Notice of Funding Opportunity- Ammendment 4_24 February.pdf

PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DoD)

APEX Accelerator Program

Option Period for Existing Award Recipients Only

Announcement Type: Amendment 4

Funding Opportunity Number: DOD-202301A, DOD-202301B, DOD-202301B-APEX-

ACCELERATOR

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, 15 SEP 2022, at which point all Step 1 applications must be received. Awardees whose period of performance ends on or before 1 FEB 2022 must submit their Pre-Application (Step 1) and Full Application (Step 2) applications by 5:00PM Eastern Time, 15 SEP 2021. Awardees whose period of performance ends on or after 2 FEB 2022 must submit their Full Application (Step 2) 120 days prior to the end of the period of performance on their current award.

UPDATE Amendment 3- All current PTACs shall resubmit the SF424 portion of their Step1 application if changes are necessary.

UPDATE Amendment 4-

STEP 1

ALL current PTACs/APEX Accelerators must resubmit the SF 424 portion of their Step 1 application to reflect changes to the F23 program budget NLT 15 February 2023. These changes should reflect the specific period of performance of your award, with an end date set to 31 March 2024 for everyone.

For example, if your program start date is 01 February 2023, your revised Step 1 SF 424 estimate should reflect a period of performance from 01 February 2023 to 31 March 2024, covering 13 months of estimated costs. Conversely, if your program start date is 01 August

2023, your revised Step 1 SF 424 estimate should reflect a period of performance from 01 August 2023 to 31 March 2024, covering 8 months of estimated costs.

In addition to the period of performance adjustment, your revised estimate should also account for any proposed changes to your budget as a result of implementing the revised Terms and Conditions for the program. If you are proposing changes as a result of the terms and conditions, please provide a brief explanation with your submission.

STEP 2

The instructions found in the Full Application Component Specific Requirements for the Step 2 submission are mandatory for all APEX Accelerators whose period of performance begins on 01 August 2023 and later.

Agency Contacts: Khalil Mack, APEX Program Manager: khalil.r.mack.civ@mail.mil

Chris Fisher, APEX Program, Agreements Officer:

christopher.m.fisher24.civ@army.mil

Date Issued: 1 JUL 2022 Amendment 1 issued 27 JUL 2022

Amendment 1 corrected the period to be used in the Past Performance Data Sheet: 1 JUL 2021 –

30 JUN 2022.

Amendment 2 issued 2 SEP 2022 to increase the Federal funding limitations to $750K and $450K.

Amendment 3 issued 15 DEC 2022 provided overall program updates related to the transition to DoD Management.

Amendment 4 issued 19 JAN 2023 updated submission instructions.

Table of Contents I. Program Description

A. Short Description of Funding Opportunity B. Background:

C. Program Description/Objective:

D. Authorization E. Legal Requirements

II. Federal Award Information III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants B. Cost Sharing or Matching C. Conflict of Interest D. Other

IV. Application and Submission Information A. Submission Date and Time:

B. Address to Request Application Package C. Application Procedures and Requirements D. Application Withdrawal:

E. Intergovernmental Review F. Content and Form of Submission:

G. Component-specific requirements H. Funding Restrictions

V. Application Review Information A. Selection Criteria B. Review and Selection Process:

C. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates:

VI. Federal Award Administration Information VII. Administrative and National Policy requirements VIII. Reporting Requirements IX. Federal Contacts X. Other Information Appendix 1-Additional detail for Attachment 11, Budget:

I. Program Description

A. Short Description of Funding Opportunity

The Department of Defense (DoD) seeks applications from existing Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) award recipients who wish to receive an option period award to continue to provide services to businesses. Applications should include documentation described in Part IV of this document. Specifically excluded are individuals and entities not presently operating a PTAC.

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) in an effort 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 Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs). The PTACs 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 PTACs provide critical assistance to businesses seeking to participate in government contracts and most of the assistance they provide is free.

As of 07 November 2022, the program formerly referred to as the PTAP program has been renamed to the APEX Program. Further, the centers formerly titled as “PTACS” have been renamed APEX Accelerators. References to both PTAP and PTAC have been updated in the below to reflect APEX and APEX Accelerator accordingly.

