FY2023 SNAP FFIG_Request for Applications.pdf

Information Collection: 0584-0512 Expiration date: 07/31/2025

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Fraud Framework Implementation Grant Program

Fiscal Year 2023 Request for Applications (RFA)

Assistance Listing Number (ALN): 10.535

Release Date: April 5, 2023 Application Due Date: June 4, 2023, 11:59 PM, Eastern Daylight Time

(EDT)

Anticipated Award Date: August 2023

OMB BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-0512.

The estimated average time required to complete this information collection is 45 hours per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services, Office of Policy Support, ATTN: PRA (0584- 0512) 1320 Braddock Place, 5th Floor, Alexandria, VA 22314 ATTN: PRA (0584-0512). Do not return the completed form to this address.

Application Checklist This Application Checklist provides applicants with a list of the required documents. However, FNS expects that applicants will read the entire RFA prior to the submission of their application and comply with all requirements outlined in the solicitation. The Application Checklist is for applicant use only and should not be submitted as part of the Application Package.

Complete the following at least four weeks prior to submission:

Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number;

Register the UEI number in the System for Award Management (SAM); and, Register in grants.gov

When preparing your application, ensure:

Application format and narrative meet the requirements included in Section 4 “Application and Submission Information.” This includes page limits, priorities outlined in Section 1 “Program Description”, and all necessary attachments.

When preparing your budget, ensure the following information is included:

All key staff proposed to be paid by this grant.

The percentage of time the Project Director will devote to the project in full-time equivalents (FTEs).

Your organization’s fringe benefit rate and amount, as well as the basis for the computation.

The type of fringe benefits to be covered with Federal funds.

Itemized travel expenses (including type of travel), travel justifications and basis for lodging estimates.

Types of equipment and supplies, justifications, and estimates, ensuring that the budget is in line with the project description.

Information for all contracts and justification for any sole-source contracts.

Justification, description, and itemized list of all consultant services.

Indirect cost information (either a copy of a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement

(NICRA) or if no agreement exists and the applicant has never been approved for a NICRA, they may charge up to 10% de minimis). If applicant is requesting the de minimis rate or indirect costs are not requested, please indicate this in the budget narrative.

When submitting your application, ensure you have submitted the following:

SF-424 – Application for Federal Assistance (fillable PDF in Grants.gov) SF-424A – Budget Information and Instruction Form (fillable PDF in Grants.gov) SF-424B – Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (fillable PDF in Grants.gov) SF-LLL – Disclosure of Lobbying Activities FNS-906 – Grant Program Accounting System & Financial Capability Questionnaire Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (PDF - Upload using the “Add Attachments” button under SF-424 item #15)

The forms are available on the application package on grants.gov.

Table of Contents Application Checklist

1. Program Description & Objectives

2. Federal Award Information

3. Eligibility Information

4. Application and Submission Information

5. Application Review Information

6. Federal Award Administration Information

7. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts

8. Other Information

Appendix

RFA Budget Narrative Checklist

FNS-906 Grant Program Accounting System & Financial Capability Questionnaire .. 26

1. Program Description & Objectives

Introduction The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers the nutrition assistance programs of the U.S.

Department of Agriculture, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

SNAP is the cornerstone of USDA's nutrition assistance programs. The Food Stamp Act of 1964 made the food stamp program permanent. The purpose was to strengthen the agriculture community and provide improved levels of nutrition among low-income households. The 2008 Farm Bill changed the name of the of the federal program to SNAP. The law modernized the program by acknowledging Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) as the standard issuance vehicle and de-obligated coupons. SNAP is the largest program in the domestic hunger safety net and provides nutrition assistance benefits via EBT card to millions of low-income people. These benefits help supplement household food budgets so recipients can purchase more healthy food.

FNS works in partnership with State agencies in the administration of SNAP.1

While the vast majority of recipients are eligible and use their benefits as intended, there are some who violate program rules. Program violations may encompass a number of activities, such as falsifying income or identity to be eligible for benefits they may not be entitled to, or by using benefits for anything other than their intended purpose. Program violations can result in severe penalties, such as criminal punishment and permanent disqualification from the program. SNAP has zero tolerance for fraud and continues to work with its State partners to implement measures to improve program integrity.

