sga-dfa-py-10-05.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration Notice of Availability of Funds and Solicitation for Grant Applications for the National Farmworker Jobs Program

Announcement Type: Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA) Funding Opportunity Number: SGA-DFA-PY-10-05 Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 17.264

Key Dates: The closing date for receipt of applications under this announcement is May 2, 2011. Applications must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Addresses: Mailed applications must be addressed to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Division of Federal Assistance, Attention: B. Jai Johnson, Grant Officer, Reference SGA-DFA-PY-10-05, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716, Washington, DC 20210. For complete application and submission information, including online application instructions, please refer to section IV.

Summary:

The U. S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Office of Workforce Investment, Division of Adult Services, announces a grant competition for operating the National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP), under section 167 of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), 29 U.S.C. 2912. WIA generally requires DOL to conduct a general grants competition every two years to select NFJP grantees.

Under section 167(a) of WIA, the Secretary must award grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities for the purposes of carrying out the activities authorized under section 167.

We are conducting this competition before the passage of the Department of Labor’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 appropriation in anticipation of the appropriation of funds for Program Year (PY) 2011 NFJP grants, but we will not obligate any funds for PY 2011 grants unless and until they are appropriated. The FY 2011 appropriation request for this program is $78,410,000, to be allocated among state service delivery areas for operation of NFJP. All interested applicants should read this notice in its entirety.

I. Funding Opportunity Description The agricultural industry is characterized by a large workforce with numerous job openings, chronic unemployment and underemployment due to the cyclical nature of the work, and below average pay. Migrants and seasonal farmworkers, whose livelihood is primarily derived from agricultural employment, not only experience the chronic unemployment or underemployment inherent in the industry, but also face additional, significant barriers to employment. These include low levels of education, limited English proficiency, inferior housing, and few assets to sustain them through a period of retraining.

The National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) is a nationally-directed, locally-administered program of job training and employment assistance for migrants and seasonal farmworkers (MSFWs) and their dependents. Services include classroom and on-the-job training, as well as some supportive services such as nutrition, health care, child care, and temporary shelter. The services available for assisting MSFWs include

WIA-defined core, intensive, training, and related assistance services. All of these services are critical to the MSFW population.

ETA is requesting grant applications from eligible applicants to operate NFJP in accordance with section 167 of WIA for the two-year grant cycle beginning in Program Year (PY) 2011.

NFJP is designed to serve economically disadvantaged persons who primarily depend on employment in agricultural labor performed within the United States, including Puerto Rico, and who experience chronic unemployment or underemployment. Qualifying participants are typically those persons employed on a seasonal or part-time basis in the unskilled and semi-skilled manual labor occupations in crop and animal production. Through training and other workforce development services, the program is intended to assist eligible migrants and seasonal farmworkers and their families to prepare for jobs likely to provide stable, year-round employment, both within and outside agriculture.

NFJP is subject to the requirements found at WIA section 167 and the Department’s regulations at 20 CFR part 669. This program is also subject to the requirements of 29 CFR parts 93 (New Restrictions on Lobbying), 96 (Audit Requirements), and 98 (Debarment, Suspension, and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements), the non-discrimination regulations implementing WIA section 188 at 29 CFR part 37, as well as DOL’s Equal Treatment regulations, found at 29 CFR part 2, subpart D. Applicants should be familiar with these requirements and consult the WIA regulations at 20 CFR parts 660 through 671 in developing their grant proposals. Should the WIA regulations at 20 CFR part 669 conflict with regulations elsewhere in 20 CFR, the regulations at part 669 will control.

NFJP is subject to the common performance measures for job training and employment programs established by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Guidance on the common performance measures can be found in ETA Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 17–05 (February 17, 2006), available at http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/ corr_ doc.cfm?DOCN=2195.

Applications submitted in response to this solicitation are required to include estimates of expected performance against these common performance measures. The common performance measures are: Entered Employment, Employment Retention, and Average Earnings. To assist applicants in developing their performance estimates, the national goals for PY 2011 for the three measures are: Entered Employment, 75%;

Employment Retention, 72%; and Average Earnings, $9,050. NFJP began data collection for the common measures on July 1, 2005.

