N00244-17-S-FO02 (PEPFAR FUNDED).pdf

N00244-17-S-FO02 (FY17 – FY18 DHAPP: Military Specific HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program for

PEPFAR Funded Countries)

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)

N00244-17-S-FO02

“FY17 – FY18 Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program:

Military Specific HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program for PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief)

Funded Countries”

Table of Contents

I. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

II. AWARD INFORMATION………………………………………………………………………10

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION.…………………………………….11

1. Email Address for Submission of Concept Paper….…………………………………………11

2. Submission of Full Proposal……………………………………………………….……..11

3. Required Forms……………………………………………………………………..………..….12

4. Pre-Award Certifications, Assurances, and Other Statements

5 . For SAM and DUN Requirements

6. Application Format Guidelines and Assumptions

V. EVALUATION INFORMATION

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

VII. AWARDING AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

VIII. ATTACHMENTS…………………………………………………………………………… 35

N00244-17-S-FO02 (FY17 – FY18 DHAPP: Military Specific HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program for

INTRODUCTION

This publication constitutes a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) as contemplated in the Department of Defense Grants and Agreements (DoDGARS) Subpart 22.315(a). A formal Request for Proposals (RFP), solicitation, and/or additional information regarding this announcement will not be issued. Neither the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) nor the Contracting Office (NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center San Diego) will issue paper copies of this announcement. Interested parties are responsible to check http://www.grants.gov for possible amendments to this FOA.

The Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) reserves the right to select and fund for award all, some, or none of the proposals in response to this announcement. No funding shall be provided for direct reimbursement of proposal development costs. Technical and cost proposals (or any other material) submitted in response to this FOA will not be returned. It is the policy of NHRC and NAVSUP FLC San Diego to treat all proposals as sensitive competitive information and to disclose their contents only for the purposes of evaluation.

It is anticipated that awards will take the form of grants or cooperative agreements.

Therefore, all proposals submitted as a result of this announcement will fall under the purview of (a) the Federal statute authorizing this award, or any other Federal statutes directly affecting the performance of this Grant and (b) Department of Defense Grants and Agreements Regulations (DoDGARs).

All prospective grantees for this FOA, N00244-17-S-FO02, are on actual notice that the Department of Defense and the Department of the Navy (collectively referred to as "Grantor") rely on third-party contractor support. Consultant contractor employees, with appropriate non-disclosure agreements and organizational conflicts of interest clauses in their respective contracts with the Grantor, will be reviewing grant proposals to assist the Government in determining technical merit. (Note: The Government will however be evaluating the grant proposal and making all award decisions. Contractors with the appropriate non-disclosure agreements/OCI clauses may also be involved in Grant administration for the life of any awarded grant. No additional notice to grantees or prospective grantees will be provided.

Nothing herein will be construed to waive the rights of grantees or prospective grantees to challenge release of any grant proposal information to other than those contractors providing grant support services.

I. PROGRAM_DESCRIPTION:

1. Requiring Agency: Naval Health Research Center (NHRC), Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (DHAPP)

2. Opportunity Title: FY17 – FY18 Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program:

Military Specific HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program for PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) Funded Countries http://www.grants.gov/

N00244-17-S-FO02 (FY17 – FY18 DHAPP: Military Specific HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program for

3. Program Name: Not Applicable (N/A)

4. Opportunity Number: N00244-17-S-FO02

5. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number and Title:

12.350 - Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program

5. Response Date: This FOA is a continuously open announcement and will remain open until 4:00 p.m. (PDT), 30 September 2018, unless announced otherwise. Proposals received after this time will not be considered for award.

This announcement replaces DHAPP-BAA-15-002 (including all amendments)

6. Amendments: Amendments to this FOA will be posted to Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov. NOTE: Concept papers are only accepted in response to an amendment. Once notified that a full proposal is not desired from a Concept Paper, resubmission of the same Concept Paper is strongly discouraged. The actual number of evaluations will depend upon the availability of funds. Submitting within the first evaluation cycle is strongly encouraged due to the possible lack of funding for the later evaluation periods.

7. Opportunity Description:

7.1 Background

The United States Government has a long history and extensive network of international collaboration and partnerships in the fight against HIV/AIDS, providing funding, technical assistance, and program support. These collaborations increase the fundamental understanding of HIV transmission and provide an evaluative basis for prevention and intervention success. The current HIV/AIDS epidemic is devastating. Militaries, in particular, have been identified as a high-risk population. In order to target this population, the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC), San Diego, California, under the oversight of the Navy Surgeon General, has been tasked to serve as the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Executive Agent for the DoD HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (DHAPP).

DHAPP has successfully engaged over 80 countries in efforts to combat HIV/AIDS among their respective military services. DHAPP is a partner U. S. Government (USG) organization collaborating with the U.S. State Department, Health and Human Services, namely the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and US Agency for International Development in the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Working closely with U.S.

