RFA _FNS_2017_OFS CENTER_Final 4-24-2017.pdf

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE

Office of Food Safety

Center for Food Safety in Child Nutrition Programs

REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS

CFDA#: 10.585

CRITICAL DATES:

RFA Release Date: 04/24/2017

Webinar Q&A Date: 05/16/2017

Application Submission Date: 06/26/2017

Anticipated Award Date: 09/01/2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

II. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

VI. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

VII. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS

VIII. OTHER INFORMATION

IX. APPENDIX A: REPORTING TEMPLATES

I. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Background

The FNS mission is to reduce hunger and food insecurity in partnership with cooperating organizations by providing children and needy people access to food, a healthful diet, and nutrition education in a manner that supports American agriculture and inspires public confidence. FNS administers the USDA nutrition assistance programs, including the National

School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Summer Food Service

Program (SFSP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Fresh Fruit and Vegetable

Program (FFVP), the Special Milk Program (SMP), and the Farm to School Program. FNS is committed to providing safe food through all of its programs and supporting sound food safety practices among program operators who prepare food.

The United States Department of Agriculture provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, and related issues based on sound public policy, the best available science, and efficient management. Food safety for child nutrition programs is a USDA priority.

In FY 2015, billions of meals were served through Child Nutrition Programs. Nationwide, the

NSLP operated in nearly 100,000 schools and the SBP operated in more than 90,000 schools. On average, 30.5 million school lunches and 14 million school breakfasts were served each day.

Approximately 3.86 million children were served each day through the CACFP (approximately

3.1 million through child care centers and approximately 0.76 million through family day care homes). The SFSP provided 164 million breakfast, lunch, and supper meals to needy children through nearly 46,000 feeding sites. In addition, the 2015 Farm to School census indicated that

42% of districts surveyed participate in farm to school activities and an additional 16% plan to start farm to school activities in the future.

Many of the individuals served in FNS nutrition assistance programs are children, or the elderly, both of which are vulnerable groups for foodborne illness. Steps have been taken to decrease foodborne illness risks in these feeding programs, particularly through the use of precooked meats and poultry products. At the same time, more fresh fruits and vegetables are being served in school meals and there is growing interest in scratch cooking, which may increase the risk of foodborne illness. In addition, foodservice workers may be a source of contamination in many kitchens. Therefore, there is a strong need to advance science based guidance regarding food safety in the school and child nutrition setting.

Introduction

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) seeks to re-compete its Center of Excellence for Food Safety Research in Child Nutrition Programs and continue it as the Center for Food Safety in Child Nutrition Programs. FNS administers USDA nutrition assistance programs including the NSLP, SBP, CACFP, SFSP, and others.

Research focusing on food safety related to these programs, and schools, in particular, is limited.

The school environment is complex and continues to change and expand. Not only are school foodservice personnel involved with the school nutrition program, but administrators, teachers, and volunteers may also be actively involved. Thus, the total school environment must be considered when addressing food safety questions.

The Center for Food Safety in Child Nutrition Programs, hereafter referred to as the Center, will provide leadership in advancing food safety research and practices within USDA FNS nutrition assistance programs. The Center will conduct research and use innovative techniques to disseminate research results to effectively address the food safety needs of Child Nutrition

Program stakeholders. To achieve its mission, the Center will be comprised of an interdisciplinary team that promotes the use of best practices and collaboration among stakeholders.

The current Center of Excellence for Food Safety Research in Child Nutrition Programs has laid the foundation for a holistic research approach to determine how new initiatives and emerging science affect food safety in Child Nutrition Programs. There is a clear need for multidisciplinary research, both basic and applied, that draws expertise from fields such as foodservice management, food safety, food microbiology, agricultural production (both livestock and plants), education, psychology, sociology, research design, and statistics to examine food safety in the school, child care, and adult feeding environments. FNS envisions that the Center will continue to address current food safety research needs identified by FNS. The Center personnel, working cooperatively, will demonstrate flexibility in addressing these needs, and provide the level of staffing necessary to deliver relevant and timely results.

Legislative Authority

Legislative authority for this Center comes from Section 6(a)(3) of the Richard B. Russell

National School Lunch Act, 42 U.S.C. 1755(a)(3); Section 1472(b) of the National Agriculture

Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, 7 U.S.C. 3318(b); P.L. 114-254 Further

Continuing and Security Assistance Appropriations Act, 2017.

Goals

FNS has established the following goals for the Center:

1) Provide a multidisciplinary approach to basic and applied food safety research needs related to Child Nutrition Programs.