II. Award Information The type of assistance instrument to be used for NFJP is the grant. We are conducting this competition before the passage of the Department of Labor’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 appropriation in anticipation of the appropriation of funds for Program Year (PY) 2011 NFJP grants, but we will not obligate any funds for PY 2011 grants unless and until they are appropriated. Therefore, the selection of grantees and award of funds under this competition is contingent upon the enactment of a PY 2011 appropriation for the NFJP program. Grants awarded through this solicitation will be for a two-year period, as prescribed in WIA section 167, but funded on an annual basis. The FY 2011 appropriation request for this program is $78,410,000 (July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012). Thereafter, second year allocations will be dependent on the availability of funding through the FY

2012 appropriations process and on the grantee’s compliance with all current and future ETA guidance related to NFJP. State allocations are established through a formula process, and are published in a Federal Register Notice. For a listing of individual state allocations, refer to the program Web site at:

http://www.doleta.gov/MSFW/html/docs/StateAllocations.cfm.

For the purposes of this solicitation, applications are hereby solicited for a single NFJP operation per state, to serve the migrant and seasonal farmworker population thereof, including Puerto Rico, with the following exceptions:

No application will be accepted to operate NFJP in Alaska due to the small relative share of eligible participants and seasonal agricultural employment;

Between four and six entities will be selected to provide NFJP services in California;

Connecticut and Rhode Island are a combined service delivery area;

Delaware and Maryland are a combined service delivery area;

Applications for the combined state service delivery areas defined above must address the two states as a single geographic area.

III. Eligibility Information A. Eligible Applicants Applicants need not be a current or prior WIA section 167 grantee to establish eligibility to be awarded a grant under this solicitation. State agencies, state workforce investment boards (SWIBs), local government agencies, local workforce investment boards (LWIBs), faith-based and community-based organizations, institutions of higher learning, and other entities capable of delivering services on a statewide basis are all examples of organizations eligible to apply for WIA section 167 grants. The provisions of 20 CFR 669.200(a), which implement WIA section 167(b) describe entities eligible to receive a grant as those that have:

An understanding of the employment challenges and barriers to employment facing eligible migrant and seasonal farmworkers, including their dependents;

A familiarity with the geographical area to be served;

A capacity to administer effectively a diversified program of workforce investment activities for eligible migrant and seasonal farmworkers; and The capacity to work effectively as a One-Stop partner.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching There is no cost sharing or matching requirement in this SGA.

C. Other Eligibility Criteria Not applicable

D. Eligible Participants WIA section 167(h) defines eligible migrants and seasonal farmworkers as disadvantaged persons who, for 12 consecutive months out of the 24 months before application for the program involved, have been primarily employed in agricultural labor that is characterized by chronic unemployment or underemployment; or a dependent of an eligible migrant or seasonal farmworker. The term disadvantaged, used with respect to a farmworker, means a farmworker whose income, for the 12 consecutive months out of the 24 months prior to application for the program, does not exceed the higher of the poverty line for an http://www.doleta.gov/MSFW/html/docs/StateAllocations.cfm equivalent period or 70 percent of the lower living standard income level, for an equivalent period.

Veterans Priority for Participants The Jobs for Veterans Act (Public Law 107-288) requires grantees to provide priority of service for veterans and spouses of certain veterans for the receipt of employment, training, and placement services in any job training program directly funded, in whole or in part, by DOL. The regulations implementing this priority of service can be found at 20 CFR part 1010. In circumstances where a grant recipient must choose between two qualified candidates for a service, one of whom is a veteran or eligible spouse, the veterans priority of service provisions require that the grant recipient give the veteran or eligible spouse priority of service by first providing him or her that service. To obtain priority of service, a veteran or spouse must meet the program’s eligibility requirements.

Grantees must comply with DOL guidance on veterans’ priority. ETA Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 10-09 (issued November 10, 2009) provides guidance on implementing priority of service for veterans and eligible spouses in all qualified job training programs funded in whole or in part by DOL. TEGL No. 10-09 is available at http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2816.

IV. Application and Submission Information A. How to Obtain an Application Package This SGA contains all of the information and links to forms needed to apply for grant funding.

B. Content and Form of Application Submission Proposals submitted in response to this SGA must consist of three separate and distinct parts: (I) a cost proposal; (II) a technical proposal; and (III) attachments to the technical proposal. Applications that do not contain all of the three parts or that fail to adhere to the instructions in this section will be considered non-responsive and will not be considered.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the funding amount requested is consistent across all parts and sub-parts of the application.

