PKG00257755-instructions.pdf

AGENCY: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)

TITLE: “Support and Management of the Nationalsbeap.org Website and 507 Program”

ACTION: Request for Applications (RFA)

RFA NUMBER: EPA- OA-OSDBU-20-01

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NO: 66.610

IMPORTANT DATES

January 17, 2020 RFA OPENS March 6, 2020 RFA CLOSES – APPLICATIONS DUE May 2020 ANTICIPATED NOTIFICATION OF

SELECTION

August 1, 2020 ANTICIPATED AWARD

The closing date and time for receipt of applications is March 6, 2020, 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 March 6, 2020, at

11:59 p.m. (ET) in order to be considered for funding.

To allow for efficient management of the competitive process, EPA requests submittal of an informal notice of an Intent to Apply by February 21, 2020 to hoag.paula@epa.gov. Submission of Intent to apply is optional; it is a process management tool that will allow EPA to better anticipate the total staff time required for efficient review, evaluation, and selection of submitted applications.

SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits applications from eligible entities to provide support and collaboration services for the Small Business Environmental Assistance Program (SBEAP). The cooperative agreement project is seeking support services to maintain and expand the National Small Business Environmental Assistance Program (SBEAP) website: https://nationalsbeap.org/, communication and collaboration services that assist the nation-wide program, and provide organization and hosting support for the SBEAP annual training event.

NOTE: If you intend to name a contractor (including an individual consultant) or a subrecipient as a project partner or otherwise in your application, EPA recommends that you carefully review, and comply with, the directions contained in the “Contracts and Subawards” clause that can be accessed under the Section IV.E clause for “Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated Into the Solicitation.”

FUNDING/AWARDS: The total estimated funding for this competitive opportunity is $550,000. EPA anticipates awarding up to approximately one cooperative agreement from this announcement, subject to availability of funds, the quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

(This is an automatic table that OPMO/APT will update when draft is near final)

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 (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 Requirement

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

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA), Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization’s (OSDBU), Asbestos and Small Business Ombudsman (ASBO) program is seeking proposals from eligible entities to develop a strategy to manage and/or expand upon the existing the Nationalsbeap.org website, and currently developed program communication and collaboration activities.

Small Business Environmental Assistance Programs (SBEAPs) were created as a result of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, Section 507 requirement which requires that all states develop a program to assist small businesses in meeting the requirements of the Act. The Program requirements consist of three components within each state: 1) Small Business Environmental Assistance Program (SBEAP); 2) Small Business Ombudsman (SBO); and 3) Compliance Advisory Panel (CAP). Since 1990, many of the programs have expanded to provide additional compliance assistance in all environmental areas whenever possible. SBEAPs provide free, environmental compliance assistance to small businesses. The 507 Program website (nationalsbeap.org) is essential to maintain the integrity of the national program collaboration and communication so that they may best assist small businesses in their environmental compliance.

B. Scope of Work

The 507 Program Website is a necessary source of information sharing and collaboration of the individual state programs that are spread throughout the country. The purpose of this website is to benefit the individual state SBO, SBEAP and CAP members (that make up the 507 program), the small business community that are provided the compliance assistance support by the 507 Program, and the public that will benefit in reduced pollution and increased safety from their local small businesses that are more compliant with environmental regulations.

The 507 Program website (www.NationalSBEAP.org) keeps the state small business assistance providers and the small businesses community throughout the country up to date on environmental and small business issues that pertain to environmental compliance assistance.

This can be met by:

1. Collaboration and Support of 507 Program Members

Applicants should describe their strategy to best work with and manage the ongoing communication and collaboration activities with state 507 Small Business Ombudsmen (SBOs), state 507 Small Business Environmental Assistance Programs (SBEAPs), and 507 Compliance Assistance Coordinators (CAPs), as well as other potential program stakeholders as needed.

2. Maintaining and Expanding the 507 Program Website

Applicants should:

• Describe their strategy to best organize, maintain and potentially expand upon the current 507 Program website, www.Nationalsbeap.org.

• Provide clarity on how to ensure the effectiveness of the website’s national contact listings, resources and tools, which help keep state SBO, SBEAP, and CAP staff equipped with necessary regulatory assistance materials.

