PKG00261732-instructions.pdf

United States Department of State

Bureau of International Narcotics and Law

Enforcement Affairs (INL)

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

Announcement Type: Request for Federal Assistance Awards Applications

Public Opportunity Title: CARSI San Jose Travel & Logistics

NOFO Opportunity Number: INL20CA0038-CostaRica-TravelLogistics

Available Funding Amount: $2,500.000.00 U.S. Dollars

NOFO Issuance Date: Monday, May 18, 2020

Deadline for Receipt of Questions: Thursday, June 18, 2020

Deadline for Submission of Applications: Friday, July 17, 2020, 11:59 PM EST

CFDA Number: 19.704 – Counternarcotics

Program Type: U.S. Embassy Costa Rica

Grant Program: Central America Regional Security Initiative

Assistance Type: Cooperative Agreement

Eligibility Category: U.S.-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs);

Overseas-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations

(NGOs);

U.S.-based public institutions of higher education; and

Overseas private/state institutions of higher education

Applicant Type: Organizations

Award Ceiling: $2,500,000

Award Floor: $2,000,000

Cost Sharing Requirement: Recommended, but not required

INL Points of Contact: Grants Officer Katelyn Smith (SmithKB@state.gov);

INL Travel & Training Coordinator Carmen Rodriguez

(RodriguezCE2@state.gov)

Table of Contents

SECTION I – PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

SECTION II – FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

SECTION III – ELIGIBLITY INFORMATION

SECTION IV – ORGANIZATION REGISTRATIONS AND APPLICATION

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

SECTION V – APPLICATION CHECKLIST

SECTION VI – APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

SECTION VII – FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

TAB A: PROPOSAL GUIDELINES

TAB B: PROGRAM MONITORING AND EVALUATION PLAN

TAB C: BUDGET GUIDELINES

TAB D: GUIDELINES FOR STANDARD FORMS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The mission of the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement

Affairs (INL) is to minimize the impact of international crime and illegal drugs on the United States, its citizens, and partner nations by providing effective foreign assistance and fostering global cooperation. This mission, which centers on helping our partner nations establish a capable and accountable criminal justice sector, was expanded during the past decade to include stabilizing post-conflict societies through criminal justice sector development and reform. This mission supports peace and security by stabilizing and strengthening security institutions and by combating narco-trafficking and other transnational crimes such as money laundering and criminal gangs. It promotes just and democratic governments by strengthening justice sector institutions, good governance and respect for human rights.

INL combines forces with other USG and international agencies and takes a regional approach to widespread problems. INL also encourages more developed governments to take responsibility as equal partners in global efforts to combat transnational crime, include drug trafficking. The Bureau’s priority programs support three inter-related objectives:

BUILDING CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEMS: Institutionalize rule of law by developing and expanding criminal justice systems to strengthen partner country law enforcement and judicial effectiveness, foster cooperation in legal affairs, and advance respect for human rights;

mailto:SmithKB@state.gov mailto:RodriguezCE2@state.gov

COUNTER-NARCOTICS: Disrupt the overseas production and trafficking of illicit drugs through targeted counter-narcotics and institution-building assistance and coordination with foreign nations and international organizations, and;

TRANSNATIONAL CRIME: Minimize the impact of transnational crime and criminal networks on the U.S. and its allies through enhanced international cooperation and foreign assistance.

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

The United States Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement

Affairs, is seeking applications from qualified organizations for a Cooperative Agreement to implement a program entitled “CARSI San Jose Travel & Logistics”. The authority for this request for applications (NOFO) is found in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended.

Subject to the availability of funds, INL intends to issue an award of $2,500,000.00 in federal funding. The U.S. Dollar amount will be funded from INL allocated funds for a project period of eighteen months (1.5 years). INL may extend the program up to an additional 3.5 years, contingent on INL priorities, good performance on the award, and pending funding availability. INL reserves the right to fund any or none of the applications submitted and will determine the resulting level of funding for the award.

Questions about this opportunity should be sent via email to the INL points of contact listed on page 1 of this document. The deadline for submission of questions for this NOFO is June 18, 2020.

Responses to questions will be made available to all potential applicants through an addendum to this NOFO and posted on grants.gov.

GRANTS.GOV INFORMATION

To be eligible for an award, the applicant must submit all required information in its application through grants.gov, including the requirements found in any attachments to this grants.gov opportunity.

This funding opportunity is posted on www.grants.gov and may be amended. See Section IV for further details. Potential applicants should regularly check the website to ensure they have the latest information pertaining to this NOFO. Applicants will need to have available or download the most updated version of the Adobe program to their computers in order to view and save the Adobe forms properly. If you have difficulty registering on www.grants.gov or accessing the NOFO, please contact the grants.gov Helpdesk at 1-800-518-4726 or via email at support@grants.gov for technical assistance.

