opp2018-NIST-SSCD-01-cfda11.620-cid2018-NIST-SSCD-01-instructions.pdf

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS for

2018-NIST-SSCD-01

Applicants are strongly urged to use Grants.gov’s Download Submitted Applications option for checking that their Application’s required attachments (see pages 2 through 7 of this document, and Section IV.2.a. of the Full Announcement/NOFO document) were contained in their submission.

After submitting the Application, follow the directions found in the Grants.gov Online Users Guide (http://go.usa.gov/cjaEh). Click first on Applicants; then click on Applicant Actions; go then to the “Check My Application Status” option, and choose Download Submitted Applications.

If any, or all, of the required attachments are absent from the submission, follow the attachment directions found on pages 9 and 10 of this document and in Section IV.2.b. of the Full Announcement/NOFO document, resubmit the Application, and check again for the presence of the required attachments.

This document consists of seven important sections:

1) Overview;

2) Required Application Forms and Documents;

3) Application Format;

4) Grants.gov Application Submission Process;

5) Attachment of Required Documents;

6) Verifying the Submission and Tracking the Application; and

7) Submission Date and Time.

1) Overview

We strongly recommend that applicants do not wait until the last minute to submit an application. Allowances will not make for any late submissions. To avoid any potential processing backlogs due to last minute Grants.gov registrations, applicants are highly encouraged to begin their Grants.gov registration process early.

When developing your submission timeline, please keep in mind that (1) all applicants are required to have a current registration in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov); (2) the free annual registration process in the electronic System for Award Management (SAM.gov) may take between three and five business days or as long as more than two weeks; and (3) electronic applicants are required to have a current registration in Grants.gov; and (4) applicants using Grants.gov will receive a series of e-http://go.usa.gov/cjaEh mail messages over a period of up to two business days before learning whether a Federal agency’s electronic system has received its application.

Please note that a federal assistance award cannot be issued if the designated recipient’s registration in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) is not current at the time of the award.

Applicants will find instructions on registering with SAM.gov as part of the Grants.gov process at:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html .

All applicants should be aware that adequate time must be factored into an applicant’s schedule for delivery of the application.

Submitters are advised that volume on Grants.gov may be extremely heavy leading up to the deadline date.

2) Required Application Forms and Documents

The Application must contain the following:

(1) SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance. The SF-424 must be signed by an authorized representative of the applicant organization.

SF-424, Item 8.d Zip/Postal Code field should reflect the zip code + 4 (##### - ####) format.

SF-424, Item 12, should list the NOFO number 2018-NIST-SSCD-01.

For SF-424, Item 21, the list of certifications and assurances is contained in the

SF-424B.

(2) SF-424A, Budget Information - Non-Construction Programs. The budget should reflect anticipated expenses for the project, considering all potential cost increases, including cost of living adjustments.

The Grant Program Function or Activity on Section A, line 1 under Column (a) should be entered as “NIST SSCD Cooperative Agreement Program”. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number on Line 1 under Column (b) should be entered as “11.620”. Line 1, column (e) should reflect the anticipated expenses for the full term of the project.

Section B, column (1) of the SF-424A should reflect funds for the first year of the award. Section B, column (2) of the SF-424A should reflect funds for the second http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html year of the award. Section D requires a breakdown of the first year’s budget by quarter. The budget estimate for the second year of the award should be entered in Section E, field 16, column (b).

(3) SF-424B, Assurances - Non-Construction Programs

(4) CD-511, Certification Regarding Lobbying.

Enter “2018-NIST-SSCD-01” in the Award Number field. Enter the title of the application used in field 15 of the SF-424, or an abbreviation of that title, in the Project Name field.

(5) SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable)

(6) Technical Proposal. The Technical Proposal is a word-processed document of no more than ten (10) pages responsive to the program description (see Section I. of this NOFO) and the evaluation criteria (see Section V.1.a. through d. of this NOFO). It should contain the following information:

a. Technical Project Approach and Methodology. A detailed description of the proposed project and approach to support, advance, and/or integrate content on documentary standards and standardization processes into undergraduate and/or graduate courses, modules, seminars, and learning resources including sustainable approaches, methods, and models that can be replicated and/or built upon by the participating accredited IHE and by other educational programs at U.S.

colleges and universities.

Applicants other than an IHE must provide a letter of commitment from an accredited IHE located in the United States or its territories. This letter must detail how the institution will incorporate the applicant’s project results into its undergraduate or graduate curriculum (see Section IV.2.a.(8). of this NOFO).

