ONDI19S030XXX Request for Applications - Community Opioid Project - Final.docx

Office of National Drug Control Policy Executive Office of the President 1800 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20503 Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Competitive Cooperative Agreement Solicitation Combating Opioid Overdose through Community-Level Intervention Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number:

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 95.007 Release Date: August 23, 2019

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Executive Office of the President, is seeking applications from public nonprofit institutions/organizations (includes institutions of higher education and hospitals) to:

(1) Undertake research activities that would entail implementing and evaluating community-based efforts to fight the opioid overdose epidemic; and

(2) Support and promote the partnership of law enforcement and public health agencies, whose collaboration is critical to reducing overdose and other harms of opioid (mis)use.

Deadline Applicants must register with Grants.gov prior to submitting an application. All applications must be submitted and applicants must be in receipt of a successful validation message in Grants.gov by 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on September 3, 2019.

If the postmark/submission date falls on a weekend, Federal holiday, or Washington, DC area Federal office closure, the application deadline will automatically be extended to the next business day.

Contact Information For technical assistance with submitting an application, contact the Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at (800) 518-4726 or (606) 545-5035, or via email to support@grants.gov. The Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline hours of operation are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except Federal holidays.

Applicants who experience unforeseen Grants.gov technical issues that prevent them from submitting their application by the deadline must submit all required application materials to jdelano@ondcp.eop.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. on September 3, 2019, via email (including a brief explanation of the technical issues that prevented application through Grants.gov) and request approval for acceptance of the separate application.

For assistance with any other requirements of this solicitation, applicants may contact Jayme Delano, Office of National Drug Control Policy, by telephone at (202) 395-6794 or by email at jdelano@ondcp.eop.gov.

Eligibility Eligible Applicant

· Public nonprofit institutions/organizations (Institutions of Higher Education (Public and/or Private)

· Hospitals (Private nonprofit Institutions/organizations)

Eligibility Criteria

· Applicants must have expert knowledge and extensive experience in conducting research and analysis

· Applicants must have expert knowledge and experience developing or enhancing new or ongoing programs that aim to reduce opioid overdose through strategic, evidence-based approaches.

· Applicants must partner with a regional High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program, and applications must include a letter of support/commitment from the participating HIDTA and signed by the sponsoring HIDTA Director.

· In order to be eligible to receive funding under this award, recipients must be legally recognized as a public or private nonprofit institution/organization (includes institutions of higher education and hospitals).

ONDCP Combating Opioid Overdose through Community-Level Intervention Cooperative Agreement A. Program Description Overview The opioid epidemic continues throughout the United States, claiming an alarming number of lives each year. Drug overdose is now the leading cause of injury death in the United States, surpassing motor vehicle crashes since 2009.[footnoteRef:1] According to provisional data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reported drug overdoses accounted for more than 67,000 U.S. deaths in 2018 and, of those, more than 47,000 (69%) involved an opioid.[footnoteRef:2] This ongoing opioid overdose epidemic presents new challenges to public health and public safety officials, medical professionals, local communities, and other stakeholders invested in curbing rates of accidental death. Preparing regional and community leaders to respond effectively to the public health emergency that is today’s opioid overdose crisis (and be prepared to take on that crisis as it evolves tomorrow) is essential for achieving the shared goal of preventing fatal overdose and saving lives. To aid this effort, on October 26, 2017, President Trump asked the Acting Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to declare the opioid crisis a national Public Health Emergency under Federal law and directed all executive agencies to use every appropriate emergency authority to fight the opioid crisis. [1: Rudd RA, Seth P, David F, Scholl L. Increases in Drug and Opioid-Involved Overdose Deaths — United States, 2010–2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;65:1445–1452.] [2: Hedegaard H, Warner M, Miniño. Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 1999-2016. National Center for Health Statistics Data Brief Number 294, December 2017.]

ONDCP expects to award one Federal cooperative agreement under the Combating Opioid Overdose through Community-Level Intervention Initiative for a 1-year period, beginning approximately September 2019. The successful non-Federal entity (NFE) will conduct research activities that entail implementing and evaluating community-based efforts to fight the opioid-involved overdose epidemic. These activities will be focused on the regions of the United States with some of the highest rates of fatal and non-fatal opioid-related overdoses and will work to coordinate the often decentralized state and local efforts to assess and respond to opioid-related overdoses.