It is the responsibility of the recipient of this NOFO document to ensure that it has been received from Grants.gov in its entirety. INL bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes associated with electronic submissions.

DISCLAIMERS

Issuance of this NOFO does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the U.S.

http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:support@grants.gov government, nor does it commit the U.S. government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of an application. In addition, final award of any resultant grant agreement cannot be made until funds have been fully appropriated, allocated, and committed through internal INL procedures. While it is anticipated that these procedures will be successfully completed, potential applicants are hereby notified of these requirements and conditions for award. Applications are submitted at the risk of the applicant. All preparation and submission costs are at the applicant's expense.

SECTION I – PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

The Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) announces an open competition for assistance awards in Costa Rica. Organizations may submit grant proposals for a program to facilitate the implementation of law enforcement and rule of law assistance programs.

The activities under this award shall primarily take place within Costa Rica, but may include activities in other areas of the Western Hemisphere.

PROJECT PURPOSE/DESCRIPTION

The applicant shall be responsible for working with the INL office in Costa Rica in planning and scheduling all events, including, but not limited to: travel and logistic services for trainings, meetings, conferences, site visits and workshops in support of INL programs carried out by the Narcotics

Affairs Office (NAO) in Costa Rica.

The travel services that the applicant shall provide may include, but are not limited to:

Assisting sponsored travelers with reservations, issuance and delivery of tickets for air, rail, bus and other modes of travel as may be required; and where possible, advance seat assignments, advance boarding passes, and special permits needed to enter or travel within and outside of target countries, as identified;

Effecting reservations for lodging accommodations;

Arranging commercial automobile rental services;

Assisting with obtaining passports, visas, and advice regarding health requirements;

Providing detailed travelers' itineraries;

Designing and planning of activities such as seminars, conference, meetings and workshops at sites selected by the INL Office (including conference rooms, lodging, meals, ground transportation, audio-visual equipment, and related contractual services as may be required);

Creating information pamphlets for travelers. Information should include all related information of the ongoing event, including weather forecast and any other information of importance for the traveler;

Aiding in the recruitment of appropriate speakers or trainers;

Coordinating escorts and translators/interpreters;

Providing participants with a monetary travel advance to cover meals, incidentals, travel insurance taxis, etc. and a detailed breakdown of the cash advance received in order to manage and properly liquidate funds received, no additional expenses will be reimbursable to the traveler except if this is authorized in advance by the authorized person under this agreement;

Maintaining records of participants travel, attendance, statistics, etc.;

Providing monthly accountability status of remaining funds balance;

Collecting and preparing information necessary for the Leahy vetting process (for law enforcement/security forces participants);

Conducting post-training evaluations of personnel attending training events sponsored under this grant initiative.

PROJECT GOALS

INL is building the capacity of law enforcement, corrections and justice sector personnel through training, technical assistance, and mentoring, among other activities. As part of a regional platform, INL supports the travel of partner-nation personnel to attend trainings in other countries, furthering sharing of best practices. In support of this capacity-building work, and to accelerate implementation of training through travel, INL seeks to award a cooperative agreement for capacity-building training that includes a travel element.

Throughout the award period, the Narcotics Affairs Office at U.S. Embassy San Jose will work with awardees on the selection of trainings, participants, authorized costs, etc.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

INL is currently seeking a recipient to provide support to meet the following objectives:

1) Build the capacity of personnel from all sectors of Costa Rica Security Force structure, including: the Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Justice and Peace, Judicial Branch, Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of Environment, the Immigration Service, and other

Government of Costa Rica (GOCR) entities as may be required under the terms of the exiting letter of agreement (LOA) between the U.S. and Costa Rica.

2) Advance the capacity of vetted units of Costa Rican law enforcement.

It is estimated that up to 1,200 personnel will attend INL capacity-building events in an 18-month period in Costa Rica. The number of participants per event can range from just a few to dozens.

The events usually last anywhere from one (1) week to six (6) months, but the average event is approximately one week. Proposals should include a cost estimate based on the administrative costs of organizational processing of plane tickets, lodging reservations, facilities rental, refreshments, bedding supplies, translation, electronic funds transfer, managing conferences and meetings, and other associated costs.

Applicants may, but are not required to, design and propose their own capacity-building assistance programs, which should be well-defined in the application.

Proposals should include, but are not limited to the following activities:

1) Travel documents

2) Travel advances

3) Airline tickets / air transportation

4) Health, travel, and personal property insurance

5) Ground transportation

6) Lodging

7) Event management

8) Refreshments and meals

9) Unused e-ticket funding

10) Monthly reimbursements

11) Unused funds settlement

12) Planning for exceptional circumstances

13) Customer service

Activity 1 - Travel Documents: When required, the award recipient is responsible for assisting participants with obtaining appropriate travel documents such as visas, work permits (if required), immunization, costs for birth, health, and identity certificates, and other documents needed to attend the capacity-building event.

