PKG00262691-instructions.pdf

USDA WIC Online Ordering Grant Fiscal Year 2020 Request for Applications (RFA)

Catalog for Federal Domestic Assistance Number (CFDA): 10.557

This project will be awarded as a Cooperative Agreement.

Release Date: July 20, 2020

Application Due Date: 11:59 PM, Eastern Standard Time (EST), August 19, 2020

Anticipated Award Date: September 2020

OMB BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number.

The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-0512. The estimated average time required to complete this information collection is 45 hours per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

On December 31, 2017, Grants.gov officially retired the legacy .PDF application package as a method to apply for a federal grant. This changed the way many Grants.gov users completed and submitted their grant applications. More information on the Grants.gov process can be found here or by visiting: https://grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html https://grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html https://grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform

APPLICATION CHECKLIST

This Application Checklist provides applicants with a list of the required documents. However, FNS expects that applicants will read the entire RFA prior to the submission of their application and comply with all requirements outlined in the solicitation. The Application Checklist is for applicant use only and should not be submitted as part of the Application Package.

Complete the following at least four weeks prior to submission:

Obtain a Dun & Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number;

Register the DUNS number in the System for Award Management (SAM); and, Register in Grants.gov.

When preparing your application, ensure:

Application format and narrative meet the requirements included in Section IV “Application and

Submission Information.” This includes page limits, priorities outlined in Section IV, and all necessary attachments.

When preparing your budget, ensure the following information is included:

All key staff proposed to be paid by this grant.

The percentage of time the Project Director will devote to the project in full-time equivalents

(FTEs).

Your organization’s fringe benefit rate and amount, as well as the basis for the computation.

The type of fringe benefits to be covered with federal funds.

Itemized travel expenses (including type of travel), travel justifications and basis for lodging estimates.

Types of equipment and supplies, justifications, and estimates, ensuring that the budget is in line with the project description.

Information for all contracts and justification for any sole-source contracts.

Justification, description and itemized list of all consultant services.

Indirect cost information (either a copy of a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) or if no agreement exists and the applicant has never been approved for a NICRA, they may charge up to 10% de minimis). If applicant is requesting the de minimis rate or indirect costs are not requested, please indicate this in the budget narrative.

When submitting your application, ensure you have submitted the following:

SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance (fillable PDF in Grants.gov) SF-424A Budget Information and Instruction Form (fillable PDF in Grants.gov) SF-424B Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (fillable PDF in Grants.gov) SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities FNS-906 Grant Program Accounting System & Financial Capability Questionnaire (Appendix B)

Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (PDF - Upload using the “Add Attachments” button under SF-424 item #15) file://fnsva/snp/wic/FM/FNS%20Grant%20Management%20Programs/GMOB/Terms%20and%20Conditions/www.fns.usda.gov/privacy-policy https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-3-username-password.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.htmld

Application Checklist (continued)

When applicable, application packages are required to include the following documents:

AD-3030 – Representations Regarding Felony Conviction and Tax Delinquent Status for Corporate

Applicants (fillable PDF in Grants.gov) AD-1047 – Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters

Primary Covered Transactions AD-1048 – Certification Regarding Department, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion

Lower Tier Covered Transactions AD-1049 – Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (Grants) Alternative I –

For Grantees Other Than Individuals AD-1050 – Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (Grants) Alternative II –

For Grantees Who Are Individuals AD-1052 – Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace State and State Agencies, Federal Fiscal

Year AD-3031 – Assurance Regarding Felony Conviction or Tax Delinquent Status For Corporate

Applicants mailto:FOIA@fns.usda.gov mailto:FOIA@fns.usda.gov https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html file://fnsva/office/FM/FNS%20Grant%20Management%20Programs/GMOB/RFA%20Information/RFA%20Template/www.sam.gov file://fnsva/office/FM/FNS%20Grant%20Management%20Programs/GMOB/RFA%20Information/RFA%20Template/www.sam.gov http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform mailto:support@grants.gov mailto:support@grants.gov https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-5-track-aor-status.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-5-track-aor-status.html https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-1049 https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-1049

