RFA 21-10 Web Support announcement - V1 - RFA announcement for posting__ 08 02 2021.pdf

AGENCY: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

TITLE: Chesapeake Bay Program Office Fiscal Year 2021 Request for Applications for Web Support Activities

ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Request for Applications (RFA)

RFA NUMBER: EPA-R3-CBP-21-10

ASSISTANCE LISTING NUMBER: 66.466

IMPORTANT DATES

August 02, 2021 Issuance of RFA

September 17, 2021 Application Submission Deadline (see Section IV for more information)

October 01, 2021 Approximate date for EPA to notify applicants of results

October 16, 2021 Approximate data for applicant(s) to submit revised federal cooperative agreement application

October 31, 2021 Approximate date of award

EPA will consider all eligible applications that are submitted via Grants.gov by 11:59 pm EST on September 17, 2021. EPA will only accept applications submitted via Grants.gov, except in limited circumstances where applicants have no or very limited Internet access (see section IV.).

COVID-19 Update: EPA is providing flexibilities to applicants experiencing challenges related to COVID-19. Please see the Flexibilities Available to Organizations Impacted by COVID-

19 clause in Section IV of EPA’s Solicitation Clauses.

SUMMARY

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office (CBPO) is announcing a Request for Applications (RFA) for applicants to provide the Chesapeake Bay

Program (CBP) partners with support to design, develop, update and maintain a portfolio of web sites supporting the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership. The activities included in the RFA will support the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership’s web product needs of the CBP’s

Management Board, goal implementation teams (GITs), and relevant workgroups.

The portfolio of websites designed, developed, and maintained on behalf of the Chesapeake Bay

Program partnership represent one of the primary communication tools for the partnership. As such, the portfolio of CBP websites need to be designed and developed to be useable and accessible by a broad range of partnership audiences. The content included in those websites needs to be accurate and representative of key partnership messages.

Applications should describe the approach to be used to capture the needs and requirements of the Management Board, GITs and relevant workgroups; design user friendly and accessible web products; populate those web products with relevant and accurate content; and ensure the web https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses products appropriately address the needs of targeted audiences. Web products developed under this agreement must comply with the recipient’s cybersecurity policies and directives.

The CBP partners include federal agencies, seven watershed jurisdictions, and many non-federal organizations; however, work funded under this RFA will primarily support the seven watershed jurisdictions and other non-federal partners. The seven watershed jurisdictions are Delaware, the

District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

FUNDING/AWARDS: This RFA will cover the project period up to and including six years from an expected start date of October 31, 2021. CBPO plans to award one cooperative agreement under this RFA. The total estimated funding for six years is approximately $6,500,000

(of which $338,400 is EPA in-kind funding) with an estimated $1,040,400 (of which $56,400 is

EPA in-kind funding) available for the first year. There is no guarantee of funding throughout this period or beyond.

FULL TEXT OF ANNOUNCEMENT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

II. Award Information

III. Eligibility Information

IV. Application and Submission Information

V. Application Review Information

VI. Award Administration Information

VII. Agency Contacts

VIII. Other Information (Appendices)

I: FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Background

1. About the Chesapeake Bay Program

The Chesapeake Bay is North America's largest and most biologically diverse estuary. A resource of extraordinary productivity, it is worthy of the highest levels of protection and restoration. Authorized by Section 117 of the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. Section 1267, the

Chesapeake Bay Program is responsible for supporting the Chesapeake Executive Council through many actions, including the coordination of federal, state, and local efforts to restore and protect living resources and water quality of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. Section 117 also authorizes EPA to provide assistance grants to support the goals of the program.

The Chesapeake Bay Program is a unique regional partnership that has led and directed the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay since 1983. The CBP partners include the states of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia; the District of Columbia; the

Chesapeake Bay Commission, a tri-state legislative body; EPA, representing the federal government; and participating citizen, local government, and scientific and technical advisory groups.

http://www.chesapeakebay.net/partnerorganizations.aspx http://www.state.md.us/ http://www.state.pa.us/ http://www.state.va.us/ http://www.washingtondc.gov/ http://www.chesbay.state.va.us/

The CBP partnership is guided at the direction of the Chesapeake Executive Council (Executive

Council). The Executive Council sets the policy direction for the restoration and protection of the

Chesapeake Bay and its watershed and uses its leadership to rally public support for Chesapeake

Bay and watershed restoration and protection. The Executive Council also signs directives, agreements, and amendments that set goals and guide policy for Chesapeake Bay and watershed restoration and protection.

The Principals' Staff Committee (PSC) acts as the senior policy advisor to the Executive Council, accepting items for Executive Council consideration and approval and setting agendas for

Executive Council meetings. The PSC also provides policy and program direction to the

Management Board.