Activity 2 - Travel Advances: When required, the award recipient shall provide the participants with a travel advance up to the maximum per diem amount authorized by the U.S. Department of

State or lesser amount as determined by the award recipient and INL. The applicant shall ensure the participant receives the travel advance with sufficient time, no later than one day prior to departure, to reduce the financial burden associated with the event. The advance can be in cash, debit card, wire transfer, direct deposit or any other means not prohibited by U.S. or local laws.

Maximum per diem rates can be found at http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/26429 for U.S.

locations or https://aoprals.state.gov/Web920/per_diem.asp for foreign locations.

Activity 3 - Airline Tickets/Air Transportation: When required, the organization shall provide the participant with an airline ticket. All flights must comply with the Fly America Act.

Activity 4 - Health, Travel, and Personal Property Insurance: When required, the award recipient shall provide each participant, when traveling, with up to the maximum amount of insurance authorized by the FTR or FAR located at www.gsa.gov/federaltravelregulation. The applicant must ensure that all participants have the appropriate level of insurance before the travel begins.

Activity 5 - Ground Transportation: When required, the award recipient shall arrange the use of rented vehicles for individuals or groups to support INL capacity-building events. Ground transportation includes taxis, rented vehicles (sedans), pickup trucks, vans, or buses. If required by the U.S. Embassy Regional Security Office in the target country, the recipient organization shall take appropriate security measures to protect the safety of participants during the ground transportation process. The protection could include the use of armored vehicles. Ground transportation could include transportation to and from hotels to meeting facilities, to and from the http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/26429 https://aoprals.state.gov/Web920/per_diem.asp http://www.gsa.gov/federaltravelregulation airport and hotel, between sites of interest, etc. The award recipient shall ensure participants arrive at the sponsored event location at least 15 minutes before the event begins and shall take the necessary measures to ensure the vehicles meet host-country and U.S. Government safety standards.

Activity 6 - Lodging: When required, the award recipient is responsible for providing participants with adequate lodging such as hotels or apartments using the U.S. Department of State approved per diem rates. In some cases, the U.S. government may be able to obtain lodging at academy dormitories or other facilities. In these cases, the award recipient shall coordinate lodging arrangements directly with the U.S. government representative responsible for the capacity-building event. The award recipient could be required to provide bedding supplies such as pillows, blankets, and other associated supplies. The award recipient shall ensure that rented rooms are of adequate size to sleep at least two adults and take the necessary measures to ensure the rented lodging facilities meet U.S. or host-country sanitary and safety standards.

Activity 7 - Conference and Training Facilities: When required, the award recipient shall rent conference facilities appropriate for the capacity-building events. The facilities could include small conference rooms with space for five to ten people or large conference centers with capacity for hundreds of people. In some cases, the U.S. government will coordinate with the host-country to obtain conference or training facilities such as training academies. The award recipient could be required to provide audio-visual, computer equipment, communications (such as Internet, radios, cell phones, or other communications services), reception, cleaning, interpreter/translation services, and supplies to support capacity-building events. The award recipient shall take the necessary measures to ensure the rented conference/training facilities meet U.S. or host-country sanitary and safety standards.

Event Facilities. When required, the award recipient shall rent facilities to support the event.

Because the nature of INL supported events can vary, so too will the type of facilities needed to meet the event objective. Example facilities include, but are not limited to: small conference rooms, large conference centers, outdoor facilities that support specific training objectives, training centers, or training academies.

Event Facility Support Services. The award recipient could be required to provide audio-visual, computer equipment, communications (such as Internet, radios, cell phones, or other communications services), reception, cleaning, interpreter/translation services, and supplies to support an event’s stated objective. The award recipient shall take the necessary measures to ensure the rented event facilities meet U.S. and host country sanitary and safety standards, as well as all U.S. Embassy Regional Security Office policies.

Event Materials. When required, the award recipient shall prepare materials that support the event’s objectives. This could include, but is not limited to obtaining design services for event materials, to printing training manuals, printing course packets, printing promotional material, procuring and printing nametags, etc. The award recipient shall maintain express mail delivery services for sending materials or travel documents.

Event Keynote Invitees. When required, the award recipient shall help recruit/invite/contract with appropriate speakers, subject matter experts, trainers, and interpreters etc. to accomplish the event’s objectives. In the case of invited speakers, the award recipient may be required to pay honoraria that do not exceed the maximum allowable amount established in U.S. federal assistance guidelines based on factors such as reasonable rates, fair market value, profile, or level of expertise.

Event Fees. When required, the award recipient shall provide event fees as training expenses for participants. Event fees may be authorized and paid to the organization providing the conference or training. This can range from a conference entrance fee to paying specific fees for licenses associated with training courses deemed to be in the interest of the U.S. government.