Department of Defense, U.S. Unified Combatant Commanders, Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, university collaborators, and other nongovernmental organizations, DHAPP assists countries in establishing HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment programs and/or strengthening their capabilities to combat HIV.

N00244-17-S-FO02 (FY17 – FY18 DHAPP: Military Specific HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program for

Applicants receiving an award should be aware of the military’s PEPFAR activities and work in concert with these activities without duplicating efforts, creating parallel systems, or conflicting activities. The overall program manager for PEPFAR is the Department of State’s Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator (O/GAC). DHAPP provides support for military-specific programs. Country HIV programs supported by PEPFAR funds can be found on the O/GAC website: http://www.state.gov/s/gac/. PEPFAR funds require additional certifications as identified in Attachment 2.

More information about countries in which DHAPP currently operates and existing DHAPP programs can be found on the DHAPP website:

http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nhrc/Pages/Research-DoD-Prevention-Program.aspx

DHAPP's goal is to maximize program impact by focusing on the drivers of the epidemic specific to the military, and to support the development of interventions and programs that address these issues. DHAPP works with militaries of foreign countries to devise plans based on the following process:

Meet with key partners in country to determine provisional major program areas and other technical assistance needs.

Adapt DHAPP support to a country’s need for prevention, care and/or treatment of their HIV/AIDS situation based on an assessment of the country’s epidemic, and more specifically, in that country’s military.

Strengthen the military capacity for ownership and behavioral changes over the long term.

Consider program design by leveraging assets with other country partners who have/had successful prevention, care, and/or treatment efforts.

Focus on prevention, care and/or treatment impact aligned with national implementation plans.

Implement and monitor programs to ensure accountability and sustainability.

Countries and their militaries need strong evidenced based programs with measurable courses of action that demonstrate:

Visible support from the military sector.

Development of plans of action and policies.

Alignment with PEPFAR, as well as national strategies and priorities.

Increasing awareness within the military sector.

Country military ownership of its activities.

Prevention plans focusing on prevention of sexual transmission HIV testing services HTS), sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention and management, behavioral interventions, reduction of concurrent partnerships, male circumcision, changing male normative behaviors, and prevention campaigns.

Reduction of mother-to-child transmission, (The primary focus of these interventions is on behavior change to reduce the risks of sexual transmission, counseling, testing, diagnosis and proper linkages to care and support).

http://www.state.gov/s/gac/ http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nhrc/Pages/Research-DoD-Prevention-Program.aspx

N00244-17-S-FO02 (FY17 – FY18 DHAPP: Military Specific HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program for

Stigma reduction associated with HIV infection.

Wide availability of condoms.

HIV care and treatment plans focusing on prevention and care of opportunistic infections, increasing antiretroviral treatment (ART) coverage rates to reach saturation, supporting progress towards adopting WHO’s 2015 “Treat All” treatment recommendation within confines of rapidly evolving national (ART) guidelines, Treatment-as-Prevention for serodiscordant couples when current guidelines don’t yet support “Treat All”, and considering HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) in specific high risk HIV-negative populations in whom annual HIV incidence is greater than 3%.

Surveillance and infrastructure development through programs focusing on HIV/STI/tuberculosis surveillance, prevalence surveys, laboratory support, monitoring and evaluation, training and strategic information management.

Increasing capacity building.

Promoting sustainability by the partner country.

The DoD HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (DHAPP), based at the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) in San Diego, California, provides technical assistance, management, and administrative support of the global HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment for foreign militaries. DHAPP administers funding, conducts training, and provides technical assistance to participating militaries. In addition DHAPP staff members, both HQ and country based, serve on most of the PEPFAR Technical Working Groups (TWG) and Core teams through the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. DHAPP provides HIV program execution and monitors outcomes, with staff that includes active duty military, civil service, and contractor personnel.

7.2 Program Purpose and Plan

DHAPP continues to rely upon the vital support of various partners, such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), in implementing HIV prevention, care and treatment programs across the globe. Each country has a customized plan to help the countries’ militaries bring its HIV/AIDS programs to sufficient scale to help reduce the spread of the epidemic and mitigate its impact.

DHAPP’s current priority activities include the following:

Institutional capacity building and developing military specific HIV strategic and operational plans that incorporate effective monitoring and evaluation procedures.

Capacity building for military members to increase the quantity or quality of HIV prevention, care and treatment programs in military settings.

Implementation of a minimum package of HIV prevention interventions that meet PEPFAR Monitoring Evaluation and Reporting (MER 2.0) Indicators, N00244-17-S-FO02 (FY17 – FY18 DHAPP: Military Specific HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program for guidance. Package should include condom promotion and distribution, information, education, and skills to reduce HIV risk and vulnerability, correctly identify HIV prevention methods and sustain positive change; promotion of gender equitable principles; and activities to address stigma and discrimination associated with HIV; referral or provision of HIV testing services and demand creation for other needed prevention services. ---

Assessment of military and context specific HIV risk behaviors and identification of military sub-populations most at risk.

