FY2025 APEX Accelerator Notice of Funding Opportunity Version 1.3.pdf

PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DoD)

APEX Accelerator Program

Open Announcement Type: Initial Announcement

Funding Opportunity Number: DOD2025APEXACCELERATOR

Assistance Listing Number: 12.002

Anticipated Funding Purpose: Business and Commerce

Key Dates: This announcement will be open to receive applications for Cooperative

Agreement awards until 5:00PM Eastern Time, 01 October 2024.

Agency Contacts: Joke (Yoka) Bohall, APEX Accelerator Program

Analyst: johanna.g.bohall.civ@mail.mil

Monica Wideman, APEX Accelerator, Team Lead-Agreements

Officer: monica.k.wideman.civ@army.mil

Date Issued: 29 JUL 2024

1) Program Description

A. Short Description of Funding Opportunity

The Department of Defense (DoD) seeks applications from eligible entities to serve as

APEX Accelerators. Applications should include documentation described in Part IV of this document.

B. Background:

The Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP) was established by section 1241 of the Department of Defense (DoD) Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1985 (Public Law 98-

525) to expand the number of businesses capable of participating in government contracts.

Under this announcement, the Department of Defense will award cost sharing cooperative agreements to eligible program participants who will establish or maintain APEX Accelerators. The APEX Accelerators serve as a resource for businesses to obtain information and training related to contracting opportunities with DoD, other federal agencies, state and local governments and with government prime contractors.

Procurement professionals at the APEX Accelerators provide critical assistance to businesses seeking to participate in government contracts and most of the assistance they provide is free.

C. Program Description/Objective:

Award recipients must establish and maintain an APEX Accelerator with physical location(s) to serve as a resource for business entities to obtain procurement technical assistance.

Procurement technical assistance means professional, specialized assistance provided to clients that enables them to identify potential contractual opportunities and obtain or perform under contracts, innovation and technology grants, and other DoD-funded instruments, with DoD, other Federal agencies, State and/or local governments, and with Federal, State and/or local government contractors. Clients may include any business pursuing or performing these types of contracts or subcontracts at any tier. As used in this part, the terms “State” and “local government” have the meanings provided in 10 U.S.C. 4951. Innovation and technology grants refer to awards issued pursuant to the Small Business Innovation Research and/or Small Business Technology Transfer programs. You must collaborate with DoD and other Federal agencies and work cooperatively with them to accomplish the work under this award.

D. Authorization

The authorization to make awards under this funding opportunity may be found via the

Assistance Listing (CFDA) Number 12.002 on sam.gov.

E. Legal Requirements

Each cooperative agreement awarded under this announcement will be governed by the general terms and conditions in effect at the time of the award that conform to DoD’s implementation of OMB guidance applicable to financial assistance in 2 CFR 200, “Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for

Federal Awards,” as implemented by 2 CFR 1104. This is generally 2 CFR 1126 – 1140 Subchapter D—Administrative Requirements Terms and Conditions for Cost-Type Grants and Cooperative Agreements to Nonprofit and Governmental Entities. APEX Award Specific Terms and Conditions Version 5.0 and Apex Accelerator General Terms and Conditions Version 2.0 which are located at Grants.gov, are incorporated by reference in this announcement.

2) Federal Award Information

The following information applies to awards issued under this announcement:

We expect to award approximately 95 cost sharing cooperative agreements as a result of this announcement, totaling an estimated $47M; however, we are not obligated to make any awards and reserve the right to revise or cancel this announcement. Awards will be for a base year and four one-year option periods and are subject to funding limitations.

Cooperative agreements differ from grants in that substantial involvement is expected between the recipient and the Federal agency when carrying out the award. Should you receive an award, we expect you to collaborate with DoD and other Federal agencies to accomplish the work set out in the APEX General Terms and Conditions. DoD will be involved in shaping the strategy used by the applicant to ensure relevant, high-quality service to businesses at a reasonable cost and applicants should expect negotiations where part or all of proposed costs are included in awards.

Applicants should propose a period of performance that begins 01 April 2025 and concludes on 31 March 2026. Applicants may include subrecipients/subawards in their application and may propose direct and indirect costs.