Efforts will also support and promote the partnership of law enforcement and public health agencies, as coordination and collaboration between these two groups is proving critical to addressing this epidemic. Efforts will also align with and be informed by related projects currently being conducted by ONDCP and CDC, and both agencies will work closely with the successful NFE. In particular, work conducted under this initiative will entail partnership with Federally designated High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, which are funded by ONDCP and currently partner with the CDC under the Overdose Response Strategy initiative.

Goals, Objectives and What the Government is Supporting The assistance provided under this award will support the NFE’s performance of the award and fulfillment of the following performance areas:

· Research and analyze 1) a range of existing community-based efforts to address opioid-involved overdoses and 2) current evidence-based and proven strategies to reduce opioid-related overdose deaths;

· Using the evidence-based approaches previously identified, implement or enhance community-based new or ongoing programs that aim to reduce opioid-involved overdose, particularly in the regions of the United States with the highest rates of fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses (priority will be given to proposals that make funding available to at least eight communities via subawards);

· Once implemented, support the evaluation of these community-based efforts to assess their efficacy in reducing opioid-involved overdose and other harms of opioid (mis)use, particularly in the regions of the United States with the highest rates of fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses;

· Support and promote collaboration between public safety and public health agencies to ensure that overdose reduction efforts are aligned and that communities benefit from a comprehensive and coordinated response; and

· Provide technical assistance to support implementation, evaluation, and reporting by prospective subaward recipients.

Authorizing Statutes and Governing Regulations Applicable to this Funding Opportunity: The authority for this opportunity is the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, (Pub. L. No. 115-271), 21 U.S.C. §§ 1701 et seq. and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (Pub. L. No. 116-6) applicable appropriations statutes providing funding to ONDCP for this purpose. The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards are applicable to the government and applicants, cooperative agreement applications, and cooperative agreement awards to non-Federal entities. See 2 CFR Part 200 et seq., as adopted in full by ONDCP via 2 CFR Part 3603 et seq.

B. Federal Award Information ONDCP expects to award one Federal cooperative agreement under the Combating Opioid Overdose through Community-Level Intervention Initiative, for a 1-year period, beginning approximately September 2019.

All applications and awards are subject to such additional requirements expressed in governing law. See 2 CFR Part 200 et seq.

ONDCP expects that it will make an award of financial assistance from this announcement in the form of a cooperative agreement.

Estimated Amount and Length of Award

Financial Management and System of Internal Controls If selected for funding, the NFE must:

(a) Establish and maintain effective internal controls over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with the guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government,” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States and the “Internal Control Integrated Framework,” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

(b) Comply with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal awards.

(c) Evaluate and monitor the non-Federal entity’s compliance with statute, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal awards.

(d) Take prompt action when instances of noncompliance are identified, including noncompliance identified in audit findings.

(e) Take reasonable measures to safeguard protected personally identified information and other information the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity designates as sensitive or the non-Federal entity considers sensitive consistent with applicable Federal, state, and local laws regarding privacy and obligations of confidentiality.

C. Eligibility Information ONDCP encourages applications from non-profit organizations with expert knowledge and experience in developing or enhancing new or ongoing programs that aim to reduce opioid-involved overdose through strategic, evidence-based approaches.

Neither cost sharing nor matching are requirements for application eligibility.

D. Application and Submission Information This application contains everything needed to apply for financial assistance from ONDCP.

Content and Form of Application Submission Application Content

1. Eligibility:

ONDCP encourages applications from non-profit organizations (includes institutions of higher education and hospitals) with expert knowledge and experience in developing or enhancing new or ongoing programs that aim to reduce opioid-involved overdose through strategic, evidence-based approaches.

2. Technical Expertise and Experience:

Describe how the organization, its mission, and its submitted plan will contribute to the Administration’s efforts to reduce opioid overdose and other harms of opioid (mis)use. Please include the organization’s relevant experience and ability to research and analyze 1) existing community-based efforts to address the opioid epidemic and 2) current evidence-based and proven strategies to reduce opioid-related overdose deaths. In addition, please describe your organization’s ability to develop or enhance community-based programs that aim to reduce opioid-involved overdose. Also, document your organization’s capacity to support the evaluation of community-based efforts to assess their efficacy in reducing opioid-involved overdose and other harms of opioid (mis)use, particularly in the regions of the United States with the highest rates of fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses. Finally, detail your organization’s experience in supporting and promoting collaboration between public safety and public health agencies to ensure that overdose reduction efforts are aligned and that communities benefit from a comprehensive and coordinated response.

