PKG00261684-instructions.pdf

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Policy Development and Research

Cooperative Research in Housing Technologies

FR-6400-N-56

06/18/2020

Table of Contents Overview

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Program Description

B. Authority

II. Award Information

A. Available Funds

B. Number of Awards

C. Minimum/Maximum Award Information

D. Period of Performance

E. Type of Funding Instrument

F. Supplementation

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

B. Ineligible Applicants

C. Cost Sharing or Matching

D. Threshold Eligibility Requirements

E. Statutory and Regulatory Requirements Affecting Eligibility

F. Program-Specific Requirements Affecting Eligibility

G. Criteria for Beneficiaries

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Obtaining an Application Package

B. Content and Form of Application Submission

C. System for Award Management (SAM) and Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number

D. Application Submission Dates and Times

E. Intergovernmental Review

F. Funding Restrictions

G. Other Submission Requirements

V. Application Review Information

A. Review Criteria

Rating Factor 3: Soundness of Approach (Maximum 35 Points)

Rating Factor 4: Leveraging Resources and Budget (Maximum of 15 Points)

Rating Factor 5: Program Management (Maximum 10 Points)

B. Review and Selection Process

VI. Award Administration Information

A. Award Notices

B. Administrative, National and Department Policy Requirements for HUD recipients

C. Reporting

D. Debriefing

VII. Agency Contact(s)

VIII. Other Information

APPENDIX

Program Office:

Policy Development and Research Funding Opportunity Title:

Cooperative Research in Housing Technologies Funding Opportunity Number:

FR-6400-N-56

Primary CFDA Number:

14.506 Due Date for Applications:

06/18/2020 Overview The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issues this Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) to invite applications from eligible applicants for the program and purpose described within this NOFA. Prospective applicants should carefully read all instructions in all sections to avoid sending an incomplete or ineligible application. HUD funding is highly competitive. Failure to respond accurately to any submission requirement could result in an incomplete or noncompetitive proposal.

During the selection process HUD is prohibited from disclosing 1) information regarding any applicant’s relative standing, 2) the amount of assistance requested by an applicant, and 3) any information contained in the application. Prior to the application deadline, HUD may not disclose the identity of any applicant or the number of applicants that have applied for assistance.

For Further Information Regarding this NOFA: Please direct questions regarding the specific requirements of this Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) to the office contact identified in Section VII.

OMB Approval Number(s):

2528-0299

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION.

A. Program Description.

1. Purpose Summary

Cooperative Research in Housing Technologies HUD may award four or more cooperative agreements, with a total of all awards not to exceed $2,000,000 (comprised of up to $2,000,000 in FY19 funds).

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is interested in receiving applications for cooperative agreements for pre-competitive research in homebuilding innovations. Under this announcement, pre-competitive research is an effort that is sufficiently in its early stages such that competitors are working together collaboratively. Applications should not include trade secrets or other confidential information. However, the applicant should describe the technology in sufficient detail so that HUD can decide on the strength of the application.

HUD is interested in developing and deploying knowledge that provides the homebuilding industry with new, innovative construction products or practices that may lead to more affordable, energy efficient, resilient (i.e., durable, disaster resistant, adaptable for future requirements, and maintainable), and healthier housing while at the same time reducing the cost of construction. Specifically, applications are encouraged to focus on aspects of residential construction related to factory-built housing and components and/or resilience. Both topics were central to the recent Innovative Housing Showcase event (https://www.hud.gov/Innovative_Housing) that HUD hosted on the National Mall, June 1-5, 2019, in which Secretary Carson remarked that there is a need for lowering the cost of production of American homes while increasing their resilience.

HUD is particularly interested in cooperative agreements where the results would be widely available for application in the industry, as opposed to being deployed in a proprietary manner.

In that regard, HUD has had significant success in the past working with trade or industry associations to generate advances that are broadly available.

The grants awarded under this announcement require an applicant match. Applicants who offer additional non-Federal funding, above the required match, will be more favorably considered.

HUD has funded similar cooperative agreements most recently in conjunction with the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) program (https://www.govinfo.gov /content/pkg/FR-2005-05-23/pdf/E5-2564.pdf). Several of these agreements are listed below to illustrate of the type of innovative efforts HUD seeks to fund through this announcement. HUD is interested in research or methods on how to eliminate barriers to the acceptance of these new and emerging technologies by the building industry, State and local governments, and consumers. A common theme in the first three examples below are regulatory barriers, mostly related to building code restrictions, that prevented wide adoption of the innovation:

Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs). This PATH-sponsored program developed a prescriptive method which established performance standards for ICFs and shared technical information about the technology. Program reports can be found on the HUDUser website:

https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/destech/icf.html and https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publicatio ns/destech/icf_2ed.html