The Management Board provides strategic planning, priority setting, and operational guidance through implementation of a comprehensive, coordinated, accountable implementation strategy for the Chesapeake Bay Program. It directs and coordinates all of the Goal Implementation

Teams (GITs) and their respective workgroups.

The membership of the GITs and the Scientific, Technical Assessment and Reporting Team includes federal and non-federal experts from throughout the watershed. Thus, academic experts, advocacy organizations, and others become active members of the broad Chesapeake Bay and watershed restoration and protection partnership.

Pursuant to Clean Water Act Section 117(b)(2), 33 U.S.C. Section 1267(b)(2), the Chesapeake

Bay Program Office is the office within EPA charged with providing support to the Executive

Council in the restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay Program

Office and Chesapeake Bay Program, both mentioned above, are two distinct entities.

2. 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement

On June 16, 2014, the Chesapeake Executive Council, CBP’s governing body signed the most recent voluntary Chesapeake Bay agreement (referred to as Chesapeake Bay Watershed

Agreement throughout this RFA) that will guide the CBP partnership’s work into the future. For the first time, Delaware, New York, and West Virginia signed the agreement as full CBP partners in the overall effort. This agreement is one of the most comprehensive restoration plans developed for the Chesapeake region, providing greater transparency and accountability of all

CBP partners. With 10 interrelated goals and 31 outcomes, this watershed-wide accord advances the restoration, conservation, and protection of all the lands and waters within the 64,000-square-mile watershed by promoting sound land use, environmental literacy, stewardship, and a diversity of engaged citizens. Additionally, the goals and outcomes aim to better protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay's living resources, water quality, and vital habitats. The new

Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement also recognizes the unique and vital role local governments play and how they are essential to the restoration effort.

This cooperative agreement will help fulfill the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement outcomes under several of the agreement’s goals.

B. Program Goals, Objective, and Scope of Work under Assistant Listing Number 66.466

This RFA is seeking cost-effective applications from eligible applicants to support the design, development, and maintenance of the CBP partnership’s web products. This includes, but is not limited to: Chesapeakebay.net, Bay BackPack, and the ChesapeakeStat suite of products. This work supports the development of web-based solutions of the entire CBP partnership to support the goals, outcomes, and principles of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. Generally, support includes all aspects of web product development, including discovery, prototyping, design, content development, user experience, and usability evaluations. The CBP partners collect a vast array of data and information. Effectively communicating this information through web-based products is critical to the success of the partnership’s efforts to restore the

Chesapeake Bay and its surrounding watershed.

Specific activities include eliciting requirements from CBP’s Management Board, GITs, and relevant workgroups; reviewing existing web assets against those requirements; and developing new or refining existing web applications to meet those requirements. Additionally, the support includes advising CBP’s Management Board, GITs, and relevant workgroups on the development of user-focused applications and content required to meet specific programmatic goals and objectives of the CBP partnership. All activities conducted must comply with the recipient’s cybersecurity policies, directives, and best practices.

The CBP partnership, communications workgroup, and the Enhancing Partnering, Leadership, and Management Goal Implementation Team will provide overall direction to the recipient on content for websites. The recipient’s staff will be located at the CBPO in Annapolis to facilitate collaboration with the partnership staff located onsite who will provide technical and day-to-day direction. The space and overhead costs are considered in-kind funding and must be included in the application and budget at $9400 per employee.

While the CBP partnership comprises federal and non-federal organizations, any activities funded under this RFA will not directly benefit the federal partners. The recipient of the cooperative agreement awarded under this RFA may work directly with federal agencies, but the nature of that work will result primarily in benefits to the non-federal agencies, partners, and general public. The CBP Partnership will provide programmatic direction to the recipient through the Management Board, PSC, Communications Workgroup, and the Enhancing

Partnering, Leadership, and Management Goal Implementation Team.

CBPO plans to award one cooperative agreement to carry out all activities under this RFA. The total estimated funding for six years is approximately $6,500,000 (of which $338,400 is EPA in-kind) with an estimated $1,040,400 (of which $56,400 is EPA in-kind) available for the first year.

If your organization has an interest in this project, has the skills to accomplish the activities, and is eligible to receive a federal assistance agreement as described in Section III of this announcement, we encourage you to submit an application. Each eligible application will be evaluated using the criteria described in Section V. Applicants must address all five of the following activities to be considered eligible. The activities are multi-year projects (up to six years). The application should have a work plan and budget for the first two years and an estimated budget and budget detail for each of the subsequent four years.