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Application Checklist 3

Table of Contents 5

I. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVES 7

Program Description

Introduction

Purpose

Background

Key Objectives

II. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION 11

Cooperative Agreement

Purpose of Cooperative Agreement

Funding

Award Period and Project Timeline

Program Specific Requirements

Regular Conference Calls

Interim Deliverables

Final Deliverables

Allowable Costs

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION 15

Eligible Applicants

Cost Sharing or Matching Considerations

Other Eligibility Criteria

Pre-Award Screening Requirements

Acknowledgement of USDA Support

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION 16

Address to Request Application Package

Content and Form of Application Submission

Activities/Indicators Tracker

Submission Date

Preparing for Electronic Application Submission through Grants.gov

How to Submit an Application via Grants.gov

Grants.gov Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION 25

Review Criteria

Evaluation of Grant Application Criteria

Evaluation Factors and Criteria

Review and Selection Process

VI. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION 27

Federal Award Notice

Administrative and National Policy Requirements

Confidentiality of an Application

Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality of the Review Process

Administrative Regulations

Code of Federal Regulations and Other Government Requirements

Reporting Requirements

Financial Reports

Performance Progress Report (PPR)

VII. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS 31

VIII. OTHER INFORMATION 31

Debriefing Requests

APPENDIX A 32

APPENDIX B 34

APPENDIX C

I. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVES

Program Description

Introduction The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), is a federal nutrition assistance program that serves low-income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to five years old who are at nutritional risk. WIC provides nutritious foods, nutrition education including breastfeeding promotion and support, and referrals to health and other social services to participants in all 50 states, 33 Indian Tribal Organizations, American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Commonwealth Islands of the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

As the WIC transition to electronic benefit transfers (EBT) reaches completion, it seems appropriate to look to the next opportunity to improve the participant experience. Households that participate in WIC should have the opportunity to shop for foods, especially those needed to address nutritional deficits, the way others shop for food, by ordering online. In addition, the current events of COVID-19 have enabled USDA to push through many of the challenges experienced in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) online ordering pilot quickly and efficiently. In a similar way, this grant will assist USDA in identifying and solving challenges to develop best practices for moving this model to the WIC program.

This is an announcement of the availability of funds for a one-time initiative cooperative agreement for fiscal years (FYs) 2020-2023 with an entity (i.e., a research institute that is public, private, or nonprofit; an accredited college or university; or a public health organization or program) that meets the technical requirements outlined in this RFA. In this funding cycle, USDA anticipates awarding up to $2,500,000 to one selected applicant. The recipient of this cooperative agreement is referred to in this document as the Grantee.

The Grantee must work toward implementation of online ordering in WIC through the completion of the objectives described in this RFA. The Grantee must complete all objectives of this project for online ordering with both in-store and online transactions, and must consider both online and offline EBT systems. For the purpose of this RFA, “online ordering” means the process a customer uses to select food items for purchase via a web-based ordering system, platform, or site. “Transaction” means the process by which a WIC participant “pays” for supplemental foods with WIC benefits (e.g., curbside or at the point of delivery via a mobile POS, or fully online via the payment section of the online ordering system). Additional details on WIC requirements related to online ordering and transactions are included in the “Background” section that follows.

The objectives of this RFA, at a high level, are:

1) Conducting a study to determine options and recommendations for implementing online ordering (both with in-person and online transactions) in WIC in a manner that is consistent nationwide and results in secure transactions.

2) Using the results of the study, develop a plan to implement online ordering in WIC that includes actions that must be taken by key stakeholders before online ordering can be implemented.

3) Developing documents and other resources identified in the study that are necessary to implement online ordering in WIC, including an assessment of existing WIC EBT Operating Rules and Technical Implementation Guide for potential changes.

4) Developing and managing competitive sub-grant awards to a maximum of five WIC State agencies, which will use the implementation plan and related documentation to work toward implementation of online ordering.

5) Developing and implementing a plan to assess State agency sub-grantee progress toward implementation of online ordering.

6) Developing a report based on the sub-grantee assessments that outlines successes, remaining barriers, recommendations for overcoming such barriers, and cost estimates for all options presented, by stakeholder.

At least 50 percent of these funds shall be awarded as sub-grants through a competitive process to WIC State agencies for the purpose of implementing online ordering. No more than five sub-grants will be awarded. The Grantee will carry out the FNS-approved competitive award process to select sub-grantees, design and conduct assessments of each sub-grantee’s online ordering project, and produce a report to FNS on findings and recommendations.

The legislative authority for this grant announcement is contained in the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, as amended through P.L. 111-296, effective December 13, 2010. Under this program, subject to the availability of funds, the Secretary of Agriculture may award competitive grants and cooperative agreements for the support of projects to improve the services of USDA food and nutrition assistance programs.

Purpose The purposes of this RFA are to:

• Provide background information and context related to the goals of this funding opportunity;

• Describe the type of cooperative agreement available;

• Describe which entities are eligible to apply for grant funds;

• Solicit funding applications from eligible entities;

• Describe the requirements for submitting a successful application;

• Describe how applications will be reviewed and selected; and,

• Describe the terms and conditions to which grantees must adhere.