Steel Framing. This effort sought to accelerate the adoption of steel framing as an alternative to wood in the residential-housing market. Similar to ICFs, HUD worked cooperatively with industry to first produce the Prescriptive Method for Residential Cold-Formed Steel Framing:

https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/destech/pm2.html and later a Design for a Steel Framed Manufactured Home: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/destech/sfmh.html https://www.hud.gov/Innovative_Housing https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2005-05-23/pdf/E5-2564.pdf https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/destech/icf.html https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/destech/icf_2ed.html https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/destech/pm2.html https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/destech/sfmh.html

Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). HUD partnered with industry members to develop performance standards for SIPs and disseminate technical information about the technology, offering specific guidelines to facilitate the use of SIPs in wall systems for the construction of one- and two-family dwellings: https://www.sips.org/downloads/19presciptive-method-for-sip-wall-systems.pdf.

Lean Manufacturing Methods for Manufactured Housing. HUD assisted an industry alliance in showing how to reduce waste in labor hours and materials in factory-built housing:

(https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/destech/pilotstudy.html and https://www.huduser.gov/portal /publications/manufhsg/leanprod.html).

Eligible Activities In support of the objectives listed in the section above, applicants are being asked to undertake a variety of research and evaluation activities, including articulating research questions and establishing appropriate testing and data analysis, implementing the testing and data analysis, communicating research findings, and producing informational tools and resources that improve practice and policy.

Deliverables At a minimum, HUD expects the award recipient to produce the following deliverables. The Government Technical Representative (GTR) and/or other HUD staff as assigned by the GTR will work closely with the awardee on defining these deliverables. HUD expects to have an opportunity to review and comment on these deliverables to ensure that they meet the project objectives. The deliverables should not include trade secrets or other confidential information.

However, testing data and other results are expected to be reported to help evaluate the effectiveness of any proprietary technologies.

1. Management and Work Plan (MWP): The MWP shall outline the overall strategy for completing the research within the budget and timeframe allotted. It will describe activities to be undertaken, assign staff, and provide a schedule of key tasks. A draft MWP must be submitted with the application. After award, HUD will provide comments to the awardee and a final MWP must be submitted to HUD within two weeks of the receipt of HUD comments. A revised final budget may also be required with the final

MWP.

2. Research Design (RD): The RD will describe and explain the methodology that will be used to complete the proposed effort including how you will collect, manage, and analyze the information and data. If appropriate, describe the plan for testing and data analysis, specifically relating those actions to the existing codes, standards, and protocols. After award, HUD will provide feedback and a final RD must be submitted to HUD within four weeks of the receipt of HUD comments.

3. Quality Control Plan (QCP): A draft QCP, which addresses all potential points of a Quality Control Lapse, shall be delivered within two weeks after grant award and the final QCP shall be submitted for GTR approval within six weeks of grant award. A comprehensive QCP shall be submitted to the GTR within five working days when changes are made thereafter. The awardee shall receive the GTR's acceptance in writing of any proposed change to its QCP.

https://www.sips.org/downloads/19presciptive-method-for-sip-wall-systems.pdf https://www.sips.org/downloads/19presciptive-method-for-sip-wall-systems.pdf https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/destech/pilotstudy.html https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/manufhsg/leanprod.html https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/manufhsg/leanprod.html

4. Quarterly Progress Reports: Quarterly Progress Reports will document activities completed in the most recent reporting period, planned activities for the upcoming reporting period, and budget expenditures by line item (including hours worked for specific staff). Progress reports must be submitted quarterly and shall be aligned with the submission of draw down requests.

5. Draft Final Report - Applicants will also be required to submit a draft final report which summarizes the entire work, achievements, and findings conducted under award. This draft report will address the specific outcomes described in the applicant’s proposal, the cooperative agreement award, achievement of project goals and metrics, and the management plan. The report format and style requirements are provided at https://www.huduser.gov/porta l/About/style-guide-for-reports.pdf. Then HUD will have 4 weeks to review the draft final report and return comments to the grantee.

6. Final Report - Applicants shall submit a final report that adequately addresses the HUD comments. This report is expected to be submitted just before the conclusion of the grant.

2. Changes from Previous NOFA.

This NOFA is Project 3: Cooperative Research in Housing Technologies from FR-6200-N-29, Research and Evaluation, Demonstrations and Data Analysis and Utilization Program (HUDRD). As such, it is unchanged except that in this case HUD may award four or more cooperative agreements, with a total of all awards not to exceed $2,000,000.

3. Definitions.

a. Standard Definitions

Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH). The obligation to affirmatively further the purposes and policies of the Fair Housing Act.