This section should address all the elements described in the Technical Approach and Methodology Evaluation Criterion (see Section V.1.a. of this NOFO).

b. Communication Plan. A detailed Communication Plan to include sharing project information, results, and outcomes, and how the proposed sustainable approaches, methods, and models can be replicated and/or built upon by the participating accredited IHE and by other educational programs at U.S. colleges and universities, including details on how and when the plan will be implemented. The Communication Plan should also include the applicant’s action plan for compiling and disseminating project results for public release, including a summary of major conclusions, in the form of a Final Summary Paper, as described in Section I.(5). and Section VI.3.a.(2). of this

NOFO.

This section should address all the elements described in the Communication Plan Evaluation Criterion (see Section V.1.b. of this

NOFO).

c. Staffing. A description of the relevant qualifications and experience of key personnel who will be assigned to carry out the objectives of the proposed project.

This section should address all the elements in the Staffing Evaluation Criterion (see Section V.1.c. of this NOFO).

d. Resources Availability. A detailed description and demonstration of appropriate use of funds and cost effectiveness of the proposal, including overall support to accomplish project objectives, access to necessary facilities, and the applicant’s intent to incorporate the proposed project results into curriculum. Resources Availability should also be demonstrated through letter(s) of support, as described in Section IV.2.a.(7). of this NOFO, and a complete and detailed Budget Narrative as described in Section IV.2.a.(9). of this NOFO.

This section should address all the elements in the Resources Availability Evaluation Criterion (see Section V.1.d. of this NOFO), including Letters of Support.

(7) Letters of Support. Up to three letters of support of no more than one page each for the proposed project should be submitted. A letter from leadership within the applicant’s organization, which, if submitted, will count as one of the three letters permitted, is strongly encouraged to demonstrate the extent to which the applicant has the overall support necessary to accomplish project objectives and the organization’s intent to incorporate the proposed project results into undergraduate and/or graduate curriculum, consistent with the Resource Availability Evaluation Criterion (see Section V.1.d. of this NOFO). Letters of support from other organizations that may benefit from or otherwise collaborate on the proposed project, including other educational programs at U.S. colleges and universities, may also be submitted. The mandatory letter of commitment, (see Section IV.2.a.(8). of this NOFO) from an IHE for applicants other than an IHE does not count as one of the three letters of support.

(8) Letter of Commitment. Applicants that are not an IHE must provide a letter from an individual with authority over curriculum decisions at an accredited IHE to demonstrate the extent to which the applicant’s proposal has support from an

IHE located in the United States or its territories. See Section III. Eligibility Information.

(9) Budget Narrative. The Budget Narrative for the project must provide a detailed breakdown of each of the object class categories as reflected on the SF-424A and include a detailed description of why the funds are necessary for the successful completion of the proposed project and how the funds will be used, in accordance with the Resources Availability Evaluation Criterion (see Section V.1.d. of this NOFO).

The SF-424A includes the categories listed below for which applicants need to provide supporting narrative if an applicable cost is proposed in the project. A project may involve costs in one or more categories and applicants should only propose and describe costs appropriate for their proposed projects. The written justification should include the necessity and the basis for the cost. Only allowable costs should be included in the budget. Information on cost allowability is available at 2 C.F.R. Part 200, as described in the DoC Financial Assistance Pre-Award Notice Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements, which are contained in the Federal Register notice of December 30, 2014 (79 FR 78390), and available at http://go.usa.gov/hKkR.

Supporting information for each category is as follows, in accordance with applicable federal cost principles set forth in 2 C.F.R. Part 200, Subpart E:

a) Personnel - At a minimum, the budget justification for all personnel should include the following: name, job title, commitment of effort on the proposed project (in hours or effort level), salary rate, and total direct charges on the proposed project, description of the role of the individual on the proposed project and the work to be performed.

b) Fringe Benefits - Fringe benefits should be identified separately from salaries and wages and based on rates determined by organizational policy. The items included in the fringe benefit rate (health insurance, parking) should not be charged under another cost category.

c) Equipment - Equipment is defined as an item of property that has an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more (unless the organization has established lower levels) and an expected service life of more than one year. Any items that do not meet the threshold for equipment can be included under the supplies line item. The budget justification should list each piece of equipment, the cost, and a description of how it will be used and why it is necessary to the successful completion of the proposed project. Please note that any general use equipment (computers, etc.) that is charged directly to the award should be allocated to the award according to expected usage on the project.

http://go.usa.gov/hKkR

d) Travel - For travel costs associated with travel required by the recipient to complete the project, the budget justification for travel should include the following: destination; names/number of people traveling; dates and/or duration; mode of transportation, lodging and subsistence rates; and detailed description of how the travel is directly related to the proposed project. For travel that is yet to be determined, please provide best estimates based on prior experience. If a destination is not known, an approximate amount may be used with the assumptions given for the location of travel.

