not expressly declared a major disaster wishes to apply for funding under this priority, the applicant will need to clearly demonstrate how the aforementioned hurricanes caused damage/loss to the extent that the performance of CDLPI activities, eligible under this grant, will be significantly affected.

Funding must be used to assist with CDLPI safety projects associated with recovery efforts (overtime hours, supplies, etc.) and/or the purchase/replacement of equipment previously purchased using FMCSA funds (excluding buildings or other real property) deemed inoperable due to damage caused by these natural catastrophic events.

b) Equipment Purchases.

For equipment purchases, the applicant must provide documentation regarding:

A) The documented loss or damage of the equipment including, but not limited to, photos, original purchase orders, reports, insurance claim information and other relevant records in accordance with the applicant’s disposition requirements or those included in 2 C.F.R. part 200 should the applicant not have specific procedures;

B) Any insurance claims and/or reimbursements that were made or received on the equipment that is being identified for replacement under this priority (This includes any current or expected funds awarded by another Federal or State entity, such as the Federal Management Agency or State equivalent);

C) Other information as requested by the FMCSA to ensure compliance with necessary federal requirements.

Please note that FMCSA will only reimburse the net cost of replacement. The net cost of replacement should be calculated as the replacement cost of the equipment, minus the “amount” (properly allocated) reimbursed through any insurance coverage placed on the item and minus any funds received through non-federal sources.

For items not insured, the FMCSA will follow the aforementioned process, deducting the amount that would have been covered under insurance (obtained pursuant to sound management practice) in lieu of actual insurance reimbursements received. Applicants must include information substantiating the net cost within their application.

c) Cost Match under this Priority.

The FMCSA will reimburse 100 percent of eligible expenses (no matching share required) under this priority.

SECTION B – FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

1) Funding and Number of Awards.

The FMCSA anticipates making approximately 10 awards totaling $1,000,000 as a result of this

NOFO.

2) Type of Awards.

The planned award type is a Grant.

3) Period of Performance.

Pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 31104(f)(4), the CMVOST grant awards have a period of performance that is the fiscal year of award plus one additional fiscal year. The period of performance begins upon the award date.

4) Degree of Federal Involvement.

☐ [Grant] Substantial involvement is not expected between the FMCSA and the recipient when carrying out the activity outlined in the agreement. FMCSA provides financial assistance, technical expertise, and oversight. Grantees provide the effort and expertise necessary to carry out the approved activities to improve CMV safety. FMCSA grantees are responsible for achieving the work described in their grant award, complying with the grant requirements laid out in the grant award and the Terms and Conditions, the local administration of the grant, and monitoring and oversight of any sub-grantees.

The anticipated Federal involvement may include:

• Technical assistance and guidance to the recipient;

• Close monitoring of performance; and

• Participation in status meetings including kick off meeting and annual programmatic and budget reviews.

SECTION C – ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1) Eligible Applicants.

Only educational institutions accredited by an accreditation agency recognized by the U.S.

Department of Education will be considered for funding. Applications will be accepted from organizations that provide Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) operator training, including accredited public or private colleges, universities, vocational-technical schools, post-secondary educational institutions, truck driver training schools, associations and State and local governments, including Federally-recognized Native American Tribal governments that support CMVOST activities.

2) Cost-Sharing and Match requirements.

There is a 15 percent matching requirement for this grant program. Any type of cost included in the approved budget may be used as match, and grantees may vary the costs used as match from voucher to voucher, provided those costs were included in the approved budget. Costs that have not been approved by FMCSA as part of the project’s budget may not be used as match.

All award costs, including match, must comply with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, including 2 C.F.R. §§ 200.306 and 215.23 (see also § 200.96, § 200.99, and § 200.434).

The required 15 percent match may not consist of funds received from other Federal awards.

3) Cost Information.

Cost matching or cost sharing is the portion of project costs not reimbursed by the Federal government. The required match may consist of the remaining portion of student tuition as described above or other costs that directly benefit the students enrolled in the program.

i) Cost Match Requirements.