All products developed under this RFA are to be hosted by the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership network, Chesapeake Center for Collaborative Computing (C4). Content, code and domains are to remain the property of the Chesapeake Bay Program at the termination of this agreement.

Activity 1. Web Development: Develop websites and applications in support of Chesapeake

Bay Program Partnership objectives

The following are examples of the types of activities the recipient may carry out to support the

CBP partners’ web development. Applicants may consider these activities as well as describe alternative activities and approaches. All products developed under this RFA are to be hosted by the Chesapeake Center for Collaborative Computing (C4).

• Programming state-of-the-art, custom websites and web-based applications using industry standard web development tools and techniques in support of partnership needs.

Examples of relevant technologies may include: HTML, Craft, PHP, Cascading Style

Sheets (CSS), Javascript, JQuery and SQL.

• Manage content by designing, creating, populating, and maintaining relevant backend databases to support the needs of the partnership for web and mobile applications using state-of-the-art database software. Examples of relevant database technologies include

MySQL and Microsoft SQL Server.

• In support of CBP partnership needs, implement and manage relevant content management systems to store authoritative data and key restoration messages. An example of relevant content management systems includes Craft.

• Assist in implementing the designs of the CBP partnership websites working collaboratively with the web designer described in Activity 4 below.

• Advise partnership on new standards, approaches, and methodologies for the continued improvement of content delivery to key partnership audiences, which may include new standards and methods for improving the quality, speed, and content of the web-based communications.

• Manage content management software on web servers.

• Assist in maintaining version-controlled code in the deployment process.

• Assist in the setup of database systems used for websites and web applications.

• Ensure all websites and applications developed under this activity adhere to all applicable security policies, directives, guidelines and best practices as organizationally required.

These security practices should follow generally accepted best practices described by the

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

• Participate in weekly cybersecurity meetings to discuss relevant threats, vulnerabilities, and risks. Maintain relevant documentation of cybersecurity compliance against relevant standards.

• Notify CBP Data Center management prior to any planned deployments.

Activity 2: User Experience: Ensure all websites and applications developed meet the needs of Chesapeake Bay Program partnership target audiences

For this activity, the recipient would design and conduct user experience research for the websites and web-based applications that further the goals of the Chesapeake Bay program partnership. The following are examples of the types of activities the recipient may carry out to support the CBP partners’ web product development and enhancement through the analysis of user experiences. Applicants may consider these activities as well as describe alternative activities and approaches.

• Lead the process of identifying business cases and intended audiences for web products.

• Lead research, analysis and discovery of user needs to determine if a new or existing web-based product fits the needs of the user and if so, how.

• Lead user task analysis for web sites and web-based products.

• Lead the development of personas to represent user needs.

• Lead the development and evaluation of low fidelity prototypes.

• Lead usability evaluations for partnership websites and web products.

• Assist in the development of information architecture for web products.

• Assist with UI design for web-based products.

• Review and analyze website analytics to support user experience.

Activity 3: Strategic Direction: Ensure the requirements of the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership are documented and all activities are coordinated.

Since the publication of its first website in the mid-1990s, the CBP has become increasingly reliant on Internet-based communications as the primary method of informing stakeholders about

Chesapeake Bay protection and restoration efforts. From that single website, the CBP partnership now has multiple sites that need to be built, maintained, updated, and redesigned. Content needs to be developed, maintained, and updated, all based on user needs of primary audiences. A vast array of audience groups relies on key web-based communications as the method for staying abreast of key issues facing Chesapeake Bay health and restoration. This activity principally supports the non-federal Chesapeake Bay Program partners and their efforts to provide timely and quality information to interested stakeholders on all aspects of the partnership and its efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. EPA intends to award a cooperative agreement to an organization to assist the partnership in the development of websites and web and mobile applications that effectively communicate information to a wide audience critical to the success of the efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay.

The following are examples of the types of activities the recipient may carry out to support this activity. The applicant may propose other activities and approaches.

• Work with CBP partnership leadership to understand the web-related needs of the partnership to support the goals and outcomes of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

Agreement.

• Advise the CBP partnership leadership in prioritizing work plans and ensuring key messages are being effectively tailored and communicated to targeted stakeholder groups.

• Ensure web content and products are responsive to emerging communication and science needs of the partnership, including content and products related to climate change.

• Analyze and refine requirements for websites, website features, web-based applications and mobile products through the application of user experience research techniques.

• Guide development of public facing websites and digital products and provide a guiding influence over the larger web portfolio for the partnership.

• Provide strategic direction on creating the look and feel for CBP partnership’s websites through the creation of original graphics, copy, formatting, design concepts, etc.

