General NOFO FAQ.pdf

Bureau of Reclamation Financial Assistance Operations

Frequently Asked Questions in response to Notices of Funding Opportunity

Where do I need to register to be able to apply for a grant through the Bureau of Reclamation?

Registrations are required in multiple systems. Required registrations include (1) establishing a Unique Entity ID (UEI) in SAM.gov; (2) registering in the System for Award Management (SAM); (3) and registering in Grants.gov. Your authorized organization representatives (also referred to as signing officials, entity administrators, or e-business points of contact) are responsible for ensuring the various organization registrations needed to apply for grant funding are in place and active. While this process can often be completed in less than two weeks, some organizations encounter complicated situations that can take six weeks or longer to complete the mandatory registrations. Failure to start this process in a timely fashion (i.e., six weeks or more before the application deadline) can lead to your entity application being ineligible for consideration.

How long will it take to get registered?

It may take six weeks or more to complete the process. While many organizations are able to complete the process relatively quickly, issues can arise that make this process take much longer.

Be sure to start the registration process at least six weeks before the application deadline. Failure of an applicant to submit on time because they did not complete registration in SAM.gov or Grants.gov will result in your application being found ineligible for consideration.

How can I get help with grants.gov?

First, check out the support center website: www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html

If you can’t find your answer there, you can email support@grants.gov or call 1-800-518-4726 (open 24/7 except for federal holidays).

Who can I contact for help with the UEI and/or SAM.gov registration process?

Please visit the Federal Service Desk at www.fsd.gov where you can find answers to many common issues. Through that website, you may also submit a help desk ticket or use the live chat feature. You can also call the Federal Service desk at 866-606-8220.

Additional guidance on registration:

SAM Registration (UEI) First, you must register with SAM.gov to obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). The UEI is a 12-character alphanumeric identifier assigned to all entities (public and private companies, individuals, institutions, or organizations) to do business with the Federal Government.

Organizations will also need to designate an E-Business Point of Contact (EBiz POC).

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html http://www.fsd.gov/

After obtaining the UEI for the organization from SAM.gov, you must return to Grants.gov to continue registration.

Your organization’s EBiz POC must:

1. Create a Grants.gov account with the same email address as used in SAM.gov for EBiz POC, and

2. Add a profile with Grants.gov using the UEI obtained from SAM.gov www.sam.gov/content/entity-registration

• SAM.gov will assign you a Unique Entity ID as part of entity registration.

• If your entity fails TIN or CAGE code validation, you will receive an email with instructions on updating your information and resubmitting your registration. Please check your spam or junk mail for messages during this time; messages will be sent to the Government Business POC. You may need to work with the IRS or CAGE to update your information before resubmitting your registration.

How do I check the status of my entity registration?

If you have a role with an entity and are signed in to your SAM.gov account, you can check your entity registration status. You can also check the status of an entity’s registration as a federal user. If none of these is the case, you cannot check an entity’s registration status.

1. Sign in to SAM.gov. You must be signed in to check your registration status.

2. From the home page, select the “Check Registration Status” button. The page is also linked in the footer of all pages on SAM.gov.

3. Enter a Unique Entity ID or CAGE Code and select “Search.” The entity’s registration status will display below.

What do the different registration statuses mean?

ID Assigned

When you request a Unique Entity ID (SAM) and confirm your organization’s information, your entity is assigned a Unique Entity ID (SAM). The status of your entity record is “ID Assigned.” This status indicates you have an identifier assigned and do not have an active entity registration in SAM.gov. This status is visible to all authenticated SAM.gov users if the entity has opted into public display. This status is only visible to users who have a role with the entity and federal users if the entity has opted out of public display.

Pending ID Assignment

The “Pending ID Assignment” status means your entity information is in the process of validation and a Unique Entity ID has not been assigned. You will see this status if you submitted a validation incident ticket while trying to validate your entity name and physical address during registration or http://www.sam.gov/content/entity-registration receiving a Unique entity ID. This status is visible to the person who started to register or receive a Unique Entity ID and to help desk agents.

Unvalidated ID

When SAM.gov has established a Unique Entity ID for an entity, but that entity has not gotten its UEI on SAM.gov, or SAM.gov is waiting for the entity to be validated, it will be in the “Unvalidated ID” status. This status is only viewable by federal users with permissions to view sensitive entity information.

