PKG00254638-instructions.pdf

Request for Applications:

Manage Local Government Compliance Assistance Center

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance

Washington, DC 20460

September 2019

AGENCY: US ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA), Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance

TITLE: Manage Local Government Compliance Assistance Center

ACTION: Request for Applications (RFA)

RFA NUMBER: EPA-OECA-MAMPD-19-01

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NO: 66.305

IMPORTANT DATES:

September 4, 2019 RFA OPENS

October 21, 2019 RFA CLOSES – APPLICATIONS DUE

December 23, 2019 ANTICIPATED NOTIFICATION OF SELECTION

February 24, 2020 ANTICIPATED AWARD

The closing date and time for receipt of applications is October 21,, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) in order to be considered for funding. Application packages must be submitted electronically to EPA through Grants.gov (www.grants.gov) no later than October 21, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. (ET) in order to be considered for funding.

SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits applications that will be used to support a local government Compliance Assistance Center (“Center”). EPA seeks to provide financial assistance to a recipient to continue operation and maintenance of the Compliance Assistance Center for local governments, operating as the Local Government Environmental Assistance Network (LGEAN—https://www.lgean.org/). This Request for Applications solicits applications for this project from nonprofit organizations, colleges, universities, and state, tribal and local governments. For-profit organizations are not an eligible entity for this funding opportunity. The Agency will award a cooperative agreement under this announcement.

The Compliance Assistance Center for local governments is intended as a “first-stop shop” that provides environmental management, planning, funding, and regulatory information useful to local government officials, managers and staff to improve awareness and understanding of their environmental requirements and help those responsible understand how to comply with them. The Center’s environmental compliance information, tools, and services must be kept up to date, easy to read, easy to use, and tailored specifically to the environmental aspects of local government operations and reducing residents’ exposure to pollutants. The cooperative agreement between EPA and the http://www.lgean.org/ awardee will support work to update and maintain the website, navigate available resources, build new compliance assistance tools, and conduct outreach to local governments and communities on environmental compliance topics.

In the past, a grantee managed the local government Center with involvement from other organizations. That grant expired in January 2019. To encourage competition for assistance agreements, EPA now seeks applications from eligible applicants who can cooperate with EPA, various local government support organizations, and other interested parties and who are capable of both supporting the continued operation and maintenance of the local government environmental compliance center and providing outreach efforts to local government entities.

NOTE: If you intend to name a contractor (including individual consultant) or a subrecipient in your application, see Section IV.E for “Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation.”

FUNDING/AWARDS: The total estimated funding for this competitive opportunity is approximately $450,000 over a five-year period. Funds may be distributed at a higher amount in the first year to more quickly update the existing website and build outreach tools and networks. EPA anticipates awarding one cooperative agreement from this announcement, subject to availability of funds, the quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Background B. Scope of Work C. EPA Strategic Plan Linkage, Anticipated Outputs/Outcomes and Performance Measures D. Statutory Authority

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. What is the amount of funding available?

B. Partial Funding C. How many agreements will EPA award in this competition?

D. What is the project period for awards resulting from this solicitation?

E. Funding Type

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Entities B. Cost Sharing or Matching C. Threshold Eligibility Criteria

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Requirement to Submit Through Grants.gov and Limited Exception Procedures B. Grants.gov Application Submission Instructions (also see Appendix A) C. Content of Application Submission D. Submission Date and Times E. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. Evaluation Criteria B. Review and Selection Process C. Other Factors D. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Award Notices B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements C. Reporting Requirements D. Disputes E. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

APPENDIX A - Grants.gov Application Submission Instructions APPENDIX B – Budget Detail Sample

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Background

Since 1996, in partnership with industry associations, universities and other government agencies, EPA has supported the development and maintenance of the Compliance Assistance Centers (Center Program, https://www.complianceassistance.net/) and Center resources. Each Center is targeted to a specific industry, group of industries, local government, or Federal facilities, and explains in plain language the environmental regulations that apply to that sector and offers technical assistance on compliance.

One of the Centers is the Local Government Environmental Assistance Network (LGEAN, https://www.lgean.net). The local government Compliance Assistance Center is intended as a “first-stop shop” that provides environmental management, planning, funding, and regulatory information useful to local government elected and appointed officials, managers and staff. The goal of the Center is to improve understanding of the environmental requirements that apply to local governments and help those responsible understand how to comply. The Center’s environmental compliance information, tools, and services must be easy to read, easy to use, and tailored specifically to the environmental aspects of local government operations (i.e., wastewater management and treatment, stormwater management, solid waste disposal, building maintenance, drinking water provision, vehicle fleet operations, lead paint abatements, protecting residents from pollutants, engaging with residents on environmental topics, etc.).