Part I. The Cost Proposal. The Cost Proposal must include the following items:

SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance” (available at http://www07.grants.gov/agencies/forms_repository_information.jsp). The SF-424 must clearly identify the applicant and must be signed by an individual with authority to enter into a grant agreement. Upon confirmation of an award, the individual signing the SF-424 on behalf of the applicant shall be considered the authorized representative of the applicant. All applicants for Federal grant and funding opportunities are required to have a Data Universal Numbering System (D- U-N-S®) number, and must supply their D-U-N-S® Number on the SF-424. The D-U-N-S® Number is a nine-digit identification number that uniquely identifies business entities. If you do not have a D-U-N-S® Number, you can get one for free through the Dun & Bradstreet (D & B) website:

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

The SF-424A Budget Information Form (available at http://www07.grants.gov/agencies/forms_repository_information.jsp). In preparing the Budget Information Form, the applicant must provide a concise narrative explanation to support the budget request, explained in detail below.

http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2816 http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do

Budget Narrative: The budget narrative must provide a description of costs associated with each line item on the SF-424A

Note that the entire Federal grant amount requested must be included on the SF- 424 and SF-424A and budget narrative. The amount listed on the SF-424, SF- 424A and budget narrative must be the same. Please note, the funding amount included on the SF-424 will be considered the official funding amount requested if any inconsistencies are found. Applications that fail to provide an SF-424 including D-U-N-S® Number, SF-424A, and a budget narrative will be considered non-responsive and not reviewed.

Regardless of the method of application submission, all applicants must register with the Federal Central Contractor Registry (CCR) before submitting an application. Step-by-step instructions for registering with CCR can be found at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/org_step2.jsp. An awardee must maintain an active CCR registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application under consideration. To remain registered in the CCR database after the initial registration, the applicant is required to review and update on an annual basis from the date of initial registration or subsequent updates its information in the CCR database to ensure it is current, accurate and complete. For purposes of this paragraph, the applicant is the entity that meets the eligibility criteria and has the legal authority to apply and to receive the award.

Failure to register with the CCR before application submission will result in your application being found non-responsive and not being reviewed.

Part II. The Technical Proposal. The Technical Proposal must demonstrate the applicant’s capability to implement the grant project in accordance with the provisions of this Solicitation. The guidelines for the content of the Technical Proposal are provided in section V of this SGA. The Technical Proposal is limited to 35 double-spaced single-sided

8.5 x 11 inch pages with 12 point text font and 1 inch margins. Any materials beyond the specified page limit will not be read. Applicants should number the Technical Proposal beginning with page number 1. Applications that do not include Part II, the Technical Proposal, will be considered non-responsive and not reviewed.

Part III. Attachments to the Technical Proposal. In addition to the Technical Proposal, the applicant must submit the following attachments:

a) An up to two-page abstract summarizing the proposed project, including but not limited to the scope of the project and the state service delivery area and the numbers of participants to be served.

b) The resumes of key personnel for the applicant organization.

Applications that do not include the required attachments will be considered non-responsive and will not be reviewed.

Only those attachments listed above as required attachments will be excluded from the page limit. The required attachments must be affixed as separate, clearly identified appendices to the application. Additional materials such as resumes or general letters of support or commitment will not be considered.

Applicants should not send documents separately to ETA, because documents received separately will be tracked through a different system and will not be attached to the application for review. ETA will not accept general letters of support submitted by organizations or individuals that are not partners in the proposed project and that do not http://www.grants.gov/applicants/org_step2.jsp directly identify the specific commitment or roles of the project partners. Support letters of this nature will not be considered in the evaluation review process.

C. Submission Date, Times, Process and Addresses The closing date for receipt of applications under this announcement is May 2, 2011.

Applications may be submitted electronically on http://www.grants.gov or in hard copy by mail or hand delivery (including overnight delivery). Hard copy applications must be received at the address below no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Applications submitted on grants.gov must also be successfully submitted (as described below) no later than 4 p.m. Eastern Time. Applications sent by e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (FAX) will not be accepted.

Applicants submitting proposals in hard copy must submit an original signed application (including the SF-424) and one (1) ‘‘copy-ready’’ version free of bindings, staples or protruding tabs to ease in the reproduction of the proposal by DOL. Applicants submitting proposals in hard copy are also required to provide an identical electronic copy of the proposal on compact disc (CD). If discrepancies between the hard copy submission and CD copy are identified, the application on the CD will be considered the official applicant submission for evaluation purposes. Failure to provide identical applications in hard copy and CD format may have an impact on the overall evaluation.