Cost match, whether cash and/or in-kind contributions, included in the budget of the award, must adhere to all of the cost principals and must have direct project benefit or directly support a grant activity. Hard or cash match is something that has a direct cash value to it, labor, equipment versus in-kind or soft match, which is something that has a valuation to it, versus a direct cost, such as donated services.

ii) Types of Match:

a) Cash (Hard Match): primary source of match.

b) Trade-In Allowance/Credit: not applicable.

c) In-kind (Soft Match): eligible as appropriate.

d) Overmatch. In the application narrative, an organization may indicate a voluntary pledge to commit additional financial support toward a project’s cost, which is in addition to their required cost share obligation as detailed above and required by law.

The FMCSA will not account for this promised additional funding in the terms of the award. The award budget will not account for any voluntary committed cost sharing or overmatch. The use of an overmatch is not given additional consideration when scoring applications.

Match must be clearly defined in the application. The absence of clearly defined match may exclude an application from further consideration.

SECTION D - APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Applications must contain the below elements and all documentation described in Appendix A to be considered for an award. Appendix B contains example formats that may, but are not required to be used.

1) Address.

The FMCSA utilizes Grants.gov (www.grants.gov) for accepting application forms under this program.

2) Content and Form of Application Submission.

Applications must contain the below elements and all documentation described in Appendix A to be considered for an award. Appendix B contains example formats that may, but are not required to be used.

i) Problem Statement and Performance Objective: A description of the goal(s) of the application and the applicable program priority(ies) met by the application’s projects. Include in this introduction specific information about the results the applicant proposes to achieve.

Example: To expand the number of individuals receiving commercial motor vehicle operator safety training in order to reduce the severity and number of crashes on U.S. roads involving commercial motor vehicles. Specifically, to recruit current and former members of the United States Armed Forces (including Guard members and Reservists) and their spouses or children (Qualified Students), provide them with superior safety-focused training, and offer placement services to assist them in becoming employed in the transportation industry

ii) Activity Workplan: A description of the applicant’s quantifiable goal related to the above problem statement. This should be measured in four activity areas:

a) Activity 1 – Recruiting Qualified Students: Example: Applicant has a wide recruitment network that concentrates on outreach to veteran and military applicants.

Applicant’s recruiting staff uses existing veteran organizations, visits to military bases, public advertising and promotion, and job fairs in coordination with local workforce training agencies to achieve focused recruiting of current and/or former members of the military.

b) Activity 2 – Training Qualified Students: applications must clearly describe the type of training and the number of hours each. Example: The program takes approximately 4- 6 weeks to complete and includes 105 hours of classroom instruction, 25 hours of off-road training and 44 hours of behind-the-wheel training; the curriculum is as follows (insert course listing here).

c) Activity 3 – Providing Students with Post-graduation Job Placement Assistance:

Example: Concurrent with training, students are given numerous opportunities to speak with on-site recruiters; students are given guidance in interviewing strategies for achieving employment; students are provided with assistance and counseling in evaluating pay, benefits, lifestyle, and location pros and cons.

d) Activity 4 – Providing Qualified Students with Fees or Expenses: Example: All fees and expenses, including books, materials, and permit and testing fees are included in each student’s tuition. The Applicant routinely hosts job fairs and other work-related skills classes and seminars on campus at no charge to the student.

iii) Program Evaluation and Monitoring Plan: A description of how the applicant will measure progress towards the performance goals and objectives by using quantifiable measures to capture performance outcomes. The measurement must include specific benchmarks that can be reported on in the quarterly progress report, if practicable, or as annual outcomes. Example: All academic and skills training for each student will be documented weekly and compared to current baseline training data to determine the effectiveness of training activities and program administration; data will be maintained for each course on the number of students recruited, qualified, enrolled, and graduated, the number of students that passed the CDL test, and the number placed in the trucking industry.

iv) Organizational Capacity: This section demonstrates that the applicant has the expertise to successfully implement the stated strategies and achieve its stated goal(s). This section includes information related to the applicant’s training program, its ability to conduct recruitment and career placement, and its ability to successfully manage a Federal financial assistance award. Example: The Applicant has been providing CDL training since 1986 and is the preferred training provider for several large government and for-profit organizations.