Assistance Listings (formerly CFDA) is a directory of the various Federal listings, projects, services and activities offering financial and non-financial assistance and benefits to the American public. An Assistance Listing (CFDA) Number is the unique number assigned to each program, project, service or activity listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

(CFDA).

Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) is the person authorized to submit applications on behalf of the organization via Grants.gov. The AOR is authorized by the E-Biz point of contact in the System for Award Management. The AOR is listed in item 21 on the SF- 424.

Award, as used in this NOFA means a federal grant OR cooperative agreement as specified in Section II.E (Type of Funding Instrument).

Consolidated Plan is a document developed by states and local jurisdictions. This plan is completed by engaging in a participatory process to assess their affordable housing and community development needs and market conditions, and to make data-driven, place-based investment decisions with funding from formula grant programs. (See 24 CFR part 91 for more information about the Consolidated Plan and related Action Plan).

Contract means a legal instrument by which a non-Federal entity purchases property or services https://www.huduser.gov/portal/About/style-guide-for-reports.pdf needed to carry out the project or program under a Federal award. The term as used in this NOFA does not include a legal instrument, even if the non-Federal entity considers it a contract, when the substance of the transaction meets the definition of a Federal award or subaward (See 2

CFR 200.22.)

Contractor means an entity receiving a contract.

Deficiency is information missing or omitted within a submitted application. Examples of deficiencies include missing documents, information on a form, or some other type of unsatisfied information requirement (e.g., an unsigned form, unchecked box.). Depending on specific criteria, deficiencies may be either curable or non-curable.

Curable Deficiency – Applicants may correct a curable deficiency with timely action.

To be curable the deficiency must:

Not be a threshold requirement, except for documentation of applicant eligibility;

not influence how an applicant is ranked or scored versus other applicants; and be remedied within the time frame specified in the notice of deficiency.

Non-Curable Deficiency – An applicant cannot correct a non-curable deficiency after the submission deadline.

Non-curable deficiencies are deficiencies that, if corrected, would change an applicant’s score or rank versus other applicants. Non-curable deficiencies may result in an application being marked ineligible, or otherwise adversely affect an application’s score and final determination.

DUNS Number is the nine-digit identification number assigned to a business or organization by Dun & Bradstreet and provides a means of identifying business entities on a location-specific basis. Requests for a DUNS number can be made by visiting the Online DUNS Request Portal.

Eligibility requirements are mandatory requirements for an application to be eligible for funding.

Grants.gov is the website serving as the Federal government’s central portal for searching and applying for federal financial assistance throughout the Federal government. Registration on Grants.gov is required for submission of applications to prospective agencies unless otherwise specified in this NOFA.

Non-Federal Entity is a state, local government, Indian tribe, institution of higher education (IHE), or non-profit organization carrying out a Federal award as a recipient or sub recipient.

If eligible applicants under the NOFA include for profit entities, this definition of non-federal entity includes for profit entities.

Point of Contact (POC) is the person who may be contacted with questions about the application submitted by the AOR. The POC is listed in item 8F on the SF-424.

Recipient means a non-Federal entity receiving an award directly from HUD to carry out an activity under a HUD program.

Subaward means an award provided by a pass-through entity to a subrecipient for the subrecipient to carry out part of a Federal award received by the recipient. It does not include payments to a contractor or payments to an individual beneficiary of a Federal program. A subaward may be provided through any form of legal agreement, including an agreement that the pass-through entity considers a contract. The legal agreement must contain the subrecipient’s assurance of compliance with program requirements, including but not limited to nondiscrimination and equal opportunity requirements.

Subrecipient is a non-Federal entity receiving a subaward from a pass-through entity to carry out part of a HUD program; but does not include an individual beneficiary of such program. A subrecipient may also receive other Federal awards directly from a Federal awarding agency (including HUD).

System for Award Management (SAM), is a U.S. Government system that consolidated the capabilities of Central Contractor Registry (CCR), Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) and the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA). Registration with SAM is required for submission of applications via Grants.gov. You can access the website at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/. There is no cost to use SAM.

Threshold Requirements are an eligibility requirement that must be met for an application to be reviewed. Threshold requirements are not curable, except for documentation of applicant eligibility and are listed in Section III.D Threshold Eligibility Requirements. Similarly, there are eligibility requirements under Section III.E, Statutory and Regulatory Requirements Affecting Eligibility.

Unique Entity Identifier is a number used to identify a specific commercial, nonprofit, or government entity. SAM states that currently Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) is the designated entity to establish and maintain the DUNS Number as the unique entity identifier required for registration in SAM and further used throughout federal procurement, financial assistance, and financial management systems. Beginning December 2020, the DUNS number will no longer be the official identifier for entities doing business with the government.

