PKG00265230-instructions.pdf

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Summary Information

Federal Agency Name:

U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Grants Management Office (GMO); MC-BG 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE West Building Washington, DC 20590

Funding Opportunity Title: Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety

Training Program

Announcement Type: Initial

Assistance Listing Number: 20.235

Key Date – Application Due Date:

March 15, 2021 5:00 p.m. EST

Point of Contact: Financial/Application concerns:

James Ross 202-366-0133 james.ross@dot.gov

Programmatic concerns:

Wendy Cunningham 360-481-4485 wendy.cunningham@dot.gov mailto:james.ross@dot.gov mailto:wendy.cunningham@dot.gov

SECTION A - PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

1. Overview

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announces the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training (CMVOST) grant program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications from organizations that provide commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operator training, including accredited public or private colleges, universities, vocational-technical schools, post-secondary educational institutions, truck driver training schools, associations, and State and local governments, including Federally-recognized Native American Tribal governments, that support CMVOST activities. FMCSA will also accept applications from non-accredited institutions that are approved by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) as eligible training providers to accept Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) grants and approved by the State Approving Agencies (SAAs) and the U.S. Veterans Administration (VA) to accept VA benefits.

FMCSA is responsible for the implementation and administration of the CMVOST grant program, which is authorized by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, Pub. L. No.

114-94, §§ 5101(b) and 5101(c), as extended by the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021, and Other Extensions Act, Pub. L. No. 116-159, and codified at 49 U.S.C. §§ 31103 and 31104, as amended. FMCSA anticipates awarding approximately $2,000,000 in CMVOST grant funds for FY 2021. Final funding amounts are subject to the availability of funding.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s strategic goals and objectives are:

i. SAFETY: Reduce transportation-related fatalities and serious injuries across the transportation system.

ii. INFRASTRUCTURE: Invest in infrastructure to ensure safety, mobility and accessibility and to stimulate economic growth, productivity, and competitiveness for American workers and businesses.

iii. INNOVATION: Lead in the development and deployment of innovative practices and technologies that improve the safety and performance of the Nation’s transportation system.

iv. ACCOUNTABILITY: Serve the Nation with reduced regulatory burden and greater efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability.

FMCSA’s mission is to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities involving large trucks and buses.

FMCSA’s program of awarding grants for operator safety training furthers that mission.

The CMVOST grant program supports the Secretary’s strategic goals. The purpose is to expand the number of commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders possessing enhanced operator safety training to help reduce the severity and number of crashes involving CMVs on U.S. roads.

In addition, this program seeks to assist current or former members of the U.S. Armed Forces, including National Guard and Reservists, to obtain a CDL.

This NOFO provides important information about the FY 2021 CMVOST program activities/projects and guidance related to preparing and submitting a grant application.

CMVOST grant funds are awarded through a competitive grant process. No assurance of funding is implied, nor should it be inferred.

After the initial posting of the NOFO, FMCSA’s Grants Management Office (GMO) may make changes to the NOFO announcement in www.Grants.gov if there are statutory changes to the CMVOST program for FY 2021.

2. FY 2021 CMVOST National Priorities

All applications must support the public purpose listed below. FMCSA may not award grant funding to individuals for personal gain, such as individual requests for obtaining specialized training required for CDL licensing, or to any private business for direct financial gain or profit.

FMCSA’s priority is to provide grant funds for tuition expenses for students who meet the definition of “Qualified Students” as defined below.

All applications must support the purpose of the CMVOST grant program, which is i) to help reduce the severity and number of crashes involving CMVs on U.S. roads by expanding the number of CDL holders possessing enhanced operator safety training, and ii) to assist current or former members of the U.S. Armed Forces, including National Guard and Reservists, as well as certain family members, to obtain a CDL

i. All applicants must provide:

a. the number of students expected to be recruited;

b. the number of students expected to complete the training/course curriculum;

c. the number of students expected to obtain a CDL;

d. the number of students expected to be placed in CDL driver positions;

e. the duration, curriculum, and general content of the training for the students;

f. job placement services/resources for the students following graduation;

http://www.grants.gov/

g. an overview on how monitoring and evaluating protocols will be used to measure success and performance outcomes; and

h. proof that the institution is either accredited or certified to accept WIOA grants.

“Qualified Students” include the spouses and children of service members. All such family member students are eligible for training, with or without the service member. Service members will receive priority for funding.

ii. Applicants must provide the following information:

a. proximity to a military installation or other nearby opportunities to reach veterans;

b. confirmation that the applicant has an on-campus Recruitment Office, Veterans Affairs and Placement office;

c. a copy of the published all-inclusive tuition costs, broken down by costs (e.g., student activity fees, range fees, and miscellaneous expenses) that the college/school includes as tuition requirements; and

d. whether published tuition cost includes any of the following: medical examiner, testing fees (knowledge and skills testing), 49 CFR 382 drug screening, FMCSA will reimburse recipients only for tuition costs and for indirect costs charged in accordance with the applicable approved indirect cost rate.