It maintains an on-campus Office of Veterans Affairs and is recognized by GI Jobs Magazine as a military-friendly program. Its experience includes training drivers in the safe operation of all commercial vehicles, including passenger vehicles and tankers.

v) Budget Narrative: A budget narrative is a description by budget category (object class or type of expense) that details the costs necessary to complete the proposed projects. The budget narrative ensures that the applicant has properly documented proposed costs. The level of detail should be sufficient to justify the funding requested. Guidance on how to develop an application budget narrative is included in Appendix B. Match or cost share must also be clearly defined.

3) Sam.Gov requirement.

Every applicant must be registered in the System for Award Management (www.SAM.gov) before submitting the application; 2) provide a valid Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number in its application; and 3) continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application under consideration by FMCSA.

4) Submission Dates and Times.

i) Deadline.

Unsolicited applications will not be accepted. FULL AND COMPLETE APPLICATIONS FOR Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Grants ARE DUE ON May 14, 2018 by 5:00 pm EST. Once Grants.gov has received your submission, you will receive email messages to advise you of the progress of your application through the system. Over the next two business days, you should receive two emails: 1) confirms application receipt by the Grants.gov system; and 2) indicates that the application has either been successfully validated by Grants.gov prior to transmission to FMCSA or has been rejected due to errors. The applicant assumes responsibility for a timely and complete submission. Click here for more information.

ii) Consideration of Applications.

Only applicants who comply with all submission deadlines described in this notice and electronically submit valid applications through Grants.gov will be eligible for consideration of award. Applicants are strongly encouraged to make submissions in advance of the deadline.

iii) Late Applications.

The FMCSA will not consider a late application except under extraordinary circumstances. A late application will only be accepted if there is a large scale natural disaster or a grants.gov system issue that threatens the timely submission of a grant application. Problems with computer systems at the applicant organization, failure to follow the application instructions or failure to submit or complete the program application or complete required registrations by the submission deadline are not considered system issues.

iv) Modifications.

Modifications to an application after it has been submitted will require a resubmission of the entire application package. The applicant must notify the FMCSA GMO prior to resubmitting the package. Submitting changes to Grants.gov without contacting the FMCSA GMO could significantly delay application submission and may result in the application not being accepted as complete.

http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply-for-grants.html

5) Intergovernmental Review.

Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training Program awards and this funding opportunity are not subject to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.

6) Funding Restrictions.

The FMCSA will not award grant funds for instructor or administrative support salaries or other general recurring expenses associated with the applicant’s daily operations.

Pre-award costs are not eligible for reimbursement. All costs must be allowable, allocable, reasonable, and necessary to achieve the stated goals, and must comply with the cost principles in 2 C.F.R. part 200. Compliance with these requirements is the responsibility of the grantee recipient of Federal funds. Costs must also be consistently applied and documented. These standards are described in the applicable cost principles and administrative requirements in 2 C.F.R. §§ 200.400 through 200.475. Failure to adhere to these requirements may result in reimbursements under the award being deemed improper and subsequently disallowed.

Eligible CMV operator grant program costs include, but are not limited to:

i) The proportional share of salaries for program recruitment and job placement coordinators who recruit Qualified Students and assist them with post-graduation employment;

ii) Travel expenses related to attending student recruitment and job placement events that are directly related to identifying and recruiting Qualified Students or assisting them in finding employment for which a CDL is required;

iii) Costs for recruitment materials (such as handouts for a job fair, a poster in a military facility’s announcement area, etc.). NOTE: promotional items such as key chains, coffee mugs, pens, tote bags, and the like are not allowable, even if intended solely to publicize or promote the program; and

iv) Fringe benefits, indirect costs, contractual costs or other costs that directly benefit students by supporting recruiting and job-placement activities for Qualified Students in the program. Instructor salaries, administrative staff or support salaries, associated fringe benefits for those salaries, and other general recurring expenses associated with the Applicant’s daily operations are expected to be part of the cost of tuition, are not eligible for Federal reimbursement, and cannot be used to meet the required match.