2) Conduct applied studies to identify and address food safety issues in school meals and child and adult care food programs and convey those findings in a way that facilitates the transfer of knowledge to Child Nutrition Program operators, as well as scientists, policy makers, educators, and practitioners.

Objectives

FNS has established the following objectives for the Center:

1) Provide an avenue to identify food safety needs in schools and child care settings.

2) Address food safety issues in schools, child care, and adult feeding settings.

3) Assess the current status of food defense in Child Nutrition Programs and provide research based recommendations for improvements.

4) Establish and sustain an institution, either actual or virtual, that is considered the premier organization for leadership and expertise in food safety research and practices related to schools, child care, and adult feeding settings.

5) Establish a knowledge repository for research and science-based information related to emerging issues that may impact USDA’s nutrition assistance programs.

Mission of FNS Office of Food Safety (OFS)

The mission of the FNS OFS is to protect those served by FNS nutrition assistance programs from foodborne illness by leading the advancement of science-based research to promote food safety and develop FNS program operators in the practice of food safety. The OFS has a variety of food safety initiatives underway and the existing Center has provided science based research and support that has helped inform new, and enhance existing, food safety educational initiatives

FNS provides funding annually, through a cooperative agreement, to the Institute of Child

Nutrition (ICN) to provide food safety education to personnel working in school meals programs and the CACFP. The Center will coordinate with the OFS to identify research needed to support the educational programs offered to FNS program operators. The Center is intended to focus on research that is relevant to school food safety, school food service operations, and child and adult care settings.

Period and Place of Performance

FNS anticipates awarding a cooperative agreement to one Institute of Higher Education by

September 1, 2017. The anticipated period of performance of the cooperative agreement will be from September 1, 2017 – August 31, 2020.

Performance will take place at the funded University. The Center staff will work closely with the FNS OFS staff to accomplish the goals of the Center and specific projects. OFS may serve as technical advisors on specific projects, as appropriate. The Center will follow all guidelines of its University.

The Center staff may be expected to perform occasional travel as related to specific project needs and will be expected to meet with FNS OFS staff in-person at least once per year, and participate in monthly conference calls to provide project updates.

II. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Funds Available

The total amount of funds to be awarded to the one cooperative agreement designee is $1.8 million, contingent on the availability of Federal funds. A total of $600,000 will be disbursed at the anticipated time of award (09/01/2017). Additional $600,000 disbursements will be made after completion of the first and second years of the cooperative agreement, respectively. Prior to each disbursement of funds, the Center will provide project proposals and corresponding budgets to FNS OFS.

Additional funding beyond the $1.8 million will be contingent on the successful performance of the Center and the availability of funds with the option to extend the cooperative agreement for an additional 3 year period not to exceed a total of 6 years of performance.

Use of Cooperative Agreement Funds

All costs must be considered as allowable, allocable, necessary, and reasonable in accordance with 2 CFR part 200, as appropriate. Allowable use of funds includes, but is not limited to:

personnel costs, office and research supplies, travel for data collection, and technology (both hardware and software) necessary for operating the Center.

Terms and Conditions of Award

Cooperative agreements are assistance mechanisms and subject to the same administrative requirements as grants; however, they are different from a grant or a contract. Cooperative agreements allow more involvement and collaboration by FNS in the project compared to a grant, and they provide greater flexibility in direction of project activities than a contract. The roles and responsibilities of both the University and FNS will be clearly stated in the cooperative agreement.

This cooperative agreement will be awarded and administered in accordance with 7 U.S.C.

3318(b) and applicable documents can be found in Terms and Conditions of Award. The electronic Code of Federal Regulations can be found at http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/ECFR?page=browse.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Eligible Applicants

Competition for the one cooperative agreement award to continue the Center for Food Safety in

Child Nutrition Programs is open to institutions of higher education.

Applicant Screening Requirements

In reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition, Federal Awarding Agencies, in accordance with 2 CFR 200.400, are required, prior to making a Federal award, to review information available through various OMB-designated repositories for eligibility qualification or financial integrity, and to have in place a framework for evaluating the risks posed by http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/ECFR?page=browse http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/ECFR?page=browse applicants before they receive Federal awards. The evaluation of the information obtained from the designated repository systems and the risk assessment may result in the Food and Nutrition

Service Agency (FNS) imposing special conditions that correspond to the degree of risk assessed. The Federal repository systems FNS will review include:

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

2) FAPIIS, the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System, is a database that has been established to track contractor misconduct and performance;

3) Dun and Bradstreet, the system where applicants establish a DUNS number which is used by the Federal government to better identify related organizations that are receiving funding under grants and cooperative agreements, and to provide consistent name and address data for electronic grant application systems. The Federal government requires that all applicants for Federal grants and cooperative agreements with the exception of individuals other than sole proprietors have a DUNS number.