Work in Progress Registration

If you begin but do not complete an entity registration in SAM.gov, you will have an entity record with the “Work in Progress'' status. Work in Progress Registrations are held in SAM.gov for up to 90 days. If you do not access or submit your Work in Progress Registration within the 90-day timeframe, the system will remove it.

Submitted Registration

If you have submitted a registration, and it is pending the TIN and CAGE validation, you will have an entity record in the “Submitted” status. Once the validations are complete, then the status will update to the “Active Registration” status.

Active Registration

After you submit your registration for review and it passes all the required processing and validation, your registration will have the "Active Registration" status. You must renew your registration each year to remain in the “Active Registration” status. Entities with an Active Registration that opted into public display are searchable and viewable by authenticated users in SAM.gov. Entities with an Active Registration that opted out of public display are searchable and viewable only by authenticated federal users and users who have a SAM.gov role with the entity.

Inactive Registration

If you do not take action to renew your entity registration each year, your registration will expire and have the “Inactive Registration” status. Inactive Registrations that opted in to public display remain searchable and viewable by authenticated users in SAM.gov. Inactive Registrations that opted out of public display are only searchable and viewable by authenticated federal users and authenticated public users with roles with the entity in SAM.gov.

Deleted/Deactivated

If an administrator of an entity deactivates a registration record, the record is removed from the system. It is not searchable or viewable by any SAM.gov user, and it is not recoverable. If you want to re-register the entity, you must wait 24 hours from deactivation and start a new entity registration.

https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0016307 https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0016307

Why is my entity registration not showing as active yet?

If you notice your registration has had a status of Submitted for longer than 14 days, and you have not otherwise been contacted to correct or update any information, please contact the Federal Service Desk at 866-606-8220 or www.fsd.gov

How do I start the application process on Grants.gov?

To begin the application process under this grant announcement, go to www.grants.gov and click the red “Apply” button at the top of the view grant opportunity page. If you encounter technical difficulties or the Apply button is grayed out, please contact grants.gov for assistance at the grants.gov support center at support@grants.gov or 1-800-518-4726. Please note: To apply through Grants.gov, you must use Adobe Reader software and download the compatible Adobe Reader version. For more information about Adobe Reader, to verify compatibility, or to download the free software, please visit Adobe Reader Compatibility Information on Grants.gov.

What if I have multiple accounts with SAM or multiple UEIs?

Applicants need to ensure that the AOR who submits the application through Grants.gov and whose UEI is listed on the application is an AOR for the applicant listed on the application.

Additionally, the UEI listed on the application must be registered to the applicant organization's SAM account, and the organization’s name as registered in SAM must match the name of the organization associated with the UEI. If not, the application may be deemed ineligible.

Can I submit a paper application?

Paper applications are generally not accepted. If you believe you need an exception due to extenuating circumstances, you must submit a request in writing to the grants contact listed in the Financial Assistance Contact Section of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) at least 15 days before the application deadline, providing a detailed explanation and supporting documentation to justify your request. Approval of such requests is subject to the discretion of the Grants Officer. Failure to register in SAM.gov or Grants.gov is not an acceptable justification.

If your request is approved, the application must be received by the Bureau of Reclamation before the deadline.

Can I submit a late application?

Late applications are not accepted. Any applications received after the deadline, regardless of the form of submission, will be deemed ineligible. We strongly encourage you to plan ahead and submit early. Failure of an applicant to submit timely because they did not properly or timely register in SAM.gov or Grants.gov is not an acceptable reason to justify a late submission. Minor https://www.fsd.gov/ problems are not uncommon during submissions to Grants.gov. It is essential to allow sufficient time to ensure that your application is submitted to Grants.gov before the due date identified in the NOFO.

How do I know my application was received?

After submitting an application to Grants.gov, it provides users with the electronic equivalent of a postmark stamp on a confirmation screen. It contains the date and time the application was received by Grants.gov. Applicants should print out this page for their records. You may also verify the status of your application while logged in at this link:

www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/track-my-application.html

Please note that successful submission through Grants.gov does not mean your application is eligible for award.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/track-my-application.html