The local government Compliance Assistance Center must be kept up to date on environmental issues associated with local government activities. To achieve this goal, the recipient of the award expected under this announcement must:

• Create Internet linkages and partnerships among the various local government groups/associations, EPA and other federal regulatory agencies, other relevant organizations, and the compliance assistance provider communities.

• Develop content (including regulatory and pollution prevention information) that will address the needs of local governments, with particular attention to small drinking water and sewage treatment systems.

• Use stakeholder communication channels to promote/disseminate this information on a timely basis to various local government groups/associations.

• Host technical webinars, training, and focus groups to build the capacity of communities to comply with environmental regulations and protect residents from lead and other pollutants.

EPA helped establish LGEAN and the other Compliance Assistance Centers by sponsoring partnerships with industry, academics, stakeholder organizations, environmental groups, and other Federal Agencies. The centers provide comprehensive, easy to understand, sector-specific compliance information, tools, and services.

http://www.complianceassistance.net/ https://www.complianceassistance.net/ http://www.lgean.net/ https://www.lgean.net/

In the past, these services were provided under a cooperative agreement that involved a number of organizations that support state and local governments. The prior recipient worked with the LGEAN partners, EPA, and various local government stakeholders to identify, develop, and post environmental compliance content that meets the needs of local governments. The website made it easier for local governments to learn about, understand, and comply with the environmental requirements that apply to their operations as well as engage in activities that prevent pollution and protect residents from lead and other pollutants. If necessary, EPA will ensure that the new grantee has access to the content of the LGEAN web site and other materials that were developed with EPA funding.

The prior cooperative agreement expired in January 2019. Accordingly, the Agency is now seeking applications from eligible applicants who can work with EPA, various local government support organizations, and other interested parties and who are capable of both supporting the continued operation and maintenance of the local government environmental compliance center and providing outreach efforts to local government entities.

Currently, one cooperative agreement supporting the Centers is in place with the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) to, among other tasks, develop, operate, and maintain a common web-based platform to support existing Centers and from which new Centers could be launched. Per the cooperative agreement, the NCMS developed the Compliance Assistance Centers Platform (Center Platform) which hosts the Centers websites.

Nine Centers currently reside on the Center Platform. Additionally, the Center Platform manages several web resources, including the State Resource Locators (https://www.envcap.org/srl/index.php), that are available for all Centers to use. The shared use of Center Platform resources avoids duplication of effort across individual Centers. EPA will ensure that the successful applicant has access to all data contained in the Center Platform produced with EPA funds as well as access to any Center Platform software or other intellectual property developed under Center Platform cooperative agreements.

The awardee, operating the local government Compliance Assistance Center on the Centers Platform, would be required to coordinate with NCMS, who operates the Centers Platform. Awardee staff will be responsible for posting news, upcoming events and local government funding opportunities using web interface tools developed by NCMS. The awardee would also assist NCMS with website design changes, identifying new tools, providing new content, and reorganization of existing content.

Software programming would be performed by NCMS.

The awardee would work with NCMS to update and maintain the website on the Centers Platform as well as conduct other outreach, training, and compliance assistance functions.

B. Scope of Work

The successful awardee will be required to assume management of the LGEAN Compliance Assistance Center and operate it in a manner that helps local governments understand and comply with their http://www.envcap.org/statetools/ environmental requirements. The Center would be operated on the Centers Platform managed by

NCMS.

The following are the types of activities that will be performed under the agreement expected to be awarded under this competition. Applicants must address how they will perform these activities in their application as well as other activities that the applicant considers to be effective components of

LGEAN.

1. Establish cooperative partnerships with local government groups. Examples include the International City/County Management Association, the Air and Waste Management Association, the American Waterworks Association, the Environmental Council of the States, the National Association of Counties, the Solid Waste Association of America, the Water Environment Federation, the Association of Clean Water Administrators, the Rural Water Association, Rural Community Assistance Partnership, Rural Utilities Service Water and Environmental Programs, the International Municipal Lawyers Association, and the Public Entity Risk Institute. Applicants may identify other local government groups as well.

2. Ensure that regulatory compliance information on Center website is up-to-date, clear, complete, easy to find and understand, and provides users with information they need to take steps to get and stay in compliance with multiple environmental requirements, including those under the CWA (NPDES, stormwater, and pretreatment), SDWA, RCRA, CERCLA, FIFRA, CAA, TSCA, EPCRA, and Oil Spill requirements.