4) U.S. Department of Agriculture, AD-3030, Representations Regarding Felony

Conviction and Tax Delinquent Status for Corporate Applicants.

Applicants must also respond to the pre-application assessment questions below to allow FNS to evaluate aspects of the applicant’s financial stability, quality of management systems, and history of performance, reports and findings from audits. A questionnaire containing these questions has been provided to facilitate the process. Applicants must answer all the pre-application questions.

While answering “yes” may be an indicator of risk, the consideration and evaluation of these questions is only an indicator of potential risk and may or may not result in an additional oversight requirements or special conditions be placed on an award should an award be made.

Decisions regarding additional oversight requirements will take into consideration the total number of risks identified.

1. Has your organization received a Federal award within the past 3 years?

Yes_____ No_____

2. Does your organization utilize accounting software to manage your financial records?

3. Does your accounting system identify the receipt and expenditure of program funds separately for each grant?

4. Does your organization have a dedicated individual responsible for monitoring organizational funds, such as an accountant or a finance manager?

5. Is there a separation of duties for staff handling the approval of transactions and the recording and payment of funds?

Yes_____ No_____ __

6. Does your organization have the ability to specifically identify and allocate employee effort to an applicable program?

7. Does your organization have a property/inventory management system in place to track the location and value of equipment purchased under the award?

8. Has your organization been audited within the last 5 fiscal years?

9. If the answer to question number 8 is yes, was this report issued under the Single Audit requirement? If no, a hyperlink or copy of the report will be required.

10. If answer to question 8 is yes, was there a “Qualified Opinion” or “Adverse Opinion”?

11. If answer to question 8 is yes, is there a material weakness disclosed?

12. If answer to question 8 is yes, is there a significant deficiency disclosed?

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Applicants may request paper copy of this solicitation and required forms by contacting the FNS

Grants Officer at:

Greg Walton, Grant Officer

Grants and Fiscal Policy Division

U.S. Department of Agriculture, FNS

3101 Park Center Drive Room 740

Alexandra, VA 22302

E-mail: Greg.Walton@fns.usda.gov

Application Format and Requirements

FNS strongly encourages eligible applicants interested in applying to this program to adhere to the following applicant format. Application content should be typed on 8 ½” X 11” white paper with at least 1 inch margins on the top and bottom. All pages should be single-spaced, in 12 point font.

The following page limits are required:

Proposal summary : 1 page

Proposal body: 15 pages combined

Vitas: 3 pages per faculty member, including a list of publications during the past 5 years

Budget narrative: 3 pages

All pages, excluding the form pages, must be numbered.

Required Standard Application Forms

All applicants must complete the following forms:

They are located at http://www.grants.gov/agencies/aforms_repository_information.jsp:

Non-Construction Grant Projects Forms: SF-424 Family

Application and Instruction for Federal Assistance (SF-424)

Budget Information and Instruction (SF-424A)

Assurance-Non-Construction Programs (SF-424B)

SF LLL (Disclosure of Lobbying Activities): Indicate on the form whether your organization intends to conduct lobbying activities. If your organization does not intend to lobby, write “Not Applicable.”

Optional Form

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

Corporate Applicants. (To be completed by all corporate/for-profit applicants)

Application Content Requirements

Cover Sheet

The cover page should include, at a minimum:

University’s name and mailing address

Single point of contact (program): contact’s name, job title, mailing address, phone number, fax number and e-mail address

Grant program title

Table of Contents

Include relevant topic page numbers

Proposal Summary

Provide a one-page executive summary that describes the proposed Center and how it will be designed and developed to address the food safety research needs of FNS child nutrition programs. A discussion of how the University meets the basic selection criteria described under

“Evaluation of Grant Applications” should be included in the proposal summary.

http://www.grants.gov/agencies/aforms_repository_information.jsp

Proposal Body (includes A-F)

A. Technical Proposal

Provide information on the following:

1) Design and Implementation: Describe the role of the Center, and how it will be designed, developed, and implemented.