Evaluating specific prevention interventions in military contexts.

Developing systems (paper and/or electronic) to monitor linkages and referrals across prevention, care and treatment programs.

Providing infrastructure and equipment to support HIV testing, care and/or treatment.

Increasing testing of all military personnel with the intention of early diagnosis in a test and start model.

Developing and maintaining commodity forecasting activities to avoid stockouts of key HIV commodities.

Developing HIV laboratory diagnostic and monitoring capabilities.

Increasing clinical capability and other human resources for health care of those infected with HIV.

Increase HIV antiretroviral treatment coverage rates in keeping with UNAIDS 90:90:90 targets.

Developing or revising military specific HIV policies that specifically address leadership roles, gender norms, gender based violence, stigma and discrimination and structural components necessary for access to care.

Increasing circumcision coverage among military personnel through Voluntary Medical Reduction of Alcohol use/abuse and programs to reduce dependence.

Package of interventions for people living with HIV including partner notification, family testing (including all children of an HIV positive mother), family planning, disclosure, adherence, alcohol reduction, STI screening and treatment, condom distribution and promotion and individual and group patient education on all the above programs including nutrition, TB, natural history of HIV, treatment options, risk assessment.

N00244-17-S-FO02 (FY17 – FY18 DHAPP: Military Specific HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program for

This FOA is intended to solicit existing partners and establish new partners in furtherance of DHAPP and partner military program goals. Interested sources should submit proposals identifying their plans and capabilities per information in Section IV, Application and Submission information.

Proposals should focus on rapidly extending HIV/AIDS services. Respondents are encouraged to target specific needs with a practical business plan, using small grass-roots organizations to provide community-based services as a way to enhance organic capabilities and sustainability.

DHAPP serves as the overall program manager for this funding.

8. Point(s) of Contact:

Any questions regarding this announcement must be provided to the points of contact listed below. All questions shall be submitted in writing by electronic mail. Questions submitted via a telephone call, fax message, or other means will not be provided a response. The specific points of contact for this announcement are listed below:

Questions of a business nature shall be directed to:

Ms. Janet Norton Contract and Grant Officer NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center San Diego E-mail: Janet.Norton@navy.mil

Questions of a technical/programmatic shall be directed to:

Dr. Braden Hale, MD, MPH Director, DHAPP Program Naval Health Research Center Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program 140 Sylvester Road, Bldg 304 San Diego, CA 92106-3521 E-mail: usn.nhrc.dhapp@mail.mil

Questions or assistance needed regarding the grants.gov registration process, system requirements, or submittal process shall be directed to:

Grants.gov Phone: 1-800-518-4726 E-mail: support@grants.gov

9. Instrument Type(s) – Assistance Awards

Awards will take the form of Grants. However, NHRC reserves the right to select and fund award of a Cooperative Agreement if deemed to be in the best interest of the Government.

mailto:Janet.Norton@navy.mil mailto:usn.nhrc.dhapp@mail.mil mailto:support@grants.gov

N00244-17-S-FO02 (FY17 – FY18 DHAPP: Military Specific HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program for

Applicants should familiarize themselves with these instrument types and the applicable regulations before submitting a proposal. The following are brief descriptions of the possible award instruments.

Grant – A legal instrument which, consistent with 31 U.S.C. 6304, is used to enter into a relationship:

(1) The principal purpose of which is to transfer a thing of value to the recipient to carry out a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by a law of the United

States, rather than to acquire property or services for the Department of Defense’s direct benefit or use.

(2) In which substantial involvement is not expected between the Department of Defense and the recipient when carrying out the activity contemplated by the grant.

(3) No fee or profit is allowed.

Cooperative Agreement – A legal instrument which, consistent with 31 U.S.C. 6305, is used to enter into the same kind of relationship as a grant; except, when carrying out the activity contemplated by the cooperative agreement, DoD and the Recipient will be working together. The term does not include “cooperative research and development agreements” as defined in 15 U.S.C. 3710a. No fee or profit is allowed.

Anticipated substantial involvement elements for Cooperative Agreements are listed below:

Review and approval of key personnel and changes in key personnel;

Approval of annual implementation plans;

Agency and recipient collaboration and joint participation in implementation, including, but not limited to participation in advisory committees and direction and/or redirection of activities specified in the program description due to Host National Military priorities and guidance as well as interrelationships with other programs;

Approval of the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Plan;

The Recipient will work in consultation with the NHRC/DHAPP Program Manager/Desk Officer staff to develop and execute a final M&E plan including establishing a final list of indicators, baseline data and performance targets for each indicator. The M&E plan will be revised as appropriate on an ongoing basis in collaboration with NHRC and the Host National Military;

Appropriate review and approval of subawards.

10. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 12.350

11. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Title: Department of Defense

HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (DHAPP)

N00244-17-S-FO02 (FY17 – FY18 DHAPP: Military Specific HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program for

12. Additional Information:

Proposals come from the following Program Areas, but should focus on the specific areas outlined in the narratives in Attachment 1. Each narrative is stand-alone effort and should not be combined with another narrative. All Program Areas in each specific narrative must be addressed in that concept paper submission.

Prevention Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (MTCT) Other Sexual Prevention (HVOP) Blood Safety (HMBL) Injection Safety (HMIN) Injecting and Non Injecting Drug Use (IDUP) Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (CIRC) HIV Testing and Counseling (HVCT) Prevention of Gender-based violence (SGBV)

Care Adult Care and Support (HBHC) Orphans and Vulnerable Children (HKID)

TB/HIV (HVTB)

Pediatric Care and Support (PDCS)

Treatment ARV Drugs (HTXD) Adult Treatment (HTXS) Pediatric Treatment (PDTX)

Other Health Systems Strengthening (OHSS) Laboratory Infrastructure (HLAB) Strategic Information (HVSI)

Quarterly fiscal and activity status reports are required, but monthly submission is encouraged. Training to enable compliance will be provided by the DHAPP office.

Semi-annual Indicator Reports are required. Training will be provided by the DHAPP office.

All human subject research conducted with PEPFAR funding shall comply with all applicable Federal, State, Department of Defense, and Navy statutes, regulations, and instructions governing human subject protections in research. This shall include that the Grant Recipient ensure that DHAPP/ supported human subject research only be conducted under a Federal Wide Assurance granted by DHHS (or an Assurance granted by other federal department) and that such research be approved by a properly-constituted and registered Institutional Review Board (IRB). All Grant Recipients shall provide documentation of their Assurance and IRB approval to DHAPP/NHRC IRB and Human Research Protection Official (HRPO)

N00244-17-S-FO02 (FY17 – FY18 DHAPP: Military Specific HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program for and ensure compliance with requests from the HRPO, before any human subject recruitment or enrollment.

Appropriate DHAPP, DoD and PEPFAR logos should be included in any material deliverables that are developed through funding from DHAPP. The Department of Defense through its agent, DHAPP, will retain ownership of these deliverable products for reproduction and other purposes. NHRC/DHAPP provides it without royalty, license, or other fee to recipients of DHAPP-funded grants or cooperative agreements.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

1. Amount and Period of Performance for Awards: There is no set limit to the number of proposals can submit to this FOA. The period of performance is generally one year from the effective date of award, with up to three additional years (phases) subject to availability of funding. Applicants are encouraged to propose additional phases in their submission, if appropriate.

2. For each country where funding is available, Attachment 1(narrative) will contain a description of the work that is needed, along with the program areas and an approximation of the available funding. It should be noted that while dollar amounts are listed, this should be taken as an estimate of the funding for an effort whether a single amount or range is listed.

Changes to Attachment 1 will be provided in the form of amendments to this announcement.

3. Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:

Subject to the availability of funds, three evaluation cycles or more will be conducted during this FOA. The first round of full proposals will be selected approximately 45 days after the date of this FOA. Subsequent rounds of evaluations are anticipated based upon funding availability. PLEASE MONITOR http://www.grants.gov FOR AMENDMENTS

TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

Formal proposals are reviewed and selected within six months of submission. Subsequent awards are usually made within four months of notification.

This information is only an estimate and does not obligate the U.S. Government in any way.

Estimated funding amounts may increase or decrease at anytime based on current and future appropriations.

4. The notification of award selection must not be regarded as an authorization to begin performance or commit/expend funds. The Government is not obligated to provide any funding until a Government Contracting Officer/Grants Officer signs the respective award document.

5. The Recipient is reminded that U.S. Executive Orders and U.S. law prohibit transactions with, and the provision of resources and support to, individuals and organizations associated

N00244-17-S-FO02 (FY17 – FY18 DHAPP: Military Specific HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program for with terrorism. It is the legal responsibility of the recipient to ensure compliance with the Executive Orders and laws. This provision must be included in all subcontracts/subawards issued under this agreement.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

All responsible sources from academia, industry, and non-governmental organizations may submit proposals under this FOA. No grants or cooperative agreements may be awarded directly to foreign military establishments. All respondents must demonstrate the active support of the in-country military and the DoD representative in the corresponding U.S.

Embassy in the planning and execution of their proposals. All respondents must demonstrate the active support of the in-country military and the DoD representative in the corresponding U.S. Embassy in the planning and execution of their proposals.

Cost sharing is not expected and will not be used as a factor during the merit review of any proposal hereunder. However, the Government may consider voluntary cost sharing if proposed.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. E-MAIL ADDRESS FOR SUBMISSION OF CONCEPT PAPER:

Concept Paper should not be submitted through the Grants.gov.