SECTION B – FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

1. Funding and Number of Awards

FMCSA anticipates making approximately 10 awards totaling $2,000,000, subject to the availability of funds, as a result of applications in response to this NOFO. FMCSA reserves the right to allocate additional funds for awards based on the number and quality of applications.

FMCSA will limit Federal funding to a total amount of $200,000 per award, subject to the availability of appropriated funds. All funding amounts are subject to the availability of funds under the FY 2021 Appropriations Act.

2. Type of Awards

The planned award type is a Grant.

3. Period of Performance

Pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 31104(f)(4), the CMVOST grant awards have a period of performance that is the fiscal year of award plus one additional fiscal year. The period of performance begins upon the award date.

4. Degree of Federal Involvement

i. Grant: Substantial involvement is not expected between FMCSA and the recipient when carrying out the activity outlined in the agreement. FMCSA provides financial assistance, technical expertise, and oversight. Recipients provide the effort and expertise necessary to carry out the approved activities to improve CMV safety. The grant recipients are responsible for achieving the work described in their grant award, complying with the grant requirements in the grant award and the Terms and Conditions, as well as the local administration of the grant, and monitoring and oversight of any sub-recipients or sub-contractors.

The anticipated Federal involvement may include:

i. Technical assistance and guidance to the recipient;

ii. Close monitoring of performance; and

iii. Participation in status meetings, including a kickoff meeting and annual programmatic and budget reviews.

SECTION C – ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants

Educational institutions accredited by an accreditation agency recognized by the U.S.

Department of Education will be considered for funding.

Non-accredited institutions that are approved by the DOL as eligible training providers and who accept WIOA grants; and approved by the SAAs, and the VA to accept VA benefits will also be considered for funding.

All applicants must submit documentation to support that the entity meets the eligibility described (see form in Appendix C).

2. Cost-Sharing and Matching Requirements

FMCSA will reimburse approved projects at the rate of 85 percent of eligible costs, requiring a match/share of 15 percent.

Cash, in-kind and third-party contributions are acceptable in meeting the matching share if they represent necessary, reasonable, allowable, and allocable costs as established by 2 CFR part 200 and FMCSA policy.

Any eligible type of cost included in the approved budget may be used as match, and recipients may vary the costs used as match from voucher to voucher, provided those costs were included in the approved budget.

Cost matching and cost sharing must be in compliance with 2 CFR part 200.

SECTION D - APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. Address to Request Application Package

The applicants must complete and submit all forms included in this NOFO at www.grants.gov.

When completing the Application for Federal Assistance SF-424 form, applicants must indicate the application type is a “CMVOST” in box 15, “Descriptive Title of Applicant’s Project.”

If you require paper copies of materials, you may request copies at:

Email: FMCSA_GrantMgmtHelpdesk@dot.gov

Telephone: (202) 366-0621 (Grant Management Help Desk)

Mail: U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Grants Management Office (MC-BG) 1200 New Jersey Ave, SE, West Building Washington, DC 20590

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

The application package must contain the elements listed below and all documentation described in Appendix A to be considered for an award, Appendix B contains examples for formatting purposes only, but are not required to be used.

i. Formatting

The application must follow the format and limitation stated below:

a. Application must be prepared on 8 1/2 x 11-inch format.

b. Margins (Top, Bottom, Right and Left) no smaller than 1” on all pages.

(Header and Footer are allowed in the margins).

c. Times New Roman 12 pt. font must be used for all text, including tables and graphs.

d. Application must be submitted in a format readable by Microsoft (MS) Word, Excel, or in text searchable PDF formats (as applicable).

e. The application narrative is limited to 25 total pages. FMCSA will not read or consider any materials beyond the specified page limit in the application review process. NOTE: The 25 total page limit will apply to the narrative section only. Submission of documentation and forms described in Appendix A will not count against the application page limit.

mailto:FMCSA_GrantMgmtHelpdesk@dot.gov

ii. Brief Introduction (Project Narrative: Problem Statement and Performance

Objective) (5-page maximum)

A description of the goal(s) of the application and the applicable program priority(s) met by the application’s projects. Include in this introduction specific information about the results the applicant proposes to achieve. Example: To expand the number of individuals receiving commercial motor vehicle operator safety training in order to reduce the severity and number of crashes on U.S. roads involving commercial motor vehicles. Specifically, to recruit current and former members of the United States Armed Forces (including National Guard members and Reservists) and their spouses or children (Qualified Students), provide them with superior safety-focused training, and offer placement services to assist them in becoming employed in the transportation industry.