2) Research Plan: Describe your plan for the Center and identify areas of needed research that pertain to food safety and food defense in school, child care, and adult feeding settings. Explain how you would accomplish the work and be sure to include all partnerships and collaborations that would be needed in order accomplish your goals. Develop a research plan and describe specific projects. Research projects can examine emerging issues, such as produce safety in schools, the re-emergence of scratch cooking, or foodservice in non-traditional settings; or evaluate existing food safety or food defense practices and programs in schools, child care, and adult feeding settings and suggest evaluation tools and ways to improve those practices and programs. Research plans should include:

a. Means of identifying research needs;

b. Collaborations needed to complete the research team, if applicable;

c. Procedures, techniques, methods or approaches to be used, including their feasibility;

d. Data analysis;

e. Results or expected outcomes;

f. Details of plans to communicate results to stakeholders;

g. Challenges that might be encountered and possible solutions; and

h. Limitations to proposed procedures, techniques, methodologies, or approaches.

B. Timeline

Present a three year timeline for the Center development with key milestones for any suggested research projects.

C. Management Plan

Provide information on the following:

1) Chain of Command and Responsibilities: Provide an organizational chart that shows all key personnel, management relationships, and lines of authority, including a written description of how the management plan would be implemented.

2) Contingency Plans: Discuss contingency plans for ensuring that the project is not unduly disrupted by any unforeseen changes in key personnel.

3) Delineation of FNS involvement: Substantive involvement by FNS OFS is inherent in the cooperative agreement award. FNS will be directly involved in the guidance and development of the Center and may participate in some research projects as a reviewer and advisor. Indicate how the Center proposes to integrate FNS into its planning process.

D. Qualifications of Personnel

Identify all individuals who bear substantial responsibility for managing, developing, and administering all significant components of the Center, including the person who will be key contact. Provide the following for key personnel:

Current position;

Time commitment for each project year;

Specific roles and duties in the project; and

Experience related to food service research relevant to schools and child care settings.

Include evidence of scholarly publications relevant to food service research and food service safety.

Attach a current Vita for key personnel. Vita for potential collaborators may be included to demonstrate the depth and breadth of faculty to support the Center.

A minimum time commitment of 100 percent is required for the designated Project Coordinator.

E. Description of Experience and Past Performance

Provide information on past food safety research projects, including description of project scope, outcome, timely completion and emphasize their relevance to school and child care food safety and foodservice operations. Present evidence of substantive past collaborations where foodservice researchers worked with researchers in other disciplines to study a problem for school and child care food service operations.

F. Facilities and Equipment

All facilities and equipment that are available for use by the Center should be described briefly.

Any potentially hazardous materials, procedures, situations, or activities should be explained fully, along with an outline of the precautions to be exercised. Examples include work with pathogenic organisms, toxic chemicals, and experiments that may put human subjects or animals at risk.

Application Budget

Use the SF-424 and SF-424A forms to prepare a complete budget for the project. Provide amounts for all major budget categories. Prepare a 3-year budget, and justify expenditures for the development of, and research projects undertaken by, the Center. Please see the Budget

Checklist at the end of this document for additional guidance.

The budget should include funds for at least one project official to attend a one-day orientation meeting at the beginning of the project and a similar one-day meeting at the end of Year 1 to discuss projects and research results. The meetings will be held at FNS headquarters in

Alexandria, VA.

Cost Sharing /Matching

Cost sharing is encouraged including, but not limited to, partial salary support for administrative staff and in-kind support (e.g., faculty salaries and facilities costs). There is no cost matching requirement to participate in this cooperative agreement competition.

Application Budget Narrative

The budget narrative should correspond with the proposed project narrative and application budget. The narrative must justify and support the bona fide needs of the budget’s direct cost. If the budget includes indirect costs, the applicant must provide a copy of its most recently approved Federal indirect cost rate agreement. All non-profit organizations must include their

501(c)(3) determination letter issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Provide a detailed explanation for all funds requested on the Budget Form SF-424A and describe how those costs relate to the project goals, objectives, and proposed activities. In-kind contributions are encouraged, but not required.

It is suggested that budget amounts and computations be presented in a columnar format: first column, object class categories; second column, Federal resources; next column, non-Federal resources; and last column, total budget.

Special Instructions:

Late application submission will not be considered in this competition. FNS will not consider additions or revisions to applications once they are received.

Applications not submitted via the Grants.gov portal will not be considered.

If multiple application packages are submitted through the grants.gov web portal by the same applicant in response to this solicitation, FNS will accept the latest application package successfully submitted. All other packages submitted by the applicant will be removed from this competition.

FNS reserves the right to use this solicitation and competition to award additional grants in subsequent fiscal years should additional funds be made available.

Grant awards are contingent upon the availability of Federal funds.

Include each of the following as separate appendices: vitas for key personnel, including a listing of related peer-reviewed research publications in the last 5 years (not to exceed 3 pages total per person); letters of support from cooperating departments; copies of agreements or memoranda of understanding with other organizations.

