rfp r12sf34002 - technical assistance.docx

Request For Proposals No. R12SF34002

Funding Opportunity No. R12SF34002

Native American Technical Assistance Program – Yuma Area Office

Financial Assistance Programs for Fiscal Year 2012

U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation Lower Colorado Region Yuma Area Office December 2011

Native American Technical Assistance Program

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation – Yuma Area Office

OVERVIEW

I - FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

1. Background The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), Lower Colorado Region, Yuma Area Office, under the Native American Technical Assistance Program (TAP) is designed to fulfill the mandates of Reclamation law and policy to assist Indian Tribes in their on-reservation development of water and related resources.

Reclamation’s Native American program provides technical assistance to Indian tribes in the field of water resource development and management through direct participation, training, and partnering with local Arizona and southern California Indian Tribes. The goal of the TAP is to establish cooperative working relationships which enable the tribes to take advantage and benefit from Reclamation’s technical expertise and resources.

This could take many forms from assisting tribal technical experts to providing the technical data necessary to assess, plan and develop on-reservation water resources. Assistance may also be provided through training to enhance a tribe’s knowledge and expertise in the use, protection, and development of resources. Reclamation can furnish training, both formal and informal, in more effectively administering tribal projects and programs and it can assist in supporting with various federal requirements.

2. Types of Projects Funds are used to provide technical and financial assistance to Indian tribes, institutions of higher education, national Indian organizations, and Tribal organizations in order to increase opportunities for Indian Tribes to develop, manage, and protect their water related resources.

Program activities include:

(1) Assisting Tribes to better understand their water-related needs;

(2) Developing water resources, including rural water supplies on Indian reservations, through traditional and innovative technologies;

(3) Entering into partnerships with educational institutions for the training of Indian students in areas of water resources management; and

(4) Provide technical assistance in the field of water resource development and management.

Each technical assistance activity that TAP considers must:

· Serve federally recognized Tribes’ needs; and

· Pertain to the use, protection, or development of water-related trust assets.

Provided that:

· Feasibility studies shall not be funded (a feasibility study requires express authority from Congress);

· Construction shall not be funded;

· Only definable products will be funded;

· No specific positions within Indian tribes will be funded;

· Only activities with durations of 2 years or less will be funded;

· No activities will be funded which generate data or analyses which have the potential for compromising any study or activities of the Department of Justice in its pursuit of related Indian water claims;

· No activity will be funded for non-Federal dams or structures;

· No TAP funds shall be used to fund administrative costs of 638 contracts;

· No funds shall be used to purchase equipment as a sole purpose;

· No TAP funds may be used to directly support litigation of any kind;

· No TAP funds may be used for environmental compliance activities; and

· No TAP funds may be used for activities which will have the effect of obligating the Bureau of Reclamation to perpetual funding requirements.

In addition, the proposed activity must fall within the administrative boundaries of the Lower Colorado Region, Yuma Area Office. These administrative boundaries may be viewed at the following website www.usbr.gov/lc/area.html.

3. Program Authority This Program is administered in accordance with the authority of the Indian Tribal Water Resources, Development, Management, and Protection – Energy and Water Appropriations Act, Public Law 108-7, Div. D, Title II.:

a. Section 201. In order to increase opportunities for Indian tribes to develop, manage, and protect their water resources, in fiscal year 2003 and thereafter, the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, is authorized to enter into grants and cooperative agreements with any Indian tribe, institution of higher education, national Indian organization, or tribal organization pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 6301-6308. Nothing in this Act is intended to modify or limit the provisions of the Indian Self Determination Act (25 USC 45 et. seq.).

Program Authority: Pursuant to the Act of Congress of June 7, 1902 (32 STAT 388) and Acts of Amendatory thereof or supplementary thereto, all commonly known as Reclamation Law.

b. Provide information on which section(s) of the statute authorize financial assistance:

“Title II - For management, development, and restoration of water and related natural resources and for related activities, including the operation, maintenance, and rehabilitation of reclamation and other facilities, participation in fulfilling related Federal responsibilities to Native Americans, and related grants to, and cooperative and other agreements with, State and local governments, Indian tribes, and others,… etc.,”

This public law authorizes Reclamation to provide technical assistance for water resources to Indian tribes and to enter into cooperative agreements and grants.