Applicants should include travel-related expenses to participate in two

(2) one-day workshops at NIST in Gaithersburg, Maryland in the fall of 2018 and 2019 or 2020 in their proposed budgets (see Section I.(6) of this NOFO).

e) Supplies - A list of each supply, and the breakdown of the total costs by quantity or unit of cost. Include detailed information on the necessity of the supplies for the completion of the proposed project.

f) Contracts/Subawards - Each contract or subaward should be treated as a separate item. Describe the services to be provided in detail and the necessity of the subaward or contract to the successful performance of the proposed project. Include a detailed breakdown of the proposed costs and tasks for each contract or subaward.

g) Other Direct Costs - For costs that do not easily fit into the other cost categories, please list the cost and the breakdown of the total costs by quantity or unit of cost. Include the necessity of the cost for the completion of the proposed project. Only allowable costs can be charged to the award.

(10) Indirect Cost Rate Agreement. If indirect costs are included in the proposed budget, provide a copy of the approved negotiated agreement if this rate was negotiated with a cognizant Federal audit agency. If the rate was not established by a cognizant Federal audit agency, provide a statement to this effect. If the successful applicant includes indirect costs in the budget and has not established an indirect cost rate with a cognizant Federal audit agency, the applicant will be required to obtain such a rate in accordance with the Department of Commerce Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions (March 31, 2017), available at: http://go.usa.gov/xXRxK .

Alternatively, in accordance with 2 C.F.R. § 200.414(f), applicants that have never received a negotiated indirect cost rate may elect to charge indirect costs to an award pursuant to a de minimis rate of 10 percent of modified total direct costs (MTDC), in which case a negotiated indirect cost rate agreement is not required. Applicants proposing a 10 percent de minimis rate pursuant to 2 C.F.R.

http://go.usa.gov/xXRxK

§ 200.414(f) should note this election as part of the budget and Budget Narrative portion of the application.

Please pay close attention to the guidance in Section 5) of this document, “Attachment of Required Documents”.

3) Application Format

(1) Application language. English.

(2) E-mail, Hard Copies, or Facsimile (fax) Submissions. Will not be accepted.

Applications must be submitted electronically. Electronic applications must be submitted via Grants.gov at www.grants.gov (see Section IV.7.a. of this NOFO),

(3) Figures, Graphs, Images, and Pictures. Should be of a size that is easily readable or viewable and may be landscape orientation.

(4) Font. Easy to read font (12-point minimum). Smaller type may be used in figures and tables but must be clearly legible.

(5) Line Spacing. Applicants can use single spacing or double spacing.

(6) Margins. One (1) inch top, bottom, left, and right.

(7) Page numbering. Number pages sequentially.

(8) Page layout. Portrait orientation only except for figures, graphs, images, and pictures.

(9) Page Limit. The Technical Proposal (see Section IV.2.a.(6). of this NOFO) is limited to ten (10) pages, one-sided print. Information submitted above the ten

(10) page limit, including appendices, resumes and CVs, and bibliographies and references, will be redacted from the application prior to the technical review and will not be considered further.

Page limit includes: Table of contents (if included), Technical Proposal with all required sections, including figures, graphs, tables, images, and pictures.

Page limit excludes: SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance; SF-424A, Budget Information – Non-Construction Programs; SF-424B, Assurances – Non-Construction Programs; CD-511, Certification Regarding Lobbying; SF- LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities; Letters of Support; Letter of Commitment; Budget Narrative; Indirect Cost Rate Agreement; and Data Management Plan.

http://www.grants.gov/

(10) Typed document. All applications, including forms, must be typed.

4) Grants.gov Application Submission Process

(1) Applications must be submitted via Grants.gov at www.grants.gov, under announcement 2018-NIST-SSCD-01.

a) Submitters of electronic applications should carefully follow specific Grants.gov instructions to ensure the attachments will be accepted by the Grants.gov system. A receipt from Grants.gov indicating an application is received does not provide information about whether attachments have been received. For further information or questions regarding applying electronically for the 2018-NIST-SSCD-01 announcement, contact Christopher Hunton by phone at 301-975-5718 or by e-mail at grants@nist.gov.

b) Applicants are strongly encouraged to start early and not wait until the approaching due date before logging on and reviewing the instructions for submitting an application through Grants.gov. The Grants.gov registration process must be completed before a new registrant can apply electronically. If all goes well, the registration process takes three (3) to five (5) business days. If problems are encountered, the registration process can take up to two (2) weeks or more. Applicants must have a valid unique entity identifier number and must maintain a current registration in the Federal government’s primary registrant database, the System for Award Management (https://www.sam.gov/), as explained on the Grants.gov Web site. See also Section IV.4. of the Full Announcement/NOFO document. After registering, it may take several days or longer from the initial log-on before a new Grants.gov system user can submit an application. Only individuals authorized as organization representatives will be able to submit the application, and the system may need time to process a submitted application. Applicants should save and print the proof of submission they receive from Grants.gov. If problems occur while using Grants.gov, the applicant is advised to (a) print any error message received and (b) call Grants.gov directly for immediate assistance. If calling from within the United States or from a U.S. territory, please call 800-518-4726. If calling from a place other than the United States or a U.S. territory, please call 606-545-5035. Assistance from the Grants.gov Help Desk will be available around the clock every day, with the exception of Federal holidays. Help Desk service will resume at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time the day after Federal holidays. For assistance using Grants.gov, you may also contact support@grants.gov.