The Federal funding limitations, as listed in 10 USC 4955(a), are listed below:

$750,000 in the case of an entity that operates an APEX Accelerator providing less than statewide coverage;

$1,500,000 in the case of an entity that operates an APEX Accelerator providing statewide coverage;

$1,000,000 in the case of an entity that operates an APEX Accelerator wholly within more than one service area of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). This means an APEX Accelerator that provides procurement technical assistance to all the federally recognized Indian tribes or Alaska Native entities in one of the BIA regions and at least half of the tribes or Alaska Native entities in a second BIA region; or https://www.dla.mil/SmallBusiness/PTAP/Resources/ https://www.dla.mil/SmallBusiness/PTAP/Resources/

$450,000 in the case of an entity that operates an APEX Accelerator wholly within one service area of the BIA. This means an APEX Accelerator that provides procurement technical assistance to federally recognized Indian tribes and/or Alaska Native entities but does not meet the standard for an entity that operates an APEX Accelerator wholly within more than one service area of the BIA as described above.

3) Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Only those entities listed in this section are eligible to apply. Individuals are not eligible.

Disclosures of current and pending support made in this application may render an applicant ineligible for funding. Prior to award and throughout the period of performance, DoD may continue to request updated continuing and pending support information, which will be reviewed and may result in discontinuation of funding.

Religious organizations are entitled to compete on equal footing with secular organizations for Federal financial assistance as described in E.O. 13798, “Promoting

Free Speech and Religious Liberty.”

States. State means a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, a territory or possession of the United States, an agency or instrumentality of a State, and a multi-

State, regional, or interstate entity having governmental duties and powers (refer to 10

U.S.C. 4951(4)).

Local governments. Local government means a unit of government in a State, a local public authority, a special district, an intrastate district, a council of governments, a sponsor group representative organization, an interstate entity, or another instrumentality of a local government (refer to 10 U.S.C. 4951(4)).

Nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit organization means an entity which is exempt from federal income taxation under Section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code, and no part of its earnings inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, and no substantial part of its activities is carrying on propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation or participating in any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office (refer to 10U.S.C. 4951(1)(C)).

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

4951(1)(D)).

Tribal organizations. Tribal organization means the recognized governing body of any

Indian tribe; any legally established organization of Indians which is controlled, sanctioned, or chartered by such governing body, or which is democratically elected by the adult members of the Indian community to be served by such organization and which includes the maximum participation of Indians in all phases of its activities. Provided, that in any case where a cooperative agreement is made to an organization to perform services benefiting more than one Indian tribe, the approval of each such Indian tribe shall be a prerequisite to the making of such cooperative agreement (refer to 10 U.S.C. 4951(1)(D)).

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost sharing requirements. All awards we make as a result of this announcement require you to provide cost sharing, without which your application is ineligible for an award.

Allowable contributions towards cost sharing requirements are discussed in the

“Financial and Program Management” part of the APEX General Terms and Conditions.

You are required to submit documentation to verify that you have the necessary commitments to meet cost sharing requirements and, if applicable, that your proposed service area is a distressed area.

Cost share ratio. Our share of cost is limited to no more than 65 percent unless you provide procurement technical assistance in a distressed area, in which case our share is limited to no more than 85 percent. You are required to share the cost of operating your Apex Accelerator and match our funds accordingly. In accordance with 48 USC 1469a, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are entitled by statute to waiver of cost matching funds up to $199,999.

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

C. Conflict of Interest

a) General Requirement for Disclosure

You and your organization must disclose any potential or actual conflict of interest(s) to us. You must also disclose any potential or actual conflict(s) of interest for any identified sub recipient you include in your application. We may have to ask you more questions if we need more information.

At our discretion, we may ask you for a conflict-of-interest mitigation plan after you submit your application. Your plan is subject to our approval.

D. Other

a) Licensure or Certification

i. Certifications, representations, and assurances

1. To apply for grants and other funding opportunities the applicant entity must have an active registration in the System for Award Management

(SAM). Applications will not be accepted through Grants.gov or other methods unless the entity is registered in SAM. Registration in SAM now includes the acceptance of Certifications and Assurances. See https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-standard-language.html for details on how to register in SAM, and Grants.gov

2. The Federal Assistance Certifications Report is an attestation that the entity will abide by the requirements of the various laws and regulations;

therefore, as applicable, you are still required to submit any documentation, including the SF- LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable), and informing DoD of unpaid delinquent tax liability or a felony conviction under any Federal law.