4. Objective of the Funding Opportunity The objective of this funding opportunity is to invite federally recognized Indian tribes to leverage their money and resources with Reclamation on projects or activities that provide the opportunity to develop, manage, restore, and/or protect tribal water resources.

Limited funding requires a process that systematically evaluates the merits of funding requests to assure that funds are directed to the project that best meets the Program objective. Projects or activities will be selected through a competitive, ranking process that will be rated using the criteria in Section V.1, that focus on achieving the outcome identified in this funding opportunity.

II - AWARD INFORMATION

1. Project Funding It is anticipated that Reclamation may award between one and three grant or cooperative agreements, providing funds up to $90,000 depending on the total amount of funding requested by successful proposals.

Funds for FY 2012 are currently not available. Once the FY 2012 appropriations become available, awards will be made.

2. Reclamation Involvement Any assistance Reclamation may provide to applicants when it is in the best interest of the Government will primarily involve coordination and program guidance.

3. Award Instrument In general, substantial involvement is not anticipated on Reclamation’s part; therefore the expected financial instrument will be a grant agreement. If substantial involvement between Reclamation and the Recipient is anticipated during the performance of this project, the anticipated instrument will be a cooperative agreement.

4. Award Date It is anticipated that an award will be made in May 2012 with an anticipated project/activity start date on or before June 2012.

III - ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants To be eligible for consideration for financial assistance and Level 2 evaluation under this Funding Opportunity, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

a. Must be an Indian tribe, institution of higher education, national Indian organization, or tribal organization located within the administrative boundaries of Reclamation’s Lower Colorado Region;

b. Must perform, be able to or have rights to perform work on an Indian reservation; and

c. Applicant must submit all documents listed on the Required Submittal Table on page 9 of this Funding Opportunity.

Applicants that satisfy these eligibility requirements will go on to Level 2 evaluation process, as listed in Section V.2 of this Funding Opportunity.

2. Eligible Types of Projects Proposed projects must be related to the development, management, and protection of Indian tribal water resources. Activities that develop, manage, and protect tribal water resources are eligible for financial assistance under this Funding Opportunity.

3. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirements Cost sharing or matching funds are not required.

4. Project Length Applicants should propose projects that can be completed within 24 months from the agreement award date. Applicants may request multi-year funding for projects but should be aware that any funding after the 2012 fiscal year will be contingent upon subsequent Congressional funding.

IV - APPLICATION AND PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. Agency Contact Information (Questions or Package Requests) Organizations or individuals interested in submitting proposals in response to this request for proposals may direct programmatic and administrative questions to Reclamation in writing. All questions must be submitted by December 29, 2011.

This document contains all information, forms, and electronic addresses necessary to obtain the information required for submission of a proposal. If you are unable to access this information electronically, you may request paper copies of any of the documents referenced in this request for proposals by contacting:

2. Application and Proposal Due Date for Receipt of Proposals Proposals will be accepted until 4:30 p.m., Mountain Standard Time, on Friday, January 27, 2012. Applications/proposals received after this time and date will be considered untimely and not responsive to the Funding Opportunity.

3. Electronic Submission via Grants.gov Reclamation is participating in the Grants.gov initiative that provides the Grant Community with a single site to find and apply for grant funding opportunities.

Reclamation encourages applicants to submit their applications electronically through http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply_for_grants.jsp.

The use of http://www.grants.gov is NOT REQUIRED. Reclamation will continue to accept applications via hard copy. It is at the discretion of the applicant in the method of proposal delivery chosen.

4. Proposal Delivery Address Proposals shall be delivered to the following address:

5. Facsimile submittal Proposals may be submitted by facsimile to 928-343-8405; however the original paper hard copy of the proposal must be received at Reclamation’s office within 7 days of the facsimile submittal.