3. Develop new or update existing compliance assistance tools to improve users’ awareness and understanding of environmental requirements in ways designed to increase compliance and reduce noncompliance with environmental requirements.

4. Ensure that, where appropriate, information is available and outreach conducted on advanced monitoring technologies that can help facilities monitor operations to get and stay into compliance, especially where these technologies can lower costs of compliance, inform or protect the public, or improve the environment. For example, wastewater treatment systems can improve operations with the use of flow monitors and control technologies to reduce the number and volume of untreated wastes and inform the public in real time of any overflows to help reduce exposures.

5. Ensure that, where available, the site helps users find information on available financial resources for infrastructure and training.

6. Ensure that local government Compliance Assistance Center users are able to quickly navigate to the substantial body of existing technical assistance and funding resources across the range of federal, state, and non-governmental organization sources. This may include creating a smart tool that uses a series of questions to direct users to the most relevant compliance/technical assistance references, training and contacts.

7. Conduct outreach to municipal leaders and link them to resources designed for regulators and system operators, for example, connecting a system operator with local technical assistance providers or a City Council member with a local Environmental Financial Resource Center.

8. Conduct outreach on topics that support compliance, including periodic webinars, podcasts, or question and answer expert panels, both live and recorded. These events may feature existing assistance providers, including the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) and the National Rural Water Association (NRWA), EPA, USDA – Rural Development, Water Environment Foundation (WEF), ACWA, and State Small Business Environmental Assistance Providers.

Applicants may identify other organizations to participate in outreach sessions.

9. Promote the use of existing compliance assistance resources and develop new ones for programs where gaps exist or where there are known compliance issues.

10. Engage local government/communities in efforts to reduce lead exposure through training and disseminating information on regulatory requirements and best practices to local governments and community stakeholders.

11. Using a community-driven approach, provide training, capacity building, and other assistance and help communities develop and implement locally led solutions to address their environmental, public health and community environmental priorities.

12. Engage local governments and community stakeholders to help educate and encourage residents to take steps to reduce exposures to pollutants, especially lead.

C. EPA Strategic Plan Linkage, Anticipated Outputs/Outcomes and Performance Measures

Pursuant to Section 6a of EPA Order 5700.7, “Environmental Results under EPA Assistance Agreements,” EPA must link proposed assistance agreements with the Agency’s Strategic Plan. EPA also requires that grant applicants and recipients adequately describe environmental outputs and outcomes to be achieved under assistance agreements (see EPA Order 5700.7, Environmental Results under Assistance Agreements, www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015- 03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf).

1. Linkage to EPA Strategic Plan: The activities funded under this announcement support EPA’s FY 2018-22 Strategic Plan. Awards made under this announcement will support EPA’s Strategic Plan, including the following:

• Goal 1, “Core Mission: Deliver real results to provide Americans with clean air, land, and water, and ensure chemical safety,”

• Goal 2, working “jointly with co-regulators to protect human health and the environment using a full set of compliance assurance tools, (including) compliance assistance,” http://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf

• Goal 2, “continuing to partner with third-party organizations and federal agencies to support the … existing web-based, sector-specific compliance assistance centers and developing new centers,”

• Goal 2, “determine how EPA, states, and tribes can most effectively harness and benefit from the recent, rapid development of environmental monitoring technologies that are smaller, more portable, and less expensive than traditional methods,” “pursue innovative technologies without compromising the accuracy of the information collected” and “with state, tribal, and local partners, … make monitoring data publicly available, providing context and relevancy,”

• Goal 2, “create tools to facilitate incorporation of community understanding, needs, and concerns across program activities, and advance more systematic incorporation of existing tools and needs, such as use of the Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool (EJSCREEN) and EnviroAtlas,” and

• Goal 3, Objective 3.3, “Assist states, tribes, communities, and utilities in addressing stormwater and wastewater infrastructure needs through applied modeling, technical assistance, and capture-and-reuse risk assessments.”

Applicants must explain in their application how their project will further these goals. Please read EPA’s FY 2018-2022 Strategic Plan (www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan) for more information.

EPA also requires that grant applicants adequately describe environmental outputs and outcomes to be achieved under assistance agreements (see EPA Order 5700.7A1, Environmental Results under Assistance Agreements, www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015- 03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf ). Applicants must include specific statements describing the environmental results of the proposed project in terms of well-defined outputs and, to the maximum extent practicable, well-defined outcomes that will demonstrate how the project will contribute to the priorities described above.