The FMCSA will not approve reimbursement requests for indirect costs if an approved indirect cost rate agreement is not in force for the period of time that the indirect cost expenses are incurred.

All FMCSA grant programs are cost reimbursable, which means that grant recipients must first expend their own money before vouchering by submitting an invoice to FMCSA for costs associated with approved activities identified in the grant agreement. Recipients will be reimbursed by FMCSA for actual costs incurred, subject to the required five percent (5%) match, provided that the costs are reasonable, approved, allowable, and allocable in accordance with the OMB regulations and FMCSA policy, within the approved budget, and supported by documentation. The recipients must request reimbursement at least once each quarter.

The FMCSA will not reimburse an amount that is more than the Federal share of costs incurred as of the date of the voucher.

Recipients must submit requests for reimbursement electronically through the Delphi eInvoicing System (iSupplier). Additional information is available at: http://www.dot.gov/cfo/delphi-einvoicing-system.

7) Other Submission Requirements.

To submit an application through Grants.gov, applicants must:

i) Obtain a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number;

ii) Register with the System for Award Management (SAM) at www.SAM.gov;

iii) Create a Grants.gov username and password; and

iv) The E-Business Point of Contact (POC) at the applicant’s organization must respond to the registration email from Grants.gov and login at Grants.gov to authorize the applicant as the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR).

Please note that there can be more than one AOR for an organization. Please note that the Grants.gov registration process usually takes 2–4 weeks to complete and that FMCSA will not consider late applications that are the result of failure to register or comply with Grants.gov.

For Grants.gov assistance, please call at 1-800-518-4726 or e-mail at support@grants.gov 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (closed on Federal holidays).

http://www.dot.gov/cfo/delphi-einvoicing-system http://www.dot.gov/cfo/delphi-einvoicing-system mailto:support@grants.gov

SECTION E - APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1) Criteria

All applications received by the due date will undergo an initial intake review to determine if: (1) the application includes all required documents – see Section D and Appendix A to ensure the application is eligible for a comprehensive programmatic evaluation.

The award recommendations are based on the following:

i) Applicability of application projects to the NOFO’s national priorities listed in Section A.

The application must carry out a CMVOST project that reflects the program’s priorities and statutory requirements that will likely achieve successful completion within the award’s period of performance.

This relates to program-specific policy areas such as statutory references, published policy documents, etc. that may factor into an award recommendation. For example, FMCSA may consider an institution’s geographical location to prevent the clustering of grantees in any one region of the country or area within a broader geographical region (ex: the Southeast, Pacific Northwest, etc.), except as prioritized for communities impacted by hurricanes, as noted above. Further, FMCSA may consider an applicant institution’s proximity to nearby military installations that will provide the largest available candidate pool for Qualified Students.

CMVOST program-specific factors may include, but are not limited to whether the application describes a CMVOST project that reflects the program’s priorities and statutory requirements and that will likely achieve successful completion within the award’s period of performance.

ii) Performance Goals and Monitoring Components.

The application must include clearly-identified performance goals and measurements that are supported by an appropriate and identified data source and that includes benchmarks and timelines that will facilitate evaluating the applicant’s progress towards project completion.

Reviewers will also consider whether the application indicates how the recipient will continuously contribute to the success of the project by evaluating performance and outcomes and making adjustments as necessary.

iii) Strength of Budget.

This review provides an assessment of: whether costs are allowable in accordance with Federal grant requirements, including the appropriateness and reasonableness of the budget estimate and the resources to be dedicated to the project; and the reasonableness and feasibility of the schedule relative to the application timeline. The budget should describe specific activities that support the objective(s) of the program. The reviewers will consider whether budget components such as staffing, equipment, training, and travel components are clearly linked to the project’s goal(s) and are necessary to adequately compensate, equip, train, and enable personnel to conduct the activities included in the project plan.

The budget evaluation helps identify project-related risks which must be considered prior to recommendation, in addition to those risks arising from technical uncertainty. Reviewers will evaluate applications to determine the extent to which:

a) Elements of work included in the application have associated budget costs and, conversely, all elements in the applicant’s budget have corresponding work elements included in the application;

b) Budget costs are allowable, allocable, necessary and reasonable per Office of Management and Budget Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, and not duplicative of other budget line items;

and

c) the appropriate match is documented, as applicable.

iv) Past Performance.