iii. Program Activity Workplan (5-page maximum)

A description of the applicant’s quantifiable goal related to the above problem statement. This must be measured in five activity areas:

a. Activity 1 – Recruiting Qualified Students: applicant must describe the entity’s current recruitment practices focused on the defined “qualified students.” Example: Applicant has a wide recruitment network that concentrates on outreach to veteran and military applicants. Applicant’s recruiting staff uses existing veteran organizations, visits to military bases, public advertising and promotion, and job fairs in coordination with local workforce training agencies to achieve focused recruiting of current and/or former members of the military.

b. Activity 2 – Training Qualified Students: applications must clearly describe the entity’s established CMV training program; must project the number of students who will graduate/successfully complete the course curriculum; and must project the number of students who will be issued/obtain a CDL. Please ensure it includes the number of hours for the established training curriculum.

Example: “The program takes approximately 4-6 weeks to complete and includes 105 hours of classroom instruction, 25 hours of off-road training and 44 hours of behind-the-wheel training; the curriculum is as follows (insert course listing here – attach a copy of the course catalog for the program with all requirements and tuition costs that are published for the general public).

Based upon historical graduation rates, we project that 95% of all enrolled students will complete all required hours of training in order to pass/graduate, and of those students who graduated, we project that 98% of those students will obtain their CDL.”

c. Activity 3 – Providing Students with Post-Graduation Job Placement

Assistance: include the projected number of students who will be offered a CDL position. Example: Concurrent with training, students are given numerous opportunities to speak with on-site recruiters; students are given guidance in interviewing strategies for achieving employment; students are provided with assistance and counseling in evaluating pay, benefits, lifestyle, and location pros and cons.

iv. Program Evaluation and Monitoring Plan (Performance Measurement Plan) (5-page maximum):

a. A description of how the applicant will measure progress towards the performance goals and objectives by using quantifiable measures to capture performance outcomes. The measurement must include specific benchmarks that can be reported on in the quarterly progress report, as appropriate. These should include all the activities listed in the project plan. Example: All academic and skills training for each student will be documented weekly and compared to current baseline training data to determine the effectiveness of training activities and program administration; data will be maintained for each course on the number of students recruited, qualified, enrolled, and graduated, the number of students who passed the CDL test, and the number placed in the trucking industry.

b. Organizational Capacity (5-page maximum)

This section demonstrates that the applicant has the expertise to successfully implement the stated strategies and achieve its stated goal(s). This section includes information related to the applicant’s training program, its ability to conduct recruitment and career placement, and its ability to successfully manage a Federal financial assistance award. It should also include the proximity to military bases and the established business relationships that have made the entity successful in recruiting qualified students in the past. In addition, applicants that have received previous CMVOST grant funding should provide a brief narrative about any operational obstacles they encountered that may have prevented them from meeting the approved performance metrics.

Example: The Applicant has been providing CDL training since 1986 and is the preferred training provider for several large government and for-profit organizations. The training and recruitment are within 60 miles of a major military base and a VA hospital. The Applicant maintains an on-campus Office of Veterans Affairs and is recognized by GI Jobs Magazine as a military-friendly program. Its experience includes training drivers in the safe operation of all commercial vehicles, including passenger vehicles and tankers.

v. Budget Narrative (5-page maximum)

A budget narrative is a description by budget category (object class or type of expense) that details the costs necessary to complete the proposed projects. The budget narrative ensures that the applicant has properly documented proposed costs. The level of detail should be sufficient to justify the funding requested.

Tuition expenses must be broken down to include all elements included in the published rate.

If the published rate includes the cost of the medical certification, books, and first skills testing fee, it should be listed with the standard cost that is inclusive of the tuition rate. If a student drops out prior to completing the course curriculum, FMCSA will reimburse the recipient based on its written refund policy for students minus any expenses that the recipient did not incur (e.g., cost of commercial learner’s permit, cost of commercial driver’s license, cost of medical certification). General Grant Guidance on how to develop an application budget narrative is included in Appendix B. All costs in the budget narrative, SF-424 and SF- 424A must be rounded to the nearest whole dollar amount.

3. Sam.Gov requirement

The applicant must:

i. Be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at https://www.sam.gov before submitting an application and,

ii. Provide a valid Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number on the SF-424.

If you do not have a DUNS number, you can get one free through the D&B website:

https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do

The applicant must maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application under consideration. To remain registered in the SAM database after the initial registration, the applicant is required to review and update the registration at least every 12 months from the date of initial registration or subsequently update its information in the SAM database to ensure it is current, accurate, and complete.