This RFA intends to select one institution or organization (e.g. accredited college or university, non-profit research organization or center) to complete the six high level objectives of this project and to develop and deliver to FNS all associated activities, as described in this RFA. USDA FNS will work closely with the Grantee on this project. Additionally, the Grantee has the discretion to develop the competitive sub-grant in a manner that allows State agency sub-grantee subject matter experts (SMEs) to be involved during the study and/or the development of materials.

Background Established in 1974, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is administered by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). WIC provides nutritious foods, nutrition education, and breastfeeding promotion and support, and referrals to health and other social services to participants at no charge. WIC serves low-income pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to age five who are at nutritional risk.1

WIC Participants

In April 2018, according to the WIC Participant and Program Characteristics Report (WIC PC 2018), 53% of WIC participants were children (ages 1 to 4), and infants and women accounted for 23.8% and 23.2% of participants, respectively. Women participants were categorized as pregnant (8.6%), postpartum (6.6%), or breastfeeding (8%). Most (84.6%) pregnant women receiving WIC were between 18 and 34 years of age. Among all WIC participants in WIC PC 2018 58.8% were identified as White only, 21.5% as Black or African American only, 8.9% as American Indian or Alaska Native only, and 4.6% as either Asian only or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. In 2018, 41.3% of WIC participants were reported as Hispanic/Latino.2

WIC Food Benefit Delivery

As of June 2020, 58 of 89 WIC State agencies have statewide Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) systems. Another 23 are in the process of implementation, and nine are planning for EBT implementation. As of June 2020, over 67% of WIC participants are receiving benefits via EBT and over 68% of the authorized vendors are processing WIC EBT. The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) amended provisions of the Child Nutrition Act (CNA) of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.),3 requiring that by October 1, 2020 all State agencies implement statewide EBT systems.

Once the transition to EBT is complete nationwide, all WIC State agencies will operate one of two EBT payment processing types: online or offline. An offline system uses a WIC EBT card with an embedded smart chip and requires vendors to submit claim files to the State agency and/or the EBT processor for settlement. An online system uses a WIC EBT card with a magnetic stripe; transactions are completed using the exchange of real-time messages between vendor Point of Service Device (POS) and the EBT processor.

Despite the differences between the technology used for online and offline EBT systems, the details of the WIC transaction at the register are similar. In a WIC EBT transaction, Universal Product Codes (UPCs) and/or Price Look-Up Codes (PLUs) are scanned and assessed against a WIC State agency’s Authorized Product List (APL). If the scanned food items are authorized on the APL and available on the household’s prescription benefit balance, the purchases are approved and the benefit balance on the EBT card is reduced to reflect the use of the benefits.

Online Ordering in WIC

The retail grocery industry has changed over the past several years. Online shopping has become an increasingly common method for purchasing groceries. Over the past few years, USDA FNS’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has been working toward online ordering with an online transaction to expand the Program’s reach. Similar to the goals of the SNAP Online pilot, pursuing online ordering in WIC will ensure that WIC participants have access to a broader array of

1 Food and Nutrition Service (2014). “Nutrition Program Facts: WIC – The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children.” United States Department of Agriculture. http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/WIC- Fact-Sheet.pdf, 2 Kline, N., Thorn, B., Bellows, D., Wroblewska, K., & Wilcox-Cook, E. (2020). WIC Participant and Program Characteristics 2018. Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. Project Officer: Grant Lovellette.

3 HHFKA, Public Law 111-296 Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) amended provisions of the Child Nutrition Act (CNA) of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.)

shopping options and are not left behind as the industry continues to innovate. While the WIC Program currently does not allow for online transactions, online ordering with in-person payment is allowable;

and, prudent long-term Program planning would include identifying ways for online transactions in the future.

Online shopping has the potential to enhance the WIC shopping experience for participants in many ways, including the added benefit of providing access to those with limited transportation or other issues impeding participant’s ability to physically go to a grocery store.

Although online ordering is currently allowable under WIC regulations, online transactions are not currently allowed. WIC regulations require that a WIC shopper (participant, parent or caretaker of an infant or child participant, or proxy) sign a food instrument in the presence of the cashier, a requirement from when food instrument specifically referred to paper vouchers that required wet signatures. In EBT systems, a Personal Identification Number (PIN) is required to be used in lieu of a signature. WIC regulations still require PIN entry occurs in the presence of a cashier.

Although online ordering is allowed with a transaction in the presence of a cashier, it is not yet widely available to WIC participants. The Grantee will do work necessary to move toward broad availability of online ordering in WIC, as well as work to prepare for when online transactions become allowable in the Program. Key stakeholders in WIC vendor management and EBT include, but are not limited to:

USDA FNS, WIC State agencies, WIC local agencies and clinics, WIC EBT processors, third party processors, and WIC authorized vendors and their system providers.