4. Program Definitions Resilience: The ability to withstand natural and man-made hazards, shocks or stresses without compromising long-term prospects for the structure. For this NOFA, resilience will also include durability, adaptability for future requirements, and maintainability of the interior, exterior, and structure of the home.

Factory-built housing and components: This term refers to a range of residential building products that are produced in a factory at a location other than the location of final installation. These products include but are not limited to modules, panels, etc.

Homebuilding: The design and construction of housing. In this NOFA, we are primarily interested in homebuilding of single-family attached or detached homes and multifamily homes with three stories or less (homes of this type generally use similar design approaches, products, and trades).

Innovation: The introduction of something new that results in an improvement of function or performance. For the purposes of this announcement, homebuilding innovations can include a new construction methods, materials, techniques, processes or products, that greatly improve the function of homes. The terms "innovation" and "technology" are used interchangeably in this

NOFA.

Pre-competitive Research: Pre-competitive research is research that is sufficiently in the early stages such that competitors are working collaboratively. It is research that is jointly conducted by competitors for the purpose of developing new innovations for commercial use.

Prescriptive Method: In the context of building codes, prescriptive methods are design approaches where the performance is implicit in the method of construction. For example, joist sizes selected from tables allows the designer (or builder) to avoid the need to calculate the stresses or deflections as part of the design. This differs from the performance method where the design is contingent on determining the actual loads and sizing the components to the design stresses. While the prescriptive method may lead to some over sizing of the materials, the simplicity and speed often offset those costs.

Technology: The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes. The terms "innovation" and "technology" are used interchangeably in this NOFA.

B. Authority.

This program is authorized by Sections 501 and 502 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1970 (12 U.S.C. §1701z-1 and 1701z-2) and funding is provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (Public Law 116-6, approved February 15, 2019).

II. Award Information.

A. Available Funds Funding of approximately $ 2,000,000 is available through this NOFA.

Additional funds may become available for award under this NOFA, because of HUD's efforts to recapture funds, use carryover funds, or because of the availability of additional appropriated funds. Use of these funds is subject to statutory constraints. All awards are subject to the funding restrictions contained in this NOFA.

B. Number of Awards.

HUD expects to make approximately 4 awards from the funds available under this NOFA.

C. Minimum/Maximum Award Information This NOFA announces the availability of up to $2,000,000.

Cooperative Research in Housing Technologies - HUD may award four or more cooperative agreements, with a total of all awards not to exceed $2,000,000 (comprised of up to $2,000,000 in FY19 funds). The award ceiling for this project is $400,000. The award floor is $200,000.

Estimated Total Funding:

$ 2,000,000 Minimum Award Amount:

$ 200,000 Per Project Period Maximum Award Amount:

$ 400,000 Per Project Period D. Period of Performance Estimated Project Start Date:

09/14/2020 Estimated Project End Date:

09/14/2022 Length of Project Periods:

24-month project period with two 12-month budget periods Length of Periods Explanation of Other:

E. Type of Funding Instrument.

Funding Instrument Type:

CA (Cooperative Agreement) F. Supplementation.

For this NOFA, sub-section "F. Supplementation" is Not Applicable

III. Eligibility Information.

A. Eligible Applicants.

State governments County governments City or township governments Special district governments Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education For profit organizations other than small businesses Small businesses Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification) Information on Eligible Applicants Tribal Designated Housing Entities as defined by Section 4(22) of NAHASDA and Tribes as defined by Section 4(13) of NAHASDA are eligible to compete for, or receive, awards made under this announcement.

B. Ineligible Applicants.

Individuals, foreign entities, and sole proprietorship organizations are not eligible to compete for, or receive, awards made under this announcement. HUD will not evaluate applications from ineligible applicants.

C. Cost Sharing or Matching.

This Program does not require cost sharing or matching.

This program does not require cost sharing or matching. The program requires leveraging 25% as indicated in the Rating Factor 4: Leveraging Resources and Budget section below. No indirect funds can be used for match. Federal sources are not allowed to be used as a cost share or match unless otherwise permitted by the program's authorizing statute.

D. Threshold Eligibility Requirements.

Applicants who fail to meet any of the following threshold eligibility requirements will be deemed ineligible. Applications from ineligible applicants will not be evaluated.

1. Outstanding civil rights matters must be resolved to HUD’s satisfaction prior to grant award, provided that all applicable legal processes have been satisfied.

2. Timely Submission of Applications. Applications submitted after the deadline stated within this NOFA that do not meet the requirements of the grace period policy will be marked late. Late applications are ineligible and will not be considered for funding. See Section IV. D. Application Submission Dates and Times.