• Include ways that the grantee will survey, report and or record data on the website’s use or benefit, and report on the website’s overall metrics and analytics.

• Additionally, EPA strongly encourages the expansion of the website to include a page for compliance assistance materials in other languages, such as Spanish or Korean, as deemed necessary, depending on the location or industry that the SBEAPs typically work with across the country, as well as in U.S Trust Territories.

EPA will continue to fund and hold rights to the www.Nationalsbeap.org web domain, while providing access and use to the successful grant recipient to maintain and/or expand upon the content of the 507 Program Website. Applicants should describe how they intend to take over management of the website from the current grantee (if applicable), as well as strategies and timelines required to build upon and technically support the website going forward.

3. The 507 Annual Training Conference Support and Collaboration

Applicants should outline a strategy in how the cooperative agreement will provide support, communication, and collaboration services for attendees of the annual 507 Program Training Conference. The applicant must outline how they intend to host the annual conference (on at least a biennial basis, for the years 2022 and 2024) during this 5-year grant. If desired and deemed feasible within the budget, the applicant may propose providing hosting support of the additional annual training of years 2021 and 2023 during the 5-year grant period. The applicant’s strategy should include details on how they intend to manage contractors or subrecipients, if any, who will be involved in carrying out this activity.

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

Measures

Pursuant to Section 6a of EPA Order 5700.7A1, “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 5700.7A1, 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: Applications under this Solicitation must clearly demonstrate support of the EPA 2018-2022 Strategic Plan. The projects selected for award through this competition will support progress towards the following objectives as this cooperative agreement’s statutory authority stems from the Clean Air Act, under the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendment’s 507 program to help address clean air and compliance assurance/assistance, as well as provide support for small business regulatory assistance and guidance under the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement and Fairness Act.

• EPA Strategic Plan Goal 1, “A Cleaner, Healthier Environment”; Objective 1.1:

“Improve Air Quality.”

• EPA Strategic Plan Goal 3, Rules of Law and Process

View EPA’s strategic plan at https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2019-09/documents/fy- 2018-2022-epa-strategic-plan.pdf

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 projects to be funded under this announcement include, but are not limited to:

a. Support and development of webinar trainings or meetings;

b. Management of state contact information and listserv communication tools;

c. New or updated web content recourses and tools available on website; and

d. Hosting of annual training events

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 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.

Expected outcomes from the projects to be funded under this announcement include, but are not limited to:

a. Increased compliance rates of small businesses that have gained support through website or state programs that rely on website materials or webinar trainings;

b. The small business community, through a survey analysis, is better able to understand what is expected from them in regards to abiding by EPA regulations.

4. Performance Measures. The applicant should also 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 successful processes and 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 action is Section 103(b)(3) of the Clean Air Act, which authorizes the award of grants for research, investigations, experiments, demonstrations, surveys, and studies related to the causes, effects, (including health and welfare effects), extent, prevention, and control of air pollution. The statutory authority for the 507 Program is from section 507 of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, 42 U.S.C. § 7661f, which was enacted to ensure small businesses are provided compliance assistance in air regulations developed under the Clean Air Act. The 507 Program National Website helps states, territories, universities, small businesses and EPA share environmental compliance assistance information more efficiently and effectively over the Internet. The general public also benefits from the 507 Program National Website in pollution prevention because small businesses are more effectively complying with EPA regulations due to increased and successful outreach assistance from the website.

Demonstrations must involve new or experimental technologies, methods, or approaches, where the results of the project will be disseminated so that others can benefit from the knowledge gained in the demonstration project. A project that is accomplished through the performance of routine, traditional, or established practices, or a project that is simply intended to carry out a task rather than transfer information or advance the state of knowledge, however worthwhile the project might be, is not considered a demonstration project. Implementation activities are not eligible for funding under this announcement.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. What is the amount of funding available?

The total estimated funding expected to be available for awards under this competitive opportunity is $550,000. Annual funding amounts are expected to range from $90,000 to $140,000. Funding is dependent upon agency appropriations, funding availability, and other applicable considerations.

The amount of federal funding requested by an applicant must not exceed $550,000.

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 1 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 or to make fewer awards 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 August 1, 2020, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2025.

E. Funding Type

The funding for selected projects will be in the form of a cooperative agreement.