• Advocate the importance of User Experience (UX) and User Centered Design (UCD) within the partnership.

• Conduct training related to user experience and educate others to effectively communicate science on the web.

• Research new standards, approaches, and methodologies for the dynamic delivery of environmental information to target audiences, including underserved populations and

Tribal partners.

• Develop standards, policies, guidelines, and recommendations governing the development, management, and maintenance of the CBP partnership’s websites.

• Working in conjunction with CBP technical and communication experts, apply knowledge of estuarine science and scientific interpretation skills to present highly technical data to various target audiences (e.g., the general public, educators, and scientists) both graphically and verbally via the web.

• Assure all websites and applications developed under this activity adhere to all applicable security policies, directives, guidelines, and best practices as required by the recipient’s organization. These security practices should follow generally accepted practices described by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

• Participate in weekly cybersecurity meetings to discuss relevant threats, vulnerabilities, and risks. Maintain relevant documentation of cybersecurity compliance against relevant standards.

• Develop project plans with schedules for all applications within the portfolio.

• Notify CBP Data Center management prior to all planned deployments.

All products developed under this RFA are to be hosted by the Chesapeake Center for

Collaborative Computing (C4).

Activity 4: CBP Web Design Support: Ensure all website and applications support the

Chesapeake Bay Program partnership are well designed and applicable for target audiences

The following are examples of the types of activities the recipient may carry out to support the

CBP partners’ web design. Applicants may consider these activities as well as describe alternative activities and approaches.

• Design and implementation of design, using languages, tools, and software such as: CSS, Responsive Web Design, Photoshop, HTML5, and Javascript.

• Create designs and implement them within content management solutions used by CBP websites and web-based applications including Craft.

• Lead the design of the look and feel for CBP partnership’s websites and web-based applications through the creation of original graphics, copy, formatting, design concepts, etc.

• Create highly usable websites and web application and be familiar with usability testing and techniques.

• Assist in the designing of websites and mobile applications optimized for mobile devices using responsive web design.

• Translate complex business requirements into design mockups (including sketches and paper prototypes) that follow both the brand and style guidelines of the CBP.

Activity 5: Developing and Maintaining Web Content: Develop meaningful content for the web that is understandable and accessible by various target audiences.

The successful applicant will be responsible for working with the communications team to develop content to support furthering the goals of the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership. The following are examples of the types of activities the recipient may carry out to support the development of web content:

• Develop written content for partnership web and print products that track the progress of meeting the goals and outcomes of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement

• Determine where visual content such as graphs, charts, illustrations, photographs and data visualizations can support web products; work with partnership staff to develop such content;

• Work with subject matter experts and communication team to develop and assist in the creation of user-friendly content for CBP indicators, including news stories, social media content and media releases;

• Collaborate with the Communication Team in the development of a strategy for online communication to diverse audiences (considering underserved populations, including

Tribal governments) of the progress towards meeting the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

Agreement;

• Develop messaging and content to support the efforts of the CBP to be both transparent and accountable;

• Actively participate in partnership workgroups related to communications and content focus areas; and

• Collaborate with the communications team in the development of annual editorial calendar and content strategy.

Obtaining Additional Information

For additional background information on the CBP achievements and 2014 Chesapeake

Watershed Agreement commitments, see the CBP Partnership’s website located at http://www.chesapeakebay.net/.

C. EPA Strategic Plan Linkage & Anticipated Outcomes and Outputs http://www.chesapeakebay.net/

Pursuant to Section 6a of EPA Order 5700.7, “Environmental Results under EPA Assistance

Agreements,” EPA must link proposed assistance agreements to the Agency’s Strategic Plan.

EPA also requires that grant applicants and recipients adequately describe environmental outputs and outcomes to be achieved under assistance agreements (see EPA Order 5700.7A1, Environmental Results under Assistance Agreements, accessible at https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements).

1. Linkage to EPA’s Strategic Plan

The overall objective of this competition is to provide technical, programmatic, and administrative support for the CBP partnership in support of the portfolio of websites and web-based communication products that lead to implementation actions toward reaching the goals and outcomes of the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement under Section 117(d)(1) of the

Clean Water Act.

The activity to be funded under this announcement supports EPA’s FY 2018-22 Strategic Plan.

The award made under this announcement will support Goal 1: A Cleaner, Healthier

Environment and Objective 1.2: Provide for Clean and Safe Water Goal of the EPA Strategic

Plan. All applications must be for projects that support the goal and objective identified above.

EPA Order 5700.7A1 also requires that grant applicants adequately describe environmental outputs and outcomes to be achieved under assistance agreements. Applicants must include specific statements describing the environmental results of the proposed project in terms of well-defined outputs and, to the maximum extent practicable, well-defined outcomes that will demonstrate how the project will contribute to the priorities described above.