The University is responsible for oversight of grant activities and fiscal matters. The

University will exercise effective internal control of funds that are provided to any sub-grantees.

Submission Information

Electronic Submission: The complete application must be uploaded to www.grants.gov by

11:59 PM, Eastern Standard Time, on (06/26/2017). Applications received after the deadline date will be deemed ineligible and will not be reviewed or considered. USDA will not consider any additions or revisions to an application once it is received. USDA will not accept mailed, faxed, or hand-delivered applications.

Dun and Bradstreet (DUNS) Number: In order to submit an application via grants.gov, applicants must have obtained a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and registered in both the new Systems for Award Management (SAM) and on grants.gov. The applicant is strongly advised to allow ample time to initiate the grants.gov application submission process. Please visit the following websites to obtain additional information on how to obtain a DUNS number (www.dnb.com) and register in SAM

(https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/).

DUNS Number: In order to obtain a DUNS number, if your organization does not have one, or if you are unsure of your organization’s number you can contact Dun and Bradstreet via the internet at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform or by calling 1-888-814-1435, Monday thru Friday, 8am-9pm EST. There is no fee associated with obtaining a DUNS number. Obtaining a DUNS number may take several days to obtain.

System for Award Management (SAM)

What is SAM?

The System for Award Management (SAM) is combining Federal procurement systems and the

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance into one new system.

For additional information regarding SAM see the following link:

https://www.acquisition.gov/SAM_Guides/Quick%20Guide%20for%20Grants%20Registrations

%20v1.pdf

Below is some additional information that should assist the applicant through this process:

SAM Registration: For applicant organizations that were previously registered in the CCR, relevant applicant information is already in SAM; set up a SAM account as necessary to update any information. To register in SAM, the applicant’s DUNS number, Tax ID Number (TIN), and taxpayer name (as it appears on the applicant’s last tax return) are all required. SAM verifies all information submitted by the applicant using several systems. This verification takes at least 48 hours after your registration is submitted to SAM. Applicants must have a valid SAM registration no later than 3 days prior to the application due date of this solicitation. Applicants that do not receive confirmation that SAM registration is complete and active should contact SAM at: https://www.fsd.gov/app/answers/list.

SAM Presentation/Training

GSA has created a presentation of a SAM training. To view the presentation, please visit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmHcKCchaiY

This will be extremely useful for SAM users that are:

Registering at SAM for the first time

Setting up user permissions from CCR into the SAM registration (called migrating)

Updating / renewing CCR record in SAM

PLEASE BE AWARE: In some instances the process to complete the migration of permissions and/or the renewal of the entity record will require 5-7 days or more. We strongly encourage grantees to begin the process at least 3 weeks before grant the due date of the grant solicitation.

http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform https://www.acquisition.gov/SAM_Guides/Quick%20Guide%20for%20Grants%20Registrations%20v1.pdf https://www.acquisition.gov/SAM_Guides/Quick%20Guide%20for%20Grants%20Registrations%20v1.pdf http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmHcKCchaiY

Grants.gov Registration: In order to apply for a grant, your organization must have completed the above registrations as well as register on Grants.gov. The Grants.gov registration process can be accessed at www.grants.govapplicants/get_reistered.jsp. Generally, the registration process takes between 3-5 business days.

If you are a new user, please ensure that your organization’s Point-of-Contact (POC) has designated you as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). If you are not designated as an AOR, you will be unable to submit your application package through the grants.gov web portal.

Allow your entity ample time to complete the necessary steps, for the submission of your grant application package, on grants.gov. Please be aware that the grants.gov system provides several confirmation notices; applicants should ensure receipt of confirmation that the application was accepted.

NOTICE: Special Characters not Supported

All applicants MUST follow grants.gov guidance on file naming conventions. To avoid submission issues, please follow the guidance provided in the grants.gov Frequently Asked

Questions (FAQ):

Are there restrictions on file names for any attachment I include with my application package?

File attachment names longer than approximately 50 characters can cause problems processing packages. Please limit file attachment names. Also, do not use any special characters (example:

&,–,*,%,/,#’, -), this includes periods (.), spacing followed by a dash in the file and for word separation, use underscore (example: Attached_File.pdf) in naming the attachments. Please note that if these guidelines are not followed, your application will be rejected. FNS will not accept any application rejected from www.grants.gov portal due to incorrect naming conventions.

In order to submit an application via grants.gov, applicants must have obtained a Data Universal

Numbering System (DUNS) number and registered in both the new Systems for Award

Management (SAM) and on grants.gov. The applicant is strongly advised to allow ample time to initiate the grants.gov application submission process. All applicants must have SAM status at the time of application submission and throughout the duration of a federal award in accordance with 2 CFR Part 25. Please visit the following websites to obtain additional information on how to obtain a DUNS number (www.dnb.com) and register in SAM

(https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/).