Key Objectives

In the interest of providing the best possible customer service to participants, FNS strives to foster innovation and reduce barriers to WIC Program services, including access to WIC supplemental foods.

This grant announcement supports the WIC Program through building the capacity to implement online ordering nationwide. Increasing access to online ordering is particularly important to rural communities, communities served by stores with limited stock of fresh foods, and populations facing barriers to accessing traditional retail grocery stores (e.g., participants with disabilities, participants without transportation).

Below is a list of high level WIC Program objectives for this grant announcement, which is aligned with the Activities/Indicators Tracker beginning on page 19 of this RFA. The Grantee must complete the objectives of this RFA for both in-person and online transactions, and must consider both online and offline EBT systems, as described above.

# Objective

1 Conduct a study to determine options and recommendations for implementing online ordering (both with in-person and online transactions) in WIC in a manner that is consistent nationwide and results in secure transactions.

2 Using the results of the study, develop a plan to implement online ordering in WIC that includes actions that must be taken by key stakeholders before online ordering can be implemented.

3 Develop documents and other resources identified in the study that are necessary to implement online ordering in WIC, including an assessment of existing WIC EBT Operating Rules and Technical Implementation Guide for potential changes.

II. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

The grant will be awarded on a competitive basis, subject to the availability of federal funds.

Approximately $2,500,000 is available for funding this opportunity. FNS will accept only one application package per applicant. The Grantee will be responsible for utilizing their awarded amount to meet the objectives of this RFA listed above.

Please note: Grant awards are subject to the availability of funding and/or appropriations of funds. FNS reserves the right to use this solicitation and competition to award additional grants this year or the subsequent fiscal year, should additional funds become available.

Cooperative Agreement

This grant will be awarded in the form of a cooperative agreement. This agreement is a legal instrument reflecting a relationship between the federal government and the Grantee. Cooperative agreements will allow more involvement and collaboration by FNS in the project compared to a grant, and they provide less direction of project activities than a contract. The roles and responsibilities of both the Grantee and FNS will be stated in the terms and conditions of the cooperative agreement.

FNS’s involvement in this cooperative agreement will largely entail serving as subject matter experts (SMEs) to provide key input and information to the team, reviewing and providing feedback on deliverables, and providing input on the sub-grantee process and selections. FNS will approve both the sub-grantee selection criteria and final selection of State agency sub-grantees.

Purpose of Cooperative Agreement To the extent practicable, FNS is available to provide policy and technical consultation to the Grantee on an as needed basis, preferably through a series of pre-planned feedback sessions and/or standing meetings/calls. FNS will comment on major project aspects and issues in advance of their implementation in a manner and timeframe agreed upon between the Grantee and FNS. At FNS’s discretion, FNS involvement with the Grantee may include:

1. Providing comments on and having ongoing conversations with the Grantee regarding plans to meet this RFA’s requirements;

2. Reviewing administration, dissemination, and evaluation plans associated with projects performed at WIC State agencies funded by this cooperative agreement;

3. Reviewing and/or co-authoring documents;

4. Receiving files for all Grantee-produced documents (e.g., study plan, resources, Request for

Proposal (RFP) for sub-grantees, final report), as well as data collected (e.g., raw data from assessment of sub-grantee projects) as a result of this cooperative agreement.

4 Develop and manage competitive sub-grant awards to a maximum of five WIC State agencies, which will use the implementation plan and related documentation to work toward implementation of online ordering.

5 Develop and implement a plan to assess State agency sub-grantee progress toward implementation of online ordering.

6 Develop a report based on the sub-grantee assessments that outlines successes, remaining barriers, recommendations for overcoming such barriers, and cost estimates for all options presented, by stakeholder.

Funding Funding of this award will be provided through the Grant Award/Letter of Credit process. The award will be made via cooperative agreement between FNS and the Grantee. The grant will be awarded on a competitive basis, subject to the availability of federal funds. Approximately $2,500,000 is available to one selected eligible entity for funding to accomplish the goals and deliverables described in this RFA.

The award will be on a competitive basis, based on the review of all proposals according to the technical evaluation criteria outlined in this RFA.

FNS may elect to fund an application in its entirety, may limit funding to specific items of the proposals contained in an application, and/or may negotiate with proposed applicants to stay within available funding.

The Grantee will be responsible for utilizing their awarded amount to carry out a competition to award sub-grants to WIC State agencies, in collaboration with the Grantee, to implement the objective of this project.