C. Program Description/Objective:

Award recipients must establish and maintain a APEX Accelerator with physical location(s) to serve as a resource for large and small businesses 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 – 1140Subchapter 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 2.0 and Apex Accelerator General Terms and Conditions Version 1.0 which are located at Grants.gov, are incorporated by reference in this announcement.

II. Federal Award Information

The following information applies to awards issued under this announcement:

We expect to award approximately 96 cost sharing cooperative agreements as a result of this announcement, totaling an estimated $50M; however, we are not obligated to make any awards and reserve the right to revise or cancel this announcement. Awards will be for a one-year option period 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 immediately after the period of performance on their current PTAC cooperative agreement and concludes on 31 March 2024.

Applicants may include subrecipients/subawards in their application and may propose direct and indirect costs.

The Federal funding limitations 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 of 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 https://www.dla.mil/SmallBusiness/PTAP/Resources/ entities in a second BIA region; or

$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.

III. 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).

Private nonprofit organizations. Private 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 10 U.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 PTAC 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

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.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-standard-language.html

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Submission Date and Time:

DoD will only accept applications whose Step 1 preapplication was submitted on or before 15 September, 2022, 5:00PM 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 listed below.

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 Step 1 application packages must be submitted electronically to Grants.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Sep 15, 2022. 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 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:

mailto:support@grants.gov mailto:support@grants.gov https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-standard-language.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-standard-language.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/track-http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/track-

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 with the exception of attachments 10 and 12 (budget spreadsheets) which must be in Excel Format.

● Preapplications and 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.

Pre-Application (Step 1 – Mandatory for all applicants)

● The due date for receipt of Preapplications (Step 1) is September 15, 2022.

Preapplications received after the published deadline may not be considered. Early submission is welcomed and encouraged. Pre-application must be submitted in order for full application to be considered. Sections required:

o SF424.

o Past Performance Data Sheet- is no longer required and will not be evaluated.

UPDATE Amendment 3- All current PTACs/APEX Accelerators have until 31 January 2023 to resubmit the SF424 portion of their Step 1 application if changes are necessary.

UPDATE Amendment 4- ALL current PTACs/APEX Accelerators must resubmit the SF 424 portion of their Step 1 application to reflect changes to the Fy23 program budget NLT 15 February 2023. These changes should reflect the specific period of performance of your award, with an end date set to 31 March 2024 for everyone. You must include a summary list of changes reflecting any additions or deletions to the budget. Note, 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 changes in the budget due to the change in period of performance are not required to be included in this summary list of changes.

For example, if your program start date is 01 February 2023, your revised Step 1 SF 424 estimate should reflect a period of performance from 01 February 2023 to 31 March 2024, covering 13 months of estimated costs. Conversely, if your program start date is 01 August 2023, your revised Step 1 SF 424 estimate should reflect a period of performance from 01 August 2023 to 31 March 2024, covering 8 months of estimated costs.

In addition to the period of performance adjustment, your revised estimate should also account for any proposed changes to your budget as a result of implementing the revised Terms and Conditions for the program. If you are proposing changes as a result of the terms and conditions, please provide a brief explanation with your submission.

Full Application (Step 2 – Mandatory)

● The due date for receipt of Full applications (Step 2) is 120 days prior to the period of performance end date of your current PTAC cooperative agreement award. Early submission is welcomed and encouraged.

Sections required:

o SF 424, Application for Federal Assistance. Complete the SF 424 and attach your proposed service area listing in block 14. You may use the template for the Proposed Service Area Listing available in the package posted to grants.gov, which provides an example of the information that we need in this attachment.

It is important that the amount you enter in block 18.a. of the SF 424 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.

The SF 424 can be the same as submitted in Step 1, or it may be updated/revised.

o SF 424A, Budget Information - Non-Construction Programs. Complete the SF

424A using the instructions for the form available at the Notice of Funding Opportunity posting on Grants.gov. The SF 424A should be completed carefully to be consistent with other components of your application.

