Q&A May 2021 - FFPr Limited Merit Based NOFO.pdf

FY21 Food for Progress (FFPr) Limited Merit Based NOFO

Questions received as of May 31, 2021

1. If the implementation of actions is determined by sub-delegation with technical cooperation actors (sub-beneficiaries), is it necessary to include details of the indirect costs incurred by these actors within the project? If so, should a NICRA agreement also be included to support the percentage of indirect costs borne by these actors?

Per Section D 3 of the NOFO, Content and Form of Application Submission, the NICRA for the Applicant is requested along with a description of how the proposed indirect costs were calculated. Proposed indirect costs in the application must be consistent with the approved NICRA.

2. Could you please confirm whether the costs of institutional staff directly involved in project management and technical assistance can be included in the direct costs to be financed, provided that these are not included in the indirect cost?

Yes, staff directly performing project management and technical duties under an identified objective/activity can be classified as direct costs. The USDA/Food for Progress cooperative agreements follow the guidance set under 2 CFR 200. Direct Costs in general are those that can be identified specifically with a particular final cost objective.

For example: Compensation of employees for the time devoted and identified specifically to the performance of those awards. Per 2 CFR section 200.413(b), typical costs charged directly to a Federal award are the compensation of employees who work on that award. As described in 2 CFR section 200.403(d), costs must be consistently charged as either indirect or direct costs, but may not be double charged or inconsistently charged as both.

3. If an Applicant has a previous register in DUNS and SAM but does not currently know the registration number and its password, is it possible to recover the access without creating a new user again?

The SF-424 submitted with previous applications contains the organization’s DUNS Number. If you do not have access to this form, please visit http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform or call 1-866-705-5711 to request assistance with obtaining your organization’s DUNS Number. Contact the supporting Federal Service Desk at www.fsd.gov,or by telephone at 866-606-8220 (toll free) or 334-206-7828 (internationally), for FREE help with your SAM registration.

4. Could you please confirm if the SF-424 form to be completed is the Application for Federal Assistance SF-424?

That is correct. The full title of the form is the Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424).

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=&SID=809aace79992759a89b09cd3c399699f&mc=true&n=sp2.1.200.e&r=SUBPART&ty=HTML#se2.1.200_1413 http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=fbb70fe83009e152ac327498f6ec18c4&node=se2.1.200_1403&rgn=div8 http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform http://www.fsd.gov/

5. In the call document, it is indicated in item iv. Performance Indicator Table that

Applicants must submit an updated table of performance indicators for their project results. Using the indicator table in the existing cooperative agreement as a starting point, the Applicant must update the table to reflect additional funding. What happens if the Cooperative Agreement does not provide a clear framework of performance indicators? Should a proposal be created for these indicators? The table of performance indicators is a standard part of all Food Assistance cooperative agreements and should be included in the proposal. As noted, Applicants should update this table and submit it with their proposal, to reflect additional funding.

6. Will funding decisions be communicated on a rolling basis (e.g. as responses are reviewed and funding decisions are made) or is there a specific date or timeframe by which all Applicants will receive a response?

Under the Merit Limited NOFO funding decisions will be announced prior to September 30, 2021.

7. Under the section “Required Content and Form of Application Submission” on page 4, there is one bullet (on page 5), which is “Revised Plan of Operations, Commodity Specifications and /or Performance Indicators (detail how funds impact evaluation plan), as applicable to the request". The Performance Indicator table is mentioned further down the list. Also, the Commodity Specifications is included in the Rapid Market Analysis. Is a Revised Plan of Operations required? If so, can you clarify what is required for the Revised Plan of Operations: page requirements, where does it go in the application, and any other guidance?

Applicants should submit the revised Plan of Operations, Commodity Specifications and/or Performance Indicators based on the proposed changes per the Concept Note and funding request (similar to the requirements of a cost amendment request). There are no specific page limits, as each amendment package is unique to each agreement.

8. Should an Applicant submit a revised evaluation plan? The NOFO mentions this on page 5 (point listed above) but later on page 11, it says under the section ‘Performance Indicator Table”, that the Applicant is to submit an updated Evaluation Plan if an award is made. No, a revised evaluation plan does not need to be submitted in the proposal.

The wording on p. 11 stands; if an award is made, the Applicant will be required to submit an updated evaluation plan.

9. For Applicants that have midterm evaluations and have started their final evaluation, is there a requirement do an evaluation during the extension? Some type of evaluation should be done at the end of an extended project, and if an award is made, details of this evaluation will be finalized during the negotiation phase.

10. Under the section “Budget Summary Realignment and Budget Narrative”, on page 10, the NOFO states that “Applications requesting an extension to the period of performance may also include a request for additional administration funds”. Can you confirm that one can request additional CCC funds or if the funds for the administration of the project need to be funded through the commodity budget? Also, in case CCC funds are authorized, is there a limit to how much CCC funds one may request in an extension?

Applicants can request additional CCC funds for the administration of the project.

Applicants must provide justification for the amount requested.

11. Does the Food for Progress Program anticipate issuing any more Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) in FY21?

The Standing Supplemental and Merit-Based NOFOs represent the only anticipated funding announcements for Food for Progress in FY21.

12. Page 5 of the NOFO, bullet point 4, states that a revised Plan of Operations may be required as part of the submission, but it is not clear where it should be included in the application submission. Could you please confirm that a revised Plan of Operations can be included as an annex to the application submission?

Applicants should revise and submit Attachment A: Plan of Operations of the base agreement according to the proposed changes per the Concept Note and funding request.

13. Page 5 of the NOFO, bullet point 4, states that revised Commodity Specifications may be required as part of the submission, but it is not clear where it should be included in the application submission. Could you please confirm that commodity specifications are included as part of the Rapid Market Analysis?

If revisions to Attachment B – Commodity Specifications of the base agreement are being proposed, please include this in the application submission separate from the Rapid Market Analysis.

14. The NOFO states to continue current project activities but most importantly based it on the mid-term evaluation recommendations. FAS/GT has requested all implementing partners to support the School Feeding Law and Program due to its sustainability on economic rural development and improvement on nutrition for children. We would like to conduct a pilot program to accredit farmers as part of the School Feeding Law/Program as this has been the biggest problem to implement this law. Is it OK to include it?

The Concept Note should prioritize addressing issues identified in project evaluations and the sustainability of project activities beyond the life of the agreement. Project evaluation reports and current analysis should be referenced to support the Justification Statement in the Concept Note for the need of additional funds.

15. Page 17 of the NOFO, it mentions technical and cost proposals, however, the application instructions elsewhere describe one application. Please confirm that this is one application with technical and cost information combined in one?

Correct. This is one comprehensive application with technical and cost information combined.

16. On page 24 of the NOFO, it notes that the approved work plans must be contained in FAIS. However, per the agreement, we have been submitting the workplans to our specialist for approval and there is no space to upload this to FAIS. Could you please clarify if the email submissions suffice?

As FAIS is the system of record, we would like approved workplans to be uploaded as Attachments in FAIS for each Food for Progress agreement. The following breadcrumb trail indicates where the plans can be uploaded: Home > Agreement > Agreement Summary > Attachments