2. Outputs: The term “output” means an environmental activity, effort and/or associated work product related to an environmental goal and objective that will be produced or provided over a period of time or by a specified date. Outputs may be quantitative or qualitative but must be measurable during an assistance agreement funding period.

Expected outputs from the project(s) to be funded under this announcement include, but are not limited to:

1. Updating LGEAN website to incorporate new regulatory requirements (example measure: % of site updated, number of regulatory requirements added, broken links corrected, etc.).

2. Developing new compliance assistance tools and linking to appropriate tools on other sites to provide clear information on how to comply with environmental requirements (example measure: number of new/revised tools posted and linked to, accuracy/appropriateness of tools to improve compliance, number of tool users, number of page views/downloads of compliance assistance tools).

http://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan

3. Developing new navigation tools to allow users to find relevant content quickly based on type of user and issue or problem to be addressed (example measure: clarity and effectiveness of tool, % of site users using tool).

4. Developing front end first contact web pages for specific audiences, for example small sewage treatment plant operators, who might otherwise be overwhelmed by the amount of material and the some of the legal and technical terminology.

5. Providing news updates on the site to the local government Compliance Assistance Center user community (example measure: number/frequency of news updates, number of subscribers to news feeds, number of clicks on news items).

6. Organizing, promoting, and hosting webinars on technical topics relevant to the LGEAN user community (e.g., number of webinars, number of attendees).

7. Organizing, promoting, and hosting focus group discussions on topics relevant to the local government Compliance Assistance Center user community and the local communities they serve (example measure: number of focus groups, number of attendees).

8. Outreach efforts to other organizations (example measure: level of outreach effort, number and type of joint projects, level of commitment from organizations to provide financial or in-kind support to the Center).

9. Other measures include numbers of user sessions and page views on the local government Compliance Assistance Center site, attendees at webinars and focus groups, other measures of user engagement.

Progress reports and a final report will also be required outputs, as specified in Section VI.C “Reporting Requirement,” of this RFA.

3. Outcomes: The term “outcome” means the result, effect or consequence that will occur from carrying out an environmental program or activity that is related to an environmental or programmatic goal or objective. Outcomes may be qualitative and environmental, behavioral, health-related or programmatic in nature, but must also be quantitative. They may not necessarily be achievable within an assistance agreement funding period. Outcomes may be short term (changes in learning, knowledge, attitude, skills), intermediate (changes in behavior, practice, or decisions), or long-term (changes in condition of the natural resource).

Potential outcomes from the project(s) to be funded under this announcement include, but are not limited to:

1. Feedback from voluntary short surveys about the local government Compliance Assistance Center site.

2. Numbers of attendees on webinars who demonstrate increased understanding of webinar topics on environmental regulations based on pre-and post- questions.

3. Attendees at focus groups that express increased understanding or expected changes in behavior.

4. Local government Compliance Assistance Center user self-reports of improved behavior and compliance practices, or quantity of reduced, treated, or eliminated pollution as a result of Center use.

4. Performance Measures. The applicant should develop performance measures they expect to achieve through the proposed activities and describe them in their application. These performance measures will help gather insights and will be the mechanism to track progress concerning processes, output and outcome strategies, and will provide the basis for developing lessons to inform future recipients. It is expected that the description of performance measures will directly relate to the project outcomes and outputs. The following are questions to consider when developing output and outcome measures of quantitative and qualitative results:

• What are the measurable short term and longer term results the project will achieve?

• How does the plan measure progress in achieving the expected results (including outputs and outcomes) and how will the approach use resources effectively and efficiently?

D. Statutory Authority

The statutory authority for this funding opportunity is provided as “multimedia” under Section 103 of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. §7403, Section 104 of the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. §1254, Section 8001 of the Solid Waste Disposal Act, 42 U.S.C. §6981, Section 10 of the Toxic Substances Control Act, 15 U.S.C.

§ 2609 and Section 20 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, 7 U.S.C. § 136r.

Applicants are encouraged to review these statutes and ensure that all of the activities contained in their application are consistent with the scope of EPA’s authority.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. What is the amount of funding available?

The total estimated funding for this competitive opportunity is approximately $450,000 over a five-year period. Awards may be fully or incrementally funded, as appropriate, based on funding availability, satisfactory performance, and other applicable considerations. Funds may be distributed at a higher amount in the first year to more quickly update the website and build outreach tools and networks.

Annual award amounts are expected to range from $65,000 to $140,000 and the total award amount is expected to be approximately $450,000. The amount of federal funding requested by an applicant must not exceed $450,000.