If an application is physically submitted by both hard copy and through http://www.grants.gov, a letter must accompany the hard copy application stating which application to review. If no letter accompanies the hard copy, we will review the copy submitted through http://www.grants.gov. Applications that do not meet the conditions set forth in this notice will be considered non-responsive. No exceptions to the mailing and delivery requirements set forth in this notice will be granted. Further, documents submitted separately from the application, before or after the deadline, will not be accepted as part of the application.

Mailed applications must be addressed to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Division of Federal Assistance, Attention: B. Jai Johnson, Grant Officer, Reference SGA-DFA-PY-10-05, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716, Washington, D.C. 20210. Applicants are advised that mail delivery in the Washington, D.C. area may be delayed due to mail decontamination procedures. Hand-delivered proposals will be received at the above address. All overnight mail will be considered to be hand-delivered and must be received at the designated place by the specified closing date and time.

Applications that are submitted through Grants.gov must be successfully submitted at http://www.grants.gov no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date and then subsequently validated by Grants.gov. The submission and validation process is described in more detail below. The process can be complicated and time-consuming.

Applicants are strongly advised to initiate the process as soon as possible and to plan for time to resolve technical problems if necessary. The Department strongly recommends that before the applicant begins to write the proposal, applicants should immediately initiate and complete the “Get Registered” registration steps at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp. Applicants should read through the registration process carefully before registering. These steps may take as much as four weeks to complete, and this time should be factored into plans for electronic submission in order to avoid unexpected delays that could result in the rejection of an application. The site also contains registration checklists to help you walk through the process. The Department strongly recommends that applicants download the “Organization Registration Checklist” at http://www.grants.gov/assets/Organization_Steps_Complete_Registration.pdf and prepare the information requested before beginning the registration process. Reviewing and assembling required information before beginning the registration process will alleviate last minute searches for required information and save time.

As described above, applicants must have a D–U–N–S® Number and must register with the Federal Central Contractor Registry (CCR).

The next step in the registration process is creating a username and password with Grants.gov to become an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR). AORs will need to know the D-U-N-S® Number of the organization for which they will be submitting applications to complete this process. To read more detailed instructions for creating a profile on Grants.gov visit: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/org_step3.jsp.

After creating a profile on Grants.gov, the E-Biz point of Contact (E-Biz POC) - a representative from your organization who is the contact listed for CCR – will receive an email to grant the AOR permission to submit applications on behalf of their organization.

The E-Biz POC will then log in to Grants.gov and approve an applicant as the AOR, thereby giving him or her permission to submit applications. To learn more about AOR Authorization visit: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/org_step5.jsp, or to track AOR status visit: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/org_step6.jsp.

An application submitted through Grants.gov constitutes a submission as an electronically signed application. The registration and account creation with Grants.gov, with E-Biz POC approval, establishes an AOR. When you submit the application through Grants.gov, the name of your AOR 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 AOR; this step is often missed and it is crucial for valid submissions.

When a registered applicant submits an application with Grants.gov, an electronic time stamp is generated within the system when the application is successfully received by Grants.gov. Within two business days of application submission, Grants.gov will send the applicant two email messages to provide the status of the application’s progress through the system. The first email, sent almost immediately, will contain a tracking number and will confirm receipt of the application by Grants.gov. The second email will indicate the application has either been successfully validated or has been rejected due to errors.

Only applications that have been successfully submitted by the deadline and subsequently successfully validated will be considered. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to ensure a timely submission. While it is not required that an application be successfully validated before the deadline for submission, it is prudent to reserve time before the deadline in case it is necessary to resubmit an application that has not been successfully validated. Therefore, sufficient time should be allotted for submission (two business days) and, if applicable, additional time to address errors and receive validation upon resubmission (an additional two business days for each ensuing submission). It is important to note that if sufficient time is not allotted and a rejection notice is received after the due date and time, the application will not be considered.

http://www.grants.gov/applicants/org_step3.jsp http://www.grants.gov/applicants/org_step6.jsp

To ensure consideration, you must provide any narrative sections of your application as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. If you provide a file type other than the three file types specified, we will not review this material.

We strongly advise applicants to use the various tools and documents, including FAQs, which are available on the “Applicant Resources” page at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/resources.jsp.

ETA encourages new prospective applicants to view the online tutorial, “Grant Applications 101: A Plain English Guide to ETA Competitive Grants,” available through Workforce3One at: http://www.workforce3one.org/page/grants_toolkit .