3. Resolution of Civil Rights Matters. Applicants who after review are confirmed to have civil rights matters unresolved at the application deadline will be deemed ineligible; the application will receive no further review, will not be rated and ranked, and will not receive funding.

a. Applicants having any of the charges, cause determinations, lawsuits, or letters of findings referenced in subparagraphs that have not been resolved to HUD's satisfaction before or on the application deadline date are ineligible for funding. Such matters include:

(1) Charges from HUD concerning a systemic violation of the Fair Housing Act or receipt of a cause determination from a substantially equivalent state or local fair housing agency concerning a systemic violation of a substantially equivalent state or local fair housing law proscribing discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or familial status;

(2) Status as a defendant in a Fair Housing Act lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice alleging a pattern or practice of discrimination or denial of rights to a group of persons raising an issue of general public importance under 42 U.S.C. 3614(a);

(3) Status as a defendant in any other lawsuit filed or joined by the Department of Justice, or in which the Department of Justice has intervened, or filed an amicus brief or statement of interest, alleging a pattern or practice or systemic violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 109 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, the Americans with Disabilities Act or a claim under the False Claims Act related to fair housing, non-discrimination, or civil rights generally including an alleged failure to affirmatively further fair housing;

(4) Receipt of a letter of findings identifying systemic non-compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 109 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974; or the Americans with Disabilities Act; or

(5) Receipt of a cause determination from a substantially equivalent state or local fair housing agency concerning a systemic violation of provisions of a state or local law prohibiting discrimination in housing based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or lawful source of income.

b. HUD will determine if actions to resolve the charge, cause determination, lawsuit, or letter of findings taken before the application deadline date will resolve the matter. Examples of actions that may be sufficient to resolve the matter include, but are not limited to:

1. Current compliance with a voluntary compliance agreement signed by all the parties;

2. Current compliance with a HUD-approved conciliation agreement signed by all the parties;

3. Current compliance with a conciliation agreement signed by all the parties and approved by the state governmental or local administrative agency with jurisdiction over the matter;

4. Current compliance with a consent order or consent decree;

5. Current compliance with a final judicial ruling or administrative ruling or decision; or

6. Dismissal of charges.

4. Proposals must be responsive to project described within this Announcement. - Applications that do not clearly respond to the research objectives of the project described in this announcement will be ineligible and will not be considered for funding. The requested funding level must be within the range given above.

5. The title of the Project to which you are applying must be clearly identified within the Title field of Box 13 Competition of the Application for Federal Assistance SF-424 submitted as part of your application.

6. No person may be listed as a principal investigator on more than one application per Project.

E. Statutory and Regulatory Requirements Affecting Eligibility.

Eligibility Requirements for Applicants of HUD’s Grants Programs The following requirements affect applicant eligibility. Detailed information on each requirement is posted on HUD’s Funding Opportunities Page.

Outstanding Delinquent Federal Debts Debarments and/or Suspensions Pre-selection Review of Performance Sufficiency of Financial Management System False Statements Mandatory Disclosure Requirement Prohibition Against Lobbying Activities Equal Participation of Faith-Based Organizations in HUD Programs and Activities https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/spm/gmomgmt/grantsinfo/fundingopps

F. Program-Specific Requirements Affecting Eligibility.

This program requires a certification of Consistency with the Consolidated Plan under 24 CFR

91.2. This certification means the proposed activities in the application are consistent with the jurisdiction's strategic plan, and the location of the proposed activities is consistent with the geographic areas specified in the Consolidated Plan.

G. Criteria for Beneficiaries.

There are no specific criteria for beneficiaries for this announcement.

IV. Application and Submission Information.

A. Obtaining an Application Package.

Instructions for Applicants.

You must download both the Application Instructions and the Application Package from Grants.gov. You must verify that the CFDA Number and CFDA Description on the first page of the Application Package, and the Funding Opportunity Title and the Funding Opportunity Number match the Program and NOFA to which you are applying.

The Application Package contains the portable document forms (PDFs) available on Grants.gov, such as the SF-424 Family. The Instruction Download contains official copies of the NOFA and forms necessary for a complete application. The Instruction Download may include Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and additional documents.

An applicant demonstrating good cause may request a waiver from the requirement for electronic submission. For example, a lack of available Internet access in the geographic area in which your business offices are located. Lack of SAM registration or valid DUNS is not good cause. If you cannot submit your application electronically, you must ask in writing for a waiver of the electronic grant submission requirements. HUD will not grant a waiver if HUD does not receive your written request at least 15 days before the application deadline and if you do not demonstrate good cause. An email request for a waiver received by HUD 15 days before the application is due will also be considered. If HUD waives the requirement, HUD must receive your paper application before the deadline of this NOFA. To request a waiver you must contact:

Name:

Madlyn Wohlman Email:

Madlyn.WohlmanRodriguez@hud.gov HUD Organization:

PDR

Street:

451 Seventh Street SW Room 8226 City:

DC

State:

Zip:

20410

B. Content and Form of Application Submission.

You must verify that boxes 11, 12, and 13 on the SF-424 match the NOFA for which you are applying. If they do not match, you have downloaded the wrong Application Instruction and Application Package.