Concept paper submissions should be e-mailed directly to the following email addresses:

usn.nhrc.dhapp@mail.mil

Concept paper format requirements are found in Section IV, paragraph 6.

2. SUBMISSION OF FULL PROPOSAL THROUGH GRANTS.GOV:

For electronic submission of full proposals, there are several one-time actions that must be completed in order to submit an application through Grants.gov. These include obtaining a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, registering with the System for Award Management (SAM), registering with the credential provider, and registering with Grants.gov. See http://www.grants.gov, specifically http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html

Use the Grants.gov Organization Registration Checklist at:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-resources.html which provides process guidance. Designating an E-Business Point of Contact (E-Biz POC) and obtaining a special password called ‘MPIN’ are important steps in the SAM registration process. Applicants not registered with SAM.gov and Grants.gov should allow at least 21 days to complete these requirements. The process should be started as soon as possible.

Any questions relating to the registration process, system requirements, the application form, or the submittal process must be directed to Grants.gov at 1-800-518-4726 (1-606-545-5035 mailto:usn.nhrc.dhapp@mail.mil http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-resources.html

N00244-17-S-FO02 (FY17 – FY18 DHAPP: Military Specific HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program for for foreign applicants) or support@grants.gov.

3. REQUIRED FORMS

All Applicants must submit the application using the SF-424 series, which includes the:

• SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance - (included in the application package available on grants.gov posted with this FOA).

• SF-424A, Budget Information - Nonconstruction Programs - (included in the application package available on grants.gov posted with this FOA).

• SF-424B, Assurances - Nonconstruction Programs - (included in the application package available on grants.gov posted with this FOA).

The program described in Section I above includes non-construction elements. Therefore, the mandatory forms for non-construction programs must be completed. Non-construction activity costs should be included on the SF-424A.

4. PRE-AWARD CERTIFICATIONS, ASSURANCES AND OTHER STATEMENTS OF THE

RECIPIENT

In addition to the certifications that are included in the SF 424, non-U.S. organizations (except as specified below) must provide the following certifications, assurances and other statements. Complete copies of these Certifications, Assurances, and Other Statements may be found as an Attachment 2 to this FOA.

5. FOR SYSTEM AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM) AND DATA UNIVERSAL NUMBERING

SYSTEM (DUNS) REQUIREMENTS

a) System for Award Management (SAM): All Applicants submitting proposals or applications must:

(1) Be registered in the SAM prior to submission;

(2) Maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application under consideration by any agency; and

(3) Provide its DUNS number in each application or proposal submittal to the agency. The System for Award Management (SAM) is a free web site that consolidates the capabilities previously available in CCR/FedReg, ORCA, and EPLS. Future phases of SAM will add the capabilities of other systems used in Federal procurement and awards processes.

SAM may be accessed at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/ mailto:support@grants.gov

N00244-17-S-FO02 (FY17 – FY18 DHAPP: Military Specific HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program for

b) Provide its DUNS number in each application or proposal it submits to the agency.

Applicants can receive a DUNS number, at no cost, by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS Number request line at 1-866-705-5711, or visiting the D&B website at:

http://www.dnb.com.

If an applicant fails to comply with these requirements, it will affect its ability to receive the award.

6. APPLICATION FORMAT GUIDELINES AND ASSUMPTIONS

For the purposes of this FOA, the term “applicant” is used to refers to the prime offeror. The application received by the deadline will be reviewed for responsiveness to the specifications outlined in these guidelines and the application format. Applications that are incomplete or not directly responsive to the terms, conditions, specifications, and clauses of this FOA may be categorized as non-responsive and eliminated from further consideration.

Applications shall be prepared in English. Applications in any other language shall be treated as non-responsive and eliminated from further consideration.

The application should be specific, complete, and concise. The application should demonstrate the applicant's capabilities and expertise with respect to achieving the goals of this program.

Applicant should retain for its records a copy of the application and all enclosures that accompany their application. Erasures or other changes must be initialed by the person signing the application.

Notification of formal invitation requests for full proposals is anticipated soon thereafter.

The due date for receipt of full proposals is two weeks from receipt of the request for a full proposal from the Grants Officer.

Based on the availability of funds, a second and third round of Concept Paper evaluations may occur. Details of the second and third Concept Paper evaluations, should they occur, will be posted via an amendment to this FOA at http://www.grants.gov.

A Full Proposal shall be submitted only after a formal invitation has been received from the Grants Officer. Upon Completion of the final proposal evaluation process and final selections, the Offeror shall be notified via e-mail of its selection or non-selection for award.

Assuming all needed documentation has been received by the grants office; grants are processed within three months of notification.