Any subawards made under this agreement need to be completed in sufficient time for the recipient to, for example, aggregate results and ensure that subrecipients have been reimbursed for all incurred costs. Refer to Section IV E. for information on what EPA considers to be proper subawards.

B. Partial Funding

In appropriate circumstances, EPA reserves the right to partially fund applications by funding discrete portions of proposed projects. If EPA decides to partially fund an application, it will do so in a manner that does not prejudice any applicants or affect the basis upon which the application was evaluated and selected for award, thereby maintaining the integrity of the competition and selection process.

C. How many agreements will EPA award in this competition?

It is anticipated that one cooperative agreement will be made from this announcement subject to the availability of funds, the quantity and quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations.

EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this announcement, consistent with Agency policy and other applicable considerations, if additional funding becomes available after the original selections. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than six months from the date of the original selections.

In addition, EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and make no awards under this announcement, to make fewer awards than anticipated, or awards in lesser amounts than anticipated.

D. What is the project period for awards resulting from this solicitation?

The estimated project period for awards resulting from this solicitation is expected to begin on February 25, 2020, with an estimated completion date of February 25, 2025.

E. Funding Type

The funding for the selected project(s) will be in the form of a cooperative agreement.

Cooperative agreements provide for substantial involvement between the EPA Project Officer and the selected applicants on workplans and in the performance of the work supported. Although EPA will negotiate precise terms and conditions relating to substantial involvement as part of the award process, the anticipated substantial federal involvement for these projects may include:

• Close monitoring of the successful applicant’s performance to verify the results proposed by the applicant;

• Collaboration during performance of the scope of work;

• Reviewing and commenting on Website content prepared / maintained under the cooperative agreement (the final decision on the content of Website rests with the recipient);

• Reviewing and commenting on compliance assistance tools developed / maintained under the cooperative agreement (the final decision on the content of Website rests with the recipient);

• Alerting grant recipient of new regulations impacting Center users;

• Participating in conference calls to discuss project progress;

• Reviewing and providing comment on any system to identify non-profit and institution of higher education subrecipients qualified to use financial assistance to operate single or multiple Centers (EPA will not recommend subrecipients);

• Reviewing and providing comments on the substantive terms of subaward agreements; and

• Participating in the review process for any competitive selection of subrecipients to the extent permitted in EPA’s Subaward Policy (the final decision on selection of subrecipients rests with the recipient.)

• In accordance with 2 CFR 200.317 and 2 CFR 200.318, review of the substantive terms of proposed procurement contracts;

• Approving qualifications of key personnel (EPA will not select employees or contractors employed by the award recipient); and

• Review and comment on reports prepared under the cooperative agreement (the final decision on the content of reports rests with the recipient).

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Entities

Applicants must be nonprofit organizations as that term is defined in 2 CFR 200.70. Institutions of higher education as defined at 2 CFR 200.55 are also eligible. EPA will also accept applications from state, tribal and local governments. For-profit firms, including for-profit colleges, universities, trade schools, and hospitals are ineligible. Additionally, nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 are not eligible to apply.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

No matching funds are required under this competition. Although cost sharing/matching is not required as a condition of eligibility under this competition, under Section V of this announcement EPA will evaluate applications based on a leveraging criterion.

Leveraging is generally when an applicant proposes to provide its own additional funds/resources or those from third party sources to support or complement the project they are awarded under the competition which are above and beyond the EPA grant funds awarded. Any leveraged funds/resources, and their source, must be identified in the application (See Section IV of the announcement). Leveraged funds and resources may take various forms as noted below.

Voluntary cost share is a form of leveraging. Voluntary cost sharing is when an applicant voluntarily proposes to legally commit to provide costs or contributions to support the project when a cost share is not required. Applicants who propose to use a voluntary cost share must include the costs or contributions for the voluntary cost share in the project budget on the SF-424. If an applicant proposes a voluntary cost share, the following apply:

• A voluntary cost share is subject to the match provisions in the grant regulations 2 CFR Part 200 as applicable.

• A voluntary cost share may only be met with eligible and allowable costs.

https://www.epa.gov/grants/grants-policy-issuance-gpi-16-01-epa-subaward-policy-epa-assistance-agreement-recipients https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=951693026dd7ab0ab00fb8742449b862&mc=true&node=se2.1.200_170&rgn=div8 https://ecfr.io/Title-02/se2.1.200_155

• The recipient may not use other sources of federal funds to meet a voluntary cost share unless the statute authorizing the other federal funding provides that the federal funds may be used to meet a cost share requirement on a federal grant.