To receive updated information about critical issues, new tips for users and other time sensitive updates as information is available, applicants may subscribe to “Grants.gov Updates” at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/email_subscription_signup.jsp.

If applicants encounter a problem with Grants.gov and do not find an answer in any of the other resources, call 1-800-518-4726 to speak to a Customer Support Representative or email “support@grants.gov”. The Contact Center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is closed on federal holidays.

Late Applications: For applications submitted on Grants.gov, only applications that have been successfully submitted no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date and then successfully validated will be considered. Applicants take a significant risk by waiting to the last day to submit by Grants.gov.

Any hard copy application received after the exact date and time specified for receipt at the office designated in this notice will not be considered, unless it is received before awards are made, it was properly addressed, and it was: (a) sent by U.S. Postal Service mail, postmarked not later than the fifth calendar day before the date specified for receipt of applications (e.g., an application required to be received by the 20th of the month must be postmarked by the 15th of that month); or (b) sent by professional overnight delivery service to the addressee not later than one working day before the date specified for receipt of applications. ‘‘Postmarked’’ means a printed, stamped or otherwise placed impression (exclusive of a postage meter machine impression) that is readily identifiable, without further action, as having been supplied or affixed on the date of mailing by an employee of the U.S. Postal Service. Therefore, applicants should request the postal clerk to place a legible hand cancellation ‘‘bull’s eye’’ postmark on both the receipt and the package. Failure to adhere to these instructions will be a basis for a determination that the application was not filed timely and will not be considered. Evidence of timely submission by a professional overnight delivery service must be demonstrated by equally reliable evidence created by the delivery service provider indicating the time and place of receipt.

D. Intergovernmental Review This funding opportunity is not subject to Executive Order 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.”

E. Funding Restrictions All proposal costs must be necessary and reasonable and in accordance with Federal guidelines. Determinations of allowable costs will be made in accordance with the applicable Federal cost principles. Disallowed costs are those charges to a grant that the http://www.grants.gov/applicants/email_subscription_signup.jsp grantor agency or its representative determines not to be allowed in accordance with the applicable Federal cost principles or other conditions contained in the grant.

Applicants, whether successful or not, will not be entitled to reimbursement of pre-award costs.

1. Indirect Costs As specified in OMB Circular Cost Principles, indirect costs are those that have been incurred for common or joint objectives and cannot be readily identified with a particular final cost objective. An indirect cost rate (ICR) is required when an organization operates under more than one grant or other activity, whether Federally-assisted or not.

Organizations must use the ICR supplied by the Federal Cognizant Agency. If an organization requires a new ICR or has a pending ICR, the Grant Officer will award a temporary billing rate for 90 days until a provisional rate can be issued. This rate is based on the fact that an organization has not established an ICR agreement. Within this 90-day period, the organization must submit an acceptable indirect cost proposal to their Federal Cognizant Agency to obtain a provisional ICR.

2. Administrative Costs Under this SGA, an entity that receives a grant to carry out a project or program may not use more than 15 percent of the amount of the grant to pay administrative costs associated with the program or project. Administrative costs could be direct or indirect costs, and are defined at 20 CFR 667.220. Administrative costs do not need to be identified separately from program costs on the SF-424A Budget Information Form.

However, they must be tracked through the grantee’s accounting system. To claim any administrative costs that are also indirect costs, the applicant must obtain an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement from its Federal Cognizant agency, as specified above.

3. Salary and Bonus Limitations Under Public Law 109-234, none of the funds appropriated in Public Law 109-149 or prior Acts under the heading “Employment and Training Administration” that are available for expenditure on or after June 15, 2006, may be used by a recipient or sub-recipient of such funds to pay the salary and bonuses of an individual, either as direct costs or indirect costs, at a rate in excess of Executive Level II, except as provided for in section 101 of Public Law 109-149. Public Laws 111-8 and 111-117 contain the same limitation on funds appropriated under each of these Laws. This limitation applies to grants funded under this SGA. The salary and bonus limitation does not apply to vendors providing goods and services as defined in OMB Circular A-133 (codified at 29 CFR Parts 96 and 99). See Training and Employment Guidance Letter number 5-06 for further clarification:

http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2262.