Award Period and Project Timeline FNS plans to announce and award funds for a period of performance beginning no later than September 30, 2020 and ending no later than September 30, 2023. The Grantee will be allowed to use the funds consistent with the plans it submits with its application. Applicants may apply for funds for three years with an end date no later than September 30, 2023.

Program Specific Requirements Applicants must provide a plan that demonstrates that they meet the following requirements:

1. Experience with and/or capacity for designing, implementing, and coordinating a competitive RFP process that solicits proposals from WIC State agencies. All applications must clearly articulate an administration plan for awarding competitive sub-grants to WIC State agencies;

2. Experience conducting high-quality evaluations related to implementing technological innovation in public health, as evidenced by reports, publications, and/or other materials (while an evaluation plan is not required in the proposal to this RFA, the Grantee will be required to submit a formal evaluation plan to FNS once competitive sub-grants are awarded to State agencies);

3. Knowledge of or capacity to quickly learn about the WIC Program and WIC EBT transactions (from both a policy and technical standpoint).

4. Experience working with WIC State agencies and using or applying the WIC EBT Operating Rules and Technical Implementation Guide.

5. Knowledge of and/or experience in implementing technological innovations in public health programs, as evidenced by previous projects that include research on technical feasibility, policy options and implications, and development of and/or implementation of technical specifications and/or system requirements;

6. Experience with and/or capacity for providing high-quality, evaluation-based technical assistance to WIC and/or other public health agencies and key stakeholders;

7. Description of the expected set of final deliverables that will be submitted and/or published by the Grantee during and at the end of the Cooperative Agreement. All reports or products generated by efforts funded through this Cooperative Agreement are subject to review by FNS before publication. This includes review of manuscripts (with inclusion of the FNS point-of-contact as a co-author where appropriate based on authorship guidelines) before submission, communications materials meant for general and WIC audiences about the project and findings, and other items;

8. A dissemination plan that presents broad dissemination strategies as well as specific information on how products of research and/or resources developed as deliverables could be disseminated to and used with key stakeholders;

9. All applications must address how the findings will be disseminated to stakeholder (policy officials, State and local agencies and their staff) and the academic community, and dissemination plans must meet the requirements as specified in this RFA.

10. All applications must provide a clear timeline for carrying out all proposed activities and demonstrate evidence of planning to meet other requirements as specified in this RFA.

The Grantee shall:

1. Select and hire appropriately credentialed personnel to manage and operate project components. This must include staff who are able to conduct research, manage a large project, manage a large budget, develop a sub-grant project, and staff who have appropriate WIC and/or EBT expertise to complete the objectives of the grant;

2. Delegate responsibilities to staff or other partners as appropriate;

3. Conduct appropriate training and provide necessary support for staff and other partners to successfully handle project responsibilities. These responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

a. Providing data on participating WIC agencies and organizations to FNS;

b. Coordinating site visits to participating sites for FNS if requested; and,

c. Fulfilling obligations to FNS.

4. Obtain FNS approval on the management plan and evaluation plans prior to implementing;

5. Keep FNS informed on critical junctures and checkpoints after award of cooperative agreement, including development and operationalization of management plan, budget, administration plan, dissemination plan submitted in preliminary form in the application, as well as evaluation plans once developed after award of sub-grants, and the management and staffing plans discussed in this RFA;

6. Meet specific obligations and approval points as specified by the cooperative agreement;

7. Submit timely progress reports, financial reports, and annual reports throughout the award period, and submit a final progress report and final financial report;

8. Attend progress meetings via teleconference as needed;

9. Ensure that WIC State agencies account for project funds separately from federal food and nutrition assistance administrative funds and establish financial and managerial reporting and controls to assure project funds are not commingled or used inappropriately. A separate and distinct audit trail must be established and maintained for the expenditure of project funds. This audit trail must clearly demonstrate that funds are used solely for project purposes;

10. Provide FNS with any data files created and used to generate reports, presentations, and publications resulting from this grant. Such data shall be accompanied with analytic code, output files, and codebooks and other applicable documentation sufficient for FNS to replicate analyses;

11. Carry out all activities necessary to fulfill the items as described in the “Purpose of Cooperative Agreement” section;

12. Coordinate other grant-related dissemination activities;

13. For internal use and informational purposes, provide FNS with an electronic copy of all manuscripts resulting from this work at the time of submission for publication and in final form when published.