3. Program Narrative:

The narrative must respond to the announcement and the specified criteria in Section E. The program narrative should be double-spaced, using standard 12-point font, with 1-inch margins and should not exceed 20 pages. Please number pages in the following manner: “1 of 20,” “2 of 20,” and so on.

The following sections should be included:

· Project design and implementation, including a plan and schedule for accomplishing the identified objectives;

· Capabilities and competencies; and

· The project timeline of each deliverable with the expected completion date and responsible person and/or organization.

4. Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative:

Applicant must provide an itemized budget for the cooperative agreement period. Applicant must submit budget worksheets and budget narrative in one file. At a minimum, the following categories must be addressed: Personnel, Fringe Benefits, Overtime, Travel, Facilities, Services, Equipment, Supplies, and Other Costs. The budget narrative should thoroughly and clearly describe every category of expense listed in the worksheet. Proposed budgets are expected to be complete, reasonable and allowable, cost-effective, and necessary for project activities. The narrative should be mathematically sound and correspond with the information and figures provided in the budget detail worksheet. The narrative should explain how costs were calculated and how they are relevant to the completion of the proposed project.

5. Performance Measures:

The recipient will be required to provide to ONDCP quarterly progress reports on all required performance areas.

6. What an Application Must Include:

Applicants should anticipate that if they fail to submit an application that contains all the specified elements, it may negatively affect the review of their application; and, should a decision be made to make an award, it may result in the inclusion of special conditions that preclude the recipient from accessing or using award funds pending satisfaction of the conditions.

Moreover, applicants should anticipate that applications that are determined to be nonresponsive to the announcement, or that do not include the application elements that ONDCP considers to be critical, will neither proceed to peer review nor receive further consideration. The following elements are considered to be critical: Eligibility, Program Narrative, and Budget Detail Worksheet and Narrative.

ONDCP strongly recommends that applicants use appropriately descriptive file names (e.g., “Program Narrative,” “Budget Detail Worksheet,” “Budget Narrative,” “Timelines,” “resumes,” etc.).

The SF-424 is a required standard form used as a cover sheet for submission of pre-applications, applications, and related information. This funding opportunity is not subject to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review. (In completing the SF-424, applicants are to make the appropriate selection in response to question 19, indicating that the “Program is not covered by E.O. 12372.”) Each applicant is required to (i) Be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) before submitting its application; (ii) provide a valid DUNS number in its application; and (iii) continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by ONDCP. ONDCP will not make an award until an applicant has fully complied with all applicable SAM and DUNS requirements; and if the applicant has not so fully complied by the time ONDCP is ready to make award, ONDCP may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive the award and use that determination as a basis for making award to another applicant.

See Section G for additional information.

7. Submission Dates and Times:

Applicants must register with Grants.gov prior to submitting an application. All applications are due to be submitted, and applicants must be in receipt of a successful validation message in Grants.gov by 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on September 3, 2019.

If the postmark/submission date falls on a weekend, Federal holiday, or Washington, DC area Federal office closure, the application deadline will automatically be extended to the next business day.

8. Funding Restrictions:

Cost Sharing and Match Requirements - This announcement does not require a match. However, if a successful application proposes a voluntary match amount, and ONDCP approves the budget, the total match amount incorporated into the approved budget becomes mandatory and subject to audit.

Pre-Agreement Cost Approvals - ONDCP does not typically approve pre-agreement costs; an applicant must request and obtain the prior written approval of ONDCP for all such costs. If approved, pre-agreement costs could be paid from Cooperative Agreement funds consistent with an Awardee’s approved budget, and under applicable cost standards. However, all such costs prior to award and prior to approval of the costs are incurred at the sole risk of an applicant. Generally, no applicant should incur project costs before submitting an application requesting Federal funding of these costs. Should there be extenuating circumstances that appear to be appropriate for ONDCP’s consideration as pre-agreement costs, the applicant should contact the point of contact listed in the title page of this announcement for details on the requirements for submitting a written request for approval.