From 2014 to 2017, FNS partnered with 10 State agencies to pilot new strategies and improve the use of analytics to more effectively detect potential fraud, improve administration, and increase oversight. The lessons learned and ideas tested during these pilots led to the development of the SNAP Fraud Framework. The SNAP Fraud Framework is a collection of procedures, innovative ideas, and promising practices to help State agencies improve fraud prevention, detection and investigation techniques and processes. This framework and its supporting documents are designed to support States as they develop new efforts or improve on existing ones to prevent, detect, and investigate fraud. There is no simple solution to combat fraud and each State may require a different approach to improve program integrity. The SNAP Fraud Framework acknowledges the need for State flexibility by offering a menu of options for States to implement as they work to improve program operations and efforts.

The SNAP Fraud Framework is intended to share best practices with personnel directly administering and enforcing the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008. It includes sensitive fraud detection and investigative techniques and therefore has not been shared beyond FNS and SNAP State agencies, the only eligible applicants for this grant opportunity. State agencies that do not have access to the SNAP Fraud Framework should contact their FNS Regional Office.

Program Description The purpose of the SNAP Fraud Framework Implementation Grant Program is to support State

1 Throughout this RFA, “State agencies” refers to the agencies that administer SNAP in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, and Guam.

agency efforts to improve and expand recipient fraud prevention, detection, and investigation efforts using the procedures, ideas and practices outlined in the SNAP Fraud Framework.

Successful applications will specifically incorporate one or more of the procedures, ideas, and practices found in the SNAP Fraud Framework in their proposals. This grant opportunity is not intended to support retailer fraud-related projects. It is understood, however, that recipient fraud prevention efforts may necessarily involve collaborative work with SNAP authorized retailers or with FNS to address retailers complicit in committing fraud.

Section 29(a) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2036) authorizes FNS to provide grants to State agencies to strengthen program integrity activities in SNAP. Up to $5 million has been appropriated in FY 2023 for State agencies to implement practices described in the SNAP Fraud Framework. This funding opportunity will be offered on a competitive basis and is open to the 53 State agencies that administer SNAP. FNS anticipates making approximately 9 awards.

State Agencies may submit applications on behalf of specific counties or districts. FNS will consider only one application per State agency.

Listed in the next section are some general examples of potential project ideas that align with each program objective, which can be found in the SNAP Fraud Framework. Application proposals must include at least one of the seven objectives identified below. Proposals can contain more than one objective. Note that if awarded, grantees will be required to report on progress towards activities aligned with the required objective(s)\using the FNS-908 Performance Progress Report. Carefully considering proposed activities and indicators will prepare grantees for their progress reporting requirements if awarded.

In response to the increase in SNAP benefit theft, FNS is strongly encouraging States to submit proposals that aim to prevent, detect, and respond to false application or certification attempts, phishing, and card skimming schemes. Applicants should identify projects that best fit the needs of the State and that the State can successfully implement. Additionally, we encourage applicants to consider foundational projects that the State agency can build on for future growth in the fraud control area, such as data quality improvement, strategic planning, or the development of a training program. However, applicants may use grant funds to build on previous developments.

Key Objectives Below is a list of the Program Objectives. As noted in the section below, within “Activities/Indicators Tracker”, proposed activities should be clearly aligned to these Objectives and their associated Activities and Indicators.

Objectives 1 Organizational Management: This objective aims to help States establish and communicate priorities, organize employees, and manage both large-scale and day-to-day processes. Many of the concepts described in this component are the foundation for successful program integrity initiatives.

Examples of the types of projects that would fall under this objective include:

• Establish a strategic plan that addresses recipient integrity.

• Improve documentation around recipient fraud processes and procedures that align with strategic priorities.

• Enhance data analysis skills within fraud unit.

2 Performance Measurement: This objective offers recommendations encouraging States to consistently capture and analyze their own performance.

Examples of the types of projects that would fall under this objective include:

• Assess the impact of current integrity efforts and initiatives through active monitoring of a defined set of metrics.

• Establish metrics, measures, and key performance indicators to track performance.

• Automate data gathering and calculations currently done manually.

3 Recipient Integrity Education: This objective provides targeted integrity education initiatives to help ensure recipients have the necessary information and tools to use SNAP benefits as intended—preventing fraud before it occurs. When producing recipient integrity education materials, States are encouraged to educate the public and applicants about SNAP fraud, rather than emphasize the consequences as a deterrent to applying.

Examples of the types of projects that would fall under this objective include:

• Develop client education materials on how recipients can safeguard their EBT card and on how to identify and respond to suspected card skimming and card cloning.

• Improve client integrity education messaging through various channels, in multiple languages, and in plain language rather than in legal jargon.

• Ensure SNAP recipients as well as the public understand what SNAP fraud is, and how to avoid committing program violations.

4 Fraud Detection: Here, the SNAP Fraud Framework stresses the importance of proactively detecting fraud from the application process and continuing throughout the recipient’s time in the Program.

