NOFO Questions and Answers - 693JJ924R000070 - State Legislative Research.pdf

NHTSA Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) No. 693JJ924R000070 Title: State Legislative Research

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

Federal Agency United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Funding Opportunity Title State Legislative Research

Announcement Type Questions and Answers

NHTSA NOFO Number

693JJ924R000070

Assistance Listing Program Number (formerly CFDA)

20.614 - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Discretionary Safety Grants

Key Dates NOFO Posted Date: June 25, 2024 NOFO Questions Due Date: July 2, 2024 Application Due Date: July 25, 2024

GENERAL QUESTIONS

Question 1: The “apply” box within the grant opportunity in Grants.gov is gray-ed out, not allowing an applicant to create a workspace. It’s possible that the posting in Grants.gov may need to be modified by uploading an application package. It states in the NOFO that the “The Grants.gov “Apply” function will open by June 25, 2024.”

NHTSA Response: Applicants are not instructed to submit applications in Grants.gov. In Section D.6 “Other Submission Requirements”, Applicants are advised to submit their applications, via email, to the NHTSA OAM mailbox @ NHTSAOAM@dot.gov to the attention of Anoko Zankli, Contract Specialist.

Question 2: On page 11, in the content and form of the application, the 25-page limit does not include appendices. Can you please specify what counts towards the appendices?

NHTSA Response: Correct! The twenty-five page limit applies to the Technical Application only. Please refer to Section D.2 “Content and Form Application Submission”.

Question 3: On page 12, applicants are asked to provide budgetary detail by labor category. Please specify what labor categories are required – we assume two: salaries and another for fringe benefits. Is that assumption correct?

NHTSA Response: Yes! It is the Government’s expectation that Applications will provide necessary Labor categories to meet the requirements of the NOFO.

Question 4: On page 12, applicants are asked to provide a detailed breakdown of the proposed costs, complete with an explanation of the methodology as well as more general justification of their reasonableness. However, the NOFO repeatedly asks applicants to not include any cost or budgetary information in the technical application. Should the explanation of the budget be written in a separate narrative attachment? Or, should this explanation be included within an excel document, along with the numerical detail for the budget itself?

NHTSA Response: The NOFO requires two applications: Technical and Cost. The NOFO does not require cost or budgetary information in the Technical application. The Budget/Cost information is only required in the Cost application.

Question 5: On page 13-14, within the explanation of Factor 1, applicants are directed to address how their project will, among other requirements, not negatively impact the overall safety of the traveling public;

provide an equity assessment which evaluates whether a project will create proportional impacts and remove transportation related disparities to all populations in a project area; demonstrate how meaningful public engagement will occur throughout a project’s life cycle; and providing a Title VI plan and/or a community participation plan. These requirements appear more directed at construction activities or work directly impacting the general public. Can you please clarify whether these are requirements of the applicants to this NOFO?

NHTSA Response: These are Administration priorities that the Applicants must adhere to.

mailto:NHTSAOAM@dot.gov

Question 6: On page 15, under Cost Information, applicants are directed to group funding sources into three categories: non-Federal, Developing Best Practices and Training for Driver Education, and other Federal with specific amounts from each funding source. The second of these does not appear to be applicable to this NOFO. Can you clarify if that’s the case? Additionally, should these – or other – groupings be used within the SF 424-A form, too?

NHTSA Response: This section has been updated: “Funding sources should be grouped into three categories: non-Federal, State Legislative Research, and other Federal with specific amounts from each funding source.”

Question 7: The NOFO does not allow for costs to be referenced in the technical application. Given this, must we submit a separate budget narrative as an appendix?

NHTSA Response: Yes! The Cost Application must be separate from the Technical Application. Please reference Section D.2 “Content and Form of Application Submission”.

Question 8: Under “Conduct Educational Activities” would a written deliverable such as a magazine article or a research brief on a traffic safety legislative trend be an allowable educational activity?

NHTSA Response: It is the Government’s expectation that Applicants will detail the types of educational activities they would conduct to best achieve the NOFO's stated objectives in their proposal.

Question 9: We understand B.7 to apply to the cooperative agreement itself rather than a requirement of the application. Can you please confirm that understanding?

NHTSA Response: The Deliverables and Milestones schedule in Section B.7 is already established in the NOFO and should demonstrate Applicants’ familiarity with the expected deliverables and milestones, and is not a requirement of the application.