3. When you check “I Agree” on the SF-424 Block 21 you certify compliance with the following DoD requirements:

As the duly authorized agent for my organization I certify that said organization does not require any of its employees, contractors, or subrecipients seeking to report fraud, waste, or abuse to sign or comply with internal confidentiality agreements or statements prohibiting or otherwise restricting those employees, contractors, subrecipients from lawfully reporting that waste, fraud, or abuse to a designated investigative or law enforcement representative of a Federal department or agency authorized to receive such information;

As the duly authorized agent for my organization, I certify that all key personnel have disclosed the amount, type, and source of all current and pending support received by, or expected to be received by, the individual as of the time of the disclosure;

As the duly authorized agent for my organization, I certify that the disclosure is current, accurate, complete;

As the duly authorized agent for my organization, I agree to update such disclosure at the request of the agency prior to the award of support and at any subsequent time the agency determines appropriate during the term of the award;

As the duly authorized agent for my organization, I agree to update such disclosure at the request of the Department of Defense prior to the award of support and at any subsequent time the Department determines appropriate during the term of the award; and https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-standard-language.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-standard-language.html

As the duly authorized agent for my organization, I certify that any entity applying for such award has been made aware of the certification requirements above.

4) Application and Submission Information

A. Submission Date and Time:

DoD will only accept applications submitted on or before 01 October 1 2024, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). Read the instructions in https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor- standard-language.html about registering to apply for DoD funds. If you experience difficulties with your submission, Grants.gov provides support via the toll-free number 1-800- 518- 4726 and email at support@grants.gov. This ticket number will allow DoD to verify your issue if it cannot be resolved by the application date.

For questions related specifically to this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO), contact the number for the program or grants office identified in this announcement.

B. Address to Request Application Package

The application package for Notice of Funding Opportunity is available on Grants.gov.

C. Application Procedures and Requirements

Organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), active System for

Award Management (SAM) registration, and Grants.gov account to apply for grants and other assistance awards. Please see https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor- standard-language.html for details on how to go through this process.

Full application packages must be submitted electronically to Grants.gov no later than

5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on October 01, 2024. Applicants are responsible for submitting their applications in sufficient time to allow them to reach Grants.gov by the date and time specified in this announcement. It is strongly recommended that applications be uploaded at least 2 days before the closing date and time. This will help avoid problems caused by high system usage or any potential technical and/or input problems involving the applicant’s own equipment. It will also allow any application errors detected by

Grants.gov to be corrected in time for the application to be resubmitted. If the application is received by Grants.gov after the exact time and date specified as the deadline for receipt, it will be considered “late” and may not be considered for review.

Acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt by Grants.gov includes documentary evidence of receipt maintained by Grants.gov, and Grants.gov e-mails to the applicant confirming receipt. These e-mails will indicate 1) the https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-standard-language.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-standard-language.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-standard-language.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-standard-language.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-standard-language.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-standard-language.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-standard-language.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-standard-language.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-standard-language.html application was received on time, 2) application was rejected due to errors, 3) application was received after the deadline. Note that this Grants.gov response may occur over several e-mails, e.g., one acknowledging on- time receipt, and a later e-mail rejecting for errors the system detected. Applicants can also track the status of their applications at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/track-my-application.html.

D. Application Withdrawal:

An applicant may withdraw an application at any time before award by email. Notice of withdrawal shall be sent to the grants officer identified in this announcement.

Withdrawals are effective upon receipt of notice by the grants officer.

E. Intergovernmental Review

This opportunity is subject to Executive Order 12372, “Intergovernmental

Review of Federal Programs.” You are reminded that you may have to contact your state's Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to find out about and comply with your state's process under Executive Order 12372. The names and addresses of

SPOCs are listed at The Office of Management and Budget’s website., https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp- content/uploads/2020/04/SPOC-4-13-20.pdf.

F. Content and Form of Submission:

See https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-standard-language.html for information on how to complete the application using

Workspace on Grants.gov.

● Documentation submitted under this NFO are expected to be unclassified; classified applications are not permitted.

● All documents must be submitted in PDF format except for attachment11 (budget spreadsheets) which must be in Excel Format.

● All proposals will be evaluated by Government personnel. The names and affiliations of reviewers are not disclosed.

● All submissions will be protected from unauthorized disclosure in accordance with applicable law and DoD regulations. You are expected to appropriately mark each page of their submission that contains proprietary information.