Please be aware that the grants.gov system provides several confirmation notices; you need to be sure that you have confirmation that the application was accepted. For tools and tips regarding www.grants.gov, please visit: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-tools-and-tips.html.

http://www.grants.gov/applicants/submit_application_faqs.jsp http://www.grants.gov/applicants/submit_application_faqs.jsp http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-tools-and-tips.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-tools-and-tips.html

APPLICATION DUE DATE

The complete application must be uploaded on www.grants.gov by 11:59 PM, Eastern Time

(06/26/2017). Applications received after the deadline date will be deemed ineligible and will not be reviewed or considered. FNS will not consider any additions or revisions to an application once it is received. FNS will not accept mailed, faxed, e-mailed or hand-delivered applications.

Applicants experiencing difficulty submitting applications to www.grants.gov should contact the grants.gov Support Center at Local Toll Free: 1-800-518-4726 or via e-mail at support@Grants.gov

1. Funding Restrictions

Pre-award costs will/will not be awarded for this grant project.

2. Other Submission Requirements

Electronic Submission: The complete application must be uploaded to www.grants.gov by

11:59 PM, Eastern Standard Time, on (06/26/2017). Applications received after the deadline date will be deemed ineligible and will not be reviewed or considered. USDA will not consider any additions or revisions to an application once it is received. USDA will not accept mailed, faxed, or hand-delivered applications.

Applicants experiencing difficulty submitting applications to www.grants.gov should contact the grants.gov Support Center at Local Toll Free: 1-800-518-4726 or via e-mail at support@Grants.gov

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. Review Criteria

EVALUATION OF GRANT APPLICATION CRITERIA

FNS will pre-screen all applications to ensure that they contain the required documents and information. If an application does not include all appropriate information, FNS will consider the application to be non-responsive and will eliminate it from further evaluation. The following basic selection criteria will be used for initial screening:

Knowledge of FNS Child Nutrition Programs.

Successful performance of applied, interdisciplinary food safety research partnerships related to school and/or child and adult care food safety and food service operations.

Proven track record of successful research in school and/or child care food safety issues published in multiple peer-reviewed journals.

Submission of all mandatory forms listed.

http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ file://///hq.fns.pri/no/office/fm/FNS%20Grant%20Management%20Programs/GMOB/RFA%20Information/RFA%20Template/www.grants.gov%20 http://www.grants.gov/

Applications will be screened for inclusion of statements of commitment from proposed departments or sub-grantees.

Applications that DO NOT meet these initial requirements will not be evaluated further and will not be forwarded to the review panel. After the initial screening of applications, a panel of technical and program staff will be convened to review and determine the technical merits of each grant application. The panel will evaluate each grant application on how well it addresses each application component. The panel will assign each application a score using the evaluation criteria and weights specified below.

Evaluation Criteria and Weights

The following selection criteria will be used to evaluate applications for this RFA.

Management Plan (20 points)

Demonstrates a vision for the Center, based on the goals of FNS, including possible strategies to enhance funding support to further the research mission of the Center.

Describes how the Center’s organization maximizes an interdisciplinary approach to research, including the administrative organization that supports interdisciplinary teams.

Provides oversight necessary to ensure high quality research projects and provide a way to keep the projects on time and within budget, including a clearly defined chain of command, adequate contingency plans for key personnel, and appropriate plans for managing outside personnel.

Develops a functional plan for the overall management, operation, and evaluation of the Center. Identifies how the role of FNS will be integrated into the Center.

Demonstrates a plan for implementing the Center upon finalization of funding that specifies timelines and milestones to reflect immediate implementation of the

Center.

Communicates a plan to provide visibility to the Center.

Research Plan (20 points)

Provides a plan for discerning and prioritizing the research questions pertinent to school and child care food safety and/or foodservice.

Develops a research plan that includes appropriate methods and approaches to answer the research questions.

Describes efforts to ensure validity, reliability, and homogeneity of the research results to programs across the United States.

Uses appropriate data analyses.

Demonstrates that an interdisciplinary research team was assembled and has the experience needed to implement the proposed research methods.

Provides a plan for disseminating research findings, including working with ICN to translate research findings for educational programs.

Qualifications of Personnel (20 points)

Demonstrates the necessary education, skills, and experience of key personnel involved in the work of the Center. This includes showing that key personnel have experience in conducting research on food safety in foodservice operations, and have published research results related to food safety in foodservice operations in peer-reviewed journals in the past five years. Experience in school food safety is highly desirable. Supporting documentation (i.e., resume/vita, and position descriptions for vacant positions) is included for all key personnel.