4. Intellectual Property Rights: The Federal Government reserves a paid-up, nonexclusive and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use, and to authorize others to use for Federal purposes: i) the copyright in all products developed under the grant, including a subgrant or contract under the grant or subgrant; and ii) any rights of copyright to which the grantee, subgrantee or a contractor purchases ownership under an award (including but not limited to curricula, training models, technical assistance products, and any related materials). Such uses include, but are not limited to, the right to modify and distribute such products worldwide by any means, electronically or otherwise. . The grantee may not use Federal funds to pay any royalty or license fee for use of a copyrighted work, or the cost of acquiring by purchase a copyright in a work, where the Department has a license or rights of free use in such work. If revenues are http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2262 generated through selling products developed with grant funds, including intellectual property, these revenues are program income. Program income is added to the grant and must be expended for allowable grant activities.

If applicable, the following needs to be on all products developed in whole or in part with grant funds:

“This workforce product was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. The product was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership.

This product is copyrighted by the institution that created it. Internal use by an organization and/or personal use by an individual for non-commercial purposes is permissible. All other uses require the prior authorization of the copyright owner.”

F. Other Submission Requirements Withdrawal of Applications: Applications may be withdrawn by written notice to the Grant Officer at any time before an award is made.

V. Application Review Information

A. Evaluation Criteria This section identifies and describes the criteria that will be used for each category to evaluate grant proposals.

The following review criteria, totaling a maximum of 100 points, apply to all applications:

Criterion Maximum Value

1. Economic Analysis of the Service Delivery Area 15

2. Strategic Partnerships and Collaboration 10

3. Administrative Capacity 25 A. Financial and Management Systems (15) B. Key Personnel (10)

4. Service Delivery Strategy 50

A. Plan of Service (20) B. Outreach Activities (15) C. Opportunities for Farmworkers in Emerging Industries (15)

Total 100

1. Economic Analysis of the Service Delivery Area— 15 Points. The application must describe the socio-economic characteristics of the proposed service area and problems faced by eligible farmworkers, and their dependents, in that area. Applicants must explain how the economic conditions of the proposed service area, the labor market outlook, the characteristics of the eligible service population, the extent to which transportation is available, and developments in both emerging and declining industries impact the employment prospects of eligible farmworkers seeking entry-level employment. This analysis must be supported through reference to Bureau of Labor Statistics or service-area level data.

Scoring for this criterion will be based on the thoroughness of the description of the socio-economic characteristics of the proposed service area and problems faced by the eligible farmworkers in that area, including availability of transportation; on the comprehensiveness of the description of economic conditions of the proposed service area, including emerging and declining industries; and the quality of the statistical data supporting the analysis.

2. Strategic Partnerships and Collaboration— 10 Points. This section must describe the key educational institutions, state and/or local government agencies, and other key organizations that are available to serve the eligible population of the requested service area, including faith-based and community-based organizations and organizations serving people with disabilities. The applicant must also describe the applicant’s experience, if any, in collaborating with those key institutions, agencies and organizations to serve the eligible population in the requested service area.

In particular, all applicants must describe their experience, if any, in working with the One- Stop Career Center system in the requested service delivery area to provide services to farmworkers. This discussion must identify and describe the applicant’s experience, if any, with each One-Stop Career Center in the service delivery area, including both successes and challenges in working together. If the applicant has not worked with the One-Stop Career Center system, the application must explain why.

Scoring on this criterion will be based on the completeness of the applicant’s description of the key institutions and organizations in the service delivery area, particularly the One-Stop Career Centers, and the extent of the applicant’s experience, if any, in working with those institutions and organizations to serve farmworkers in the requested service area.

3. Administrative Capacity— 25 Points. This criterion is broken into two sub-criterions with individual point values, which combine for a total (A + B below) of 25 maximum points.

3.A.Financial and Management Systems – 15 points. Applicants must comprehensively describe the management information (MIS), participant tracking, performance accountability and management, case management, accounting, and program and fiscal management reporting systems that would be used to operate the NFJP program and ensure fiscal and reporting integrity and generate reliable data. In describing these systems, the applicant must define the staff’s responsibilities for managing them and the staff development opportunities available to enhance skills in the operation of the systems described.

The applicant must also describe the eligibility determination and verification system that will provide for correct eligibility determinations and prevent enrollment of ineligible participants.

Applicants must provide a description of their participant tracking and reporting systems to demonstrate their ability to implement data validation procedures, as described in TEGL 3– 03; change 1, and change 2 (OMB clearance issued August 31, 2004).