This review provides information that is considered a possible indicator of future performance. Applicants that have previously received FMCSA grant funding will be evaluated in part on their ability to complete prior year awards on time, their compliance with those grant terms and conditions, and the results of FMCSA grant monitoring activities.

Applicants that have not previously received grant funding from FMCSA are not subject to this review and their applications will not be eliminated from funding consideration.

2) Review and Selection Process

Applications that meet the completeness criteria are then reviewed and subjected to a merit review process where each complete application is evaluated by multiple organizations within FMCSA including: a technical review panel (TRP), grant specialists, program officers, and FMCSA staff responsible for day-to-day grant management oversight. The applications are then prioritized using the ratings shown below based on the applicability of the criteria to the application.

i) Ratings

a) Highly Responsive: Applicant fully addresses all aspects of the criterion, convincingly demonstrates that it will meet the Government's performance requirements, and demonstrates minimal or no weaknesses.

b) Responsive: Applicant fully addresses all aspects of the criterion and demonstrates the likelihood of meeting the Government's expectations and requirements, but may include a few weaknesses.

c) Somewhat Responsive: Applicant addresses most aspects of the criterion and demonstrates the ability to meet the Government's performance requirements but contains significant weaknesses and/or a number of minor weaknesses. These weaknesses may be addressed by recommending the award and including a specific programmatic or administrative post-award term and condition or a reduction to requested funding.

d) Not Responsive: Applicant does not sufficiently address the criterion and the information presented indicates a strong likelihood of failure to meet the Government’s requirements.

ii) Evaluation.

Reviewers will evaluate each application to determine the extent to which:

a) The application is written in a manner that will allow FMCSA to monitor performance based on FMCSA reporting requirements;

b) The proposed project/program is reasonable in scope, addresses existing and emerging commercial driver’s license safety issues, and is likely to succeed in achieving its goals;

c) The proposed expenditures are reasonable and necessary for the project’s success, based on prior personnel, budgetary practices, and past performance, and costs are allowable under applicable Federal regulations; and

d) The applicant has effectively managed current project tasks (e.g., performance is within budget and on schedule).

iii) Other Review Information.

Reviewers will also:

a) Document any issues or findings from monitoring activities (e.g., audit, program, or process reviews) that demonstrate the applicant’s violation of the grant terms and conditions;

b) Consider whether the applicant’s previous performance and financial reports were submitted late, were incomplete or incorrect, and/or consistently required an extension of the deadline for submission;

3) Additional Information.

Prior to award, each selected applicant will be subject to a risk assessment, as required by 2 C.F.R. §200.205. Depending on the level and severity of the Agency’s risk assessment findings, FMCSA may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive the award and use that determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant. The FMCSA may also impose additional grant award terms and conditions above its customary general terms and conditions.

The risk assessment is conducted in several parts:

i) A debarment and suspension review that included a review of the applicant’s administrative capability self-certification form and a check against the records in SAM (currently the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System.

ii) An applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through SAM and comment on any information about itself that a Federal awarding agency previously entered and is currently in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM;

iii) FMCSA will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to the other information in the designated integrity and performance system, in making a judgment about the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in § 200.205 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants; and

iv) An evaluation of the applicant’s Single Audit in accordance with the Single Audit Act.

The FMCSA may, at its discretion, request further information and/or conduct an audit to confirm compliance as indicated on the SF-LLL – Disclosure of Lobbying Activities form, as provided for in the United States Code or the Code of Federal Regulations.

SECTION F – FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

1) Federal Award Notices.

Following the evaluation outlined in Section E, the Notice of Federal award signed by Service Center State Program Manager or equivalent) is the authorizing financial assistance document, and will be sent through grant solutions. It must be accepted by the recipient before the end of

FY 2018.