Activity 8 - Refreshments and Meals: When required, the award recipient is responsible for providing participants with government approved per diem or meals such as hot breakfast, lunch, and dinner at locations where the participant cannot obtain meals at public facilities. When needed, the award recipient shall also provide snacks, coffee, tea, and non-alcoholic refreshments during capacity-building events. The award recipient shall ensure that coffee, tea, and drinking water are available throughout the duration of the event. The award recipient shall take the necessary measures to ensure food and beverages meet U.S. or host-country sanitary standards.

Activity 9 - Unused Funds Settlement: When required, the award recipient shall take required actions to recover unused funds resulting from cancellations by participants, vendors, facilities, etc.

Voucher settlement includes obtaining receipts from hotels, boarding passes, and other documentation. In the event the award recipient owes money to a participant, settlement shall be made no later than 15 calendar days after the last day of the capacity-building event.

Activity 10 –Database Management: The award recipient shall maintain accurate digital records of each participant, including name, parent organization, country of origin, event attended, dates, costs per participant, INL project(s) that funded the event, and other information such as evaluations of the training provided, in a format mutually agreed to by the U.S. government and the recipient organization. The recipient organization shall provide this information to the Grants

Officer Representative (GOR) no later than 30 days after the completion of each capacity-building event.

Activity 11 - Unused Funds Settlement: When required, the award recipient shall take required actions to recover unused funds resulting from cancellations by participants, vendors, facilities, etc.

Voucher settlement includes obtaining receipts from hotels, boarding passes, and other documentation. In the event the award recipient owes money to a participant, settlement shall be made no later than 15 calendar days after the last day of the event/operational activity.

Activity 12 – Exceptional Circumstances: The award recipient shall be capable of providing ad-hoc administrative and logistical support for travel within 24 hours. The recipient will accommodate late travel and/or training requests whenever possible.

Activity 13 – Customer Service: The award recipient will maintain a professional, customer-service focused staff that complies with U.S. Embassy San Jose workplace policies and norms.

Substantial Involvement:

INL/Washington and INL/Costa Rica may be substantially involved during the implementation of this Cooperative Agreement in the following ways:

Approval of the Recipient’s annual work plans, including: planned activities for the following year, travel plans, planned expenditures, event planning, and changes to any activity to be carried out under the Cooperative Agreement;

Approval of key personnel prior to contracting with any personnel that contemplates use of project funds;

Approval of sub-award Recipients (if any), and concurrence on the substantive provisions of the sub-awards; and coordination with other cooperating agencies; and

Approval of Monitoring and Evaluation Plan;

Participation in the design and direction of program activities;

Guidance in the execution of all program components;

Approval and input on program timelines and agendas;

Review and approval of all program publicity and recruitment materials;

Approval of decisions related to special circumstances or problems throughout the duration of the program;

Assistance with participant emergencies;

Liaison with relevant U.S. and host-country personnel, and personnel from other governments.

Assist recipient with the vetting process of participants

DESIRED RESULTS AND ILLUSTRATIVE INDICATORS

By the end of the first eighteen months of the project, the selected applicant is expected to provide administrative, logistical, and programmatic support for INL-Costa Rica programs for between approximately 200 - 1,200 participants. INL and the grantee will work together to determine the appropriate assistance needed for each capacity-building event.

Recipients will be required to provide monthly reports with an analysis and summary of their findings, both quantitative and qualitative, in their regular program reports to the Bureau. Reports should be presented by program expenses, which must include an expense breakdown by INL program.

Complete proposals will include a detailed plan on how the project’s impact and effectiveness will be monitored and evaluated throughout the project. Successful monitoring and evaluation plans will include the following:

Setting objectives that are clear, specific, attainable, measurable, results-focused, and placed in a reasonable time frame;

Linking program activities to stated objectives;

Developing key performance indicators that measure realistic progress towards the objectives.

Applicants should propose output and outcome indicators, as well as corresponding targets, based on the program goals and the specifications provided in this solicitation. Indicators could include timeliness of services, quality of interaction between the award recipient and program participants, number of female travelers, outcomes of surveys, etc.

Applicants should include a clear description of the methodology and data collection strategies or tools to be employed (e.g. pre- and post-surveys, interviews, focus groups). The grantee should be able to track participant training responses, including changes in attitudes, information learned, and effects of the program on participant institutions.

[END OF SECTION I]

SECTION II – FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

INL expects to award one (1) cooperative agreement based on this NOFO. The anticipated federal funding amount is $2,500,000.00. The period of performance is eighteen months (1.5 years) with an anticipated start date of October 2020. INL may award up to 3.5 additional years pending INL priorities, good performance of the recipient, and funding availability.