9. Other Submission Requirements:

For technical assistance with submitting an application, contact Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at (800) 518-4726 or (606) 545-5035, or via email to support@grants.gov. The Grants.gov Support Hotline hours of operation are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except Federal holidays.

Applicants who experience unforeseen Grants.gov technical issues that prevent them from submitting their application by the deadline must submit all required application materials to jdelano@ondcp.eop.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. on September 3, 2019, via email (including a brief explanation of the technical issues which prevented application through Grants.gov) and request approval for acceptance of the separate application.

For assistance with any other requirements of this solicitation, applicants may contact Jayme Delano, Office of National Drug Control Policy, by telephone at (202) 395-6794 or by email at jdelano@ondcp.eop.gov.

Also see Section G, How to Apply.

10. Limitation on Use of Award Funds for Employee Compensation; Waiver With respect for any award in excess of $250,000.00, made under this announcement, recipients may not use Federal funds to pay total cash compensation (salary plus cash bonuses) to any employee of the award recipient at a rate that exceeds 110 percent of the maximum annual salary payable to a member of the Federal Government’s Senior Executive Service (SES) at an agency with a Certified SES Performance Appraisal System for that year (this limitation does not apply to non-profit organizations specifically named at Appendix VIII to 2 C.F.R. part 200). The salary table for SES employees is available at www.opm.gov/salary - tables. Note: A recipient may compensate an employee at a greater rate, provided the amount in excess of this compensation limitation is paid with non-Federal funds. The limitation expressed herein is a budgetary limitation – that is, ONDCP will not reimburse salaries above the amount expressed.

The Director of National Drug Control Policy may exercise discretion to waive, on an individual basis, the limitation on compensation rates allowable under award. An applicant requesting a waiver should include a detailed justification in the budget narrative of the application. Unless the applicant submits a waiver request and justification with the application, the applicant should anticipate that ONDCP will request the applicant to adjust and resubmit the budget.

The justification should include the particular qualifications and expertise of the individual, the uniqueness of the service the individual will provide, the individual’s specific knowledge of the program or project being undertaken with award funds, and a statement explaining that the individual’s salary is commensurate with the regular and customary rate for an individual with his/her qualifications and expertise, and for the work to be done.

E. Application Review Information

1. Eligibility ONDCP encourages applications from non-profit institution/organization (includes institutions of higher education and hospitals) with expert knowledge and experience in developing or enhancing new or ongoing programs that aim to reduce opioid-involved overdose through strategic, evidence-based approaches.

Federal awards greater than the simplified acquisition threshold will be reviewed and consider any information about the applicant that is in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM (currently FAPIIS) (see 41 U.S.C. § 2313);

The applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through SAM and comment on any information about itself that a Federal awarding agency previously entered and is currently in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM. ONDCP will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to the other information in the designated integrity and performance system, in making a judgment about the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in §200.205.

2. Merit Criteria The merit of each application will be based on review of the following, with regard to scores, as addressed:

A. Initial Evaluation Criteria Applications will not be further considered that fail to demonstrate the organization’s expert knowledge and experience in conducting drug research and data analysis, developing or enhancing community-based programs to reduce opioid-involved overdose, evaluating such programs to ensure effectiveness, and supporting and promoting collaboration between public safety and public health agencies. ONDCP may enter into negotiations to seek clarification or to discuss perceived weaknesses. ONDCP may enter into negotiation where the budget and the budget narrative fail to demonstrate price reasonableness and/or price realism.

B. Specific Selection Criteria Statement of Problem: Provide an understanding of the opioid epidemic and the need to implement or enhance community-based efforts to reduce opioid overdose. (10 percent of 100) Program Design and Implementation: Describe the overall goals, objectives, and deliverables for the Combating Opioid Overdose through Community-Level Intervention Initiative and identify strategies for designing and implementing all deliverables described herein. Include a timeline for completing tasks and responsible entity/person. (40 percent of 100) Capabilities and Competencies: Describe the management structure, staffing, and in-house or contracted capacity to complete each of the deliverables/projects. Illustrate the ability to manage complex programs and projects effectively. Applicants must have expert knowledge and experience in expert knowledge and experience in conducting research and analysis, developing or enhancing community-based programs to reduce opioid overdose, evaluating such programs to ensure effectiveness, and supporting and promoting collaboration between public safety and public health agencies. (40 percent of 100) Budget and Budget Narrative: Provide a proposed budget and budget narrative that reconciles and is complete, reasonable and allowable, cost-effective, and necessary for project activities. ONDCP may enter into negotiations where the budget and the budget narrative fail to demonstrate price reasonableness and/or price realism. (Mandatory, therefore not specifically weighted.)