Examples of the types of projects that would fall under this component include:

• Develop a dashboard to monitor EBT card skimming and cloning claims, to help identify trends and support investigations of recipient claims of stolen benefits.

• Strengthen efforts to detect potential fraud at the time of application.

• Improve the use of data analytics to monitor EBT card replacements and predict potential incidents of trafficking.

• Enhance internal controls to protect against employee fraud.

5 Investigations and Dispositions: This objective aims to provide states with tools and suggestions to improve fraud case management from initial fraud referral through disposition.

Examples of the types of projects that would fall under this objective include:

• Implement a data-driven process for prioritizing SNAP fraud investigations.

• Establish standardized procedures for developing effective evidence packages.

• Improve internal fraud referral and feedback processes.

• Develop call center scripts to gather information from households reporting stolen benefits that could help investigators identify when and where a household may have become a victim of an EBT card skimming scheme.

6 Analytics and Data Management: This objective details the necessary people, processes, and technology to launch and maintain an analytics capability. Data analytics can play a valuable role in preventing, detecting, and investigating SNAP fraud.

Examples of the types of projects that would fall under this objective include:

• Clean up of existing data to eliminate erroneous or duplicate values and improve usability.

• Improve data management processes (e.g., quality, storage, protection, security, standardization).

• Improve State data collection on reports of stolen benefits to support future analysis of fraud trends and areas for improvement.

7 Learning and Development: The final objective contains recommendations for States to invest in training and professional development opportunities to promote employee engagement and to ensure employees are aware of new and emerging trends in fraud.

Examples of the types of projects that would fall under this objective include:

• Establish a standardized training program for employees throughout the organization that focuses on their roles in recipient integrity activities.

• Create a mentoring or coaching program for professional development in support of recipient integrity efforts.

2. Federal Award Information

The following information is intended to provide applicants with information to help applicants make informed decisions about proposal submissions.

• Total amount of funding expected to award: $5 million

• Anticipated number of awards: Approximately 9

• Anticipated award announcement date: August 2023

• FNS will provide funding up to $750,000 per award

• Anticipated start dates and period of performance: The period of performance begins on

August 31, 2023, and will run through September 30, 2026.

• Application due date: June 4, 2023 (11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

Please note:

• Grant awards are subject to the availability of funding and/or appropriations of funds.

• FNS reserves the right to use this solicitation and competition to award additional grants this year or the subsequent fiscal year, should additional funds become available.

Program Requirements The goal of the SNAP Fraud Framework Implementation Grant is to help States implement promising practices contained in the SNAP Fraud Framework. The awards will support projects that fall under one or more of the seven components of the SNAP Fraud Framework. The seven components can be found listed under the Program Goals heading of this RFA and fully described in the SNAP Fraud Framework document. If you do not have a copy of the SNAP Fraud Framework, please reach out to the program integrity staff from the appropriate FNS regional office. Proposals should clearly describe the intent and scope of activities and their relation to any of the seven components of the SNAP Fraud Framework. State agencies that do not have access to the SNAP Fraud Framework should contact their FNS Regional Office.

Proposed projects must be sustainable. A significant part of the evaluation criteria will be dependent on how clear a proposal demonstrates the State agency’s ability to continue funding and implementing activities at the same level once the grant ends. This applies to all proposals, including those that propose hiring personnel to implement a part of the project.

Funds from this RFA may not be used to offset costs for existing personnel who are completing activities unrelated to this grant, i.e., the percentage of staff costs attributed to this project must be properly allocated. Grant funds can be used to enhance or improve upon a previous project, however, they may not be used to supplant the existing costs associated with the previous grant. Recipients of prior SNAP recipient integrity grant awards are eligible for this opportunity should they choose to apply; however, past performance will be evaluated and will impact the proposal’s score. For more on this, please refer to the evaluation criteria included in the ‘Application Review Information’ (Section V).

Each project design should include quantifiable objectives, measures to assess progress toward meeting those objectives, project activities linked to meeting specific objectives, and a list of deliverables and/or milestones for the duration of the project. Applicants must also include a clear and reasonable timeline, and a narrative description of how the project will be staffed and managed, including a project organizational chart. If selected for award, each grantee must assess and report on its progress each quarter by using performance measures tied to the specific project objectives outlined in this RFA and their proposal. These measures can include process measures, output measures, and outcome measures. The proposal should describe the process for collecting and reporting these data including the data source.

All costs associated with the proposal’s project description must reflect a bona fide need. The budget and budget narrative must be in line with the proposed project description. FNS reserves the right to request information not clearly addressed.