The U.S. government may issue one or more awards resulting from this NOFO to the responsible applicant(s) whose application(s) conforming to this NOFO are the most responsive to the objectives set forth in this NOFO. The U.S. government may (a) reject any or all applications, (b) accept other than the lowest cost application, (c) accept more than one application, (d) accept alternate applications, and (e) waive informalities and minor irregularities in applications received.

The U.S. government may make award on the basis of initial applications received, without discussions or negotiations. Therefore, each initial application should contain the applicant's best terms from a cost and technical standpoint. The U.S. government reserves the right (but is not under obligation to do so), however, to enter into discussions with one or more applicants in order to obtain clarifications, additional detail, or to suggest refinements in the program description, budget, or other aspects of an application.

Pursuant to 2 CFR 200.400g, it is U.S. Department of State policy not to award profit under assistance instruments. All reasonable, allocable, and allowable expenses, however, both direct and indirect, which are related to the agreement program and are in accordance with applicable cost standards (CFR 200 for US and overseas-based non-profit organizations, and universities;

may be paid under the grant or cooperative agreement). NOTE: overseas-based nonprofit organizations are legally required to comply with the 2 CFR 200.

[END OF SECTION II]

SECTION III – ELIGIBLITY INFORMATION

Eligibility for this NOFO is limited to:

U.S.-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

U.S.-based educational institutions with a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS.

Overseas-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs); and

Overseas-based private/state educational institutions.

Applicants also must meet all of the following requirements:

Demonstrate experience implementing similar travel logistics or capacity-building programs, preferably in Central America.

o INL reserves the right to request additional background information on organizations that do not have previous experience administering similar programs and/or federal grant awards.

Have the ability to communicate, produce course materials, and conduct evaluations in

Spanish and English. At least some project staff must be proficient in English in order to fulfill reporting requirements.

Include project staff with knowledge of federal and local travel regulations.

Note: Public International Organizations (PIOs) and For-Profit Organizations are excluded from applying to this grant announcement.

To be eligible for a grant award, in addition to other conditions of this NOFO, organizations must have a commitment to non‐discrimination with respect to beneficiaries and adherence to equal opportunity employment practices. INL is committed to an anti-discrimination policy in all of its programs and activities. INL welcomes applications irrespective of an applicant’s race, ethnicity, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or other status.

Applicants are reminded that U.S. Executive Orders and U.S. law prohibits transactions with, and the provision of resources and support to, individuals and organizations associated with terrorism. It is the legal responsibility of the recipient to ensure compliance with these Executive Orders and laws. This provision must be included in any sub‐awards issued under this grant award.

INL encourages applications from potential new partners.

[END OF SECTION III]

SECTION IV – ORGANIZATION REGISTRATIONS AND APPLICATION

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

INL urges prospective applicants to immediately confirm their organization’s Unique Entity Identifier

Number (formerly Dun and Bradstreet (DUNS) number) as well as a current Central Contractor

Registration via www.SAM.gov.

All organizations must also continue to maintain active SAM.gov registration with current information at all times during which they have an active Federal award or application under consideration by a Federal award agency. SAM.gov requires all entities to renew their registration once a year in order to maintain an active registration status in SAM.gov. If an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements at the time of application, INL may determine that the applicant is unqualified to receive an award and use that determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant.

Note: The process of obtaining a SAM.gov registration may take anywhere from 4-8 weeks. Please begin your registration as early as possible.

Note: Organizations physically located OUTSIDE of the U.S. and territories and wishing to conduct business (contracts/grants) with the U.S. Government, must FIRST request a NCAGE Code, followed by a DUNS Number and then complete the registration process in SAM.gov.

U.S. based Organizations, wishing to conduct business (contracts/grants) with the U.S. Government to include Foreign Government, please proceed directly to SAM.gov. A U.S. CAGE Code will be assigned at the end of the SAM.gov Registration process.

CAGE/NCAGE Registration

For US-based organizations, a CAGE code will automatically be assigned to your entity once you submit your entity’s registration in SAM.gov and the TIN validation has been returned.

NCAGE Codes are required for all foreign entities prior to starting a SAM registration.

Note: The organization’s name, address, and email information must match what you used to request your Unique Entity Identifier (DUNS Number) Please ensure that alphabets, numerical characters, symbols, etc. and spacing is the same in both systems during the registration process. Otherwise, you will receive error messages when applying for the NCAGE code.

Organizations can submit a request for an NCAGE Code using the NCAGE Request Tool at https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/Docs/US%20Instructions%20for%20NSPA%20NCAGE.pd

f. Detailed instructions are posted at that site. For additional information, call 1-269-961-4623 or email NCAGE@dlis.dla.mil.

NCAGE registrations for overseas organizations can take up to 10 days (or more) to finalize once a request has been received. Please plan accordingly.