It is at the discretion of the applicant in the method of proposal delivery chosen. Chosen method of delivery will not impact or determine the award or non-award of any agreement. However, if an applicant wishes to submit a paper hard-copy as a backup to the electronic submission, both will be accepted.

If the submissions differ, the latter one received prior to the funding period closing date will prevail unless the applicant specifies otherwise.

6. Content and Form of Application for the Technical Proposal The application package shall consist of the standard forms shown in the following table. In order to assist Reclamation’s review, each applicant shall submit a Narrative that:

(1) describes the proposed project in sufficient detail to permit meaningful evaluation in accordance with the criteria listed in Section V;

(2) describes how each budget item relates to the project; and

(3) provides a rationale and breakdown for the amount of each budget item.

REQUIRED FORMS AND SUBMITTAL TABLE (Submit one (1) original and two (2) copies)

TECHNICAL PROPOSAL:

BUDGET PROPOSAL:

*Required submittal

An award will be made to a responsive, responsible applicant with a highly rated and eligible project proposal. The applicant shall submit the mandatory application forms (signed by an authorized representative), detailed budget and project narratives and attachments including any commitment letters being requested, which conform to this RFP.

The submittals will allow Reclamation to conduct a meaningful proposal scoring evaluation and recipient background review.

Failure to submit the information may be cause for a lower evaluation score and a determination that the recipient is non-responsive to the RFP.

V - APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A total of 100 points will be used to evaluate the second level of each proposal received.

1. First Level (Screening Criteria) All proposals will be screened to ensure that:

· The proposal meets the requirements of the solicitation package, including submission of technical and budget proposal narratives, a funding plan, and related forms that are prepared in accordance with the instructions stated in Section IV of this document;

· The applicant meets the eligibility requirements stated in Sections I.3., and III.1, of this document;

· The work meets the eligibility requirements stated in Sections I.2 and III.2. and will be performed within the Yuma Area Office administrative boundary; and

· The project can be accomplished within 24 months. For multi-year proposals, the project will accomplish measurable on-the-ground improvements annually.

A proposal must pass all First Level screening criteria in order for it to be forwarded for further consideration at the Second Level Evaluation phase.

2. Second Level (Evaluation, Review and Selection Process) Technical factors will comprise 100 points of the total evaluation weight. Proposals will be evaluated and the recipient selected by Reclamation program office staff in the Yuma Area Office on the following criteria:

· Technical Assistance Objectives: Describe program or project in detail. (30 points)

· Expectations, Goals and Objectives: The extent to which the stated project goals, objectives and methods are specific, measurable, appropriate and realistic to achieve within the time and budget proposed. (30 points)

· Proposal identifies how it will meet the Program strategy. (20 points)

· Personnel and Institutional Qualifications: Demonstrated capability and capacity of the principal investigator(s) and staff and their experience bringing similar projects to completion on time and within budget, especially over the past two years. (20 points)

3. Third Level (Managerial Review) Management will conduct a final review to prioritize projects based on availability of funds and to ensure balance among the program tasks listed in Section I. After completion of the Third Level Evaluation, Reclamation will notify applicants of its initial selections.

VI - AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

1. AWARD NOTICES

Successful applicants from this opportunity will receive notification that their application proposal has been recommended for funding by the cognizant Grants Officer. This notification is not an authorization to begin performance of the project. An official Notice of Award is the authorizing document signed by the Grants Officer and the Recipient. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified that their proposal was not selected for award.

2. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

If your organization is awarded an agreement as a result of this request for proposals, the standard terms and conditions at 43 CFR, Part 12, Subparts A, C, E, and F will be listed in the Award documentation. The cost principles, administrative requirements and audit requirements are found at the Grants Management circular website: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/financial_fin_grants_expanded/#resource. The terms and conditions are found at http://www.doi.gov/pam/TermsandConditions.html.

3. REPORTING

If your organization is awarded an agreement as a result of this request for proposals, the reporting requirements will be found at the Provision titled Reporting Requirements and Distribution in the award documentation.

4. ADMINISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

If your organization is awarded an agreement as a result of this proposal, grant funds must be paid electronically. Therefore, bank routing and account numbers are needed from the recipient to setup the payment account. A convenient way to provide this information is for the recipient to register on the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) website at http://www.ccr.gov/. CCR is the primary registrant database for the U.S. Federal Government. This is not required, but may become a requirement in the near future. At this time, other options are available, but involve additional paperwork. Please contact the technical point of contact with any questions.

VII – OTHER INFORMATION

1. DUN AND BRADSTREET (D&B) DATA UNIVERSAL NUMBERING SYSTEM (DUNS)

REQUIREMENT (Reclamation 07/04) Effective October 1, 2003, applicants for Federal grants or cooperative agreements must provide a D&B DUNS number with their application. This number is to be included in Block 8c of your SF-424 - Application for Federal Assistance (Version 02, 1/31/2009).

If you do not have a DUNS number, one may be obtained at no cost by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS Number Request Line at 1-866-705-5711, or by going to the DUNS Government Contractor and Grantee website at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform.

Individuals who would personally receive a grant or cooperative agreement award from the Federal government, apart from any business or non-profit organization they operate, are exempt from the requirement to provide a DUNS number with their application. Reclamation must, however, have a DUNS number for payment processing purposes, and will therefore obtain a DUNS number for any individual who is awarded a grant or cooperative agreement.

2. GRANTS.GOV APPLY: ELECTRONIC APPLICATION SUBMISSION AND RECEIPT PROCEDURES (Reclamation 06/06) This provision provides information on the application submission and receipt instructions for applications submitted through Grants.gov Apply. Please read the following instructions carefully and completely.

Please note that you must register with grants.gov prior to submitting an application through the grants.gov website and the registration process may take from 7 to 21 days.

a. Electronic Delivery. Reclamation is participating in the Grants.gov Initiative that provides the Grant Community with a single site to find and apply for grant funding opportunities. Reclamation encourages applicants to submit their applications electronically through http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply_for_grants.jsp.

b. The following describes what to expect when applying on line using Grants.gov/Apply:

1). Instructions. On the site, you will find step-by-step instructions which enable you to apply electronically for Reclamation funds. The Grants.gov/Apply feature includes a simple, unified application process that makes it possible for applicants to apply for grants online.

Before applying, you will need to complete the Grants.gov registration process. The information applicants need to register can be found at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp. The site also contains registration checklists to help you walk through the process (column on the left side of the Get Started page). Reclamation recommends that you download the checklists and prepare the information requested before beginning the registration process. Reviewing and assembling required information before beginning the registration process will make the process quicker and will save time.

(2). DUNS Requirement. All applicants applying for funding, including renewal funding, must have a Dun and Bradstreet Universal Data Numbering System (DUNS) number. The DUNS number must be included in the data entry field labeled “Organizational Duns” on the form SF-424. Instructions for obtaining a DUNS number can be found at the following website: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform.

(3). Central Contractor Registry and Credential Provider Registration. In addition to having a DUNS number, applicants applying electronically through Grants.gov must register with the Federal Central Contractor Registry and with a Credential Provider. The http://www.grants.gov website at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp provides step-by-step instructions for registering in the Central Contractor Registry and for registering with a credential provider. All applicants filing electronically must register with the Central Contractor Registry and receive credentials from the Grants.gov credential provider in order to apply on line. Failure to register with the Central Contractor Registry and credential provider will result in your application being rejected by the Grants.gov portal.

The registration process is a separate process from submitting an application. Applicants are, therefore, encouraged to register early. The registration process can take approximately two weeks to be completed. Therefore, registration should be done in sufficient time to ensure it does not impact your ability to meet required submission deadlines. You will be able to submit your application online anytime after you receive your e-authentication credentials.