Applicants shall state that their Concept Papers and full proposals are valid for 240 days from the submission deadline.

http://www.dnb.com/

N00244-17-S-FO02 (FY17 – FY18 DHAPP: Military Specific HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program for

STEP ONE: CONCEPT PAPER PROCESS AND FORMAT

APPLICANTS ARE EXPECTED TO SUBMIT A CONCEPT PAPER IN ADVANCE OF A

FULL PROPOSAL. A FULL PROPOSAL SHOULD ONLY BE SENT IF INVITED FORMALLY

AFTER REVIEW OF THE CONCEPT PAPER.

Concept Papers shall only cover one country. Respondents submitting Concept Papers for more than one country shall submit separate proposals, unless the program is non-severable across multiple countries. Non-severable programs would include programs that are regional in nature or have a targeted specific focus that is designed to provide benefit to multiple countries.

Eligible organizations interested in applying for an award in response to this FOA are invited to submit a program concept paper via e-mail to DHAPP Office, see Section IV.1. above for point of contact.

Proposed programs should have an estimated value and performance period. In developing the concept paper submission, the applicant should carefully consider all information contained in this FOA and must be within the parameters described in the Program Description section above, including the geographic areas. NHRC may opt to exclude from further consideration any submission which is not within these parameters. NHRC reserves the right to fund any or none of the applications received. Specifically, the concept paper must include the following:

Concept papers must be prepared in English. Concept Papers shall consist of three sections: (I) Executive Summary, (II) Proposed Activities and (III) Cost Summary. The details of each section are described below.

Concept Paper Format

Paper Size – 8.5 x 11 inch paper

Font – Time New Roman, 12 point

Margins – 1” inch

Spacing – Single or double-spaced

Number of Pages – No more than twelve (12) pages single-sided pages (excluding cover page, abstract, cost breakdown, Staffing Needs/Costs, and Timeline for Completion). Concept Papers exceeding the page limit may not be evaluated.

Copies – one (1) electronic copy in Adobe PDF or Word delivered via e-mail, containing all of the required sections (see section IV). Electronic (e-mail) submissions must be sent to the attention of the e-mail address referenced in Section IV.1. above. The subject line of emails shall read “N00244-17-S-FO02, CONCEPT PAPER APPLICATION.”

N00244-17-S-FO02 (FY17 – FY18 DHAPP: Military Specific HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program for

Concept Paper Content

Cover Page (1 page) – The Cover page must include:

o FOA number: N00244-17-S-FO02 (CONCEPT PAPER APPLICATION);

o Proposed project title;

o Proposed length of project;

o The applicant/organization name;

o The applicant’s administrative and technical points of contact, with telephone numbers, facsimile numbers, and e-mail addresses.

o Signature of an Authorized Officer of the applicant institution/organization.

Project Abstract – Concise, single-spaced abstract, not to exceed 4000 characters, summarizing the proposed program effort, including the name of the Offeror institution/ organization, anticipated public benefit, type of substantial involvement by the Government (if cooperative agreement is proposed), objectives, assessed need, and anticipated impact and results.

Section I: Executive Summary (not to exceed 1 page) – Briefly summarize the overall proposed program.

Strategy – Explain the specific problem to be addressed, the expected goals to be achieved, how this program supports the areas of interest in this FOA, and a short description of the strategy to be used to achieve the proposed goals.

Section II: Proposed Activities (not to exceed 8 pages) – Describe the proposed activities in more detail.

Development Plan and Activity Description – Include a short description of the activities that will be undertaken to achieve the proposed objective and provide a general time line of activities and the transition plan to the partner military.

Displaying knowledge of the needs of the partner military, how objectives will be met, and how you will evaluate the success of the program. A brief work plan and list of deliverables should be included.

Beneficiary Population, Geographic coverage of the Program, and Gender – Include a description of targeted beneficiaries.

Expected Impact – Outline expected results and impacts and the mechanisms proposed to measure and monitor progress, achievement and sustainability.

Timeline for completion – Outline of the estimated activities for each quarter with a schedule of milestones.

Section III: Cost Breakdown (not to exceed 1 page) Provide a one-page budget summary which includes, at a minimum a total funding requested and, if applicable, any cost share contribution (e.g. in cash, in-kind), that

N00244-17-S-FO02 (FY17 – FY18 DHAPP: Military Specific HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program for may be contributed by the applicant from its own resources or other non-U.S.

Government sources. Budgets should be in US Dollars (USD).

Technical / Administrative Capabilities in Proposed Work Area (not to exceed 2 pages)

Describe your organization’s technical and administrative capabilities and past experience in conducting program similar to the one proposed. List all contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements involving (similar or related) programs conducted by the applicant (or consortium partners) over the past three years and include a brief statement of work performed. These other programs can be funded by any entity, public or private, and do not need to be NHRC-funded program.

Signed Standard Form 424, 424a and 424b. Forms can be found at www.grants.gov.

Note: If any sections of the submitted concept paper exceed the designated page limit, NHRC reserves the right at its sole discretion to take appropriate action, including, but not limited to, excluding the pages in excess of the limit or eliminating the applicant from the competition.