If an applicant has not fully complied with these requirements by the time FMCSA is ready to make a Federal award, FMCSA may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant.

4. Submission Dates and Times

i. Deadline

FULL AND COMPLETED APPLICATIONS for Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training Grants ARE DUE ON March 15, 2021 by 5:00 p.m. EST. Once Grants.gov has received your submission, you will receive email messages to advise you of the progress of your application through the system. Within two business days of receipt of your submission, you should receive two emails: 1) confirming application receipt by the Grants.gov system; and

2) indicating that the application has either been successfully validated by Grants.gov prior to transmission to FMCSA or has been rejected due to errors. The applicant assumes responsibility for a timely and complete submission. Go to www.grants.gov for more information.

ii. Consideration of Applications

Only applicants who comply with all submission deadlines described in this NOFO and electronically submit valid applications through Grants.gov will be eligible for consideration of award. Applicants are strongly encouraged to make submissions in advance of the deadline.

https://www.sam.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/

iii. Late Applications

FMCSA will not consider a late application except under extraordinary circumstances. A late application will only be accepted if there is a large-scale natural disaster or aGrants.gov system issue that threatens the timely submission of a grant application. Problems with computer systems at the applicant organization, failure to follow the application instructions or failure to submit or complete the program application or complete required registrations by the submission deadline are not considered system issues.

5. Intergovernmental Review

The CMVOST grant program and this funding opportunity are subject to Executive Order (E.O.)

12372. Applicants with a Single Point of Contact (SPOC), and therefore required to comply with E.O. 12372, are listed in the Office of Management and Budget's website at:

www.whitehouse.gov/omb.

6. Funding Restrictions

FMCSA will not fund any costs that are not a part of the training entity’s published tuition rate.

Example of these non-funded costs are instructor or administrative support salaries or other general recurring expenses associated with the applicant’s daily operations.

All coursework, including classroom and range time, and placement services that are being requested for reimbursement under this application must be completed prior to the period of performance end date. Proper planning is critical for fulfilling the grant objectives within the period of performance. FMCSA will not pro-rate costs.

Pre-award costs are not eligible for reimbursement. All costs must be allowable, allocable, reasonable, and necessary to achieve the stated goals, and must comply with the cost principles in 2 CFR part 200. Compliance with these requirements is the responsibility of the recipient of Federal funds. Costs must also be consistently applied and documented. These standards are described in the applicable cost principles and administrative requirements in 2 CFR §§ 200.400 through 200.475. Failure to adhere to these requirements may result in reimbursements under the award being deemed improper and subsequently disallowed.

Eligible CMV operator grant program costs are limited to:

i. The applicant’s published tuition rate. The tuition may include such costs for DOT physicals, required DOT drug testing fees, and skills testing fees, if they are standard published elements that are included in the published tuition rate.

ii. Indirect Costs (IDC) based upon the approved IDC rate from a cognizant agency.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb

FMCSA will not approve reimbursement requests for IDC if an approved IDC rate agreement is not in force for the period of time that the IDC expenses are incurred.

If claiming IDC charges, the grant recipient must include an active approved IDC agreement with the application submitted for funding. Should the grant recipient fail to provide an approved agreement during the pre-award phase and a grant is awarded, the grant recipient will have 90 days from the date of award acceptance to provide a copy of the IDC agreement. If we do not receive the required documentation within the allotted time frame, the grant recipient will not be reimbursed for IDC charges for that fiscal year. Once an approved rate is provided to FMCSA, the grant recipient will then, be allowed to claim IDC in the following fiscal year of the award. 2 CFR § 200.414 (c)

All FMCSA grant programs are cost reimbursable, which means that grant recipients must first expend their own money before vouchering by submitting an invoice to FMCSA for costs associated with approved activities identified in the grant agreement. Recipients will be reimbursed by FMCSA for actual costs incurred provided that the costs are reasonable, approved, allowable, and allocable in accordance with the OMB regulations and FMCSA policy, within the approved budget, and supported by documentation. The recipients must request reimbursement at least once each quarter.

Recipients must submit requests for reimbursement electronically through the Delphi eInvoicing System (iSupplier). Additional information is available at:

https://www.transportation.gov/cfo/delphi-einvoicing-system.

FMCSA will not provide reimbursement for salary-related bonus payments, either as a direct or indirect cost. Bonus costs are not an allowable expense under FMCSA awards. 2 CFR part 200, Subpart E: 2 CFR §§ 200.403 – 200.405

7. Other Submission Requirements

Applications must only be submitted electronically via https://www.grants.gov as described above in this section. In the event of system problems or technical difficulties with the application submittal, please call at 1-800-518-4726 or e-mail at support@grants.gov 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (closed on Federal holidays).