After the application review process, FMCSA may find it necessary to contact the applicant with additional questions or for clarification of the application’s components. The FMCSA also reserves the right to determine the amount of awarded funding, including but not limited to factors such as reductions in the scope of work, funding level, period, or method of support prior to recommending any project for funding. Although the process is intended to be collaborative, FMCSA reserves the right to make final decisions on all awards. If selected for funding, applicants may be required to submit a supplemental budget or project narrative based on a partial or modified grant recommendation. The FMCSA expects to contact applicants if necessary during the spring of 2018. This contact between applicants and FMCSA does not constitute any assurance that funding will be awarded.

The FMCSA does not expect to make awards prior to July 2018.

Applicants will not receive any communication until all funding recommendations have been approved. The FMCSA will send a letter to notify those who were not funded with suggestions https://1.next.westlaw.com/Link/Document/FullText?findType=L&pubNum=1000547&cite=2CFRS200.205&originatingDoc=NCB7AD5A036DF11E5BF6AF4E8818E6073&refType=VP&originationContext=document&transitionType=DocumentItem&contextData=(sc.UserEnteredCitation) for how applications can be improved for the next grant cycle. The FMCSA does not have an appeals process for unsuccessful applications for discretionary grant funds.

2) Administrative and National Policy Requirements.

All awards will be administered pursuant to the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards found in 2 C.F.R. part 200, as adopted by DOT at 2 C.F.R. part 1201 and FMCSA statutes and regulations.

Additional provisions that apply to this solicitation and/or awards made under this solicitation, including but not limited to those related to DUNS, SAM, and administrative capability, can be found in the Grants.gov application package under the “Related Documents” tab. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review all documents when preparing applications. Contact the POC listed in the overview of the funding notification if you have questions on these provisions.

3) Reporting.

The grant terms and conditions outline the reporting requirements that the recipient must meet after award. Reporting responsibilities include quarterly program performance reports using the Performance Progress Report (SF-PPR) and quarterly financial status using the Federal Financial Report (SF-FFR, also known as the SF-425). Recipients may elect to submit financial reports electronically through GrantSolutions and/or by email; contact the primary or secondary point of contact listed in the overview of the funding notification for additional information. Recipients should submit quarterly performance reports via email. Additional quarterly report information and other required forms and templates are available at http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/mission/grants/grantee-resources.

If the Federal share of any Federal award may include more than $500,000 over the period of performance financial assistance recipients must comply with the post award reporting requirements reflected in Appendix XII of 2 C.F.R. part 200.

SECTION G – FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS

For questions about this NOFO, please contact the FMCSA’s Grants Management Office as listed below:

Telephone: (202) 366-0621 (Grants Management Helpdesk)

Mail: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Grants Management Office (MC-BG) 1200 New Jersey Ave, SE, West Building, Washington, DC 20590.

Office hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/mission/grants/grantee-resources

SECTION H – OTHER INFORMATION

This NOFO is intended for informational purposes and reflects current planning. If there is any inconsistency between the information contained in this NOFO and the terms of any resulting funding agreement, the terms of the funding agreement are controlling. Additionally, FMCSA may make changes or additions to this NOFO. All changes will be announced through Grants.gov. FMCSA encourages applicants to sign up for Grants.gov emails to be notified of any changes at:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/manage-subscriptions.html

The FMCSA plans to conduct an informational web-based conference for all prospective applicants. During this conference, FMCSA staff will review NOFO requirements; share best practices and lessons learned; and answer questions from prospective applicants as allowed by Agency policy. Conference registration information will be posted to this NOFO announcement on Grants.gov.

The FMCSA is not obligated to make any Federal award as a result of this announcement.

Funding amounts made available under this program may be impacted by limitations placed on the spending authority and appropriations enacted for FMCSA. The FMCSA is not responsible for any monies expended outside the scope of the grant agreement by the applicant and is not responsible for any monies expended prior to the award date on the grant agreement.

Issuance of the NOFO and any post-submission contact of prospective applicants do not constitute an award commitment on the part of FMCSA. The FMCSA reserves the right to reduce or revise applicant budgets as necessary. Only FMCSA authorizing officials can obligate the Federal government.

An application may be withdrawn at any time before a final funding decision is made regarding the application, and notifications will be sent as soon as practicable when awards are made. The FMCSA retains application materials for a period of three years for unsuccessful applications.