Applicants must describe their systems to support program integrity, such as management information (MIS), performance accountability and management, and reporting and recordkeeping (including individual participant records) needed for quarterly reporting and performance accountability and management. The applicant also must describe how its data collection and reporting systems will count participants for the purposes of common measures tracking.

The applicant must describe a fiscal management reporting system that is sufficient to prepare financial reports and to trace funds to adequate levels of expenditures to ensure lawful spending. The system must have the capacity to track spending by program, to ensure that, for those organizations with funding from more than one Federal program, expenditures are allocated to the appropriate program. The system must also be able to track program income generated through activities funded by NFJP grants, and show the link between program income and those additional participants and/or services funded through program income. Applicants must describe their capacity to manage supportive services, also described as related assistance services, and to account for expenditures related to these services.

Applicants must describe their capacity to provide the necessary equipment, access, and staff qualified to perform Internet-based reporting. The applicant must demonstrate its capacity to provide case management, as well as the electronic tools to be utilized (personal computer, software, Internet access, and e mail accounts) to implement a client-centered case management system.

Scoring on this criterion will be based on the extent to which the applicant’s description of the systems for performance accountability and management (including reporting for the common measures), program and fiscal management reporting (including tracking spending for this program and any program income generated), case management (including a client-centered case management system and internet reporting capability), eligibility determination and verification, and tracking of related assistance services and expenses demonstrates that its management systems can be expected to result in reliable data and efficient and well-managed program administration.

3.B.Key Personnel – 10 points. The skills and abilities of an organization’s key personnel are critical to the effective operation of NFJP. Applicants must describe the qualifications of the organization’s key personnel, including, but not limited to, the Executive Director, Financial Manager, Program Manager, Management Information System (MIS) Manager, and case managers. The description should include the skills and experience established in the position description for that position, the experience and qualifications of existing personnel against those described in the position description, and current resumes for the personnel in the key positions identified. In cases where there is a vacancy in a key position, the applicant must describe the process to be used for filling the vacancy with an individual possessing the skills and experience necessary for the job. Resumes of existing key personnel must be included as part of the attachment to the Technical Proposal and do not count against the established page limit.

Scoring on this criterion will be based on evidence of how well the qualifications and experience of existing key personnel match the qualifications necessary for the position. It will also be based on how well the position description describes the skills and experience needed for the job.

4. Integrated Service Delivery Strategies— 50 Total Points. This criterion is broken into three sub-criteria with individual point values, which combine for a total of 50 maximum points.

4.A.Integrated Plan of Service—20 points. The proposal should describe the applicant’s vision, strategy, goals, and objectives that guide the proposed plan of service and the results expected from implementing the proposed plan, considering the economic analysis, strategic partnerships, and administrative capacity described above. The plan of service must describe:

The service delivery area to be covered by the plan, including the number and location of eligible farmworkers and their dependents to be served and a breakdown of estimated participants to be offered core, intensive, training, related assistance, and supportive services.

The core, intensive, training, and related assistance services proposed to be provided, the strategies for providing them, and how those services will be delivered in collaboration with the One-Stop Career system. See WIA section 134 and 167(b) for definitions of these services.

The strategy to address an individual’s needs as identified through an objective assessment and an Individual Employment Plan (IEP), including the process for determining what intensive and training services will be provided.

The related assistance services, including supportive services, needed by migrants and seasonal farmworkers and their dependents, and the strategy for providing those services, including the agencies or organizations with which the applicant will collaborate and/or coordinate these services.

The strategy for increasing the number of participants receiving employment and training services throughout the grant period, including an estimate of the total number and percent of all program participants that will receive employment and training services.

The training services to be provided to eligible migrants and seasonal farmworkers, including the process used to determine a participant’s enrollment in training services, the criteria for determining when a participant will be placed in training, and the method for delivering the training.

How the applicant proposes to promote co-enrollment of participants in WIA formula-funded programs, particularly in training services.

In describing the training services to be provided to eligible farmworkers, applicants must include a description of the educational approaches (such as remediation, contextualized learning that combines basic skills with specific occupational knowledge, post-secondary education, credential attainment, entrepreneurial training) to be used to assist participants in obtaining the occupational skills that lead to employment in emerging occupations, to higher-paying, more stable employment within the agricultural industry, such as cross-crop or cross industry training, or to self-employment.