We encourage potential applicants to carefully read and review the Evaluation of Grant Application Criteria listed in this RFA under Application Review Information (Section V). These criteria outline the qualities FNS expects successful proposals to have; they will also guide the reviewers’ evaluation of proposals.

Allowable Costs Allowable Uses of Funds

• Among other costs, budgets may include expenses related to personnel, contractors, equipment and supplies, meeting expenses, travel, and trainings.

• Expenditures for both equipment (i.e., items of personal property having a useful life of more than one year and a cost of $5,000 or more) and supplies are allowable expenses.

Equipment purchases require prior approval which may be granted through the budget approval process.

• FNS does not intend for this grant program to fund activities enhancing compliance with existing statutory or regulatory program requirements, such as data matching. FNS will continue to fund all State agency activities through 50% Federal matching of administrative costs.

• Grantees may use grants funds to procure contracts for good or services.

Restrictions on Funding Use

• Grant funds cannot be used for the ongoing costs of carrying out an existing project.

o Any application that includes costs related to an existing or ongoing project will have those costs removed from the budget and may also cause the budget score to be marked down.

• Pre-award costs are unallowable and will not be awarded for this grant project.

• SNAP Fraud Framework Implementation Grant-funded projects may benefit other governmental programs; however, grant funds must only support SNAP’s share of the project costs.

All costs proposed in the budget and detailed in the budget narrative must be allowable, reasonable, necessary, and allocable. Refer to 2 CFR Part 200 Subpart E – Cost Principles for a detailed description of all allowable and unallowable costs.

Type of Award FNS will award SNAP Fraud Framework Implementation Grants in the form of a Federal grant.

FNS will provide funding for approved grants through the Grant Award/Letter of Credit process, upon receipt of a properly executed Grant Agreement and subject to the availability of funding.

3. Eligibility Information

Eligible Applicants This grant opportunity is open to the 53 State agencies that administer SNAP. State Agencies may submit applications on behalf of specific counties or districts. FNS will consider only one application per State agency.

Cost Sharing or Matching Considerations There are no cost sharing or matching requirements for this program.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E

Other Eligibility Criteria N/A

Pre-Award Screening Requirements In reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition, prior to making a Federal award, Federal awarding agencies, in accordance with 2 CFR 200.205, are required to review information available through any OMB-designated repositories of government-wide eligibility qualifications or financial integrity information. Additionally, Federal awarding agencies are required to have a framework in place for evaluating the risks posed by applicants before they receive Federal awards. The FNS review of risk posed by applicants will be based on the following:

1. SAM.gov, the System for Award Management, the Official U.S. Government system that consolidated the capabilities of CCR/FedReg, ORCA, and EPLS

2. FAPIIS, the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System that has been established to track contractor misconduct and performance.

3. FNS Risk Assessment Questionnaire: Applicants must complete and return the Grant Program Accounting System & Financial Capability Questionnaire that allows FNS to evaluate aspects of the applicant’s financial stability, quality of management systems, and history of performance, reports and findings from audits. The questionnaire contains a number of questions that may be an indicator of potential risk.

The evaluation of the information obtained from the designated systems and the risk assessment questionnaire may result in FNS imposing special conditions or additional oversight requirements that correspond to the degree of risk assessed.

Acknowledgement of USDA Support As outlined in 2 CFR 415.2, grant recipients shall include acknowledgement of USDA Food and Nutrition Service support on any publications written or published with grant support and, if feasible, on any publication reporting the results of, or describing, a grant-supported activity.

Recipients shall include acknowledgement of USDA Food and Nutrition Service support on any audiovisual which is produced with grant support and which has a direct production cost of over $5,000.

• When acknowledging USDA support, use the following language: "This material is based upon work that is supported by the Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.” Grantees should follow the USDA Visual Standards Guide when using the USDA logo.

• Grant recipients may be asked to host USDA officials for a site visit during the course of their grant award. All costs associated with the site visit will be paid for by USDA and are not expected to be included in grant budgets.

4. Application and Submission Information

Content and Form of Application Submission FNS strongly encourages eligible applicants interested in applying to this program to adhere to https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-C/section-200.205 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-B/chapter-IV/part-415/subpart-B/section-415.2 https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/visual-standards-guide-january-2013.pdf the following applicant format. The proposed project plan should be presented on 8 ½” x 11” white paper with at least 1-inch margins on the top and bottom. All pages should be single-spaced, in 12-point font. The project description with relevant information should be captured on no more than 25 pages, not including the cover sheet, table of contents, resumes, letter of commitment(s), endorsement letter(s), budget narrative(s), appendices, and required forms. All pages, excluding the form pages, must be numbered.