Cooperative agreements provide for substantial involvement between the EPA project officer and the selected applicants 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;

• in accordance with 2 CFR 200.317 and 2 CFR 200.318, review of proposed procurement;

• 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

Under this solicitation EPA has limited eligible applicants to state air pollution control agencies or the state-specified entity (specifically a state college or university) under the direction of a State air pollution control agency and approved by EPA in accordance with the Guidelines for Implementation of Section 507 of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments (Guidelines found here:

https://www.epa.gov/title-v-operating-permits/guidelines-implementation-section-507-1990-clean-air-act-amendments). Additionally, a state specified entity must be eligible for funding under CFDA 66.610. Institutions of Higher Education are eligible to submit applications under this RFA if they are the state-specified 507 Program entity. For-profit colleges, universities, trade schools, and hospitals are ineligible.

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 [add following to end of sentence if competition has a mandatory cost share: “or when the applicant proposes to provide more than the required cost share”]. 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.

• 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 Appendices A and B of this RFA or else they will be rejected.

b. Where a page limit is expressed in Section IV. 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.

d. 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 or relevant SAM.gov 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. Applicants should confirm receipt of their application with Paula Hoag (see Section VII) as soon as possible after the submission deadline – failure to do so may result in your application not being reviewed.

2. Applications must further EPA’s current priorities for improving air quality, which focus on improving air quality to ensure more Americans are living and working in areas that meet high air quality standards. (See Section I.C.)

3. 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.

4. Applications which request EPA assistance funds in excess of $550,000, 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.

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., 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, 2020, it is valid for any competitive or non-competitive application submission to EPA through December 31, 2020). 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, 2020, with a submission deadline of January 15, 2021, the applicant would need a new exception to submit through alternative methods beginning January 1, 2021.

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

Your organization’s authorized official representative (AOR) must submit your complete application electronically to EPA through Grants.gov no later than March 6, 2020, 11:59 PM

Eastern Time. See Appendix A for detailed submission and troubleshooting instructions on Grants.gov. Please allow for enough time to successfully submit your application process and allow for unexpected errors that may require you to resubmit.

C. Content of Application Submission

The application package must include all of the following materials:

1. 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 for Non-Construction Programs

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

Requesting Federal Financial Assistance

d. EPA Form 5700-54Key Contacts Form

e. Project Narrative Attachment Form (See Section IV.C.2. below for additional information)

f. Other Attachment Form, if applicable (See Section IV.C.3. below for additional information)

2. 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 cannot exceed a maximum of 17 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 17-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

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 SBEAP program support, website and hosting of annual event is addressed in the project narrative.

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

vi. Description of the applicant’s organization and experience related to the proposed project.

vii. Description of staff expertise/qualifications, staff knowledge, and resources or the ability to obtain them, to successfully achieve the goals of the proposed project.

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 outcomes and outputs and how the results of the project will be evaluated.

d. Programmatic Capability and Past Performance. 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 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.

f. Detailed Budget Narrative (See Appendix B, 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.

3. Attachments. These are optional and are not included in the 17-page limit. Use the Other

Attachment Form to submit these.

a. Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement, if applicable.

b. Biographical Sketch. Provide resumes or curriculum vitae for all Principal

Investigators and any other key personnel.

c. Quality Assurance Narrative Statement.

d. Support Letters – These should indicate how the supporting organization will assist in the project.

e. Cost Share Commitment Letters

f. Resumes

D. Submission Date and Times

The closing date and time for submission of applications is March 6, 2020 11:59 p.m., Eastern

Time (ET). Applications submitted after the closing date and time will not be considered for

E. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

Additional provisions that apply to this solicitation and/or awards made under this solicitation, including but not limited to those related to confidential business information, contracts and subawards under grants, and application assistance and communications, can be found at www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses. These, and the other provisions that can be found at the website link, are important, and applicants must review them when preparing applications for this solicitation. If you are unable to access these provisions electronically at the website above, please communicate with the EPA contact listed in this solicitation to obtain the provisions.

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

Only eligible entities whose applications meet the threshold criteria in Section III. of this RFA will be evaluated according to the criteria set forth below. Applicants should explicitly address these criteria as part of their application package submittal in the project narrative, following the content requirements set forth in Appendix B. Each application will be rated using a point system. Applications will be evaluated based on a total of 100 points possible.