G. Component-specific requirements.

Full Application Sections Required o SF 424, Application for Federal Assistance. Complete the SF 424. It is important that the amount you enter in block 18.a. of the SF 424 http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/track-http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/track-http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/track-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 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/SPOC-4-13-20.pdf https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-standard-language.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-standard-language.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-standard-language.html accurately reflects the amount of DoD funding that you are requesting with your application. By signing the SF 424, you are providing the certifications and assurances in the funding opportunity announcement.

o SF LLL, Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying. Appendix A in 32 CFR

Part 28 requires you to complete and submit the SF LLL if you engage in certain types of lobbying. Review 32 CFR Part 28, “New Restrictions on

Lobbying,” and attach the SF LLL if it is applicable.

o Streamlined Application Attachments. Applicants shall utilize the APEX

Accelerators Streamlined Application document to complete attachments

1-10 required for this award. (Note: Attachment 11 is the Streamlined

Spreadsheet to be utilized by applicants to submit all tabs within the spreadsheet.)

Ensure that you follow grants.gov rules in naming and attaching files because attachments that do not follow the rules may cause the entire application to be rejected or cause issues during processing. Limit file names to 50 or fewer characters and use only the following characters when naming attachments: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, underscore ( _), hyphen (-), space and period.

o Attachment 1: Provide information that attests to the commitment of matching funds to your program.

o Attachment 2: Provide information to support any proposed third- party in-kind contributions, if applicable. You shall use the third-party- in-kind contribution form template that is available on the Notice of Funding Opportunity posting, ensure the third-party donor completes and signs the form.

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

Note: For any subawards greater than 20% of the total program cost, provide justification for the fringe benefit costs proposed in accordance with the above instructions.

o Attachment 4: If indirect costs are included in the budget, attach a current copy of a negotiated rate memorandum from the cognizant federal agency.

Cite the de minimis rate described in 2 CFR 200.414(f) if it applies. If a negotiated rate memorandum is not provided or the de minimis rate is not utilized, then the applicant shall provide information to the government http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ demonstrating why the proposed rate is reasonable and realistic. The applicant shall include forecasted pools and bases for the current year.

Additionally, the applicant shall support these rates with three (3) years historical actual pools and bases information that validates the calculations. Below is a sample, formats and dates may vary:

Historical Current

2022 2023 2024 2025

POOL $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

BASE $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

RATE 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%

Note- For any subawards greater than 20% of the total program cost, provide justification for the Indirect Costs proposed in accordance with the above o Attachment 5: The federal share of cost is limited to no more than 65 percent of the total program cost unless you provide procurement technical assistance in a distressed area, in which case our share is limited to no more than 85 percent. Distressed area means an area of local government (i.e., usually a city or county) that has a per capita income of 80 percent or less of that State’s average or an unemployment rate that is one percent greater than the national average for the most recent 24-month period for which statistics are available. Refer to the document titled “Attachment 5- Guidelines how to conduct distressed area analysis” for guidance in conducting your analysis. You do not need to provide an analysis if your proposed service area is designated as a reservation as defined in section 3(d) of the Indian Financing Act of 1974 (Public Law 93– 262; 25 U.S.C.

1452(d)) by the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ regions because these are automatically considered distressed areas. If the proposed federal cost share exceeds 65%:

1) Attach an analysis verifying that your proposed service area meets the definition of a distressed area. Refer to the guidance provided on the Notice of Funding Opportunity posting on

Grants.gov for additional assistance conducting your analysis.

i) Using per capita income. US Department of Commerce, Bureau of

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

ii) Using unemployment rates. US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data must be used. In comparing national and local area unemployment rates, use the average taken over the https://www.dla.mil/SmallBusiness/PTAP/Resources/ http://www.bea.gov/iTable/iTable.cfm?reqid=70&amp%3Bstep=1%23reqid%3D70&amp%3Bstep=1&amp%3Bisuri=1 http://www.bea.gov/iTable/iTable.cfm?reqid=70&amp%3Bstep=1%23reqid%3D70&amp%3Bstep=1&amp%3Bisuri=1 http://www.bea.gov/iTable/iTable.cfm?reqid=70&amp%3Bstep=1%23reqid%3D70&amp%3Bstep=1&amp%3Bisuri=1 http://www.bls.gov/bls/employment.htm http://www.bls.gov/bls/employment.htm most recent 24-month period for which both national and local area statistics are available (use “not seasonally adjusted” data). Use the latest final data available, i.e., do not use “preliminary” data published by BLS.