Regular Conference Calls Monthly conference calls shall provide an overview of the activities conducted during the previous month, major accomplishments with completion dates and budget, deviations from the proposed plan, difficulties encountered, solutions developed to overcome difficulties, assistance needed from FNS on technical issues, and major planned activities for the next month. Should a major issue arise between calls, the Grantee should contact the FNS Grants and Program Officers immediately. During key stages in the project, conference calls with FNS shall occur weekly; i.e. at the start of the agreement, leading up to the release of the RFP and selecting sub-grantees, etc. The Grantee shall provide FNS with an agenda 3 business days prior to each call. The Grantee shall also prepare minutes for each call and distribute to FNS no later than 5 business days after the call.

Interim Deliverables Once awarded, the Grantee will provide quarterly progress reports and financial reports to identified FNS contact persons. The Grantee will also produce an annual report (not to exceed 10 pages) for FNS to publish. Annual reports will include a description of the focus area, the implemented projects by sub-grantees, and status of implementation and evaluation for that year and, in subsequent years, since the last annual reporting. The annual report will be due by December 31 of each year.

Final Deliverables The project description shall address how the findings will be disseminated to program stakeholders.

At a minimum, the Grantee shall prepare and deliver to FNS one final report integrating all the information learned from all work funded by this project in an acceptable format for FNS to publish.

All materials must be 508-compliant. Please see www.section508.gov for more information.

Allowable Costs

Among other costs, budgets may include expenses related to personnel, contractors, equipment and supplies, meeting expenses, travel, and trainings.

Equipment and Supplies: Expenditures for both equipment (i.e., items of personal property having a useful life of more than one year and a cost of $5,000 or more) and supplies are allowable expenses for the Grantee and sub-grantees. Equipment and supplies purchased using USDA WIC Online Ordering Initiative grant funds must be used during the grant period for the sole purpose of accomplishing the stated project objective. If purchased equipment or supplies are not fully dedicated to the grant project objective, including beyond the grant period end date, the applicant must determine what percentage of the good’s time or space will be dedicated to project activities when developing a proposed budget.

WIC State agencies must appropriately account for these funds.

Food Expenses: Food purchases should be covered by State agencies’ food grant and accounted for appropriately.

http://www.section508.gov/

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Eligible Applicants

Eligible entities: A research institute that is public, private, or nonprofit; an accredited college or university; or a public health organization or program that meets the technical requirements outlined in this RFA.

In addition, applicants must meet the following requirements: (1) have experience in: (i) designing, implementing, and coordinating a competitive RFP process, (ii) conducting high-quality evaluations related to implementing technological innovation in public health, and (iii) providing high-quality technical assistance to WIC and/or other public health agencies and key stakeholders; (2) knowledge of or capacity to quickly learn about the WIC Program and WIC EBT transactions (from both a policy and technical standpoint); and (3) experience working with WIC State agencies and using or applying the WIC EBT Operating Rules and Technical Implementation Guide.

A nonprofit entity is any organization or institution with IRS 501(c) status or accredited institutions of higher education, where no part of the net earnings benefit any private shareholder or individual. All applicant organizations must be domestic entities and shall be owned, operated, and located within the 50 States, 33 Indian Tribal Organizations that administer the WIC Program, American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, or the United States Virgin Islands.

Cost Sharing or Matching Considerations

There are no cost sharing or matching requirements. Any matching or cost sharing offered is at the discretion of the Applicant. Any cost sharing or matching may be presented in a percentage amount, but applicants must also indicate the total match in dollars in the budget and budget narrative.

Other Eligibility Criteria

Suspended or debarred organizations are ineligible to submit applications in response to this grant solicitation. Only one application per agency will be considered.

Pre-Award Screening Requirements

In reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition, prior to making a federal award, Federal Awarding Agencies, in accordance with 2 CFR 200.205, are required to review information available through any OMB-designated repositories of government-wide eligibility qualifications or financial integrity information, and to have in place a framework for evaluating the risks posed by applicants before they receive federal awards. The evaluation of the information obtained from the designated repository systems and the risk assessment may result in FNS imposing special conditions that correspond to the degree of risk assessed. FNS review of risk posed by applicants will be based on the following:

1. SAM.gov, the System for Award Management, the Official U.S. Government system that consolidated the capabilities of CCR/FedReg, ORCA, and EPLS.

2. FAPIIS, the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System that has been established to track contractor misconduct and performance.

3. Dun & Bradstreet, the system where applicants establish a DUNS number that is used by the federal government to better identify related organizations that are receiving funding under grants and cooperative agreements.

4. U.S. Department of Agriculture, AD-3030, Representations Regarding Felony Conviction and Tax Delinquent Status for Corporate Applicants.