To submit an application through Grants.gov, applicants must:

i. Create a username and password.

ii. Establish an E-Business point of contact (POC) to respond to the registration emails.

iii. Establish at least one Authorized Organization Representative (AOR).

Please note the registration process in Grants.gov usually takes 2-4 business weeks to complete.

FMCSA will not consider applications that are late due to failure to register or comply with Grants.gov requirements.

http://www.dot.gov/cfo/delphi-einvoicing-system http://www.dot.gov/cfo/delphi-einvoicing-system https://www.transportation.gov/cfo/delphi-einvoicing-system https://www.grants.gov/ mailto:support@grants.gov

In addition, applicants should also state within their Project Activity Plan narrative whether the proposed project(s) is/are located in a qualified opportunity zone designated pursuant to 26 U.S.C.

§ 1400Z-1.

SECTION E - APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. Criteria

i. Eligibility Criteria

FMCSA will first screen all applications received by the due date to determine if the application is eligible. In addition to the eligibility criteria under Section C, FMCSA will review the application for the following below criteria.

Application Requirement Instructions Deadline submission was met Section D.4(i) Applicant eligibility was met Section C.1 SAM Registration Section D.3 SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance Section D.1 SF-424 includes a DUNS Number Section D.3 SF-424 lists any cost sharing or match amounts on line 18b

Section C.2

SF-424A, Budget Information Form Section D.1 Budget Narrative Section D.2 (viii) Application/Project Narrative Section D.2 (i-vi) Any other applicable Grant.gov document or attachment listed in Appendix A.

Appendix A

ii. Merit Evaluation Criteria

FMCSA subject matter experts will review all eligible applications using the following Merit Evaluation Criteria: Technical Merit Criteria; Budget Cost Analysis Criteria; Program-Specific Criteria; Past Performance Criteria; and Other Review Information. All of these criteria are further explained below.

a. Technical Merit Criteria

FMCSA will evaluate CMVOST applications to determine the extent to which:

1) The application meets the CMVOST program’s priorities and statutory requirements that will likely achieve success. The application includes clearly identified performance goals and measurements, supported by data, as appropriate, and includes benchmarks and timelines.

2) The costs linked to the project’s goals are reasonable and necessary for the project’s success.

3) The proposed approach appears to be reasonable in scope, addresses existing and emerging CDL safety issues, and is likely to be successful.

4) The applicant explained how it has effectively managed project tasks in the past to stay within budget and on schedule.

5) The application includes clearly identified performance goal(s) and measurements.

6) The application includes a monitoring and evaluation component that indicates how the recipient will continuously evaluate performance and outcomes and make adjustment, if necessary.

b. Budget Review/Cost Analysis Criteria

This category of criteria involves the budget: whether costs are allowable in accordance with Federal grant requirements, including the appropriateness and reasonableness of the budget estimate and the resources to be dedicated to the project; and the reasonableness and feasibility of the schedule relative to the application timeline. The budget should describe specific activities that support the objective(s) of the program.

The budget evaluation helps identify project-related risks that must be considered prior to recommendation, in addition to those risks arising from technical uncertainty.

FMCSA will evaluate CMVOST applications and other information, including, but not limited to:

1) Elements of work included in the application have associated budget costs and, conversely, all elements in the applicant’s budget have corresponding work elements included in the application;

2) Budget costs are allowable, allocable, necessary and reasonable per the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards;

3) Costs in a particular cost category have been properly identified as allowable, with the necessary detail for their use, and are not duplicative of the other budget line items;

4) All tuition components are clearly linked to the project’s goal(s) and are necessary to adequately equip, train, and enable personnel to conduct the activities included in the project plan;

5) A suspension and debarment review that included a review of the applicant’s administrative capability self-certification form and a check against the records in SAM (currently the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System. Please note that an applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through SAM and comment on any information about itself that a Federal awarding agency previously entered and is currently in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM;

6) Any applicant included comments, which FMCSA will review, in addition to the other information in the designated integrity and performance system, in making a judgment about the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 2 CFR § 200.206 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants; and

7) An evaluation of the applicant’s Single Audit in accordance with the Single Audit

Act, if applicable. FMCSA may, at its discretion, request further information and/or conduct an audit to confirm compliance as indicated on the SF-LLL – Disclosure of Lobbying Activities form, as provided for in the United States Code or the Code of Federal Regulations.

c. Program-Specific Aspects

The application must include clearly identified performance goals and measurements that are supported by an appropriate and identified data source and that include benchmarks and timelines that will facilitate evaluating the applicant’s progress towards project completion.