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

o Attachment 6: Determination of Statewide coverage. Statewide means an

APEX Accelerator that provides procurement technical assistance in at least one- half of a state’s counties or equivalent coverage (e.g., parishes, boroughs, etc.) and serves at least three-fourths of the state’s labor force. If you propose a statewide program but will cover less than the entire state, attach documentation to verify that your service area meets the definition of statewide coverage. Refer to the document titled “Attachment 6-

Guidelines how to conduct a Statewide Coverage Analysis” for guidance in conducting your analysis. Use the most recent, annual labor force statistics available from the US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

o Attachment 7: Program Execution Strategy.

a. Describe how you will comply with the “Program Requirements” section of the APEX Accelerator Award Specific Terms and

Conditions. Include all information necessary for us to conduct an evaluation of your application. Ensure the below information is specifically addressed in the description.

1. Background on the individual program

2. Discussion on service area/demographics and facilities, trends in the service area.

3. Personnel Qualifications: experience and education.

4. Discussion on how you will reach your goals using various types of outreach and technical assistance.

5. Describe the process of technical assistance/counseling.

6. Describe your program implementation plan, if applicable. For new programs, include an implementation plan including targets for significant implementation milestones such as the hiring of personnel, the execution of subawards and the opening of APEX

Accelerator facilities. Identify targets for milestones as the number of calendar days elapsed following the start date of the proposed http://www.bls.gov/bls/employment.htm http://www.bls.gov/bls/employment.htm period of performance. You are encouraged to propose and adhere to the most expeditious implementation plan possible, which we may regard more favorably when evaluating your application.

7. If you intend to earn program income, e.g. charge clients a fee for any services rendered or advertising/sponsorship, include a discussion concerning the amount of fees to be charged, how this income will be used to further program objectives, and assert your understanding that you’re required to report the gross program income on the SF 270 and SF 425. If you are proposing to utilize

Program Income as part of the applicant cost share, provide a narrative detailing how you will ensure compliance with the Award

Specific Terms and Conditions percent cap on the value of program income that may be applied as the cost match.

o Attachment 8: Provide a resume for the proposed Program Manager. The resume should describe the Program Manager’s qualifications, but not include personal information such as home address, personal telephone number, or ID numbers such as an Employee ID or social security number.

o Attachment 9: Attach a copy (or URL) of your latest audit in accordance with Subpart F of 2 CFR Part 200 (formerly OMB Circular A-133). If available, you may provide the URL (i.e., web address) of an audit that is available on the internet in lieu of attaching a copy. If you did not expend Federal awards exceeding the thresholds that trigger these audit requirements, describe the amounts and sources of Federal awards that you did expend during your last fiscal year.

o Attachment 10: Provide support for Personnel Costs. Support should include at least one of the following (A, B, C):

A. Published Salary Data, with information mapping to position title in proposal.

B. Payroll records and/or paystubs showing rate of pay and referenced to the specific personnel or position title in the proposal.

C. Salary Survey data, which shall include, at a minimum, the following:

• Source of data;

• Job title and description;

• Geographic location; and

• Range of salary amounts with reference to applicability of amounts

Note- For any subawards greater than 20% of the total program cost, provide justification for the Personnel Costs proposed in accordance with the above o Attachment 11 Tabs.

o Tab FY25 Budget: Attach a budget breakdown in Microsoft Excel format, that shows the individual line items of cost that constitute the higher-level budget that you included in the SF 424. You must use the Microsoft Excel template available on the Notice of Funding Opportunity posting on Grants.gov, which provides an example of the information that we need in this attachment. Ensure that it is clear how you calculated the total amount of indirect costs (F&A) included in your budget. Use additional pages to show indirect cost calculations if necessary. Program Income rolled over into the proposed award from the prior year annual award must be included in the budget.

You must include the personnel salaries as established in the award of your FY24 Cooperative Agreement in Column “M” of the Microsoft Excel Template attachment, if applicable. This information will assist with the review of your FY25 budget, if applicable.

A budget breakdown must be provided for each subaward. The subaward budget breakdown must be provided as a new tab on the applicant’s budget breakdown worksheet. The total program cost for each subaward must match the line item for the sub-award found in the Contractual section of the Applicant’s budget breakdown.