Submission of an application that is otherwise sufficient, under the wrong CFDA and Funding Opportunity Number is a curable deficiency.

1. Content.

Forms/Assurances/Certifications Submission Requirement Notes/Description

Application for Federal Assistance

(SF424)

Submission is required for all applicants by the application due date.

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SFLLL), if applicable

HUD will provide instructions to grantees on how the form is to be submitted.

If any funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with this commitment providing for the United States to insure or guarantee a loan, the applicant shall complete and submit the SF-LLL, "Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying," in accordance with its instructions. Applicants must furnish an executed copy of the Certification Regarding Lobbying prior to award.

HUD Applicant Recipient Disclosure Report (HUD) 2880 Applicant/Recipient Disclosure/Update Report

HUD will provide instructions to grantees on how the form is to be submitted.

HUD instructions to grantees are provided by webcast, To view the webcast, click here.

http://media.gss.hud.gov:8080/WC/2011/02/11/HUDForm2880.wmv

Additionally, your complete application must include the following narratives and non-form attachments.

Abstract - One-page application summary as described in Section IV.B.2.b below.

Narrative statement addressing ratings factors.

Appendix containing up to 5 resumes of key personnel.

Appendix that lists the names of the firms for all of the subcontractors and consultants with whom the applicant has entered into an agreement to participate in an award under this NOFA and a brief statement of each firm's qualifications.

Appendix containing a list of references outlining the applicant's performance of recent research (within five years).

Budget submission (display of all anticipated costs during the performance period, including an indirect cost rate).

Code of Conduct. Applicants selected for funding will be required to provide HUD with their written Code of Conduct if they have not previously done so and it is not recorded on the HUD website at: http://www.hud.gov/offices/adm/grants/codeofconduct/cconduct.cfm

2. Format and Form.

Narratives and other attachments to your application must follow the following format guidelines.

a. Narrative addressing rating factors should not exceed 25 pages. The narrative page limits do not include required forms, assurances and certifications, the appendix of participating firms and contractors, the appendix of resumes, the appendix of reference letters, the budget narrative, and the one-page abstract. The narrative must be formatted to fit an 8 1/2 by 11-inch page, double-spaced (information requirements), with one-inch margins, using standard Times New Roman 12-point font. Resumes are subject to a separate 20-page limit as follows:

i. the application shall include resumes for no more than 5 key personnel; and

ii. no individual resume shall exceed 4 pages. Submitting pages in excess of page limits will not disqualify an applicant; however, HUD will not consider the information on any excess pages. This exclusion may result in a lower score.

b. Abstract - One-page application summary needs to include:

i. A brief description of the proposed research and/or evaluation project; and

ii. Provide funding request in whole dollar amount. The amount requested should be based on the scope of the project, personnel costs, other direct costs, as well as administrative costs, etc.

C. System for Award Management (SAM) and Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number.

1. SAM Registration Requirement.

Applicants must be registered with https://www.sam.gov/SAM before submitting their application. In addition, Applicants must maintain an active SAM registration with current information while they have an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by HUD.

2. DUNS Number Requirement.

Applicants must provide a valid DUNS number, registered and active at https://www.sam.gov/SAM, in the application. DUNS numbers may be obtained for free from Dun & Bradstreet.

3. Requirement to Register with Grants.gov.

Anyone planning to submit applications on behalf of an organization must register at grants.gov and be approved by the EBiz POC in SAM to submit applications for the organization.

Registration for SAM and grants.gov is a multi-step process and can take four (4) weeks or longer to complete if data issues arise. Applicants without a valid registration cannot apply through grants.gov. Complete registration instructions and guidance are provided on grants.gov.

D. Application Submission Dates and Times.

Application Due Date Explanation The application deadline is 11:59:59 pm Eastern Standard time on

06/18/2020 Applications must be received no later than the deadline.

Submit your application to Grants.gov unless a waiver has been issued allowing you to submit your application in paper form. Instructions for submitting your paper application will be contained in the waiver of electronic submission.

"Received by Grants.gov" means the applicant received a confirmation of receipt and an application tracking number from Grants.gov. Grants.gov then assigns an application tracking number and date-and timestamps each application upon successful receipt by the Grants.gov system. A submission attempt not resulting in confirmation of receipt and an application tracking number is not considered received by Grants.gov.