FMCSA will evaluate CMVOST applications to determine the extent to which:

1) The project supports the NOFO’s priority of recruiting and training qualified students.

2) The project complements the applicant’s existing program or enhances its capabilities to serve the qualified students.

3) The applicant capabilities for serving the qualified students is articulated sufficiently to support their recruitment and training efforts.

4) The tuition costs and documentation support the costs and are reasonable and allocable.

d. Past Performance Criteria

Past performance is considered to be a possible indicator of future performance. Applicants that have previously received FMCSA grant funding will be evaluated in part on their ability to complete prior year awards on time, their compliance with those grant terms and conditions, including review of any financial and performance quarterly reports and the results of any FMCSA grant monitoring activities, to include budget execution, original budget vs. final budgets, and unexpended balances.

Applicants that have not previously received grant funding from FMCSA are not subject to this review, and their applications will not be eliminated from funding consideration on this basis.

FMCSA will evaluate applications and past performance to determine the extent to which the applicant had any problems related to programmatic management and whether any issues have been noted related to project management, compatibility, adherence to project timelines, programmatic reporting, etc.

Based upon monitoring conducted by a grantor, FMCSA will determine if any organizational, financial, or business management practices, such as vouchering, financial reporting, cost allocation, debt rating, Subpart F (formerly A-133) Single Audit findings, etc., exist.

Based on the applicant’s past performance, FMCSA will determine how well the application demonstrates that the:

1) Proposed project/program is reasonable in scope and likely to succeed within the period of performance;

2) Proposed expenditures are reasonable and necessary to conduct the proposed projects;

3) Milestones and timelines are measurable to allow performance to be monitored; and

4) Current project tasks are successfully performed and managed (e.g., within budget and on schedule).

e. Other Review Information

After applying the above criteria, FMCSA will take into account the following key Departmental objectives:

1) Supporting economic vitality at the National and regional level;

2) Utilizing alternative funding sources and innovative financing models to attract non-

Federal sources of infrastructure investment;

3) Accounting for the life-cycle costs of the project to promote the state of good repair;

4) Using innovative approaches to improve safety and expedite project delivery;

5) Holding grant recipients accountable for their performance and achieving specific, measurable outcomes identified by grant applicants;

6) May also consider whether a project is located in a qualified opportunity zone designated pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 1400Z-1;

7) Consistent with the Department's R.O.U.T.E.S. Initiative

(https://www.transportation.gov/rural), the Department recognizes that rural transportation networks face unique challenges. To the extent that those challenges are reflected in the merit criteria listed in this section, the Department will consider how the activities proposed in the application will address those challenges, regardless of the geographic location of those activities; and https://www.transportation.gov/rural

8) The Department will review and consider applications for funding pursuant to this NOFO in accordance with the President’s September 2, 2020 memorandum, entitled Memorandum on Reviewing Funding to State and Local Government Recipients of Federal Funds that Are Permitting Anarchy, Violence, and Destruction in American Cities, consistent with guidance from the Office of Management and Budget and the Attorney General and with all applicable laws.

2. Review and Selection Process

i. Review Process

FMCSA will review all eligible applications received before the application deadline. The review and selection process will consist of Intake/Eligibility Criteria review, a Technical Review Panel phase, a Program Office Review phase, and an awards Selection Process. During the Technical Review Panel phase, FMCSA technical experts evaluate and analyze applications applying the evaluation criteria. During the Program Office Review, the Program Office will consider the Technical Review Panel evaluation, review the application against the criteria, and apply ratings, consistent with the descriptions in this NOFO. The Program Office will recommend initial selection of projects for the FMCSA Administrator’s review. Finally, the FMCSA Administrator will select recommended awards for the Secretary’s review and approval.

ii. Ratings

FMCSA prioritizes applications using the ratings shown below based on the applicability of the merit criteria and other preferences to the application.

a. Highly Responsive: Applicant fully addresses all aspects of the criteria, convincingly demonstrates that it will meet the Government's performance requirements, and demonstrates minimal or no weaknesses.

b. Responsive: Applicant addresses most aspects of the criteria and demonstrates the ability to meet the Government's performance requirements but contains weaknesses.

These weaknesses may be addressed by recommending the award and including a specific programmatic or administrative post-award term and condition or a reduction to requested funding. Applicant otherwise fully addresses all aspects of the criterion and demonstrates the likelihood of meeting the Government's expectations and requirements.

c. Not Responsive: Applicant does not sufficiently address the criteria and/or failed to submit required documentation. For example, the application is missing a budget, the project narrative lacks a clearly defined problem statement, missing objectives/goals, etc. The information that the applicant has presented indicates a strong likelihood of failure to meet the Government’s requirements and/or adherence to application submission requirements.

iii. Additional Applicant Information

As determined necessary to support the evaluation and selection process, FMCSA may conduct discussions with applicants to clarify elements of the technical and budget applications, seek additional information as to whether the project can be completed with a reduced award, and request additional detailed and itemized cost information.