Special Instructions

• Late application submission will not be considered in this competition. FNS will not consider additions or revisions to applications unless they are submitted via Grants.gov by the deadline. No additions or revisions will be accepted after the deadline.

• Applications submitted without the required supporting documents, forms, certification will not be considered.

• Applications missing a written proposal and/or budget narrative will not be considered.

• FNS reserves the right to request clarification on any application submitted in response to this solicitation.

• Applications not submitted via Grants.gov will not be considered.

• If multiple application packages are submitted through Grants.gov by the same applicant in response to this solicitation, FNS will accept the latest application package successfully submitted. All other packages submitted by the applicant will be removed from this competition.

Cover Sheet The cover page should include, at a minimum:

• Applicant’s name and mailing address

• Primary contact’s name, job title, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address

• Grant program title and subprogram title (if applicable)

Table of Contents The Table of Contents should include relevant sections, subsections, and associated page numbers.

Application Project Summary The application should clearly describe the proposed project activities and anticipated outcomes that would result if the proposal were to be funded.

Project Narrative The project narrative should clearly identify what the applicant is proposing and how it will address a solution, the expected results and/or benefits once the solution is achieved, and how it will meet the RFA program scope and objectives. The proposed project methodology should describe the project design, address program specific methodology needs, procedures, timetables, monitoring/oversight, and the organization’s project staffing.

Activities/Indicators Tracker Proposed Activities and indicators measuring success must be mapped to Program Objectives (as described in Section 1 – Program Description) in the below format (note that additional

Activities/Indicators can be added as needed).

Note: Indicators are defined as any metric you anticipate will be able to be tracked during the period of performance of the grant. Common examples include Number of People Attended, Number of People Impacted, Number of Conferences Delivered, Number of Materials Created, Number of Trainings, Number of People Trained.

(Example) Objective # Recipient Integrity Education Activity Develop new recipient integrity materials Indicator(s) No. of recipient integrity materials developed Activity Communicate necessary information and provide tools to use SNAP benefits as intended.

Indicator(s) No. Impacted

Objective # Activity Indicator(s)

Objective # Activity Indicator(s)

Application Budget Narrative The budget narrative, formatted as a table, should correspond with the proposed project narrative and application budget. The narrative must justify and support the bona fide needs of the budget’s direct cost. If the budget includes indirect costs, the applicant must provide a copy of its most recently approved Federal indirect cost rate agreement. Budget categories in this table must match those listed on the SF-424A form. If the budget table is created in a spreadsheet, it must be formatted to fit on an 8.5 x 11-inch page, with a font no smaller than 11-point Times New Roman. All funding requests must be in whole dollars.

Indirect Cost Rate A current Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), negotiated with a cognizant Federal agency, should be used to charge indirect costs. Indirect costs may not exceed the negotiated rate. If a NICRA is used, the percentage and base should be indicated. If the applicant does not have, and has never been approved for, a NICRA, they may charge up to 10% de minimis. In this instance, the applicant must indicate they are requesting the de minimis rate. An applicant may elect not to charge indirect costs and instead use all grant funds for direct costs. If indirect costs are not charged, write "none requested" in the budget narrative. For questions related to the indirect cost rate, please work with the Grant Officer as noted in Section 7 of this

RFA.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-B/chapter-XI/subchapter-A/part-1108/subpart-B/section-1108.85 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-B/chapter-XI/subchapter-A/part-1108/subpart-B/section-1108.85

Required Grant Application Forms The required grants.gov forms are located at grants.gov/web/grants/forms/forms-repository.html.

• Non-Construction Grant Projects Forms: SF-424 Family o Application and Instruction for Federal Assistance (SF-424) o Budget Information and Instructions (SF-424A) o Assurance-Non-Construction Programs (SF-424B)

• SF LLL (Disclosure of Lobbying Activities) o Indicate on your form whether your organization intends to conduct lobbying activities. If you organization does not intend to lobby, write “Not Applicable” in boxes required to be completed.

• Additional Required Forms and Information o Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number. Please see the below Submission Date section for further information.

o SAM registration. Please see the below Submission Date section for further information.

Submission Date Complete grant applications must be uploaded to grants.gov by 11:59 PM EDT on the due date listed on the cover page.

• Applications must be submitted via grants.gov. Mailed, emailed, or hand-delivered application packages will not be accepted. For further instructions, see the “Preparing for Electronic Application Submission through Grants.gov” below.

• Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

• FNS will not consider additions or revisions to applications unless they are submitted via grants.gov by the deadline. No additions or revisions will be accepted after the deadline.