2. Outputs

The term “output” means an environmental activity, effort, and/or associated work product related to an environmental goal and objective that will be produced or provided over a period of time or by a specified date. Outputs may be quantitative or qualitative but must be measurable during an assistance agreement funding period. Expected outputs from the project(s) to be funded under this announcement may include the following:

• Current, functional, informative CBP websites that respond to suggested direction of

CBP partners, communications team, and GITs, and relay useful information about CBP and its restoration efforts.

• Secure and stable web products that comply with all organizational cybersecurity policies, directives, and best practices, including ensuring that all components are using up-to-date technologies.

• Improved user experience across existing web platforms and audience-based discovery research enhancing the design and development of any new web products.

• Website design improvements to address multiple platforms and scalability.

• Website redesigns to ensure portfolio is current with up-to-date technologies.

• Integration of content across multiple web applications and decision support tools to remove content duplication and ambiguity.

https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/fy-2018-2022-epa-strategic-plan https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf

3. Outcomes

The term “outcome” means the result, effect, or consequence that will occur from carrying out an environmental program or activity that is related to an environmental or programmatic goal or objective. Outcomes may be qualitative and environmental, behavioral, health-related, or programmatic in nature, but must also be quantitative. They may not necessarily be achievable within an assistance agreement funding period. An example of an outcome under this application is the effectiveness of management actions taken to protect and restore Chesapeake Bay tidal and non-tidal water quality and critical habitats due to improved, audience-focused, relevant content published on the suite of CBP public facing websites. Another example is improved public participation, engagement and education resulting from the publication of audience-focused web content, data, and management actions taken to protect and restore Chesapeake Bay tidal and non-tidal water quality and critical habitats.

D. Authorizing Statutes and Regulations

This grant is made pursuant to Clean Water Act Section 117(d), 33 U.S.C. Section 1267(d), which authorizes EPA to issue grants and cooperative agreements for the purposes of protecting and restoring the Chesapeake Bay's ecosystem. This project is subject to the Office of

Management and Budget’s (OMB) Uniform Grants Guidance (2 C.F.R. Part 200) and EPA-specific provisions of the Uniform Grants Guidance (2 C.F.R. Part 1500).

E. Minority Serving Institutions:

EPA recognizes that it is important to engage all available minds to address the environmental challenges the nation faces. At the same time, EPA seeks to expand the environmental conversation by including members of communities which may have not previously participated in such dialogues to participate in EPA programs. For this reason, EPA strongly encourages all eligible applicants identified in Section III, including minority serving institutions (MSIs), to apply under this opportunity.

For purposes of this solicitation, the following are considered MSIs:

1. Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as defined by the Higher Education Act (20

U.S.C. § 1061(2)). A list of these schools can be found at Historically Black Colleges and

Universities at: https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/one-hundred-and-five-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/;

2. Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. §

1059c(b)(3) and (d)(1)). A list of these schools can be found at American Indian Tribally

Controlled Colleges and Universities at https://sites.ed.gov/whiaiane/tribes-tcus/tribal-colleges-and-universities/;

3. Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. §

1101a(a)(5)). A list of these schools can be found at Hispanic-Serving Institutions at https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/idues/hsi-eligibles-2016.pdf;

https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/one-hundred-and-five-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/ https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/one-hundred-and-five-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/ https://sites.ed.gov/whiaiane/tribes-tcus/tribal-colleges-and-universities/ https://sites.ed.gov/whiaiane/tribes-tcus/tribal-colleges-and-universities/ https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/idues/hsi-eligibles-2016.pdf

4. Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions; (AANAPISIs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1059g(b)(2)). A list of these schools can be found at: https://www2.ed.gov/programs/aanapi/index.html; and

5. Predominately Black Institutions (PBIs), as defined by the Higher Education Act of 2008, 20

U.S.C. 1059e(b)(6). A list of these schools can be found at:

https://www2.ed.gov/programs/pbihea/index.html.

II: AWARD INFORMATION

A. Funding Amount and Expected Number of Awards

CBPO plans to award one cooperative agreement under this RFA. The total estimated funding for six years is approximately $6,500,000 (of which $338,400 is EPA in-kind funding) with an estimated $1,040,400 (of which $56,400 is EPA in-kind funding) available for the first year.

There is no guarantee of funding throughout this period or beyond.

EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and make no award under this announcement or award less than the estimated funding amounts above. Funding for the activity depends on funding availability, satisfactory performance, Agency priorities, and other applicable considerations. EPA makes no commitment of annual funding amounts for any fiscal year(s), as funds may be limited based on these applicable considerations.

EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this announcement, consistent with

Agency policy and guidance, if additional funding becomes available after the original selection is made. Any additional selection for awards will be made no later than five months after the original selection decision.

B. Award Type

The award will be issued in the form of a cooperative agreement. A cooperative agreement is an assistance agreement that is used when there is substantial federal involvement with the recipient during the performance of an activity or project. EPA awards cooperative agreements for those projects in which it expects to have substantial interaction with the recipient throughout the performance of the project. EPA will negotiate the precise terms and conditions of “substantial involvement” as part of the award process. Federal involvement may include close monitoring of the recipient’s performance; collaboration during the performance of the scope of work; in accordance with 2 C.F.R. 200.317 and 2 C.F.R. 200.318, as appropriate, review of proposed procurements; reviewing qualifications of key personnel; and/or review and comment on the content of printed or electronic publications prepared. EPA does not have the authority to select employees or contractors employed by the recipient. The final decision on the content of reports rests with the recipient.

For this project, federal involvement would typically be in the form of participation with other

CBP partners and stakeholders in an advisory capacity to the grantee. This participation is expected to include involvement through the various CBP Goal Implementation Teams and related committees and workgroups (on which EPA also participates to ensure that all the recommendations for technical work support the CBP partners). All work conducted is to support the efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and its surrounding watershed.

C. Partial Funding

In appropriate circumstances, EPA reserves the right to partially fund applications by funding discrete portions or phases of proposed projects. If EPA decides to partially fund a project, it will do so in a manner that does not prejudice the applicant or affect the basis upon which the application or portion thereof was evaluated and selected for award and therefore maintains the integrity of the competition and selection process.

D. Expected Project Period

The expected project period for the cooperative agreement is six years, with funding provided on an annual basis. No commitment of funding can be made beyond the first year. The expected start date for the award resulting from this RFA is October 31, 2021.

E. Pre-Award Costs

The recipient may incur otherwise eligible and allowable pre-award costs up to 90 days prior to award at their own risk without prior approval of EPA’s award official. Pre-award costs must comply with 2 C.F.R. 200.458 and 2 C.F.R. 1500.8. If EPA determines that the requested pre-award costs comply with the relevant authorities, and that the costs are justified as allocable to the project, then these costs may be included as allowable expenditures at the time that the assistance award document is prepared.

However, if for any reason EPA does not fund the application or the amount of the award is less than the applicant anticipated, then EPA is under no obligation to reimburse the applicant for these costs incurred. Thus, applicants incur pre-award costs at their own risk. Costs incurred more than 90 days prior to award require the approval of EPA Region 3’s grant official.

III: ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants

Nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, colleges, universities, and interstate agencies are eligible to submit applications in response to this RFA. For-profit organizations are not eligible to submit applications in response to this RFA.

B. Cost-Share or Matching Requirements

Pursuant to Clean Water Act Section 117(d)(2)(A), 33 U.S.C. Section 1267(d)(2)(A), the agency shall determine the cost-share requirements for awards. The Assistance Listing Number 66.466 states that assistance agreement applicants must commit to a cost-share ranging from five to 50 percent of eligible project costs as determined at the sole discretion of EPA. For this RFA, EPA has determined that an applicant must provide a minimum of five percent of the total cost of the project as the non-federal cost-share.

Cost-share may be in the form of cash or in-kind contributions. Involvement from foundations, watershed groups, private sector, eligible governmental, as well as non-conventional partners can help with the match. This match must be met by eligible and allowable costs and is subject to the match provisions in grant regulations. Applications that do not demonstrate how the five percent match will be met will be rejected.

C. Threshold Eligibility Criteria

Only applications from eligible entities (see Section III.A above) that meet the following threshold eligibility criteria will be evaluated against the criteria in Section V.B. Applicants must meet the following threshold criteria to be considered for funding. Applicants deemed ineligible for funding consideration as a result of the threshold eligibility review will be notified in writing within 15 calendar days of the ineligibility determination.

1. Applications must substantially comply with the application submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section IV of this announcement or else they will be rejected.

Where a page limit is expressed in Section IV with respect to the project narrative, pages in excess of the page limitation will not be reviewed.

2. In addition, initial applications must be submitted through Grants.gov as stated in Section

IV of this announcement (except in the limited circumstances where another mode of submission is specifically allowed for as explained in Section IV) on or before the application submission deadline published in Section IV of this announcement.

Applicants are responsible for following the submission instructions in Section IV of this announcement to ensure that their application is timely submitted.