Unique Entity Identifier (DUNS Number)

All applicant organizations (foreign and domestic) must obtain a DUNS number.

US-based organizations may request a DUNS number by calling 1-866-705-5711 or email:

http://www.sam.gov/ https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/Docs/US%20Instructions%20for%20NSPA%20NCAGE.pdf https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/Docs/US%20Instructions%20for%20NSPA%20NCAGE.pdf mailto:NCAGE@dlis.dla.mil http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html

SAMHelp@dnb.com; the DUNS number is usually provided immediately.

Foreign organizations that do not have a Unique Entity Identifier (DUNS number) will need to go to the Dun & Bradstreet website at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/CCRSearch.do?val=1 to start the process for obtaining a DUNS number. If further assistance is required, please email:

SAMHelp@dnb.com.

The organization’s name, address, and email information used to request the NCAGE mode must match what is used to request your Unique Entity Identifier (DUNS Number). Please ensure that alphabets, numerical characters, symbols, etc. and spacing is the same in both systems during the registration process.

SAM.gov Registration

SAM.gov registration is required of all INL applicants prior to registering with www.grants.gov. If your organization was previously registered in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR), you must still create a new Individual User Account in SAM.gov prior to receiving a future federal grant.

For U.S.-based organizations that already have a TIN (taxpayer identification number), your SAM registration should take approximately 3-5 business days to process. For U.S.-based organizations applying for an EIN (employer identification number), please allow up to 2 weeks. Foreign organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier number and an NCAGE code prior to completing the SAM.gov registration process. Please follow the above listed instructions to obtain each.

If your organization is registered with SAM.gov and your status is NOT listed as active, you will need to update your registration prior to submitting an application through www.grants.gov. SAM.gov requires all organizations (foreign and domestic) to register on an annual basis.

The organization’s name, address, and email information used to request your organization’s Unique

Entity Identifier (DUNS number) and the NCAGE Code must match what is used to request the

SAM.gov validation Please ensure that alphabets, numerical characters, symbols, and spacing is the same in both systems during the registration process. Otherwise, you will receive error messages when registering in SAM.gov.

Any applicant listed on the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) in the System for Award Management

(SAM) is not eligible to apply for an assistance award in accordance with the OMB guidelines at 2 CFR

180 that implement Executive Orders 12549 (3 CFR, 1986 Comp., p. 189) and 12689 (3 CFR, 1989

Comp., p. 235), “Debarment and Suspension.” Additionally, no entity listed on the EPLS can participate in any activities under an award. All applicants are strongly encouraged to review the EPLS in SAM.gov to ensure that ineligible entities are excluded from their applications.

All organizations must also continue to maintain active SAM.gov registration with current information at all times during which they have an active Federal award or application under consideration by a mailto:SAMHelp@dnb.com http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/CCRSearch.do?val=1 mailto:SAMHelp@dnb.com

Federal award agency. SAM.gov requires all entities to renew their registration once a year in order to maintain an active registration status in SAM.gov. If an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements at the time of application, INL may determine that the applicant is unqualified to receive an award and use that determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant.

Applicant organizations can obtain assistance for SAM.gov registration by visiting https://www.fsd.gov or by calling 1-866-606-8220 (U.S. calls)/or 1-324-206-7828 (international calls). In October 2017, new information was added to the www.SAM.gov website to help international registrations, including

“Quick Start Guide for International Registrations” and “Helpful Hints”. Navigate to SAM.gov, click

HELP in the top navigation bar, then click International Registrants in the left navigation panel.

Grants.gov Registration

To apply for a grant, your organization must complete the Grants.gov registration process. The registration process can take 10 business days or longer, even if all registration steps are completed in a timely manner.

Please log into http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html to obtain complete instructions on the registration process.

Foreign Registrants: Anyone residing and doing business outside of the United States is still required to complete the five steps of the Grants.gov registration process, in addition to fulfilling supplementary requirements for doing business with the United States government. Please ensure that you have obtained an NCAGE code, a UEI number (also referred to as DUNS number), and an “ACTIVE” status in SAM.gov prior to registering in Grants.gov.

Grants.gov Applications

Please refer to the Grants.gov website for definitions of various "application statuses" and the difference between a submission receipt and a submission validation. Applicants will receive a validation e-mail from Grants.gov upon the successful submission of an application. Validation of an electronic submission via Grants.gov can take up to two business days.

Late applications are neither reviewed nor considered unless the INL point of contact listed in the NOFO is contacted prior to the deadline and is provided with evidence of a system error caused by Grants.gov that is outside of the applicant’s control and is the sole reason for a late submission.

Applicants are required to document that the application has been received by Grants.gov in its entirety.

INL bears no responsibility for disqualification that result from applicants not being registered before the due date, for system errors in Grants.gov, or other errors in the application process. Applicants should not expect a separate notification from INL upon receiving their application.