Explains the roles and duties of all key personnel.

Demonstrates availability of researchers from a variety of disciplines necessary to meet the food safety research needs of Child Nutrition Programs, particularly school food safety and school foodservice. Greater consideration will be given to applicants with multidisciplinary research capabilities within one university.

Demonstrates time commitment and availability of key personnel appropriate for their role in the Center. Supporting documentation (i.e., letters of support from supervisors or letters of commitment from key researchers) is included for all key personnel.

Demonstrates that key personnel have an understanding of FNS child nutrition programs and experience in working with these programs.

Experience and Past Performance (20 points)

Demonstrates success in past performance on food safety projects with relevance to food safety issues in Child Nutrition Programs by providing a description of the projects’ size, scope, and timely completion.

Shows relevance and follow-through on research by documenting extension of findings through publications, presentations, and programs.

Facilities and Equipment (10 points)

Demonstrates that the University has the facilities, equipment, and communication capabilities to accomplish the goals of the Center.

Shows how technology has been used to support research dissemination efforts with previous projects.

Budget Plan (10 points)

Demonstrates adequate and appropriate funding to support the Center.

Provides detailed calculations and explanations for both Federal and non-Federal resources.

Includes appropriate budget narrative, including descriptions of how costs within the budget categories were derived and provides links between expenditures and specific activities/tasks.

The scores of the applications reviewed by the panel will be arrayed from highest to lowest and will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selection official will consider the panel’s recommendations; however he or she may consider other USDA or FNS priorities in addition to the scores assigned by the technical review panel. FNS reserves the right to fund the selected application out of rank order as discussed herein.

2. Review and Selection Process

Following the initial screening process, FNS will assemble a peer panel group to review and determine the technical merits of each application. The peer panel will evaluate the proposals based on how well they address the required application components and array the applications from highest to lowest score. The peer panel members will recommend applications for consideration for award based on the evaluation scoring, from highest to lowest score. The selecting official reserves the right to accept the panel’s recommendation or to select an application for funding out of order to meet agency priorities, program balance, geographical representation, or project diversity. FNS reserves the right to use this solicitation and competition to award additional grants in the subsequent fiscal years should additional funds be made available through future appropriations.

NOTE: If a discrepancy exists between the total funding request (submitted on SF-424, SF-

424A, and budget or budget narrative) within the application package in response to this solicitation, FNS will only consider and evaluate the estimated funding request contained on SF-

424.

3. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates

It is anticipated that the selected applicant will be announced by FNS on September 1, 2017 and funding is anticipated to be awarded on September 1, 2017.

VI. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

1. Federal Award Notice

Unless an applicant receives a signed award document with terms and conditions; any contact from a FNS grants or program officer should not be considered as a notice of a grant award. No pre-award or pre-agreement costs incurred prior to the effective start date are allowed unless approved and stated on FNS’ signed award document.

The Government is not obligated to make any award as a result of this RFA. Only the recognized FNS authorized signature can bind the USDA, Food and Nutrition Service to the expenditure of funds related to an award’s approved budget.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

CONFIDENTIALITY OF AN APPLICATION

When an application results in an award, it becomes a part of the record of FNS transactions, available to the public upon specific request. Information that the Secretary determines to be of a confidential, privileged, or proprietary nature will be held in confidence to the extent permitted by law. Therefore, any information that the applicant wishes to have considered as confidential, privileged, or proprietary should be clearly marked within the application. Any application that does not result in an award will be not released to the public. An application may be withdrawn at any time prior to the final action thereon.

Safeguarding Personally Identifiable Information

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is any information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as name, social security number, date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, or biometric records, and any other information that is linked or linkable to an individual, such as medical, educational, financial, and employment information (National

Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SP 800-122, Guide to Protecting the

Confidentiality of Personally Identifiable information, April 2010).

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is any information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as name, social security number, date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, or biometric records, and any other information that is linked or linkable to an individual, such as medical, educational, financial, and employment information (National

Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SP 800-122, Guide to Protecting the

Confidentiality of Personally Identifiable information, April 2010).

Applicants submitting applications in response to this RFA must recognize that confidentiality of

PII and other sensitive data is of paramount importance to the USDA Food and Nutrition

Service. All federal and non-federal employees (e.g., contractors, affiliates, or partners) working for or on behalf of FNS are required to acknowledge understanding of their responsibilities and accountability for using and protecting FNS PII in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974;

Office of Management and Budget Memorandum M-06-15, Safeguarding Personally Identifiable

Information; M-06-16, Protection of Sensitive Agency Information; M-07-16, Safeguarding

Against and Responding to the Breach of Personally Identifiable Information; and the NIST

Special Publication (SP) 800-122, Guide to Protecting the Confidentiality of Personally

Identifiable Information.