Applicants must also respond to the application assessment questions to allow FNS to evaluate aspects of the applicant’s financial stability, quality of management systems, and history of performance, reports and findings from audits. A questionnaire containing these questions has been provided to facilitate the process and can be found in Appendix B. Applicants must answer all the application questions. While answering “yes” may be an indicator of risk, the consideration and evaluation of these questions is only an indicator of potential risk and may or may not result in additional oversight requirements or special conditions placed on an award should an award be made. Decisions regarding additional oversight requirements will take into consideration the total number of risks identified.

The evaluation of the information obtained from the designated systems and the risk assessment questionnaire may result in FNS imposing special conditions or additional oversight requirements that correspond to the degree of risk assessed.

Acknowledgement of USDA Support

As outlined in 2 CFR 415.2, grant recipients shall include acknowledgement of USDA FNS support on any publications written or published with grant support and, if feasible, on any publication reporting the results of, or describing, a grant-supported activity. Recipients shall include acknowledgement of USDA FNS support on any audiovisual which is produced with grant support and which has a direct production cost of over $5,000.

• When acknowledging USDA support, use the following language: "This material is based upon work that is supported by the Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.” Grantees should follow the USDA Visual Standards Guide when using the USDA logo.

• Grant recipients may be asked to host USDA officials for a site visit during the course of their grant award. All costs associated with the site visit will be paid for by USDA and are not expected to be included in grant budgets.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Address to Request Application Package

Applicants may request a paper copy of this solicitation and required forms by contacting:

Carla Garcia, Grant Officer Grants and Fiscal Policy Division U.S. Department of Agriculture, FNS Carla.Garcia@usda.gov

Content and Form of Application Submission

FNS strongly encourages eligible applicants interested in applying to this grant opportunity to adhere to the following applicant format. The proposed project plan should be presented on 8 ½” x 11” white paper with at least 1-inch margins on the top and bottom. All pages should be single-spaced, in 12-https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-1047 mailto:Carla.Garcia@usda.gov point font. The project description with relevant information should be captured on no more than 30 pages, not including the cover sheet, table of contents, resumes, letter of commitment(s), endorsement letter(s), budget narrative(s), appendices, and required forms. All pages, excluding the form pages, must be numbered.

Cover Sheet

The cover page should include, at a minimum:

• Applicant’s name and mailing address.

• Primary contact’s name, job title, mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address.

• Grant program title and subprogram title (if applicable).

Table of Contents

Include relevant sections and subsections as well as associated page numbers

Application Project Summary

The application should clearly describe the proposed project activities and anticipated outcomes that would result if the proposal were to be funded.

Project Narrative

The project narrative should clearly identify what the applicant is proposing and how it will address the solution, the expected results and/or benefits once the solution is achieved, and how it will meet the RFA program scope and objectives. The proposed project methodology should describe the project design, address program specific methodology needs, procedures, timetables, monitoring/oversight, and the organization’s project staffing. The management plan should describe administrative procedures, staffing, quality assurance, and other activities as described below, including any additional specific RFA requirements.

The project narrative should also clearly identify what the applicant is proposing for the competitive RFP process and how it will solicit, evaluate, and select sub-grant proposals submitted by WIC State agencies. The applicant will also describe its capacity to provide evaluation-based technical assistance to WIC State agency sub-grant recipients. The project narrative should also indicate plans for disseminating all project deliverables.

In preparing the project narrative, provide the information requested below, in the order presented below.

• Introduction: Provide background information on the proposed team’s experience performing research and evaluation and conducting technical projects, as well as plans for administering a competitive sub-grant award system for WIC State agencies. Please note any successes, lessons learned, or challenges from previous research and evaluation efforts.

• Background: The Background will both describe what is known and highlight what is not known about this project.

• Objectives, Activities, and Timeline: Clearly state project objectives, use descriptive statements that specifically discuss what you hope to accomplish, include specific activities you will perform to accomplish the project objectives as stated in the Purpose of Cooperative Agreement section, and include deadlines. All objectives should lead to a clearly stated goal relevant to this RFA. Your project timeline should start on the award date and end 36 months later. For planning purposes, use the date of award as planned and include dates for important project milestones and deadlines and include dates for items described in the Purpose of Cooperative Agreement and Program Specific Requirements section.

• Administration Plan: Describe the team’s plan to administer a competitive RFP process that includes an overview of the procedures for developing the solicitation, promoting the solicitation among State agencies, and evaluation criteria for received proposals. Planned items that will be included in the solicitation beyond those stated in section I of the Purpose of Cooperative Agreement section of this RFA should be explained. The Applicant should also describe plans to manage and collaborate with sub-grant awardees.