Scoring of this factor will be based on the extent to which the applicant’s description addresses the elements of this sub-criterion and supports a comprehensive strategy to improve career opportunities for the population in the service delivery area through employment in emerging occupations; higher-paying, more stable employment in agriculture; or self-employment.

4.B.Outreach Activities—15 Points. Outreach and recruitment of both employers (for job development opportunities on behalf of farmworkers) and farmworkers (to recruit eligible participants) are essential if the service delivery plans proposed by the applicant are to work effectively. Therefore, to address this sub-criterion, applicants must describe their strategies for outreach and recruitment of employers and farmworkers.

For outreach to and recruitment of employers, applicants must include the number of employers with whom the applicant currently works and describe how those relationships lead or have led to good employment opportunities for farmworkers. This discussion should include available employer-specific data on job placements, retention, and earnings for program participants. Applicants must also describe their plan for outreach and recruitment of new employers in industries appropriate for NFJP participants, including emerging industries, and the job development and placement strategies to be used, including how placement opportunities from new employers will be secured.

For outreach and recruitment of eligible farmworkers, applicants must describe the strategies to be employed to effectively find and recruit eligible participants, including a description of the field office structure for the organization and how it optimizes outreach and recruitment of new participants. The strategy should also include involvement, where applicable, of faith-based and community-based organizations and organizations serving people with disabilities, as well as other One-Stop Career Center partner programs in the applicant’s outreach and recruitment efforts.

Scoring of this factor will be based on how effectively the applicant describes how relationships with employers lead or have led to good employment opportunities for farmworkers. It will also be evaluated on how effectively the applicant’s strategies for outreach to and recruitment of new employers demonstrate that the applicant can provide improved job placement opportunities for the farmworkers to be served. Scoring will also be based on how effectively the applicant’s strategies for outreach to and recruitment of new participants demonstrate they can effectively serve the target population in the service area.

4.C. Developing Opportunities for Farmworkers in Emerging Industries—15 points.

Emerging industries offer increased employment opportunities for all American workers, including farmworkers. DOL recognizes that different state service delivery areas may have different emerging industry sectors, and that applicants must tailor their strategies for developing employment opportunities for farmworkers to the emerging industries in their service areas.

Applicants must describe their strategies for developing opportunities for farmworkers in those emerging industries previously identified by the applicant in criteria 1. Applicants must describe any efforts in the service area, through the local workforce development system, community colleges, local businesses, or other strategic partners that complement the applicant’s strategies in a way that increases employment opportunities for farmworkers.

The application must describe the applicant’s capability to build partnerships with organizations that further opportunities for eligible farmworkers to obtain employment in emerging industries in the intended service area. Applicants should include strategies that will provide farmworkers with opportunities for career pathways, remediation or contextual learning programs leading to post-secondary education; to Registered Apprenticeship programs; high school diplomas or GEDs; and/or industry-accepted credentials, including certifications and degrees as the means to access employment opportunities in emerging industries.

Scoring on this factor will be based on the applicant’s choice of and description of emerging industry sectors in the service area, the effectiveness of its strategies to develop employment opportunities for farmworkers in emerging industries, the educational approaches to be used to get farmworkers ready for these opportunities, and the partnerships necessary to bring it to fruition.

C. Review and Selection Process A review panel will carefully evaluate and score all responsive applications against the criteria established in Section V of this SGA. While the ranked scores constitute an important element in the grantee selection process, the panel results are advisory in nature and not binding on the Grant Officer. The Grant Officer has the discretion to consider any information that comes to her/his attention, including information regarding prior performance of previous NFJP grantees and other applicants that is provided by the program office and is made available to the Grant Officer. The Grant Officer will make the final selection decision based on what applicant the Grant Officer determines would best meet the needs of the eligible migrants and seasonal farmworkers in the area to be served.

In accordance with 29 CFR part 98, entities that are debarred or suspended shall be excluded from Federal financial assistance and are ineligible to receive a WIA Section 167 grant. Before awarding a grant, the Department will conduct a responsibility review of each potential grantee through available records. The responsibility review relies on examining available records to determine if an applicant has a satisfactory history of accounting for Federal funds and property. The responsibility review is independent of the competitive process; it is also independent of any information provided by the program office to the Grant Officer as described in the preceding paragraph. Applicants failing to meet the standards of the responsibility review may be disqualified for selection as grantees, irrespective of their standing in the competition. Any applicant that is not selected as a result of the responsibility review will be advised of their appeal rights.