3. Additional Information: Risk Assessment

Prior to award, each selected applicant will be subject to a risk assessment, as required by 2 CFR § 200.206. Depending on the level and severity of FMCSA’s risk assessment findings, FMCSA may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive the award and use that determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant. FMCSA may also impose additional grant award terms and conditions above its customary general terms and conditions.

The risk assessment is conducted in several parts:

i. A suspension and debarment review that included a review of the applicant’s administrative capability self-certification form and a check against the records in SAM (currently the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System);

a. An applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through SAM and comment on any information about itself that a Federal awarding agency previously entered and is currently in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM;

ii. FMCSA will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to the other information in the designated integrity and performance system, in making a judgment about the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 2 CFR § 200.206, Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants; and

iii. An evaluation of the applicant’s Single Audit in accordance with the Single Audit Act, if applicable. FMCSA may, at its discretion, request further information and/or conduct an audit to confirm compliance as indicated on the SF-LLL – Disclosure of Lobbying Activities form, as provided for in the United States Code or the Code of Federal Regulations.

SECTION F – FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

1. Federal Award Notices

Following the evaluation outlined in Section E, the Notice of Grant Agreement (NGA) signed by the FMCSA Grant Officer is the authorizing financial assistance document, and will be sent through GrantSolutions. It must be accepted by the recipient before the end of FY 2021.

FMCSA may approve all or partial funding of a grant application. The NGA issued to the recipient will specify that the award is a grant and will include any special award terms and conditions, if applicable.

After the application review process, FMCSA may find it necessary to contact the applicant with additional questions or for clarification of the application’s components. FMCSA also reserves the right to determine the amount of awarded funding, including but not limited to factors such as reductions in the scope of work, funding level, period, or method of support prior to recommending any project for funding. Although the process is intended to be collaborative, FMCSA reserves the right to make final decisions on all awards. If selected for funding, applicants may be required to submit a supplemental budget or project narrative based on a partial or modified grant recommendation. FMCSA expects to contact applicants, if necessary, during the spring of 2021. This contact between applicants and FMCSA does not constitute any assurance that funding will be awarded.

Applicants chosen for grant funding are formally notified electronically by FMCSA’s grant management system (GrantSolutions, www.grantsolutions.gov) before the grant’s execution.

Unsuccessful applicants will be notified by electronic mail. FMCSA cannot award grants or release information concerning applications recommended for funding until approval is obtained from the Secretary of Transportation. Further, FMCSA cannot award grants until the enactment of authorizing legislation, an appropriations act, budget authority, and apportionment from OMB. FMCSA may issue partial funding awards up to the level authorized.

Acceptance of the grant award constitutes the recipient’s agreement to comply with all applicable statutes, regulations, executive orders, OMB circulars, and terms and conditions of the award, including the reporting requirements shown below.

Applicants will not receive any communication until all funding recommendations have been approved. FMCSA will send a letter to notify those who were not funded with suggestions for how applications can be improved for the next grant cycle. FMCSA does not have an appeals process for unsuccessful applications for discretionary grant funds.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

All awards will be administered pursuant to the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards found in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted by the Department at 2 CFR part 1201, and FMCSA statutes and regulations.

http://www.grantsolutions.gov/

All coursework, including classroom and range time, and placement services that are being sought for reimbursement under this application must be completed prior to the period of performance end date. Proper planning is critical for fulfilling the grant objectives within the period of performance. FMCSA will not pro-rate costs.

Additional provisions that apply to this solicitation and/or awards made under this solicitation, including but not limited to those related to DUNS, SAM, and administrative capability, can be found in the Grants.gov application package under the “Related Documents” tab. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review all documents when preparing applications. Contact the POC listed in the overview of the funding notification if you have questions on these provisions.

3. Reporting

The grant terms and conditions outline the reporting requirements that the recipient must meet after award. Reporting responsibilities include quarterly program performance reports using the Performance Progress Report (SF-PPR) and quarterly financial status using the Federal Financial Report (SF-FFR, also known as the SF-425). Recipients must submit financial and performance reports electronically through GrantSolutions; contact the primary or secondary point of contact listed in the overview of the funding notification for additional information.

Additional quarterly report information and other required forms and templates are available at:

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/mission/grants/grantee-training#pre-award.