• Evaluation: A key component of this work, once awarded, is evaluating implemented projects at WIC State agencies. The application should demonstrate the Applicant’s abilities in evaluating projects implemented and in practice. Please provide details of 2 to 3 evaluation projects previously performed.

• Dissemination Plan: Describe your plans for disseminating findings from and resources developed as a part of this grant. Describe specific plans to make project findings accessible to stakeholders, including USDA FNS, WIC State agencies, WIC authorized vendors, EBT processors and others identified throughout the course of this project. Indicate possible opportunities to present at conferences, participate in working groups, host roundtable discussions, and present webinars.

• Technical Assistance Plan: The Technical Assistance (TA) Plan should indicate the process, frequency, and mode by which the Grantee will interact with sub-grantees (individually or as a group) to provide assistance, including how sub-grantees will be able to request assistance and how requests for assistance will be managed. The plan should describe the personnel that will perform this function, as well as a process to document and track each technical assistance experience. The purpose of technical assistance is to support project objectives using knowledge gained and resources developed as a part of the study and implementation plan.

Applicants should articulate a clear plan to communicate the RFP requirements, prior to award, to interested State agencies though webinars and individual technical assistance.

• Management Plan: Provide a clear description of the activities to be undertaken to manage the project to ensure that project activities are completed on time, within budget, and with quality results. Applicant should describe its organizational structure and identify the staff and/or contractors who will manage the project. Describe roles and responsibilities of these employees or contractors, as well as relevant qualifications and experience, and a level of effort specified for specific staff proposed. Note any relevant experience in managing similar activities. Explain contingency plans for staff turnover. Describe how quality assurance, recordkeeping, and accounting activities will be executed. Provide a clear description of how funds will be administered and distributed.

Reports & Products Review

All reports or products generated by efforts funded through this cooperative agreement are subject to review by FNS before publication. This includes review of manuscripts (with inclusion of FNS points-of-contact as a co-authors, where appropriate, based on authorship guidelines) before submission to peer-review for scientific journals, communications materials meant for general and WIC audiences about the research, and other items. Project timelines should factor in review of reports and products by FNS, with 3 weeks for items 30 pages or less, and 6 weeks for items greater than 30 pages in length.

Activities/Indicators Tracker

By the end of Year 1, at a minimum, the Grantee must deliver a Final Study Report, a draft implementation plan, and a draft plan for the competitive sub-grantee awards. By the end of Year 2, at a minimum, the Grantee must deliver a final Assessment of EBT Operating Rules and Technical Implementation Guide and final resources for all key stakeholders; additionally, sub-grantee projects must be underway.

Objective 1: Conduct a study to determine options and recommendations for implementing online ordering (both with in-person and online transactions) in WIC in a manner that is consistent nationwide and results in secure transactions.

Activity Indicator

Develop study plan. Final study plan accepted by FNS.

Conduct study according to approved plan. Study must include cost considerations for implementation plans for all stakeholders.

Quality of information gathered, as determined by sources used and presentation of options and recommendations. Completeness, as determined by all appropriate stakeholders being included and all costs/other considerations being addressed appropriately.

Deliver study report, which must include cost estimates for all options presented, by stakeholder.

Final study report accepted by FNS.

Completeness, as determined by all appropriate stakeholders being included and all costs/other considerations being addressed appropriately.

Objective 2: Using the results of the study, develop a plan to implement online ordering in WIC that includes actions that must be taken by key stakeholders before online ordering can be implemented.

Activity Indicator

Develop online ordering implementation plan that outlines goals and activities (with timelines) to be carried out, as well as key stakeholders, and resources to be developed as a part of Objective 3.

Final implementation plan accepted by FNS.

Develop a dissemination plan for resources to be developed.

Quality and reach of plan.

Objective 3: Develop documents and other resources identified in the study that are necessary to implement online ordering in WIC, including an assessment of existing WIC EBT Operating Rules and Technical Implementation Guide for potential changes.

Activity Indicator

Assess existing WIC EBT Operating Rules and Technical Implementation Guide for potential changes/updates. This assessment should include recommended edits to both documents to support online ordering and online transactions (with the recommendations clearly labeled to identify which goal—ordering or transactions—would be supported by the recommended change).

Thoroughness of assessment and quality of recommendations, as determined by the presentation of information and key analyses.

Develop resources for each key stakeholder group, as prescribed in the implementation plan in Objective 2.

Number and quality of final resources accepted by FNS.

Disseminate resources to key WIC stakeholders. Quality and reach of resource dissemination.

Objective 4: Develop and manage competitive sub-grant awards to a maximum of five WIC State agencies, which will use the implementation plan and related documentation to work toward implementation of online ordering.

Activity Indicator

Develop competitive RFP that clearly states the…