• If multiple application packages are submitted through grants.gov by the same applicant in response to this solicitation, FNS will accept the latest application package successfully submitted. All other packages submitted by the applicant will be removed from this competition.

FNS strongly encourages applicants to begin the registration process at least four weeks before the due date and to submit applications to grants.gov at least one week before the deadline to allow time to troubleshoot any issues should they arise. Please note that upon submission, grants.gov may send multiple confirmation notices. Applicants should ensure receipt of confirmation that the application was accepted.

FNS will not accept applications outside of grants.gov. Applicants experiencing difficulty submitting applications through grants.gov should contact applicant support via the toll-free number 1-800-518-4726 and email at support@grants.gov. This service is available 24/7.

Preparing for Electronic Application Submission through Grants.gov Applicants must register with grants.gov and SAM.gov in order to submit an application to FNS via grants.gov as required.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/forms-repository.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants mailto:support@grants.gov http://www.grants.gov/ https://sam.gov/content/home

In order to submit an application, you must:

1. Obtain a UEI number

What is a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)?

A UEI is a unique number assigned to all entities (public and private companies, individuals, institutions, or organizations) who register to do business with the federal government. For more information, visit the U.S. General Services Administration website.

Where do I go to learn more about the UEI?

The U.S. General Services Administration Unique Entity Identifier Update page contains the most up-to-date information about the UEI.

Note: After April 4, 2022, entities can register in SAM.gov and will be assigned their “SAM UEI.” They will no longer obtain or use a “DUNS UEI” for entity registration or reporting. For additional information on the UEI process, please visit SAM.gov.

2. Register in the System for Award Management (SAM)

• On April 4, 2022, the UEI used across the federal government changed from the DUNS number to the UEI (generated by SAM.gov).

• SAM combines federal procurement systems and the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance into one system. Visit SAM.gov for additional information.

• To register, you must have your organization’s UEI, the organization’s Tax ID Number (TIN), and taxpayer name (as it appears on the last tax return). It may take up to 5 to 7 business days or more to register and/or complete the migration of permissions and/or the renewal of an entity record.

• All applicants must have current SAM status at the time of application submission and throughout the duration of a Federal Award in accordance with 2 CFR Part 25.

• FNS strongly encourages applicants to begin this process at least 3 weeks before the due date of the grant solicitation.

3. Create a Grants.gov Account The next step in the registration process is to create an account with grants.gov. Applicants must know their organization’s Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) to complete this process.

For more detailed instruction about creating a profile on grants.gov, www.grants.gov/web/ grants/applicants/registration.html.

How to Submit an Application via Grants.gov In order to apply on grants.gov the applicant must do so using Workspace. Workspace is a shared, online environment where members of a grant team may simultaneously access and edit different web forms within an application. For each funding opportunity announcement or RFA, https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/technology-transformation-services/office-of-systems-management/integrated-award-environment-iae/iae-systems-information-kit/unique-entity-identifier-update?gsaredirect=entityid https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/technology-transformation-services/office-of-systems-management/integrated-award-environment-iae/iae-systems-information-kit/unique-entity-identifier-update?gsaredirect=entityid https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/technology-transformation-services/office-of-systems-management/integrated-award-environment-iae/iae-systems-information-kit/unique-entity-identifier-update?gsaredirect=entityid https://sam.gov/content/home http://www.grants.gov/ you can create individual instances of a workspace.

For additional training resources, including video tutorials, visit grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-training.html.

Applicant Support: grants.gov provides applicants 24/7 support via the toll-free number 1-800- 518-4726 and email at support@grants.gov. If you are experiencing difficulties with your submission, it is best to contact grants.gov support and get a ticket number. The Support Center ticket number will assist the Center with tracking your issue.

For questions related to the specific grant opportunity, please contact the Grant Officer noted in Section 7 – Federal Awarding Agency Contacts of this RFA.

NOTICE: Special Characters and Naming Conventions All applicants must follow grants.gov guidance on file naming conventions. To avoid submission issues, please follow the guidance provided by grants.gov (per the grants.gov Frequently Asked Questions or FAQ).

Are there restrictions on file names for any attachment I include with my application package?

File attachment names longer than approximately 50 characters can cause problems processing packages. Please limit file attachment names. Also, do not use any special characters (e.g., ! @ # $ % ^ & * - ‘). This includes periods (.) and spacing followed by a dash in the file. To separate words in naming a file, use underscore (_). For example, Attached_File.pdf.