TECHNICAL FORMAT REQUIREMENTS

For all application documents, please ensure:

http://www.fsd.gov/

A. All pages are numbered, including budgets and attachments, B. All documents are formatted to 8 ½ x 11 paper, and

C. All Microsoft Word documents are single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, with a minimum of 1-inch margins.

TECHNICAL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Technically eligible applications are those that:

Arrive electronically via Grants.gov by the designated due date and time noted in the NOFO. If reasonable accommodations are granted for persons with disabilities or for security reasons, applications must still be received by INL by the designated due date and time noted in the

NOFO;

Are in English and all costs are in U.S. dollars. If an original document within the application is in another language, an English translation must be provided. If any document is provided in both English and a foreign language, the English language version is the controlling version.

(Please note: The Department of State, as indicated in 2 CFR 200.111, requires that English is the official language of all award documents);

Heed all instructions contained in the NOFO, including length and completeness of application, including all required documents; and

Do not violate any of the guidelines stated in the NOFO

It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all of the documents submitted in the grant application package are complete, accurate, and current. INL strongly encourages all applicants, especially foreign or first-time applicants, to submit applications before the designated due date to ensure that the application has been received and is complete.

[END SECTION IV]

SECTION V – APPLICATION CHECKLIST

Complete applications must include all the following items:

1. Completed and signed SF-424, SF-424A, as well as SF-424B if applicable

Submitted via www.grants.gov

Please see Tab D for instructions for completion of Standard Forms 424, 424A, and 424B.

The SF-424B is required only for those applicants who have not registered in SAM.gov or recertified their registration in SAM.gov since February 2, 2019.

2. Proof of business registration in Panama

Applicants must submit proof of active or pending renewal of business registration in

Panama. Any document that can demonstrate business registration is acceptable.

3. Proposal Narrative

The Proposal Narrative (approx. 12-16 pages) should:

i. Fully explain the project’s goals, objectives, and activities. Objectives should be ambitious, yet measureable, results-focused, and achievable in a reasonable time frame. Applicant should explain the project’s significance or contribution to the INL mandate specified in the NOFO.

ii. Activities should be clearly developed and detailed. Narrative should articulate how the proposed activities contribute to objectives and overall project goal.

iii. Outline the applicant’s organizational capacity to implement the proposed project,

iv. Outline in detail the project approach, sustainability, potential impact, and complementarity to ongoing efforts.

v. Identify target areas for activities, identify target participant groups or selection criteria for participants, address how the project will engage relevant stakeholders, and identify local partners as appropriate, among other pertinent details. If partners are included, the narrative should clearly describe the division of labor between the direct applicant and partners.

vi. Expand upon the risk analysis to provide greater context, operational or programmatic security concerns, and a contingency plan for overcoming potential difficulties in executing the original work plan.

Must also include the following components (approx. 4-5 pages):

i. Cover page that includes the following information:

1. Applicant organization name

2. Project title

3. Contact information for applicant organization’s main point of contact

4. Project length (estimated months or dates)

5. Total requested funding amount in U.S. Dollars

ii. Table of Contents

1. Should list all sections and attachments with page numbers

iii. Executive Summary

1. Not to exceed two (2) pages

2. Summary should include a brief statement of work or synopsis of the project, including a concise breakdown of the project’s goals, objectives, and results

3. Summary should include a brief statement on the project’s innovativeness, sustainability, and impact.

Not to exceed twenty (20) total pages.

4. Summary and Detailed Line-Item Budget

In spreadsheet; includes the following columns: amount requested from INL, cost sharing contributions (if any), and total budget.

Applicants must submit a budget summary using the OMB-approved budget categories (see

SF-424-A as a sample). Costs must be in U.S. dollars.

A sample template is provided as an attachment under the announcement via www.grants.gov.

5. Budget Narrative

Includes an explanation and justification for each line item listed in the detailed budget spreadsheet, as well as the source and a description of all cost-share offered.

The budget narrative should communicate to INL any information that might not be readily apparent in the budget rather than simply repeating with words what is stated numerically in the budget.

For ease of review, INL recommends applicants order the budget narrative as presented in the detailed budget.

Personnel costs should include a clarification of the roles and responsibilities of key staff and percentage of time devoted to the project.

Applicants that have other USG-funded projects must confirm that the total time devoted by personnel assigned to more than one project does not exceed 100%.

A sample template is provided as an attachment under the announcement via www.grants.gov.

6. Monitoring and Evaluation Plan

See TAB B below for more information on this section

Sample templates provided as attachments under the announcement via www.grants.gov.

7. Logic Model

See TAB B below for more information on this section

Sample templates provided as attachments under the announcement via www.grants.gov.