As an applicant, your submission certifies that the statements made in the grant application are true and correct.

The following attachments have been added to Grants.gov under this announcement. These attachments are available in Grants.gov under the “Related Documents” tab.

• Appendix A: Application Package Requirements Checklist

• Appendix B: Budget Narrative Guidance http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/manage-subscriptions.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/manage-subscriptions.html

APPENDIX A – APPLICATION PACKAGE REQUIREMENT CHECKLIST

Careful review of the application notice of funding availability and use of this checklist are strongly encouraged to ensure that a complete application is submitted. Application packages that do not contain all of the required forms and documents may not be considered for funding. The table below lists the required documents that must be contained in the application package (if applicable), the document description and its location. This checklist is provided for your convenience and does not have to be submitted with your application.

Document Name Document Description & Location Document Included?

Standard Form (SF) 424 Application for Federal Assistance

(Required Form)

Standard application form for all Federal assistance requests.

This form is available in the Grants.gov application kit.

YES ☐ NO ☐

SF-424A Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs

Standard application form for all Federal assistance requests relating to non-construction grant programs.

SF-424B Assurances for Non-Construction Programs

(Required Form)

Standard application form for all Federal assistance requests relating to non-construction grant programs indicating that the applicant organization is in substantial compliance with applicable Federal laws to accept and manage Federal funds.

This form is available in the Grants.gov application kit.

YES ☐ NO ☐

Grants.Gov Lobbying Form

Standard application form for all Federal assistance requests relating to the limitation on the use of appropriated funds to influence certain Federal contracting and financial transactions under Title 31 U.S.C.

Section 1352.

SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

(If Applicable)

Standard application form for all Federal assistance requests to disclose lobbying activities. Only applicable to applicants that have lobbying activities to disclose.

Key Contacts Form

(Required Form)

Standard application form for all Federal assistance requests that must contain contact information for the following three roles (indicate in the form if a contact is performing more than one role):

1) Authorized Designated Official (individual for review and acceptance of award);

2) Principal Investigator/Program Director (individual responsible for the day-to-day management of the project and preparing PPRs); and

3) Financial Official (individual that submits payments and authorized to accept payments).

1)YES ☐

2)YES ☐

3)YES ☐

1)NO ☐

2)NO ☐

3)NO ☐

7 Attachment Form

Form used to submit supplemental attachments, such as project and budget narratives, to support the grant application.

YES ☐

NO ☐

Project Narrative

(Required Document)

Project narrative that includes: brief introduction, program overview, problem statement, performance objective(s), program activity plan(s), and performance measurement plan(s).

Use the “Attachments Form” located in the Grants.gov application package to attach the various files that make up your grant application.

Budget Narrative

(Required Document)

Includes a thorough description and clear justification of each project’s cost budget category (object class or type of expense) listed on the SF- 424A budget form, and shows how the cost was derived. Budget Narrative Guidance is available in Grants.gov under the “Related Documents” tab and is included in Attachment B.

Indirect Cost Rate Information

(If Applicable)

If the application’s budget includes indirect costs, the applicant must provide either the fully executed, negotiated agreement from its cognizant Federal agency – or – if the rate will not be approved by the application due date, the letter of renewal or letter of request that was sent to the cognizant agency. Use the “Attachments Form” located in the Grants.gov application package to attach the various files that make up your grant application.

FMCSA Administrative Capability Questionnaire

Applicant self-certification that enables FMCSA to assess the adequacy of the applicant’s administrative management systems. The questionnaire is located within the Grants.gov announcement under the “Related Documents” tab.

YES ☐

NO ☐

APPENDIX B – BUDGET NARRATIVE GUIDANCE

What is a Budget Narrative?

The budget narrative explains the “what, “how” and “why” of a line item cost to carry out grant project goals and objectives. A budget narrative is a narrative explanation of each budget component that supports the costs of the proposed work. The budget narrative should describe why each budget item is required to achieve the proposed project goals and objectives. It should also explain in detail how budget costs were calculated.

The budget narrative should be clear, specific, detailed, and mathematically correct.