See Appendix 1 for a detailed description of each line item.

o Tab Subrecipient Budget: Attach budgets for subawards in Microsoft Excel format, if you plan to make any. This tab may need to be duplicated to add multiple subrecipients. If you have subrecipients, your budget must show the total amount of each subaward within your budget’s contractual cost category, where you must summarize the total amount of the subaward as a single line item.

o Tab Cover Page: Provide organization name, period of performance, name of individual submitting the proposed goals, and date.

o Tab Proposed Goals: Provide proposed goals against each metric for the FY25 APEX Accelerator Program. For any metrics proposed with a goal of “0”, provide a justification in narrative form for the Government to review.

o Tab Proposed Service Area Listing-Answer the questions and follow the instructions on this tab to identify the state or BIA region you propose to service.

o Tab Performance Self Evaluation: In the “Total Number Proposed For The

Period of Performance” column, the applicant will input the total number https://www.dla.mil/SmallBusiness/PTAP/Resources/ https://www.dla.mil/SmallBusiness/PTAP/Resources/ proposed for the respective goal and performance metric in fiscal year 2023.

In the “Total Number Achieved for The Period of

Performance”, the applicant will input the total number achieved for the respective goal and performance metric in fiscal year 2023. For any metrics proposed with a goal of "0", the metric(s) will not be counted when calculating the percentage in the past performance confidence rating.

o Tab Other Ratings: This tab is for government use only.

H. Funding Restrictions

Per 2 CFR § 200.216, funds may not be used to procure telecommunications equipment or video surveillance services or equipment produced by:

• Huawei Technologies Company,

• ZTE Corporation Hytera Communications Corporation,

• Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company,

• Dahua Technology Company

• any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities

5) Application Review Information

A. Selection Criteria

Evaluation factors. We will use the factors below to evaluate your application. We will make awards to the applicants whose applications we determine to be the best value, cost and other factors considered. The past performance factor is more important than Program Execution and Cost. The factors of Program Execution and Cost are of equal importance.

i. Past Performance

ii. Program Execution

iii. Cost.

Description of evaluation factors. \

i. Past Performance.

1) The Government will evaluate the Applicant’s record of recent and relevant past performance to ascertain the probability of successfully performing the program requirements.

2) Absent any recent and relevant past performance, the Applicant will be assigned a “neutral confidence rating” and its proposal will not be evaluated either favorably or unfavorably on past performance.

3) The Past Performance Factor considers each Applicant’s demonstrated recent and relevant record of performance in supplying products and services related to the program requirements as stated in the APEX Accelerator Terms and

Conditions.

• Relevant: The first aspect of the past performance evaluation is to determine how relevant a recent effort accomplished by the Offeror is to the effort to be performed through the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

Relevancy is not separately rated; however, the following criteria will be used to establish what is relevant. Relevant efforts include past performance of eligible entities under an APEX Accelerator cooperative agreement.

Pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 4954(c), we will give significant weight to past performance of entities operating APEX Accelerators established by this program and will consider successful past performance under cooperative agreements with us to be more meritorious than other, comparable past performance. More meritorious past performance includes that of two or more APEX Accelerators that combine and apply as a single entity, even if the resulting entity is new; however, it does not include the past performance of subrecipients or other sub elements/organizations that breakaway and apply separately.

Past Performance Relevancy Ratings Rating Definition

Very Relevant

Past performance effort involved essentially the same scope and magnitude of effort and complexities this NFO requires and includes the past performance of two or more APEX

Accelerators.

Relevant Past performance effort involved essentially the same scope and magnitude of effort and complexities this NFO requires.

Somewhat Relevant Past performance effort involved similar and some of the scope and magnitude of effort and complexities this NFO requires.

Not Relevant

Past performance effort involved little or none of the scope and magnitude of effort and complexities this NFO requires.

• Recent: Recent is defined as performance that occurred in fiscal year 2023 or the fiscal year 2023 APEX Accelerator agreement period of performance.

• Quality Assessment: Assess the quality of the Applicant’s past performance on those recent efforts that were determined relevant by determining how well the contractor performed on the assistance instruments. Documented results from meeting performance metrics, as well as the APEX Quarterly Report, interviews, and other sources form the support and basis for this assessment.