Applications submitted after the submission deadline will be considered late and deemed ineligible without further consideration unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate that it was late due to EPA mishandling or because of technical problems associated with Grants.gov or relevant SAM.gov system issues. An applicant’s failure to timely submit their application through Grants.gov because they did not timely or properly register in SAM.gov or Grants.gov will not be considered an acceptable reason to consider a late submission. Applicants should confirm receipt of their application with

James Hargett at hargett.james@epa.gov (see Section VII, Agency Contact) as soon as possible after the submission deadline—failure to do so may result in your application(s) not being reviewed.

3. Applications must be for projects linked to the strategic goal outlined in Section I.C.1.

4. For an application to be considered eligible for funding, project-related work included in the application must take place within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which includes portions of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, and all of the District of Columbia.

https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ mailto:.james@epa.gov

5. Applications must show how they will meet the five percent cost-share requirement of

Section III.B.

6. Applications requesting more than the maximum funding amount listed in the range of the RFA will be rejected.

7. Applicants must address all five of the activities listed in Section I.B to be considered eligible

8. If an application is submitted that includes any ineligible tasks or activities, that portion of the application will be ineligible for funding and may, depending on the extent to which it affects the application, render the entire application ineligible for funding.

IV: APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. How to Obtain an Application Package

Applicants can download individual grant application forms from the application package associated with this opportunity in Grants.gov.

B. Content and Form of Application Submission

Each application will be evaluated using the criteria referenced in Section V.B. of this announcement. You must submit all the documents listed below including a single-spaced project narrative of up to 15 pages in length by the date and time specified in Section IV.C below. Excess pages will not be reviewed. The format for the project narrative is contained in

Appendix A of this RFA.

The application package must include all of the following materials:

1. Standard Form (SF)-424, Application for Federal Assistance – Complete the form.

There are no attachments. Please be sure to include organization fax number and email address in Block 8 of SF-424. Please note that the organizational Dunn and Bradstreet

(D&B) Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number must be included on the SF-

424. Organizations may obtain a DUNS number at no cost by calling the toll-free DUNS number request line at 1-866-705-5711 or visiting their website at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform.

2. SF-424A, Budget Information – Complete the form. There are no attachments. The total amount of federal funding requested for the project period should be shown in Section A on Line 5(e) and on Line 6.k of Column (1) of Section B while recipient’s total cost-share should be shown in Section A on Line 5(f) and Line 6.k of Column (2) of Section B. The amount of indirect costs should be entered on line 6(j). The indirect cost rate (i.e., a percentage), the base (e.g., personnel costs and fringe benefits), and the amount should also be indicated on line 22.

http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform

3. EPA Form 4700-4, Pre award Compliance Review Report for All Applicants and

Recipients Requesting EPA Financial Assistance

4. EPA Key Contacts Form

5. Project Narrative Attachment Form and Budget detail– The format for the project narrative and the Budget detail are contained in Appendix A of this RFA announcement.

Requirements for Project Narrative — See Appendix A

All application review criteria in Section V must be addressed in the project narrative. The narrative shall not exceed 15 pages in length. Pages refer to one side of a single-spaced, typed page. Font size should be no smaller than 10, and the narrative must be submitted on 8.5” x 11" paper. Note that the 15 pages include all supporting materials such as resumes or curriculum vitae and letters of support. The 15-page limit does not include documentation of non-profit status, cost-share letters of commitment, the SF-424, SF-424A, budget narrative, Key Contacts

Form, and 4700-4 form. If you submit more than 15 pages for the project narrative, the additional pages will be discarded and will not be reviewed. See Appendix A for additional instructions.

C. Intergovernmental Review

Please review the Intergovernmental Review clause included as part of the EPA Solicitation

Clauses. This program is eligible for coverage under Executive Order (EO) 12372, An

Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs. See this link for information and instructions:

https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-region-3-grants-and-audit-management-branch-intergovernmental-review-process-and-single. Further information regarding this requirement will be provided if your application is selected for funding.

D. Funding Restrictions

Administrative Cost Cap Requirement under Statutory Authority

Grantees applying for CBP assistance agreements must adhere to the requirements for

“Administrative Costs” under the Section 117 (d)(4) of the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. Section

1267 (d)(4), which states that administrative costs shall not exceed 10 percent of the annual grant award (annual grant award = federal share plus cost-share). Appendix B: Administrative Cost

Cap Worksheet is provided as an example of a method to calculate the 10-percent limitation.

You are not required to submit Appendix B with your application.