The FMCSA reviews the budget narrative to confirm that costs are allowable, allocable, necessary, and reasonable. A well-developed budget narrative is also an effective management tool; a budget that doesn’t represent a project’s needs makes it difficult to recommend for funding and to assess financial performance over the life of the project. The budget narrative:

• Describes your need for or the necessity of an expense;

• Documents how reasonable the request is and conveys your judgment as well as the feasibility of the project based on available and proposed resources;

• Helps FMCSA review high-risk cost items to determine funding.

• Describes how much of each cost will be provided by Federal funding and how much will be contributed as match. Include this information in the narrative section for each type of cost. NOTE:

The total project’s cost must reflect an 85 percent Federal contribution and a 15 percent match contribution, but which costs are used to provide the required match is at the applicant’s discretion.

What Costs are included in a Budget Narrative?

Personnel: Personnel costs are salaries for employees working directly on a grant project. Only include costs for personnel employed by your organization. Costs should be consistent with that paid for similar types of work within the organization. Individuals not employed by your organization will be classified as either a sub-grantee or contractor. See the contractual object class for additional information.

The FMCSA evaluates the personnel budget narrative to determine whether the proposed number of personnel is appropriate and includes sufficient staffing to meet the project objectives. The proposed effort should be consistent with the effort required by the work plan. The labor mix should be consistent with the caliber of effort – professional/nonprofessional/clerical – required by the grant work plan. The FMCSA also reviews the personnel budget to determine whether the salary ranges proposed are reasonable.

Fringe Benefits: Fringe benefits are allowances and services provided by employers to their employees as compensation in addition to regular salaries and wages. Fringe benefits include, but are not limited to, the costs of leave (vacation, family-related, sick or military), employee insurance, pensions, and unemployment benefit plans. The costs of fringe benefits are allowable provided that the benefits are reasonable and are required by law, non-Federal entity-employee agreement, or an established policy of the non-Federal entity. The FMCSA will only reimburse fringe costs for the personnel performing grant-related duties and only for the percentage of time they devote to the project. Some helpful tips:

• Include how the fringe benefit amount is calculated (e.g., estimated fringe benefit percentages or a fringe rate approved by the Health and Human Services State Wide Cost Allocation Plan or cognizant agency). Explain what is included in the benefit package.

• Do not combine the fringe benefit costs with direct salaries and wages in the personnel category.

Note that that the personnel in the personnel budget narrative should be reflected in the fringe benefits budget narrative. The level of personnel participation (full time or part time) must also correspond to the fringe charged.

Travel: Travel costs include field work activities or meeting travel. The FMCSA reviews the travel budget to ensure that amounts are reasonable based on the level of effort described in the project plan.

The FMCSA evaluates out-of-state travel to ensure the trips planned are necessary to complete the scope of work and that the number of travelers is consistent with the trip’s purpose. Some helpful tips:

• Include estimates for potential travel such as possible FMCSA required meetings, with estimated costs of attendance.

• Explain the reason for travel expenses for project personnel and, if known, identify the location/destination of travel.

• Do not include payroll, fringe, or other costs listed as part of the travel. For example, payroll/fringe is included in personnel and fuel costs are included in other.

Costs for employee attendance at required conferences, such as with FMCSA, can be put into the budget without the need to break out what the daily cost will be; however, when vouchered, costs should be reported as actuals. Expenses must be auditable (e.g. able to be backed up with actual days on the road, state per diem costs, hotel expenses, and any allowable miscellaneous costs).

Equipment: Equipment costs are not typically part of this type of grant. Equipment is tangible, nonexpendable, personal property items that have a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit. The FMCSA evaluates the need for the equipment (e.g., ratio of employees to equipment) in the budget narrative and how it supports project activities. The FMCSA also evaluates the extent to which the equipment is being used to support more than one FMCSA grant.

If it does, FMCSA verifies that the cost has been prorated accurately. Additionally, FMCSA reviews past performance information to determine if the same equipment for the project/program was purchased in previous years. Some helpful tips:

• If your equipment threshold is below $5,000, indicate that in the narrative so that FMCSA can verify why lower cost…