If the Federal share of all currently active Federal awards exceeds $10,000,000 at any time over the period of performance, financial assistance recipients must comply with the post-award reporting requirements reflected in Appendix XII of 2 CFR part 200.

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/mission/grants/grantee-training#pre-award

SECTION G – FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS

For questions about this NOFO, please contact FMCSA’s Grants Management Office as listed below:

Email: FMCSA_GrantMgmtHelpdesk@dot.gov

Telephone: (202) 366-0621 (Grant Management Help Desk)

Mail: U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Grants Management Office (MC-BG) 1200 New Jersey Ave, SE, West Building Washington, DC 20590.

Office hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

mailto:FMCSA_GrantMgmtHelpdesk@dot.gov

SECTION H – OTHER INFORMATION

This NOFO is intended for informational purposes and reflects current planning. If there is any inconsistency between the information contained in this NOFO and the terms of any resulting funding agreement, the terms of the funding agreement are controlling. In addition, FMCSA may make changes or additions to this NOFO. All changes will be announced through Grants.gov. FMCSA encourages applicants to sign up for Grants.gov emails to be notified of any changes at: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/manage-subscriptions.html.

FMCSA plans to conduct an informational web-based conference for all prospective applicants.

During this conference, FMCSA staff will review NOFO requirements; share best practices and lessons learned; and answer questions from prospective applicants as allowed by Agency policy.

Conference registration information will be posted to this NOFO on Grants.gov.

FMCSA is not obligated to make any award as a result of this announcement. Funding amounts made available under this program may be impacted by limitations placed on the spending authority and appropriations enacted for FMCSA. FMCSA is not responsible for any monies expended by the applicant outside the scope of the grant agreement and is not responsible for any monies expended prior to the award date on the grant agreement.

Issuance of the NOFO and any post-submission contact of prospective applicants do not constitute an award commitment on the part of FMCSA. FMCSA reserves the right to reduce or revise applicant budgets as necessary. Only FMCSA authorizing officials can obligate Federal government funds.

An application may be withdrawn at any time before a final funding decision is made regarding the application, and notifications will be sent as soon as practicable when awards are made.

FMCSA retains application materials for a period of three years for unsuccessful applications.

As an applicant, your submission certifies that the statements made in the grant application are true and correct.

The following attachments have been added to Grants.gov under this announcement. The attachments are available in Grants.gov under the “Related Documents” tab:

• Appendix A: Application Package Requirements Checklist

• Appendix B: Project Narrative Guidance

• Appendix C: Accreditation and Certification https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/manage-subscriptions.html

APPENDIX A: Application Package Requirement Checklist

Below are documents necessary to be considered as being responsive to this announcement. Applicants must also complete and sign any required legal certifications. The table below lists the document names, description, location, and submission information.

Document Name

Document Description and Location Information

Submit in:

Brief Introduction Include a description of the goal(s) of the application and the applicable program priority(s) met by the application’s projects.

Grants.gov

Problem Statement

A quantitative description of the identified problem.

Include details on the data used to identify the problem and to establish the baseline.

Performance Objective

A description of the applicant’s quantifiable goal related to the above problem statement.

Program Activity Workplan

A description of the activities the applicant believes will help mitigate the problem.

Program Evaluation

A description of how the applicant will measure progress towards the performance objective goal, such as quantifiable and measurable outputs.

Organization Capacity A demonstration that the applicant has the expertise to successfully implement the state strategies and achieve its stated goals

Budget Narrative A budget narrative is a description, by budget category (object class) that details the costs necessary to complete the proposed projects.

SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance

Required standard application form for all requests for Federal assistance. Form requests contact information for: 1) Lead Principal Investigator or Program Director (program/project manager) [enter in Box 8f]; and 2) Authorized Representative (AR)

Official (authorized signer) [enter in AR section following Box 21]. Available in the Grants.gov application package.

SF-424A Budget Information for Non-

Construction Programs

Required standard budget form for requests for Federal assistance. Available in the Grants.gov application package.

SF-424B Assurances for Non-Construction

Programs

Required standard assurances form associated with accepting Federal assistance funds. This document indicates that the organization is in substantial compliance with various programs, regulations, and Federal laws for a non-construction program.

Available in the Grants.gov application package.

Grants.gov Lobbying Form

Required form that allows organizations to indicate that they do not engage in lobbying activities.

Available in the Grants.gov application package.

SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable)

Standard form to report their lobbying activities if applicable. Available in the Grants.gov application package.

Key Contacts Form

Required form requests contact information for: 1) Additional Persons for the role of Authorized Representative Official (authorized signer);

2) Additional Persons for the role of Principal Investigator or Program Director…