By submitting an application in response to this RFA, applicants are assuring that all data exchanges conducted throughout the application submission and pre-award process (and during the performance of the grant, if awarded) will be conducted in a manner consistent with applicable Federal laws. By submitting a grant application, applicants agree to take all necessary steps to protect such confidentiality, including the following: (1) ensuring that PII and sensitive data developed, obtained or otherwise associated with UDSA FNS funded grants is securely transmitted. Transmission of applications through Grants.gov is secure; (2) ensuring that PII is not transmitted to unauthorized users, and that PII and other sensitive data is not submitted via email; and (3) Data transmitted via approved file sharing services (WatchDox, ShareFile, etc.), CDs, DVDs, thumb drives, etc., must be encrypted.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND CONFIDENTIALITY OF THE REVIEW PROCESS

The agency requires all panel reviewers to sign a conflict of interest and confidentiality form to prevent any actual or perceived conflicts of interest that may affect the application review and evaluation process. Names of applicants, including States and tribal governments, submitting an application will be kept confidential, except to those involved in the review process, to the extent permitted by law. In addition, the identities of the reviewers will remain confidential throughout the entire process. Therefore, the names of the reviewers will not be released to applicants

ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS

Federal Tax Liabilities Restrictions

None of the funds made available by this or any other Act may be used to enter into a contract, memorandum of understanding, or cooperative agreement with, make a grant to, or provide a loan or loan guarantee to, any corporation that has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability, where the awarding agency is aware of the unpaid tax liability, unless a Federal agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and has made a determination that this further action is not necessary to protect the interests of the

Government.

Felony Crime Conviction Restrictions

None of the funds made available by this or any other Act may be used to enter into a contract, memorandum of understanding, or cooperative agreement with, make a grant to, or provide a loan or loan guarantee to, any corporation that was convicted of a felony criminal violation under any Federal law within the preceding 24 months, where the awarding agency is aware of the conviction, unless a Federal agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and has made a determination that this further action is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government.

Debarment and Suspension 2 CFR Part 180 and 2 CFR Part 417

A recipient chosen for an award shall comply with the non-procurement debarment and suspension common rule implementing Executive Orders (E.O.) 12549 and 12669, “Debarment and Suspension,” codified at 2 CFR Part 180 and 2 CFR Part 417. This common rule restricts sub-awards and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. The approved grant recipient will be required to ensure that all sub-contractors and sub-grantees are neither excluded nor disqualified under the suspension and debarment rules prior to approving a sub-grant award by checking the System for Award Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov.

file:///C:/Users/katie.delrosario/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/F431NGKN/www.sam.gov

Universal Identifier and Central Contractor Registration 2 CFR Part 25

Effective October 1, 2010, all grant applicants must obtain a Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data

Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number as a universal identifier for Federal financial assistance. Active grant recipients and their direct sub-recipients of a sub-grant award also must obtain a DUNS number. To request a DUNS number visit: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform.

The grant recipient must also register its DUNS number in the new Systems for Award

Management (SAM). If you were registered in the CCR, your company’s information is already in SAM and you will just need to set up a SAM account. To register in SAM you will need your entity’s DUNS and your entity’s Tax ID Number (TIN) and taxpayer name (as it appears on your last tax return). Registration should take 3-5 days. If you do not receive confirmation that your

SAM registration is complete, please contact SAM at https://www.fsd.gov/app/answers/list..

FNS may not make an award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with the requirements described in 2 CFR 25 to provide a valid DUNS number and maintain an active

SAM registration with current information.

Reporting Sub-award and Executive Compensation Information 2 CFR Part 170

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) of 2006 (Public Law 109–

282), as amended by Section 6202 of Public Law 110–252 requires primary grantees of Federal grants and cooperative agreements to report information on sub-grantee obligations and executive compensation. FFATA promotes open government by enhancing the Federal

Government’s accountability for its stewardship of public resources. This is accomplished by making Government information, particularly information on Federal spending, accessible to the general public.

Primary grantees, including State agencies, are required to report actions taken on or after

October 1, 2010, that obligates $25,000 or more in Federal grant funds to first- tier sub-grantees.

This information must be reported in the Government-wide FFATA Sub-Award Reporting

System (FSRS). In order to access FSRS a current SAM registration is required.