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 Attachments. With the exception of Attachments 10 and 12, Non-SF424

Attachments should be scanned together and uploaded as one PDF file unless you intend to include the full text of an audit. Audits are usually large and should be uploaded as a separate attachment labeled or titled including “audit”.

Whenever possible it is preferable to identity the URL where the audit may be reviewed instead of uploading a file containing the audit. Attachments 10 and 12 should be uploaded as separate attachments in Microsoft Excel Format.

If a particular attachment is not applicable, include an attachment with an affirmative statement that the attachment is not applicable and explain why. This is important for the proper processing of your application. 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. You shall use the templates for Certification of Cost Matching Funds Letter and Third-Party Letter(s) of Commitment available on the Notice ofFunding Opportunity posting on Grants.gov.

o Attachment 2: Provide information to support any proposed third-party in-kind contributions, if applicable, you shall use the template that is available on the Notice of Funding Opportunity posting on Grants.gov.

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 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:

http://www.grants.gov/

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. You need not conduct analysis if your proposed service area is designated by 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 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 sufficiently explained so that it is clear that costs have been allocated in proportions that reasonably approximate the costs necessary to serve the distressed and non-distressed portions of your service area.

Historical Current 2019 2020 2021 2022

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%

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 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 guidance provided on the Notice of Funding Opportunity posting on Grants.gov for assistance 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.

• Describe how you will comply with the “Program Requirements” part of the APEX Accelerator Award Specific Terms and Conditions.

Include all information necessary for us to conduct an evaluation of your application.

• 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.

• 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 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.

o Attachment 8: Attach information about each of the personnel positions included in your budget. You must use the template available on the Notice of Funding Opportunity posting on Grants.gov.. Describe the position and provide the name of the employee occupying positions that are filled.

o Attachment 9: Attach a resume for the proposed Program Manager, if different from previous fiscal year award. 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 10: Attach budgets for subawards equating to 20% or less of the total program cost in Microsoft Excel format, if you plan to make any, using Section B of the SF 424A (for any subawards greater than 20% of the total program cost, see attachment 12) If you have subrecipients, your budget must http://www.bls.gov/bls/employment.htm http://www.bls.gov/bls/employment.htm 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. Use Section B of the SF 424A to show the details of each subrecipient’s budget by cost category (i.e., personnel, fringe benefits, travel, etc). You can show up to four subawards on one SF 424A by listing subawards in Section B, line 6, column headings (1) – (4). Use additional pages if you need to. You must show Federal and Non- Federal shares or complete the other sections of the SF 424A for subrecipients.

o Attachment 11: 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 12: Attach a budget breakdown in Microsoft Excel format, that shows the individual line items of cost that makeup the higher-level budget that you included in the SF 424A. 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.

A budget breakdown must be provided for each subaward greater than 20% of the total program cost. The subaward budget breakdown can be provided with a separate excel template, or 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-ward found in the Contractual section of the Applicant’s budget breakdown.

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

o Attachment 13: 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 14: Provide proposed goals against each metric for the FY23 APEX Accelerator Program. The current goals are found at the APEX Accelerator website at: APEXAccelerators.us. For any metrics proposed with a goal of “0”, provide a justification in narrative form for the Government to review. Additionally, please note that you are not expected to propose in FY23 a metric for Goal 7, Facilitate Market Research and Commercial Due Diligence.

Goal 7 is a task that is required, as applicable. You will not be measured against this goal but will be required to report what you have obtained.

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

V. 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 factors of Program Execution and Cost are of equal importance.

i. Program Execution

ii. Cost.

Description of evaluation factors.

i. Program Execution

1) Personnel. We will evaluate your application to determine which of 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 playback 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.

ii. 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. 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 lack of credibility on your part.

2) 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.

B. 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 us rejecting your application.

Duplicate coverage. Duplicate coverage of service areas exists when the proposed service areas of two or more applicants overlap. We will make a determination 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.

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 you resolve any deficiencies identified. 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 taken into account in addition to other information in considering 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.

C. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates:

Decisions are expected to be announced via email. Awards are expected to be issued between October 1, 2022 and September 30, 2023. All awards are expected to be in place by the last day of the existing award period of performance.

VI. 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 information as applicable to the proposed award.

The award start date will be determined at this time.

VII. Administrative and National Policy requirements.

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.

VIII. 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

Quarterly Reports APEX Quarterly Report Quarterly

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.

IX. 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.

X. Other Information

The Federal government is not obligated to make any Federal award as a result of the announcement. Only grants officers can bind the Federal government to the expenditure of fund.

Applicants are advised to monitor Grants.gov for potential amendments to this Notice of Funding Opportunity. You can also elect to be automatically notified by Grants.gov whenever there is a change to the opportunity.

Applications must not include any information that has been identified as classified national security information under authorities established in Executive Order 12958, Classified National Security Information.

Appendix 1-Additional detail for Attachment 11, Budget:

mailto:osd.pentagon.ousd-a-s.mbx.apex-accelerators@mail.mil mailto:support@grants.gov mailto:support@grants.gov

Use the budget to show the separate items of cost included in your proposal so that we can make a determination concerning the reasonableness of your overall budget. Provide detailed descriptions of costs to show how amounts were arrived at and the basis of your estimates.

Ensure that there is no ambiguity as to whether a particular cost is necessary for the efficient operation of an APEX Accelerator. Guidance is provided below on describing costs and including them in the appropriate cost category. Similar to how you describe costs, if your proposal includes third-party in-kind contributions, they must be described and their values included in the appropriate cost category.

1. Personnel

List all of your personnel positions included in the budget. Subrecipient personnel costs must be included in contractual costs, and not in the personnel section.

For each position, describe the percent of time working on the program in terms of the time employed by you. For example, show a staff member who dedicates all of his or her time to the APEX Accelerator while employed as a 100% contributor, regardless of whether that person is a full or part-time employee. Less than 100% contributors are those personnel that share time between the APEX Accelerator and other programs in the course of their employment with you.

Describe the position, location, and include the name of employee occupying positions that are filled.

2. Fringe Benefits

Show fringe benefit costs for each position you included in the budget. Subrecipient fringe benefits costs should usually not be included here, but instead as contractual costs.

3. Travel

Separate and describe the purpose of each travel item. Provide an estimate that includes, as applicable, the number of travelers, names and positions of travelers, number of days lodging, airfare, meal allowance, rental car, conference registration fees, mileage and mileage rate, etc.

Provide the basis for your estimates.

a. Local travel. Provide the purpose, mileage and mileage rate for any local travel. A summary entry may be made for recurring routine trips. Describe the basis for estimated amounts such as an estimated number of miles per year.

b. Training. Identify the course to include name, source and duration. Consider the free online training through the Defense Acquisition University (DAU), especially in the areas of Contracting (CON) and Small Business Programs (SBP).

c. Registration fees. Registration fees related to travel should be listed with the related travel expense. Include conference, seminar, workshop and event fees.

4. Equipment

Equipment means tangible personal property (including information technology systems) having a useful life of more than one year and a per-unit acquisition cost which equals or exceeds the lesser of the capitalization level established by you for financial statement purposes, or $5,000.

Individual items costing less (e.g., most computers and printers) are supplies rather than equipment.

Describe the purpose of any equipment and the basis for your estimated amounts. Where equipment is being replaced, provide the age of the equipment needing replacement and justify the need for its replacement. Note there is a Federal interest in any equipment that you acquire or improve under an award. Refer to the Part 5, “Property Administration,” in the APEX General Terms and Conditions.

5. Supplies

General office supplies may be summarized on a monthly basis, showing the monthly amount x 12 and the estimated total. Individual supply items in excess of $1,000 per month or $12,000 per year should usually be shown separately. Items such as computers costing less than $5,000 each should normally be shown as supplies.

6. Contractual

Itemize consultant and contractor costs (may not exceed 10% of total program cost). Include a description of the purchase and an explanation as to why it is necessary. Explain how costs were derived and include the basis for estimates (e.g., number of hours and the cost per hour).