Allowable Costs

EPA assistance agreement funds may only be used for the purposes set forth in the grant and must be consistent with the statutory authority for the award. Federal funds may not be used for cost sharing for other federal grants (except where authorized by statute), lobbying, or intervention in federal regulatory or adjudicatory proceedings. In addition, federal funds may not be used to sue the federal government or any other government entity. All costs identified in the budget must conform to the provisions of 2 C.F.R. Part 200, Subpart E, Cost Principles. During https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-region-3-grants-and-audit-management-branch-intergovernmental-review-process-and-single https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-region-3-grants-and-audit-management-branch-intergovernmental-review-process-and-single the grant negotiation, any ineligible costs outlined in the application (i.e. lobbying activities) will be excluded in the final grant award.

E. Submission Instructions

1. Requirement to Submit Through Grants.gov and Limited Exception Procedures

Applicants must apply electronically through Grants.gov under this funding opportunity based on the Grants.gov instructions in this announcement. If your organization has no access to the internet or access is very limited, you may request an exception for the remainder of this calendar year by following the procedures outlined here. Please note that your request must be received at least 15 calendar days before the application due date to allow enough time to negotiate alternative submission methods. Issues with submissions with respect to this opportunity only are addressed in section 3. Technical Issues with Submission below.

2. Submission Instructions

The electronic submission of your application must be made by an official representative of your institution who is registered with Grants.gov and is authorized to sign applications for Federal assistance. For more information on the registration requirements that must be completed in order to submit an application through Grants.gov, go to Grants.gov and click on "Applicants" on the top of the page and then go to the "Get Registered" link on the page. If your organization is not currently registered with Grants.gov, please encourage your office to designate an

Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) and ask that individual to begin the registration process as soon as possible. Please note that the registration process also requires that your organization have a DUNS number and a current registration with the System for Award

Management (SAM) and the process of obtaining both could take a month or more. Applicants must ensure that all registration requirements are met in order to apply for this opportunity through grants.gov and should ensure that all such requirements have been met well in advance of the submission deadline. Registration on Grants.gov, SAM.gov, and DUNS number assignment is FREE. Please see RAIN-2021-G01 for information about EPA's implementation of the upcoming Government-wide transition from DUNS to Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).

Applicants need to ensure that the AOR who submits the application through Grants.gov and whose DUNS is listed on the application is an AOR for the applicant listed on the application.

Additionally, the DUNS listed on the application must be registered to the applicant organization's SAM account. If not, the application may be deemed ineligible.

To begin the application process under this grant announcement, go to Grants.gov and click on

"Applicants" on the top of the page and then "Apply for Grants" from the dropdown menu and then follow the instructions accordingly. Please note: To apply through Grants.gov, you must use

Adobe Reader software and download the compatible Adobe Reader version. For more information about Adobe Reader, to verify compatibility, or to download the free software, please visit Adobe Reader Compatibility Information on Grants.gov.

https://www.epa.gov/grants/exceptions-grantsgov-submission-requirement https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.dnb.com/duns-number.html https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/#1 https://www.dnb.com/duns-number.html https://www.epa.gov/grants/rain-2021-g01 https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html

You may also be able to access the application package for this announcement by searching for the opportunity on Grants.gov. Go to Grants.gov and then click on “Search Grants” at the top of the page and enter the Funding Opportunity Number, EPA-R3-CBP-21-10 or the Assistance

Listing number that applies to the announcement, 66.466, in the appropriate field and click the

Search button.

Please Note: All applications must now be submitted through Grants.gov using the “Workspace” feature. Information on the Workspace feature can be found at the Grants.gov Workspace

Overview Page.

Application Submission Deadline

Your organization’s AOR must submit your complete application package electronically to EPA through Grants.gov no later than September 17, 2021 at 11:59 PM EST. Please allow for enough time to successfully submit your application process and allow for unexpected errors that may require you to resubmit.

Please submit all of the application materials described below using the grants.gov application package that you accessed using the instructions above.

Applications submitted through grants.gov will be time and date stamped electronically. If you have not received a confirmation of receipt from EPA (not from grants.gov) within 30 days of the application deadline, please contact James Hargett, at hargett.james@epa.gov. Failure to do so may result in your application not being reviewed.

The application package must include all of the following materials:

1. Standard Form (SF)-424, Application for Federal Assistance – Complete the form.

There are no attachments. Please be sure to include organization fax number and email address in Block 8 of SF-424. Please note that the organizational Dunn and Bradstreet

(D&B) Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number must be included on the SF-

424. Organizations may obtain a DUNS number at no cost by calling the toll-free DUNS number request line at 1-866-705-5711 or visiting their website at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform.

2. SF-424A, Budget Information – Complete the form. There are no attachments. The total amount of federal funding requested for the project period should be shown on line 5(e) and on line 6(k) of SF-424A, the amount of indirect costs should be entered on line 6(j).

The…