• The recipient is legally obligated to meet any proposed voluntary cost share that is included in the approved project budget. If the proposed voluntary cost share does not materialize during grant performance, then EPA may reconsider the legitimacy of the award and/or take other appropriate action as authorized by 2 CFR Part 200 as applicable.

Other leveraged funding/resources that are not identified as a voluntary cost share. This form of leveraging may be met by funding from another federal grant, from an applicant's own resources, or resources from other third-party sources. This form of leveraging should not be included in the budget and the costs need not be eligible and allowable project costs under the EPA assistance agreement.

While this form of leveraging should not be included in the budget, the grant workplan should include a statement indicating that the applicant is expected to produce the proposed leveraging consistent with the terms of the announcement and the applicant's application. If applicants propose to provide this form of leveraging, EPA expects them to make the effort to secure the leveraged resources described in their applications. If the proposed leveraging does not materialize during grant performance, then EPA may reconsider the legitimacy of the award and/or take other appropriate action as authorized by 2 CFR Part 200 as applicable.

C. Threshold Eligibility Criteria

These are requirements that if not met by the time of application submission will result in elimination of the application from consideration for funding. Only applications from eligible applicants (see Section III.A of this RFA) that meet all of these threshold eligibility criteria will be evaluated against the ranking criteria in Section V of this RFA. If necessary, EPA may contact applicants to clarify threshold eligibility questions prior to making an eligibility determination. Applicants deemed ineligible for funding consideration as a result of the threshold eligibility review will be notified within 15 calendar days of the ineligibility determination.

1. Application Content and Submission

a. Applications must substantially comply with the application submission instructions and application content requirements set forth in Section IV and Appendix B of this RFA or else they will be rejected.

b. Where a page limit is expressed in Section IV and Appendix B of this RFA with respect to the Project Narrative, pages in excess of the page limitation will not be reviewed.

c. Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov as stated in Section IV of this announcement (except in the limited circumstances where another mode of submission is specifically allowed for as explained in Section IV) on or before the application submission deadline published in Section IV of this announcement. Applicants are responsible for following the submission instructions in Section IV of this announcement to ensure that their application is timely and properly submitted. Applicants should confirm receipt of their proposal with Catherine Tunis (tunis.catherine@epa.gov) as soon as possible after submission.

http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:tunis.catherine@epa.gov

Applications submitted after the submission deadline will be considered late and deemed ineligible without further consideration unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate that it was late due to EPA mishandling or because of technical problems associated with Grants.gov (https://www.grants.gov/) or relevant SAM.gov (System for Award Management – https://www.sam.gov/sam/) system issues. An applicant’s failure to timely submit their application through Grants.gov because they did not timely or properly register in SAM.gov or Grants.gov will not be considered an acceptable reason to consider a late submission.

2. Ineligible activities: If an application is submitted that includes any ineligible tasks or activities, that portion of the application will be ineligible for funding and may, depending on the extent to which it affects the application, render the entire application ineligible for funding.

3. Applications which request EPA assistance funds in excess of $450,000, as specified in Section II.A of this RFA, are not eligible and will not be reviewed.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Requirement to Submit Through Grants.gov and Limited Exception Procedures

Applicants, except as noted below, must apply electronically through Grants.gov under this funding opportunity based on the Grants.gov instructions in this announcement and Appendix A. If an applicant does not have the technical capability to apply electronically through Grants.gov because of limited or no internet access which prevents them from being able to upload the required application materials to Grants.gov, the applicant must contact OMS-ARM-OGDWaivers@epa.gov or the address listed below in writing (e.g., by hard copy, email) at least 15 calendar days prior to the submission deadline under this announcement to request approval to submit their application materials through an alternate method.

Mailing Address:

OGD Waivers c/o Jessica Durand USEPA Headquarters William Jefferson Clinton Building 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N. W.

Mail Code: 3903R Washington, DC 20460

Courier Address:

OGD Waivers c/o Jessica Durand Ronald Reagan Building 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.

https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/SAM/ https://www.sam.gov/sam/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/SAM/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ mailto:OMS-ARM-OGDWaivers@epa.gov

Rm # 51278 Washington, DC 20004

In the request, the applicant must include the following information:

• Funding Opportunity Number (FON)

• Organization Name and Unique Entity Identifier (e.g., Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Number System, aka DUNS)

• Organization’s Contact Information (email address and phone number)

• Explanation of how they lack the technical capability to apply electronically through Grants.gov because of 1) limited internet access or 2) no internet access which prevents them from being able to upload the required application materials through Grants.gov.