STEP TWO: FULL PROPOSAL PROCESS AND FORMAT

If initial review by NHRC indicates the concept paper merits further consideration for funding, NHRC will request a full application. The full application must be in English. The full application should reflect full consideration of all the information provided in this FOA.

Contents of a full proposal application are described below. Please note that a request for a full proposal application does not constitute a NHRC funding commitment. Once notified, the applicant shall submit a Technical and a Cost proposal with specifications outlined in the Request for Full Proposal notification e-mail.

Proposal submissions will be protected from unauthorized disclosure in accordance with applicable law, and DoD/DoN regulations. Respondents are expected to appropriately mark each page of their submission that contains proprietary information.

A Proposal shall consist of three sections: (I) Technical Approach, (II) Management and Qualifications, and (III) Cost. The details of each section are described below.

Full Proposal Format

Paper Size – 8.5 x 11 inch paper

Font – Times New Roman, 12 point

Margins – 1” inch

Spacing – Single or double-spaced

Number of Pages – Sections I and II combined are limited to no more than 32 pages.

N00244-17-S-FO02 (FY17 – FY18 DHAPP: Military Specific HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program for

Section III has no page limit. The cover page, table of contents and abstract are excluded from the page limitations. Proposals exceeding the page limit may not be evaluated (see note above).

Full Proposal Content

Cover Page - Should include the words “Technical Proposal” as well as the following:

(1) FOA number N00244-17-S-FO02

(2) Targeted Country;

(3) Title of Proposal;

(4) Identity of Prime Respondent and complete list of subcontractors, if applicable;

(5) Technical Contact (name, title, address, phone, fax and e-mail);

(6) Administrative/Business Contact (name, title, address, phone, fax and e-mail);

(7) Duration of effort

(8) Table of Contents: Section, Title and page numbers are required.

(Note: This cover page does not count against the total page count for the technical application.)

Signed Standard Form 424, 424a and 424b. Forms can be found at www.grants.gov.

Signed Certifications (Attachment 2).

Section I: Technical Approach. The following items shall be addressed:

Executive Summary (not to exceed 2 pages). Brief description of proposed activities, goals, purposes, and anticipated results. Briefly describe technical and managerial resources of your organization. Describe how the overall program will be managed. State the bottom line funding request from NHRC.

Background Information. Provide general background information about the host country and its military, including conditions and issues that have relevance to HIV transmission and HIV prevention programs. This information should include data on HIV prevalence. Other possible information to include:

population size, economic conditions, political conditions, conflicts and border disputes, country infrastructure, and host nation military HIV program accomplishments or priorities to date and other donors, resources leveraged, etc. Information provided in this section should demonstrate awareness of the conditions and needs within the country and its military.

Goal and Objectives. Describe (a) the overall program goal of your proposal, and (b) the objectives that your program hopes to achieve. See DHAPP current Priority activities in Section I. 6.2 (Program Purpose and Plan) for reference.

Statement of Work. In an Excel spreadsheet, provide a summary of your planned activities for each program area (an example is provided in Attachment

N00244-17-S-FO02 (FY17 – FY18 DHAPP: Military Specific HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program for

4). Use the following column headings: Country, Offeror, Funds Requested, and Brief Activity Narrative.

Work Plan. Clearly detail the scope and plan of the effort. Describe the specific methods (e.g., surveys, interviews, surveillance, etc.) you will use to accomplish the proposed objectives. All anticipated work must be within the national guidelines of the host country. If your plan includes a training/education program or other intervention, please describe these in detail. Training should be aligned with national standards where possible. It is anticipated that the proposed plan will be incorporated as an attachment to the resultant award instrument. To this end, such proposals must include a severable self-standing plan without any proprietary restrictions that can be attached to the agreement award.

Deliverables. Applicants should provide a detailed description of the results and products to be delivered. Appropriate DHAPP, DoD and PEPFAR logos should be included in any material deliverables that are developed as a result of this FOA funding. The Department of Defense through its agent, DHAPP, will retain ownership of these deliverable products for reproduction and other purposes. It is understood that publications may occur based on program developments that are not necessarily research in nature. Nonetheless, DHAPP personnel should be consulted, directly involved, and share authorship in any publications that result from projects that are funded by this FOA. A copy of any and all publications, including appropriate acknowledgement language, that are funded by this FOA shall be provided to the NHRC PAO for approval and comment prior to release. The Grantee shall provide all technical data including reports, drawings and blueprints, all research data including data collected, data collection tools, data bases and data tables, and all computer software, that are a result of performance under this grant.

Data Management Plan (not to exceed 2 pages) Proposals must include a supplementary document of no more than two pages labeled "Data

Management Plan". This supplementary document should include:

a. The types of data, guidance, physical data collections, software, training materials, and other materials to be produced in the course of the project;

b. The standards to be used for data and metadata format and content

(where existing standards are absent or deemed inadequate, this should be documented along with any proposed solutions or remedies);

c. Policies for access and sharing including provisions for appropriate protection of privacy, confidentiality, security, intellectual property, or other rights or requirements; in cases where Personal Health Information is collected, identify appropriate national/international standard to be used.