8. Timeline of the overall proposal

Components should include activities, evaluation efforts, and program closeout

9. Program Risk Analysis

Provide the required risk analysis information as noted in TAB B of this NOFO

Sample template is provided as an attachment under the announcement via www.grants.gov.

10. Roles and responsibilities of key program personnel

Including short bios that highlight relevant professional experience that relates to the organization’s capacity. Given the limited space, CVs are not recommended for submission.

11. A list of previous and/or current U.S. federal assistance awards received

Including the awarding agency, point of contact, name of the project, start and end dates, and amount of the award.

If a list of previous and/or current U.S. federal assistance awards received cannot be provided, an explanation must be submitted with the proposal submission.

12. INL Pre Award/Grantee Annual Survey

Provide responses in the template provided by INL that reviews the organization’s financial capacity and infrastructure.

Sample template is provided as an attachment under the announcement via www.grants.gov.

13. A copy the applicant organization’s most recent audit, if applicable

Required per 2 CFR 200.500 – Subpart F).

If an audit cannot be provided, an explanation must be submitted with the application.

14. NICRA, if applicable

If the applicant organization has a negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA) and will include NICRA charges in the budget, your latest NICRA must be included as a PDF file.

This document will not be reviewed by the panelists, but rather used by program and grant staff if the submission is recommended for funding, and therefore does not count against the submission page limitations, as described above.

If a proposal includes subgrants to organizations charging indirect costs, please submit the applicable NICRA(s).

See “Indirect Cost Rate” below for more information on indirect cost rates

If the applicant organization does not have a negotiated indirect cost rate agreement

(NICRA) please specify if the organization elects to charge the de Minimis rate of 10% of the Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC). MTDC excludes equipment, capital expenditures, charges for patient care, rental costs, tuition remission, scholarships and fellowships, participant support costs and the portion of each subaward in excess of $25,000.” The de

Minimis rate must be included in the detailed budget and an explanation must be provided in the budget narrative.

15. Attachments (optional)

Not to exceed five (5) pages total, preferably in Microsoft Word, which may include: further timeline information, letters of support, memoranda of understanding (MOU)/agreement, etc.

i. For applicants with a large number of letters/MOUs, it may be useful to provide a list of the organizations or government agencies that support the program rather than the actual documentation.

Applications that do not include the items listed above will be deemed technically ineligible.

INL retains the right to request additional documentation for those items not included on this form.

[END OF SECTION V]

SECTION VI – APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

The technical applications and proposal submissions will be evaluated in accordance with the

Technical Evaluation Criteria set forth below. Technical evaluation of applications will be based on the extent and appropriateness of proposed approaches and feasibility of achieving the strategic objectives, in accordance with the following criteria.

If award is not made on the initial applications, INL may request clarification and supplemental materials from applicants whose applications have a reasonable chance of being selected for award. The entry into discussion is to be viewed as part of the evaluation process and shall not be deemed by INL or the applicants as indicative of a decision or commitment upon the part of INL to make an award to the applicants with whom discussions are being held.

I. TECHNICAL EVALUATION CRITERIA

A technical evaluation committee, using the criteria shown in this Section, will evaluate the technical applications. The various functional elements of the technical criteria are assigned weighted scores, so that the applicants will know which areas require emphasis in the preparation of applications.

Where technical applications are considered essentially equal, cost may be the determining factor. Applicants should note that these criteria serve as the standard against which all applications will be evaluated and serve to identify the significant matters which applicants should address in their applications.

The relative importance of each criterion is indicated by the number of points assigned. A total of 100 points is possible.

Quality of Program Idea (Total Possible Points - 25):

Responsive to the solicitation (5 points)

Appropriate in the country/regional context (5)

Exhibits originality, substance, and precision (5)

Prioritizes innovation but is feasible (5)

In countries where similar activities are already taking place, provides an explanation as to how new activities will not duplicate or merely add to existing activities (5)

Program Planning/Ability to Achieve Objectives (Total Possible Points – 25):

Includes a clear articulation of how the proposed program activities contribute to the overall program objectives (3)

Each activity is clearly developed and detailed (3)

Provides a comprehensive quarterly work plan for project activities that demonstrates substantive undertakings within the logistical capacity of the organization (3)

Objectives are clear, specific, attainable, measurable results-focused and placed in a reasonable time frame (3)

Addresses how the program will engage or obtain support from relevant stakeholders and identifies local partners where appropriate (3)

Describes the division of labor among the direct applicant, any partners and any potential subgrantees (2)

Proposal clearly articulates understanding of the security situation/operating environment and plans for ensuring safety of participants (2)

Includes contingency plans for potential difficulties in executing the original work plan

(6)

Cost Effectiveness/Cost Sharing (Total Possible Points - 15):

The overhead and administration of the proposal, including salaries and honoraria, are explained and justified for the work involved (5)

All budget items are necessary, appropriate and linked to program objectives (5)

Personnel costs are…