• Past Performance Confidence Assessment: The final step is for the

Government reviewers to arrive at a single consensus past performance assessment for the Applicant, selecting the most appropriate rating from the chart below. Applicants must receive a rating of “Neutral Confidence”, “Satisfactory Confidence”, or “Substantial Confidence” to be eligible for award.

Rating

Past Performance Confidence Ratings

Substantial Confidence

Based on the offeror’s recent/relevant performance record, the Government has a high expectation that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort and the applicant has met 86-100% of their performance metrics in fiscal year

2023.

Satisfactory Confidence

Based on the offeror’s performance record, the Government does not have a reasonable expectation that the offeror will be able to successfully perform the required effort and the applicant has met 70-85% of their performance metrics in fiscal year 2023.

Neutral Confidence

No recent and relevant performance record is available. The offeror may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on the factor of past performance. Applicants who have not held a fiscal year 2023 APEX Accelerator award will receive a rating of "Neutral Confidence".

Limited Confidence

Based on the applicant’s recent and relevant performance record, the Government has a low expectation that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort and the applicant has met 60-69% of their performance metrics in fiscal year 2023.

No Confidence

Based on the applicant’s recent and relevant performance record, the Government has no expectation that the offeror will be able to successfully perform the required effort and the applicant has met 0-59% of their performance metrics in fiscal year 2023.

ii. Program Execution

1. Personnel. We will evaluate your application to determine whether your proposed personnel meet Program Requirements of the Award Specific Terms and Conditions. Our evaluation will consider qualifications, including relevant experience and education, as well as the availability of the proposed personnel.

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

3. Technical understanding. We will evaluate your understanding of program requirements. We will not consider a simple statement of understanding or repeat of program requirements to demonstrate your understanding.

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

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

5. The Program Execution Strategy will be rated as follows:

• The adjectival rating below includes consideration of risk in conjunction with the significant strengths, weaknesses, significant weaknesses, uncertainties, and deficiencies in determining a technical rating.

• Significant strengths, weaknesses, significant weaknesses, uncertainties, and deficiencies are defined as:

o Significant strength- is an aspect of an Offeror’s proposal with appreciable merit.

o Weaknesses- means a flaw in the proposal that increases the risk of unsuccessful performance o Significant weaknesses- in the proposal is a flaw that appreciably increases the risk of unsuccessful performance o Uncertainties- is any aspect of a non-cost/price factor proposal for which the intent of the applicant is unclear (e.g., more than one way to interpret the offer or inconsistencies in the proposal indicating that there may have been an error, omission, or mistake).

o Deficiency- is a material failure of a proposal to meet a program requirement or combination of significant weaknesses in a proposal that increases the risk of unsuccessful performance to an unacceptable level.

Program

Execution

Rating

Program Execution Ratings

Outstanding Proposal demonstrates an exceptional approach and understanding of the requirements and contains multiple strengths and/or at least one significant strength, and risk of unsuccessful performance is low.

Good Proposal indicates a thorough approach and understanding of the requirements and contains at least one strength or significant strength, and risk of unsuccessful performance is low to moderate.

Acceptable Proposal meets requirements and indicates an adequate approach and understanding of the requirements, and risk of unsuccessful performance is no worse than moderate.

Marginal Proposal has not demonstrated an adequate approach and understanding of the requirements, and/or risk of unsuccessful performance is high.

Unacceptable Proposal does not meet requirements of the solicitation and, thus, contains one or more deficiencies and is unawardable, and/or risk of performance is unacceptably high.

iii. Cost

1. We will consider the proposed cost to us for the period of performance in conjunction with the other non-cost factors to determine best value to the program. If your proposed costs appear unrealistic, you are cautioned that we may infer a lack of understanding of program requirements, increased risk of performance or your lack of credibility.

2. We will consider the forecasted demand for procurement technical assistance counseling hours for your proposed service area against the total program cost. The cost per counseling hour is calculated by dividing the total program cost by the number of counseling hours proposed. We will also consider the escalation or de-escalation of direct and indirect awarded costs from fiscal years 2023 and 2024 against your proposed cost. We may consider actual direct and indirect costs for fiscal years 2023 and 2024, if available.

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

Review and Selection Process:

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

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

Selection process. We contemplate that we will make multiple awards; however, we may not make awards to all acceptable applicants. We will make award decisions to optimize the use of program funds while at the same time maximizing the availability of procurement technical assistance. We will make funding decisions on an agreement-by-agreement basis and in the best interest of the overall program. In making selections among otherwise acceptable applicants, we will generally give funding priority to those applicants that are operating established APEX Accelerators and have a successful performance record (refer to 10 U.S.C. 4954(c)).