(4). Electronic Signature. Applications submitted through Grants.gov constitute submission as electronically signed applications. The registration and e-authentication process establishes the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). When you submit the application through Grants.gov, the name of your authorized organization representative on file will be inserted into the signature line of the application. Applicants must register the individual who is able to make legally binding commitments for the applicant organization as the Authorized Organization Representative.

c. Instructions on how to submit an electronic application to Reclamation via Grants.gov/Apply:

Grants.gov has a full set of instructions on how to apply for funds on its website at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicants.jsp. The following provides simple guidance on what you will find on the Grants.gov/Apply site. Applicants are encouraged to read through the page entitled, “Complete Application Package” before getting started. Grants.gov allows applicants to download the application package, instructions and forms that are incorporated in the instructions, and work off line. In addition to forms that are part of the application instructions, there will be a series of electronic forms that are provided utilizing a PureEdge reader.

(1). PureEdge Reader. The PureEdge Reader is available free for download from the Grants.gov/Get Started site. The PureEdge Reader allows applicants to read the electronic files in a form format so that they will look like any other Standard or Reclamation form. The PureEdge forms have content sensitive help. To use this feature you will need to click on the icon at the top of the page that features an arrow with a question mark. This engages the content sensitive help for each field you will need to complete on the electronic form. The PureEdge forms can be downloaded and saved on your hard drive, network drive(s), or CDs. Macintosh Users will need to use the Virtual PC emulator software, which allows PC software to run on Macintosh platforms.

(2). Mandatory Fields on PureEdge Forms. In the PureEdge forms you will note fields that will appear with a yellow background color on the data fields to be completed. These fields are mandatory fields and they must be completed to successfully submit your application.

(3). Completion of SF-424 Fields First. The PureEdge forms are designed to fill in common required fields such as the applicant name and address, DUNS number, etc., on all PureEdge electronic forms. To trigger this feature, an applicant must complete the SF-424 information first. Once it is completed the information will transfer to the other forms.

(4). Customer Support. The Grants.gov website provides customer support via

(800) 518-GRANTS (this is a toll-free number) or through e-mail at support@grants.gov. The customer support center is open from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays, to address Grants.gov technology issues. For technical assistance on program related questions, contact the number listed in the Program Section of the program you are applying for.

d. Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission.

Electronic Submission. All applications must be received by http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply_for_grants.jsp by 4:30 P.M. Mountain Standard Time on the due date listed in the funding announcement. Proof of timely submission is automatically recorded by Grants.gov. An electronic time stamp is generated within the system when the application is successfully received by Grants.gov. The applicant will receive an acknowledgement of receipt and a tracking number from Grants.gov with the successful transmission of their application. Applicants should print this receipt and save it, along with facsimile receipts for information provided by facsimile, as proof of timely submission.

When Reclamation successfully retrieves the application from Grants.gov, Grants.gov will provide an electronic acknowledgment of receipt to the e-mail address of the AOR. Proof of Timely submission shall be the date and time that Grants.gov receives your application. Applications received by Grants.gov, after the established due date for the program will be considered late and will not be considered for funding by Reclamation.

Reclamation suggests that applicants submit their applications during the operating hours of the Grants.gov Support Desk, so that if there are questions concerning transmission, operators will be available to walk you through the process. Submitting your application during the Support Desk hours will also ensure that you have sufficient time for the application to complete its transmission prior to the application deadline. Applicants using dial-up connections should be aware that transmission should take some time before Grants.gov receives it.

Grants.gov will provide either an error or a successfully received transmission message. The Grants.gov Support desk reports that some applicants abort the transmission because they think that nothing is occurring during the transmission process. Please be patient and give the system time to process the application. Uploading and transmitting many files, particularly electronic forms with associated XML schemas, will take some time to be processed.

VIII – EXAMPLE BUDGET NARRATIVE

The format as outlined in this budget narrative is optional and is being offered as an example.

You may use your own format to outline your budget; but however, if you do, be sure you discuss and breakdown all essential cost elements, estimated costs, and cost-share ratios for your project.

BUDGET NARRATIVE (Example)

(if cost share)

SALARIES and WAGES

TRAVEL

EQUIPMENT USE

$1,200

SUPPLIES/MATERIALS

CONTRACTUAL

$48,000

$5,000

OTHER

Contingencies (Construction contract only)

$10,000

TOTAL DIRECT COSTS

TOTAL PROJECT COSTS

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