If these guidelines for file names are not followed, your application will be rejected. FNS will not accept any application rejected from the grants.gov portal due to incorrect naming conventions.

Additional information can be found at grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html#attachments.

Grants.gov Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission All applications must be received by 11:59 PM EDT on June 4, 2023. Proof of timely submission is automatically recorded by grants.gov. An electronic date/time stamp is generated within the system when the application is successfully received by grants.gov. The applicant Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) will receive an acknowledgement of receipt and a tracking number (e.g., GRANTXXXXXXXX) from grants.gov with the successful transmission of their application. Applicant AORs will also receive the official date/time stamp and a grants.gov tracking number in an email serving as proof of their timely submission.

When FNS successfully retrieves the application from grants.gov and acknowledges the download of submissions, grants.gov will provide an electronic acknowledgement of receipt of the application to the email address of the applicant with the AOR role. Again, proof of timely submission shall be the official date and time that grants.gov receives your application.

Applications received by grants.gov after the established due date for the program will be considered late and will not be considered for FNS funding.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-training.html mailto:support@grants.gov https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html#attachments https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html#attachments

Applicants using slow internet, such as dial-up connections, should be aware that transmission could take some time before grants.gov receives your application. Again, grants.gov will provide either an error or a successfully received transmission in the form of an email sent to the applicant with the AOR role. The grants.gov Support Center reports that some applicants end the transmission because they think that nothing is occurring during the transmission process. Please be patient and give the system time to process the application.

Intergovernmental Review This funding opportunity is subject to the requirements of Executive Order (EO)12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.” This EO was issues with the desire to foster the intergovernmental partnership and strengthen federalism by relying on State and local processes for the coordination and review of proposed federal financial assistance and direct federal development. The EO allows each State to designate an entity to perform this function.

If you are located within a State that does not have a Single Point of Contact (SPOC), you may send application materials directly to a federal awarding agency.

For a list of State agency contacts, please visit whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/SPOC-4-13-20.pdf.

Funding Restrictions

• Pre-award costs will not be awarded for this grant.

5. Application Review Information

Review Criteria FNS will pre-screen all applications to ensure the applicants are eligible entities and are in compliance with all Program regulations. FNS will not approve any waivers from Program regulations for any projects submitted in response to this solicitation. Additionally, the review committee will evaluate proposals against the criteria below. The project narrative sections include a point value to indicate the importance of each section. The following selection criteria will be used to evaluate applications for this RFA.

Soundness or Merit of Project Design (35 points) Demonstrated Need: The proposal clearly describes the need to strengthen program integrity by focusing on at least one component of the SNAP Fraud Framework, and provides evidence that the proposed approach is well-suited to solve the identified issue.

Impact: The proposal clearly demonstrates:

• A direct effect on the SNAP State agency process and provides evidence that the changes would help combat recipient fraud and benefit trafficking.

• A clear progression from idea to practice in a State agency.

• A clear description of the impact the project is expected to make. Impact can be described in terms of the degree to which the new or improved processes are expected to help the State agency expand its current efforts to eliminate recipient fraud.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/SPOC-4-13-20.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/SPOC-4-13-20.pdf

Quality: The proposal shows thought, analysis, clarity, and the use of relevant facts and knowledge. This includes clear understanding of the SNAP Fraud Framework.

Application of the SNAP Fraud Framework: The proposed project integrates principles, procedures, ideas and/or practices outlined in the SNAP Fraud Framework.

Feasibility: The application proposes projects are capable of being accomplished and likely to be implemented. The proposal demonstrates State agency readiness and leadership’s interest to implement activities. It should also demonstrate that the proposed project is appropriate given the current capacity of the agency. We encourage applicants to consider foundational projects that the State agency can build on for future growth in the fraud control area. However, applicants may use grant funds to build on previous developments.

Implementation and Evaluation (15 points) Timeline: The proposal includes a project timeline that outlines proposed tasks and demonstrates that sufficient time is allotted for each activity. Period of performance is commensurate with project scope.

Evaluation: The proposal describes a well-thought-out, organized review and evaluation process that will measure whether the goals of the project have been met. The evaluation should focus on measuring the impact the project seeks to make. Please be sure to include information on who will measure the goals of the project, how the goals will be measured, when the goals will be measured and what the organization will be measuring.

Past Performance: The proposal will also be evaluated based on the grantees past performance.

The proposal may lose up to 10 points if the grantee previously failed to submit FNS grant progress reports on time.

Sustainability (20 points) The proposal shows that the project is very likely to be sustained after the grant period ends. The proposal should clearly demonstrate State agency’s ability to continue funding and implementing activities once the grant ends. This also applies personnel hired under this grant program, as applicable.