A. Evaluation Criteria

Criteria Points

Total Possible Points 100

1. Project Summary and Approach: Under this criterion, EPA will evaluate applications based on the extent and quality of the applicant’s project summary and overall approach. Specifically, EPA will evaluate the extent and quality to which the project narrative:

A. (30 points) Includes a well-conceived strategy for addressing the requirements in Section I, Parts B (Scope of Work), Section 1: Collaboration and Support of 507 Program (10 points), Section 2: Maintaining/Expanding Nationalsbeap.org website (10 points), Section 3: 507 Program Annual Training Support and Collaboration, (10 points).

B. (5 points) Includes a well-conceived strategy for addressing the requirements in C (EPA Strategic Plan Linkage and Anticipated

Outcomes/Outputs); and C. (5 points) Sets forth a reasonable time schedule for the execution of the tasks associated with the project and for achieving the project goals and objectives by project end.

2. Environmental Results – Outputs, Outcomes and Performance

Measures: Under this criterion, EPA will evaluate:

A. (7 points) The effectiveness of the applicant’s plan for tracking and measuring its progress toward achieving the expected project outputs and outcomes, including those identified in Section I of this announcement.

B. (8 points) The performance measures proposed by the applicant and how they will be used to help track and measure the applicant’s progress towards achieving the expected outputs and outcomes.

3. Programmatic Capability and Past Performance: Under this criterion, EPA will evaluate applicants based on their ability to successfully complete and manage the proposed project taking into account their:

A. (5 points) Past performance in successfully completing and managing the assistance agreements identified in the project narrative as described in Section IV.C. of the announcement, B. (5 points) History of meeting the reporting requirements under the assistance agreements identified in the project narrative as described in Section IV.C. of the announcement, including whether the applicant submitted acceptable final technical reports under those agreements and the extent to which the applicant adequately and timely reported on their progress towards achieving the expected outputs and outcomes under those agreements and if such progress was not being made whether the applicant adequately reported why not;

C. (5 points) Organizational experience and plan for timely and successfully achieving the objectives of the proposed project; and

D. (5 points) Staff expertise and qualifications, staff knowledge, and resources or the ability to obtain them, to successfully achieve the goals of the proposed project.

Note: In evaluating applicants under items A and B of this criterion, the Agency will consider the information provided by the applicant and may also consider relevant information from other sources including agency files and prior/current grantors (e.g., to verify and/or supplement the information supplied 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 sub-factors (items A and B above-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 sub-factors.

4. Budget: Under this criterion, EPA will evaluate applicants on the extent and quality to which:

A. (5 points) costs are reasonable to accomplish the proposed goals, objectives, and measurable environmental outcomes; and B. (5 points) the proposed budget provides a detailed breakout of the approximate funding used for each major activity.

An applicant’s budget and Budget Narrative must account for both federal funds and any non-federal funds (e.g., any required or voluntary cost share/match if applicable). Applicants must precisely describe in their Budget Narrative how they will account for any required or voluntary cost share/match, if applicable, and what role EPA funding will play in the overall project.

5. Expenditure of Awarded Grant Funds: Under this criterion, EPA will evaluate applicants based on their approach, procedures, and controls for ensuring that awarded grant funds will be expended in a timely and efficient manner.

6. Leveraging/Cost Sharing: Under this criterion, EPA will evaluate applicants based on the extent they demonstrate that they will leverage additional funds/resources or cost sharing, 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. Applicants will also be evaluated based on the amount and type of leveraged resources or cost sharing they are able to be provided, how they will obtain the leveraged resources or funds to be shared, the likelihood the leveraging or funds will materialize during grant performance, the strength of the leveraging or cost sharing commitment, and the role the leveraged funds/resources will play to support the proposed project activities.

B. Review and Selection Process

Applications will first be evaluated against the threshold factors listed in Section III.C. of this RFA. Only those applications which meet all of the threshold factors and are deemed eligible will be evaluated using the evaluation criteria listed above by an EPA evaluation team. Each application will be given a numerical score and will be rank-ordered by the review panel.