Performance Measure Data Collection: Provide proposed objectives and milestones for fulfilling the project’s proposed deliverables. Ensure that the schedule for these objectives and milestones aligns with the timeline provided in the Program Design and Implementation section (described above). (10 percent of 100) ONDCP and CDC will review applications against the established evaluation criteria, and ONDCP will make an award to the responsive applicant determined to offer the best value to ONDCP and the President’s National Drug Control Program.

Federal Financial Reports are required to be submitted quarterly and within 90 days after the cooperative agreement is closed out. Program income must be accounted for and reported on the Federal Financial Reports.

F. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A notice of Federal Award, signed by the ONDCP Chief of Staff, will be issued and is the authorizing document for the successful recipient to begin performance. A formal cooperative agreement award document will follow.

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts How to Apply Applicants must register in, and submit applications through Grants.gov, a “one-stop storefront” to find Federal funding opportunities and apply for funding. Find complete instructions on how to register and submit an application at www.Grants.gov. (More information is included in the “Contact Information” section of the title page.) Applicants who experience technical difficulties during this process should call Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at (800) 518-4726 or (606) 545-5035, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except Federal holidays. Registering with Grants.gov is a one-time process; however, processing delays may occur, and it can take several weeks for first-time registrants to receive confirmation and a user password. ONDCP encourages applicants to register several weeks before the application submission deadline. In addition, ONDCP urges applicants to submit applications 72 hours prior to the application due date to allow time to receive validation messages or rejection notifications from Grants.gov and to correct, in a timely fashion, any problems that may have caused a rejection notification. Further, ONDCP strongly encourages all prospective applicants to sign up for Grants.gov email notifications regarding this announcement. If this announcement is cancelled or modified, individuals who sign up with Grants.gov for updates will be automatically notified.

Contact Information For technical assistance with submitting an application, contact Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at (800) 518-4726 or (606) 545-5035, or via email to support@grants.gov. The Grants.gov Support Hotline hours of operation are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except Federal holidays.

Applicants who experience unforeseen Grants.gov technical issues beyond their control that prevent them from submitting their application by the deadline must submit all required application materials to jdelano@ondcp.eop.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. on September 3, 2019, via email (including a brief explanation of the technical issues which prevented application through Grants.gov) and request approval for acceptance of the separate application. For assistance with any other requirements of this solicitation, applicants may contact Jayme Delano, Office of National Drug Control Policy, by telephone at (202) 395-6794 or by email at jdelano@ondcp.eop.gov.

H. Other Information Applicant Disclosure of Pending Applications: Applicants are to disclose whether they have pending applications or awards for Federally-funded cooperative agreements or sub-awards (including cooperative agreements) that include requests for funding to support the same or similar projects being proposed under this solicitation and will cover identical cost items outlined in the budget worksheet and narrative in the application under this announcement. The disclosure should include both direct applications for Federal funding (e.g., applications to Federal agencies) and indirect applications for such funding (e.g., applications to State agencies that will sub-award Federal funds). ONDCP seeks this information to help avoid any inappropriate duplication of funding. Leveraging multiple funding sources in a complimentary manner to implement comprehensive programs or projects is encouraged and is not seen as inappropriate duplication.

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities: All applicants must complete this information. Applicants that expend any funds for lobbying activities are to provide the detailed information requested on the form, “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL). Applicants that do not expend any funds for lobbying activities are to enter “N/A” in the text boxes for Item 10 (“a. Name and Address of Lobbying Registrant” and “b. Individuals Performing Services”).

Awardees are required to electronically submit Federal Financial Reports (FFR) to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Payment Management.

Awardees are required to electronically submit Federal Financial Reports (FFR) using the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Payment Management (DPM). Completion of the Direct Deposit Form (SF-1199), available at www.DPM.PSC.gov is also required.

Cooperative Agreement funds cannot be used to supplant current funding of existing activities. “Supplant” is defined as replacing funding of a recipient’s existing program with funds from a federal grant.