Budget Appropriateness and Economic Efficiency (20 points) Budget: The proposal includes:

• A line-item budget – please refer to the Application Checklist on page two and Budget Narrative Checklist in the Appendix to assure each category is addressed in the budget.

• A narrative that demonstrates how funds will be spent, by whom and for what purpose.

• The narrative should provide enough detail for reviewers to easily understand how costs were determined and how they relate to the goals and objectives of the project. There should be adequate justification for budget costs based on current industry costs/standards. Information on costs should be obtained from applicable organizations or from online sources.

Additionally, a copy of the approved negotiated indirect cost rate agreement must be attached if indirect costs are shown as a budget expense to the project.

If applicable, the budget must show how the costs are allocated among the benefiting programs and demonstrate that this grant is only going to fund SNAP’s share.

Efficiency: The proposal is cost effective – it demonstrates that the anticipated results are commensurate with the cost of the project.

Contractual and Consultant Costs: Proposals wishing to hire a consultant or contract work out must provide the following information:

• Consultant’s name and description of service

• Itemized list of all direct costs and fees

• Salaries must have the number of personnel including the position title

• Specialty and specialized qualifications as appropriate to the salary

• Number of estimated hours times hourly wages

• All expenses and fees directly related to the proposed services to be rendered to the project Applicants that are required to issue a bid should provide a narrative explaining the requirement and provide a reasonable estimate of Contractual and Consultant Costs.

NOTE: Proposal submissions that omit the required budget forms, budget narratives and/or line-item descriptions will not receive the full point value for this criterion. Therefore, applicants should recognize that a well-written budget narrative that justifies the proposed project expenditures assists the reviewers during the review process.

Staff Capability and Management (10 points) Oversight: The proposal demonstrates that effective and consistent oversight by qualified project managers will be implemented throughout the project.

Communication: The proposal demonstrates that effective communication will exist within the organization. The proposal includes an organizational chart of the proposed project.

Staff: The proposal identifies the project director or manager and other key staff. The proposal includes resumes that demonstrate that the proposed staff has the appropriate technical and experiential backgrounds for their proposed roles. If the applicant is unable to identify the project director or manager and key staff, it must include with the application package job descriptions for positions that must be assigned. Applicants should address their contingency or back-up plans in the event of key staff departures.

Time Commitment: The proposal outlines the amount of time and effort the project director or manager, key staff, and, if applicable, partnering organizations, will contribute to the project.

Total Points Available: 100

Review and Selection Process Following the initial screening process, FNS will assemble a panel group to review and determine the technical merits of each application. The panel will evaluate the proposals based on how well they address the required application components and array the applications from highest to lowest score. The panel members will recommend applications for consideration for a grant award based on the evaluation scoring. The Selecting Official reserves the right to accept the panel’s recommendation or to select an application for funding out of rank order to meet agency priorities, program balance, or geographical representation. If applicant is a previous SNAP Fraud Framework Implementation grantee, past performance will be evaluated and may impact the Selecting Official’s decision. For more on this, see the evaluation criteria noted above. FNS reserves the right to use this solicitation and competition to award additional grants in the next fiscal year should additional funds be made available.

NOTE: If a discrepancy exists between the total funding request (submitted on SF-424, SF- 424A, and budget or budget narrative) within the application package in response to this solicitation, FNS will only consider and evaluate the estimated funding request contained on SF- 424.

6. Federal Award Administration Information

Federal Award Notice The Government is not obligated to make any award as a result of this RFA. Unless an applicant receives a signed award document with terms and conditions, any contact from a FNS Grants or Program Officer should not be considered as a notice of a grant award. No pre-award or pre-agreement costs incurred prior to the effective start date are allowed unless approved and stated on FNS’ signed award document (FNS-529). Only the recognized FNS authorized signature can bind the USDA, Food and Nutrition Service to the expenditure of funds related to an award’s approved budget.

Administrative and National Policy Requirements Confidentiality of an Application When an application results in an award, it becomes a part of the record of FNS transactions, available to the public upon specific request. Information that the Secretary determines to be of a confidential, privileged, or proprietary nature will be held in confidence to the extent permitted by law. Therefore, any information that the applicant wishes to have considered as confidential, privileged, or proprietary should be clearly marked within the application. Any application that does not result in an award will be not released to the public. An application may be withdrawn at any time prior to the final action thereon.

Safeguarding Personally Identifiable Information

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is any information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as name, social security number, date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, or biometric records, and any other information that is linked or linkable to an individual, such as medical, educational, financial, and employment information…