Preliminary funding recommendations will be provided to the EPA approving or selection official based on these reviews and rankings.

C. Other Factors

Final funding decisions will be made by the selection official based on the rankings and preliminary recommendations of the EPA evaluation team. In making the final funding decisions, the selection official may also consider programmatic priorities and geographic diversity of funds. Once final decisions have been made, a funding recommendation will be developed and forwarded to the EPA award official.

D. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

Additional provisions that apply to this solicitation and/or awards made under this solicitation including the clause on Reporting and Use of Information Concerning Recipient Integrity and Performance can be found at EPA Solicitation Clauses. These, and the other provisions that can be found at the website link, are important, and applicants must review them when preparing applications for this solicitation. If you are unable to access these provisions electronically at the website above, please communicate with the EPA contact listed in this solicitation to obtain the

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Award Notices

Following evaluation of applications, all applicants will be notified regarding their status.

1. Successful Applicants: EPA anticipates notification to successful applicants will be made via electronic or postal mail within 60 days of the closing date of this RFA. The notification will be sent to the original signer of the application or the project contact listed in the application. This notification, which informs the applicant that its application has been selected and is being recommended for award is not an authorization to begin work. The official notification of an award will be made by GIAMD.

Applicants are cautioned that only a grants officer is authorized to bind the government to the expenditure of funds; selection does not guarantee an award will be made. For example, statutory authorization, funding or other issues discovered during the award process may affect the ability of EPA to make an award to the applicant. The award notice, signed by the EPA grants officer, is the authorizing document and will be provided through electronic or postal mail. The successful applicant may need to prepare and submit additional documents and forms (e.g. work plan), which must be approved by EPA, before the grant can officially be awarded. The time between notification of selection and award of a grant can take up to 90 days or longer.

2. Unsuccessful Applicants: EPA anticipates notification to unsuccessful applicant(s) will be made via electronic or postal mail within (match # of days from above) days of the closing date of this RFA. The notification will be sent to the original signer of the SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance.

B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

A listing and description of general EPA Regulations applicable to the award of assistance agreements may be viewed at: www.epa.gov/grants/policy-regulations-and-guidance-epa-grants.

C. Reporting Requirement

Quarterly progress reports and a detailed final report will be required. Quarterly reports summarizing technical progress, planned activities for the next quarter and a summary of expenditures are required. The final report shall be submitted to EPA within 90 calendar days of the completion of the period of performance. The final report must include: summary of the project or activity, advances achieved and costs of the project or activity. In addition, the final report shall discuss the problems, successes, and lessons learned from the project or activity that could help overcome structural, organizational or technical obstacles to implementing a similar project elsewhere. The schedule for submission of quarterly reports will be established by EPA, after the grants are awarded. Award recipients may be provided with additional information and guidance on reporting performance measures and project progress after award.

D. Disputes

Assistance agreement competition-related disputes will be resolved in accordance with the dispute resolution procedures published in 70 FR (Federal Register) 3629, 3630 (January 26, 2005) which can be found at Grant Competition Dispute Resolution Procedures. Copies of these procedures may also be requested by contacting the person listed in Section VII. of the announcement. Note, the Federal Register notice references regulations at 40 CFR Parts 30 and 31 that have been superseded by regulations in 2 CFR parts 200 and 1500. Notwithstanding the regulatory changes, the procedures for competition-related disputes remains unchanged from the procedures described at 70 FR 3629, 3630, as indicated in 2 CFR Part 1500, Subpart E.

E. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

Additional provisions that apply to this solicitation and/or awards made under this solicitation, including but not limited to those related to DUNS, SAM, copyrights, disputes, and administrative capability, subrecipients and contractors (including individual consultants) can be found at: www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses. These, and the other provisions that can be found at the website link, are important, and applicants must review them when preparing applications for this solicitation. If you are unable to access these provisions electronically at the website above, please communicate with the EPA contact listed in this solicitation to obtain the

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

For further information, contact:

Point of contacts identified in announcements must be EPA employees and not SEEs, contractors, or other non-EPA employees.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ATTN: Paula Hoag OSDBU Office

WJ Clinton Building North, Room #6440C 1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW

Washington, DC 20460

Hoag.Paula@epa.gov

All questions or comments must be communicated in writing via postal mail or…