The reviewers may be ACC-APG or DoD OSBP employees or employees of other federal agencies. Applicants are therefore encouraged to design proposals that address the criteria listed above in a clear and concise manner.

The merit reviewers will utilize an adjectival rating structure, confidence assessment, and cost analysis to evaluate eligible applications to determine the best value for the program. The merit reviewers shall measure each application against the requirements of the Funding Opportunity.

The reviewers will submit their final evaluations to the Grants Officer who will take the assessments, along with other information in the possession, and after careful consideration of all information, shall draft individual funding determinations which will include; 1) not to fund the application; 2) fund the application but not at the level requested; or 3) fund the application at the level requested.

On a case-by-case basis, we may request a pre-award credit report, audit, survey or other review to determine if you meet the standards in 32 CFR 22.415. We may delay an award decision until all necessary reviews are complete. Based on the results of a review, we may decide not to make an award, make an award subject to additional conditions or may delay an award until after any identified deficiencies are resolved. In addition to the technical/program review, the DoD does a budget review and a risk review as directed by 2 CFR 200.206, including a review of the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS). Applicants may review information in FAPIIS and comment on any information entered into that system.

Comments made by applicants will be considered, in addition to other information in examining the applicants’ integrity, business ethics, and record of performance. At the time of application, there is no additional material to be submitted for this review.

However, there may be additional requests for clarification as these reviews progress.

2024 Revisions will be in effect for awards issued under this Notice of Funding

Opportunity. Applications submitted under this Notice of Funding Opportunity should reflect the changes in the 2024 Revisions. Among other things, the 2024 revisions increased the audit threshold to $1,000,000 for auditee fiscal years beginning on or after

October 1, 2024. The notification of final guidance on the 2024 revisions is located here: Federal Register :: Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/22/2024-07496/guidance-for-federal-financial-assistance

Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates:

Decisions are expected to be announced via email. Debriefs are not provided. Awards are expected to be issued between January 2, 2025, and March 31, 2025.

Federal Award Administration Information

The notification e-mail regarding a selection is not authorization to commit or expend DoD funds. A DoD grants officer is the only person authorized to obligate and approve the use of Federal funds. This authorization is in the form of a signed Notice of Award.

Applicants whose applications are recommended will be contacted by a DoD grants officer to discuss any additional information required for award. This may include representations and certifications, revised budgets or budget explanations, or other https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/22/2024-07496/guidance-for-federal-financial-assistance https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/22/2024-07496/guidance-for-federal-financial-assistance https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/22/2024-07496/guidance-for-federal-financial-assistance information as applicable to the proposed award. The award start date will be determined at this time.

Post-Award Requirements and Administration.

Refer to the “National Policy Requirements”, subdivision C of the APEX Accelerator General Terms and Conditions, which is located at Grants.gov, for national policy requirements that will apply to awards. The APEX Accelerator Specific Terms and Conditions, which is located at Grants.gov, apply to this award. If the Federal share of any award resulting from this NOFO is more than $500,000 over the period of performance, then the award recipient must follow the post-award reporting requirements reflected in 2 CFR 200 Appendix XII.

Reporting Requirements

The terms and conditions of the award will provide the specifics on how to submit the reports and any required sections for those reports.

Report Requirements/Form Frequency

Performance Reports APEX Performance Report Quarterly or Semi-Annually

Financial Report SF 425 Quarterly

Grant Voucher Payment

Request

SF 270 May be monthly but must be at least once per quarter with billing period end date matching the SF 425

Awardees must comply with the reporting requirements in 2 CFR 170: Reporting Subaward and Executive Compensation Information.

Federal Contacts

Questions regarding program policy, program content, administrative problems, grant administration or technical issues should be directed to:

DoD APEX Accelerator Program Office: osd.pentagon.ousd-a-s.mbx.apex-accelerators@mail.mil

Questions regarding Grants.gov should be directed to: the toll-free number 1-800-518-4726 and email at support@grants.gov.

Other Information

APEX Accelerators website: APEX Accelerators https://www.apexaccelerators.us/#/ https://www.dla.mil/SmallBusiness/PTAP/Resources/ https://www.dla.mil/SmallBusiness/PTAP/Resources/…