N00244-17-S-FO02 (FY17 – FY18 DHAPP: Military Specific HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program for

d. Policies and provisions for re-use, re-distribution, and the production of derivatives; and

e. Plans for archiving data and other information products (reports), and for preservation of access to them.

f. A valid Data Management Plan may include only the statement that no detailed plan is needed, as long as the statement is accompanied by a clear justification.

A proposal that is missing a Data Management Plan will be rejected.

Monitoring and Evaluation. State how you will demonstrate that the proposed program will have an impact on military members and/or their families and state the indicators of performance that will be used. Indicators of performance need to be specific and measurable (e.g., 100 military members will receive VCT counseling, 2 laboratories will be established). Also, state how you will collect this information.

Schedule and milestones. Provide a schedule and description of major milestones or tasks to be accomplished in the proposed program by quarter (e.g., by 3-month period). No set number of milestones is required; the number and nature of the milestones will depend on your program and objectives.

Examples:

Quarter 1:

Develop training materials for an HIV prevention education program.

# of individuals who received HTS services and received their test results

Quarter 2:

Administer knowledge/attitude/behavior pretest survey to 500 military members.

Refurbish 2 military health clinics to provide VCT services.

Quarter 3:

Train 10 laboratory technicians to support VCT services.

Quarter 4:

Administer knowledge/attitude/behavior posttest survey to

500 military members.

Provide counseling and testing to 150 military members at

VCT centers.

In-Country Participation. Describe the involvement of the host country’s military and its leadership in: (a) the development of the proposal (and/or the ideas presented in the proposal), and in (b) the planned execution of the proposed program bearing in mind the long term sustainability and host country military ownership of the program.

N00244-17-S-FO02 (FY17 – FY18 DHAPP: Military Specific HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program for

Relevance of the Program. (a) Describe the relevance of the proposed program to the needs, priorities and circumstances of the host country’s military; (b) describe how the proposed program fits into the overall HIV strategy for the country and/or the country's military. If the respondent has previously performed and accomplished HIV prevention efforts involving the host country’s military, it should describe its past and current efforts.

Section II: Management and Qualifications Approach

(a) The Management Plan will provide a clear description of how the grant or cooperative agreement will be managed, including the approach to addressing potential problems. The plan shall outline which organization/ sub-awardee will carry out the various tasks specified in the technical approach. The prime partner will be responsible for all technical activities regardless of the activities implemented by the sub-partner or other member of the team. The application must specify the composition and organizational structure of the entire project team (including home office support and other sub-partners) and describe the role of each staff member named under key personnel, technical expertise, and estimated amount of time he or she will devote to the program. Given the limited funding of the award and the broad scope, Applicants may want to propose innovative ways to reduce managerial costs of sub-partners such as sharing office space, vehicles, etc. It is expected that sub-partners will not set up separate offices and separate managerial units, but instead offer specialized technical support under the prime partner.

(b) The application shall discuss proposed technical, managerial and other personnel as deemed appropriate to implement the tasks described above, inclusive of a coordination plan for other partners working in the district or sub-district. Such staff should have played important technical and country-level support roles in the past and current health and HIV and AIDS programs. The staffing plan shall elaborate what and how long-term and short term technical and management assistance will be provided to the program to accomplish tasks and objectives.

(c) The application shall provide summary roles descriptions, responsibilities and qualifications of all key personnel relevant to successful implementation of the proposed technical approach, as technical personnel will serve as technical assistants to the District Management Teams.

(d) The application shall also include, in an Attachment/Annex, resumes for all key personnel candidates. Resumes may not exceed three pages in length and shall be in chronological order starting with most recent experience. Letters of commitment from all key personnel to the effect that they will be available for the period of the agreement award, should the applicant receive an award.

Should also be included in the Attachment/Annex. Finally, a list of 3 non-

N00244-17-S-FO02 (FY17 – FY18 DHAPP: Military Specific HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care, and Treatment Program for personal professional references should be included for each proposed key personnel. The reference information provided should consist of the following:

full name and relationship, accurate and up to date email address and phone number. The U.S. Government retains the right to contact employment references for all key personnel (including those not provided by the Applicant), and to use this information in the rating of personnel proposed.

In proposing the overall staffing plan, the applicant should ensure that expertise in implementing similar programs of focus and scale in the country is represented. In particular, the application should consider:

Program Director: The applicant is required to appoint a Program Director. The Program Director should have demonstrated capabilities in management, institutional capacity building, high-level strategic visioning and leadership, and experience in working effectively with district, provincial and national government authorities. Prior experience in senior level management of similar programs is absolutely required.