mailto:grants@nist.gov https://www.sam.gov/ mailto:support@grants.gov

c) To find instructions on submitting an application on Grants.gov, Applicants should refer to the “Applicants” tab in the banner just below the top of the www.grants.gov home page. Clicking on the “Applicants” tab produces two useful sources of information, Applicant Actions and Applicant Resources, which applicants are advised to review.

Applicants will receive a series of e-mail messages over a period of up to two business days before learning whether a Federal agency’s electronic system has received its application. Closely following the detailed information in these subcategories will increase the likelihood of acceptance of the application by the Federal agency’s electronic system.

Applicants should pay close attention to the guidance under “Applicant FAQs,” as it contains information important to successful submission on Grants.gov, including essential details on the naming conventions for attachments to Grants.gov applications.

All applicants should be aware that adequate time must be factored into applicants’ schedules for delivery of their application. Applicants are advised that volume on Grants.gov may be extremely heavy on the deadline date.

The application must be both received and validated by Grants.gov. The application is “received” when Grants.gov provides the applicant a confirmation of receipt and an application tracking number. If an applicant does not see this confirmation and tracking number, the application has not been received. After the application has been received, it must still be validated. During this process, it may be “validated” or “rejected with errors.” To know whether the application was rejected with errors and the reasons why, the applicant must log in to Grants.gov, select “Applicants” from the top navigation, and select “Track my application” from the drop-down list. If the status is “rejected with errors,” the applicant may still seek to correct the errors and resubmit your application before the deadline. If the applicant does not correct the errors, the application will not be forwarded to NIST by Grants.gov.

Refer to important information in Section IV.4. Submission Dates and Times, of the Full Announcement/NOFO document to help ensure your Application is received on time.

5) Attachment of Required Documents

Items (1) through (5) in Section 2) above, Required Application Forms and Documents, are part of the standard application package in Grants.gov and can be completed through the download application process.

Items (6) through (10) in Section 2) above, Required Application Forms and Documents, must be completed and attached by clicking on “Add Attachments” found in item 15 of the SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance. This will create a zip file that allows for transmittal of the documents electronically via Grants.gov.

Applicants should carefully follow specific Grants.gov instructions at www.grants.gov to ensure the attachments will be accepted by the Grants.gov system. A receipt from Grants.gov indicates only that an application was transferred to a system. It does not provide details concerning whether all attachments (or how many attachments) transferred successfully. Applicants using Grants.gov will receive a series of e-mail messages over a period of up to two business days before learning whether a Federal agency’s electronic system has received its application.

6) Verifying the Submission and Tracking the Application

The Grants.gov Online Users Guide available at the Grants.gov site (http://go.usa.gov/cjaEh) provides vital information on application process. See especially the “Check My Application Status” option, found by clicking first on Applicants, and then by clicking on Applicant Actions. Use this feature to verify that all required attachments were present in the submission.

After submitting the application, follow the directions found in the Grants.gov Online Users Guide (http://go.usa.gov/cjaEh). Click first on Applicants; then click on Applicant Actions; go then to the “Check My Application Status” option, and choose Download Submitted Applications. Follow the directions found there. Remember, in order for this to work, don’t just visit Grants.gov. Log

in. And remember to click on the record found on the Check My Application Status screen in order to see the List of Forms and Files Received screen.

If any, or all, of the required attachments are absent from the submission, follow the attachment directions found in the Full Announcement/NOFO document, resubmit the application, and check again for the presence of the required attachments.

Applicants can track their submission in the Grants.gov system by following the procedures at the Grants.gov site (http://go.usa.gov/cjamz). It can take up to two business days for an application to fully move through the Grants.gov system to

NIST.

NIST uses the Tracking Numbers assigned by Grants.gov, and does not issue its own Agency Tracking Numbers.

http://go.usa.gov/cjamz

7) Submission Date and Time

Electronic applications must be received at Grants.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday, April 16, 2018. Applications received after this deadline will not be reviewed or considered. Paper applications will not be accepted.

Applicants should be aware, and factor in their application submission planning, that the Grants.gov system is expected to be closed for routine maintenance at these times:

from 12:01 Eastern Time, Saturday, February 17, 2018 until Tuesday, February 20, 2018 at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time, and also from 12:01 Eastern Time, Saturday, March 17, 2018 until Monday, March 19, 2018 at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Applications cannot be submitted when Grants.gov is closed. Applications cannot be submitted when Grants.gov is closed.