EPA will only consider alternate submission exception requests based on the two reasons stated above and will timely respond to the request – all other requests will be denied. If an alternate submission method is approved, the applicant will receive documentation of this approval and further instructions on how to apply under this announcement. Applicants will be required to submit the documentation of approval with any initial application submitted under the alternative method. In addition, any submittal through an alternative method must comply with all applicable requirements and deadlines in the announcement including the submission deadline and requirements regarding application content and page limits (although the documentation of approval of an alternate submission method will not count against any page limits).

If an exception is granted, it is valid for submissions to EPA for the remainder of the entire calendar year in which the exception was approved and can be used to justify alternative submission methods for application submissions made through December 31 of the calendar year in which the exception was approved (e.g., if the exception was approved on March 1, 2019, it is valid for any competitive or non-competitive application submission to EPA through December 31, 2019). Applicants need only request an exception once in a calendar year and all exceptions will expire on December 31 of that calendar year. Applicants must request a new exception from required electronic submission through grants.gov for submissions for any succeeding calendar year. For example, if there is a competitive opportunity issued on December 1, 2018, with a submission deadline of January 15, 2019, the applicant would need a new exception to submit through alternative methods beginning January 1, 2019.

Please note that the process described in this section is only for requesting alternate submission methods. All other inquiries about this announcement must be directed to the Agency Contact listed in Section VII of the announcement. Queries or requests submitted to the email address identified above for any reason other than to request an alternate submission method will not be acknowledged or answered.

B. Grants.gov Application Submission Instructions (For details, see Appendix A)

Your organization’s authorized official representative (AOR) must submit your complete application https://www.grants.gov/ electronically to EPA through Grants.gov no later than October 21, 2019, 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

C. Content of Application Submission

The application package must include all of the following materials:

1. Mandatory Grant Application Forms. Please complete the forms as appropriate.

a. Standard Form 424, Application for Federal Assistance. Please note that the organizational

Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number must be included on the SF-424. Organizations may obtain a DUNS number at no cost by calling the toll-free DUNS number request line at 1-866-705-5711.

b. Standard Form 424A, Budget Information – Non-Construction Programs. The total amount of federal funding requested for the project period should be shown on line 5(e) and on line 6(k) of the SF 424A. If indirect costs are included, the amount of indirect costs should be entered on line 6(j). The indirect cost rate (i.e., a percentage), the base (e.g., personnel costs and fringe benefits), and the total indirect amount should also be indicated on line 22. In Section B: Budget Categories column (1) should be filled out for federal funds, column (2) should be filled out for non-federal cost-share/match, and column (5) should be filled out for total project cost (federal funds and non-federal cost share/match).

c. Standard Form 424B, Non-Construction Programs

d. EPA Form 4700-4, Pre-Award Compliance Review Report for All Applicants Requesting

Federal Financial Assistance

e. Key Contacts Form

f. Project Narrative, including Budget Detail (Project Narrative Attachment Form, see details of what is required in item 3 below).

2. Optional Grant Application Documents:

a. Cost Share Commitment Letters (Other Attachments Form)

b. Letters of Support/Partnership (Other Attachments Form)

c. Resumes (Other Attachments Form)

3. Project Narrative. The project narrative must explicitly describe how the proposed project meets the guidelines established in Sections I-III of this announcement (including the threshold eligibility criteria in Section III.C) and must address each of the evaluation criteria set forth in Section V. The Project Narrative (a through f below) cannot exceed a maximum of 30 single-spaced typewritten pages, including the Summary Page — excess pages will not be reviewed.

Supporting materials, such as resumes and letters of support, can be submitted as attachments and are not included in the 30 page limit.

a. Summary Information Page (recommended not to exceed one page)

i. Project Title

ii. Applicant Information. Include applicant (organization) name, address, contact person, phone number, fax and e-mail address.

iii. Funding Requested. Specify the amount you are requesting from EPA.

iv. Total Project Cost. Specify total cost of the project. Identify funding from other sources, including cost share or in-kind resources.

v. Project period. Provide beginning and ending dates. (Projects are anticipated to begin date and end no later than date.)

vi. DUNS number

vii. Key personnel and contact information (email address, phone number)

b. Project Summary/Approach. The summary shall contain the following components:

i. Detailed project summary, description of specific actions and methods to be undertaken and the responsible institutions, including estimated time line for each task.

ii. Description of the associated work products to be developed.

iii. Explanation of project benefits to the public, and specifically the potential audience(s) served.