Applications received by Grants.gov must be validated by Grants.gov to be received by HUD.

"Validated by Grants.gov" means the application has been accepted and was not rejected with errors. You can track the status of your application by logging into Grants.gov, selecting "Applicants" from the top navigation, and selecting “Track my application” from the dropdown list. If the application status is "rejected with errors,” you must correct the error(s) and resubmit the application before the 24-hour grace period ends. Applications in “rejected with errors” status after the 24-hour grace period expires will not be received by HUD. Visit Grants.gov for a complete description of processing steps after applying.

HUD strongly recommends applications be submitted at least 48 hours before the deadline and during regular business hours to allow enough time to correct errors or overcome other problems.

You can verify the contents of your submitted application to confirm Grants.gov received everything you intended to submit. To verify the contents of your submitted application:

Log in to Grants.gov.

Click the Check Application Status link, which appears under the Grant Applications heading in the Applicant Center page. This will take you to the Check Application Status page.

Enter search criteria and a date range to narrow your search results.

Click the Search button. To review your search results in Microsoft Excel, click the

Export Data button.

Review the Status column, to view more detailed submission information, click the

Details link in the Actions column.

To download the submitted application, click the Download link in the Actions column.

Please make note of the Grants.gov tracking number as it will be needed by the Grants.gov Help Desk if you seek their assistance.

HUD may extend the application deadline for any program if Grants.gov is offline or not available to applicants for at least 24 hours immediately prior to the deadline date, or the system is down for 24 hours or longer and impacts the ability of applicants to cure a submission deficiency within the grace period.

HUD may also extend the application deadline upon request if there is a presidentially declared disaster in the applicant’s area.

If these events occur, HUD will post a notice on its website establishing the new, extended deadline for the affected applicants. HUD will also include the fact of the extension in the program’s Notice of Funding Awards required to be published in the Federal Register.

In determining whether to grant a request for an extension based on a presidentially-declared disaster, HUD will consider the totality of the circumstances including the date of an applicant’s extension request (how closely it followed the basis for the extension), whether other applicants in the geographic area are similarly affected by the disaster, and how quickly power or services are restored to enable the applicant to submit its application.

PLEASE NOTE: Busy servers, slow processing, large file sizes, improper registration or password issues are not valid circumstances to extend the deadline dates or the grace period.

1. Amending or Resubmitting an Application.

Before the submission deadline, you may amend a validated application through Grants.gov by resubmitting a revised application containing the new or changed material. The resubmitted application must be received and validated by Grants.gov by the applicable deadline.

If HUD receives an original and a revised application for a single proposal, HUD will evaluate only the last submission received by Grants.gov before the deadline.

2. Grace Period for Grants.gov Submissions.

If your application is received by Grants.gov before the deadline, but is rejected with errors, you have a grace period of 24 hours after the application deadline to submit a corrected, received, and validated application through Grants.gov. The date and time stamp on the

Grants.gov system determines the application receipt time. Any application submitted during the grace period not received and validated by Grants.gov will not be considered for funding. There is no grace period for paper applications.

3. Late Applications.

An application received after the NOFA deadline date that does not meet the Grace Period requirements will be marked late and will not be received by HUD for funding consideration.

Improper or expired registration and password issues are not causes that allow HUD to accept applications after the deadline.

4. Corrections to Deficient Applications.

HUD will not consider information from applicants after the application deadline. Before the deadline, HUD may contact the applicant to clarify information submitted.

HUD will uniformly notify applicants of each curable deficiency. A curable deficiency is an error or oversight that, if corrected, would not alter, in a positive or negative fashion, the review and rating of the application. See curable deficiency in the definitions section (Section I.A.3.).

Examples of curable (correctable) deficiencies include inconsistencies in the funding request and failure to submit required certifications. These examples are non-exhaustive.

When HUD identifies a curable deficiency, HUD will notify the authorized representative by email. This email is the official notification of a curable deficiency. Each applicant must provide accurate email addresses for receipt of these notifications and must monitor their email accounts to determine whether a deficiency notification has been received. The applicant must carefully review the request to cure a deficiency and must provide the response in accordance with the instructions contained in the deficiency notification.

Applicants must email corrections of curable deficiencies to applicationsupport@hud.gov within the time limits specified in the notification. The time allowed to correct deficiencies will be no less than 48 hours and no more than 14 calendar days from the date of the email notification. The start of the cure period will be the date stamp on the email sent from HUD. If the deficiency cure deadline date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, Federal holiday, or on a day when HUD’s Headquarters are closed, then the applicant’s correction must be received on the next business day HUD Headquarters offices in Washington, DC are open.