iv. Explanation of how the project will deliver clear, easy to use information designed to inform local governments of their environmental requirements and how to comply, including an updates website, compliance tools, outreach, and training as described in Section I. Funding Opportunity Description, Background, Scope of Work, and Strategic Plan Linkage. As needed, describe how the applicant will competitively select subrecipients or contractors in compliance with the Procurement Standards and Subrecipient Monitoring and Management requirements of the UGG and EPA’s Subaward Policy.

v. Description of the roles of the applicant and partners, if any.

c. Environmental Results—Outcomes, Outputs and Performance Measures. Identify the expected quantitative and qualitative outcomes and outputs of the project (See Section I), including what performance measurements, timeline of milestones, or other means will be used to track and measure your progress towards achieving the expected outputs and outcomes and how the results of the project will be evaluated.

d. Programmatic Capability and Past Performance. Provide a brief description of the applicant’s organization and experience related to the proposed project, and the organization’s infrastructure as it relates to its ability to successfully implement the proposed project. Provide a list of key staff and briefly describe their expertise/qualifications and knowledge, and describe the organization’s resources or the ability to obtain them to successfully achieve the goals of the project. Include an estimate of the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) workers (based on 2080 hours per year/FTE). Annotated resumes of applicant’s key staff are also encouraged and are not included in the page limit.

In addition, submit a list of federally funded assistance agreements (assistance agreements include Federal grants and cooperative agreements but not Federal contracts) similar in size, scope and relevance to the proposed project that your organization performed within the last three years (no more than 5 agreements, and preferably EPA agreements) and describe (i) whether, and how, you were able to successfully complete and manage those agreements and (ii) your history of meeting the reporting requirements under those agreements including whether you adequately and timely reported on your progress towards achieving the expected outputs and outcomes of those agreements (and if not, explain why not) and whether you submitted acceptable final technical reports under the agreements. In evaluating applicants under these factors in Section V, EPA will consider the information provided by the applicant and may also consider relevant information from other sources, including information from EPA files and from current/prior grantors (e.g., to verify and/or supplement the information provided by the applicant). If you do not have any relevant or available past performance or reporting information, please indicate this in the application and you will receive a neutral score for these factors (a neutral score is half of the total points available in a subset of possible points). If you do not provide any response for these items, you may receive a score of 0 for these factors.

e. Voluntary cost share/match and leveraged funds (See Section III.B also). Demonstrate how you will leverage additional funds/resources beyond the grant funds awarded to support the proposed project activities and how these funds/resources will be used to contribute to the performance and success of the proposed project. This includes but is not limited to funds and other resources leveraged from businesses, labor organizations, non-profit organizations, education and training providers, and/or Federal, state, tribal, and local governments, as appropriate. Describe the agencies/organizations who you will partner with as appropriate and necessary to successfully conduct the project. Include a clear description of the roles of specific partners in the project’s components/tasks. Describe how these partnerships will contribute to the success of the local Government Compliance Assistance Center. Describe the amount and type of leveraged resources to be provided, how you will obtain the leveraged resources, the likelihood the leveraging will materialize during grant performance, the strength of the leveraging commitment, and the role the leveraged resources will play to support the proposed project activities. Selected applicants are expected to abide by their proposed leveraging commitments during grant performance and the failure to do so may affect the legitimacy of the award. Letters of support from potential partners are encouraged and will not count against the page limit for the proposal narrative.

f. Detailed Budget Narrative (See Appendix B for detailed instructions and a Budget Sample). This section provides an opportunity for a narrative description of the budget found in the SF-424A. Clearly explain how EPA funds will be used. Selected applicant(s) will need to submit a copy of their current indirect cost rate that has been negotiated with a federal cognizant agency prior to award.

i. Description of the budget and estimated funding amounts for each work component/task.

ii. Description of the applicant’s approach, procedures, and controls for ensuring that awarded grant funds will be expended in a timely and efficient manner.

iii. Applicants must itemize costs related to personnel, fringe benefits, contractual costs, travel, equipment, supplies, other direct costs, indirect costs, and total costs.

Selected applicant(s) will need to submit a copy of their current indirect cost rate that has been negotiated with a federal cognizant agency prior to award.

iv. For applicants that provide a voluntary cost share/match, the budget narrative must clearly specify the amount of federal funding and the cost share amount for each category of total project costs for each category. Include an explanation of how the voluntary match will be met. All matching funds are subject to the regulations governing matching fund requirements at 2 CFR Part 200.

4. Attachments. These are optional and are not included in the 30 page limit.

a. Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement.

b. Biographical Sketch. Provide resumes or curriculum vitae for all Principal Investigators and any other key personnel.

c. Quality Assurance Narrative Statement.

d. Support…