The subject line of the email sent to applicationsupport@hud.gov must state: Technical Cure and include the Grants.gov application tracking number or the GrantSolutions application number (e.g., Subject: Technical Cure - GRANT123456 or Technical Cure - XXXXXXXXXXX). If this information is not included, HUD cannot match the response with the application under review and the application may be rejected due to the deficiency.

Corrections to a paper application must be sent in accordance with and to the address indicated in the notification of deficiency. HUD will treat a paper application submitted in accordance with a waiver of electronic application containing the wrong DUNS number as having a curable deficiency. Failure to correct the deficiency and meet the requirement to have a DUNS number and active registration in SAM will render the application ineligible for funding.

mailto:applicationsupport@hud.gov mailto:applicationsupport@hud.gov

5. Authoritative Versions of HUD NOFAs. The version of these NOFAs as posted on Grants.gov are the official documents HUD uses to solicit applications.

6. Exemptions. Parties that believe the requirements of the NOFA would impose a substantial burden on the exercise of their religion should seek an exemption under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).

E. Intergovernmental Review.

This program is not subject to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.

F. Funding Restrictions.

An organization may not conduct research or an evaluation of itself.

HUD will determine whether the salary rates are reasonable, customary for the skill set provided and the tasks to be conducted, and in accordance with federal legal requirements.

Applicants may submit only one application. No person may be listed as a principal investigator on more than one application under this announcement.

Indirect Cost Rate.

Normal indirect cost rules under 2 CFR part 200, subpart E apply. If you intend to charge indirect costs to your award, your application must clearly state the rate and distribution base you intend to use. If you have a Federally negotiated indirect cost rate, your application must also include a letter or other documentation from the cognizant agency showing the approved rate.

Successful applicants whose rate changes after the application deadline must submit new rate and documentation.

Applicants other than state, county and local governments. If you have a Federally negotiated indirect cost rate, your application must clearly state the approved rate and distribution base and must include a letter or other documentation from the cognizant agency showing the approved rate. If you have never received a negotiated indirect cost rate and elect to use the de minimis rate, your application must clearly state you intend to use the de minimis rate of 10% of Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC). As described in 2 CFR 200.403, costs must be consistently charged as either indirect or direct costs but may not be double charged or inconsistently charged as both. Once elected, the de minimis rate must be applied consistently for all Federal awards until you choose to negotiate for a rate, which you may apply to do at any time. Documentation of the decision to use the de minimis rate must be retained on file for audit.

State, county and local governments. If your department or agency unit has a Federally negotiated indirect cost rate, your application must include that rate, the applicable distribution base, and a letter or other documentation from the cognizant agency showing the negotiated rate.

If your department or agency unit receives more than $35 million in direct federal funding per year, you may not claim indirect costs until you receive a negotiated rate from your cognizant agency for indirect costs as provided in Appendix VII to 2 CFR Part 200.

If your department or agency unit receives no more than $35 million in direct federal funding per year and your department or agency unit has developed and maintains an indirect cost rate proposal and supporting documentation for audit in accordance with 2 CFR Part 200, Appendix VII, you may use the rate and distribution base specified in that indirect cost rate proposal.

Alternatively, if your department or agency unit receives no more than $35 million in direct

Federal funding per year and has never received a negotiated indirect cost rate, you may elect to use the de minimis rate of 10% of MTDC. As described in 2 CFR 200.403, costs must be consistently charged as either indirect or direct costs but may not be double charged or inconsistently charged as both. Once elected, the de minimis rate must be applied consistently for all Federal awards until you choose to negotiate for a rate, which you may apply to do at any time. Documentation of the decision to use the de minimis rate must be retained on file for audit.

G. Other Submission Requirements.

1. Application, Assurances and Certifications.

Standard Form 424 (SF-424) Application for Federal Assistance Programs is the government-wide form required to apply for Application for Federal Assistance Programs, discretionary Federal grants and other forms of financial assistance programs. Applicants for this Federal assistance program must submit all required forms in the SF-424 Family of forms, including SF- 424B (Assurances of Non construction Programs) or SF424D (Assurances for Construction Programs).Applications receiving funds for both non construction programs and construction programs must submit both the SF-424B and SF-424D.

By signing the forms in the SF-424 either through electronic submission or in paper copy submission (for those granted a waiver), the applicant and the signing authorized representative affirm that they have reviewed the certifications and assurances associated with the application for federal assistance and (1) are aware the submission of the SF424 is an assertion that the relevant certifications and assurances are established and (2) acknowledge that the truthfulness of the certifications and assurances are material representations upon which HUD will rely when making an award to the applicant.