TECHGATE NOFO_Final (1).docx

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

BUREAU OF CYBERSPACE AND DIGITAL POLICY (CDP)

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO):

Technology Gateway Program (TECHGATE)

This is the announcement of funding opportunity number DFOP0017381

Federal Assistance Listing/Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 19.665

Type of Solicitation: Open Competition

Deadline for Applications: 11:59 PM ET on August 25, 2025

Total Funding: $13 Million USD (FY2024, Economic Support Funds (ESF)) $12 Million USD (FY2024 Assistance for Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia (AEECA))

Anticipated Number of Awards: 1

Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement

Period of Performance: 36 months

Anticipated Time to Award: September 2025 (Pending availability of funds)

Deadline for Questions: 11:59 PM EST on July 25, 2025

Eligibility Category:

· U.S.- based non-profit/non-governmental organizations subject to sections 501 (c)(3) and 501 (c)(6) of the U.S. tax code.

· U.S.-based for-profit organizations or businesses.

Type of Applicant: Organizations only. Individuals not eligible to apply.

Number of Applications: One (1) per applicant organization.

This notice is subject to availability of funding.

Section A: Project Description

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy (CDP) announces an open competition for organizations with the capacity and interest to carry out the Technology Gateway (TECHGATE) project outlined in this announcement. The project supports with the Department’s goal of deploying foreign assistance to advance American interests and aligns with the Digital Connectivity and Cybersecurity Partnership (DCCP).

Pending the availability of funds, CDP anticipates awarding one cooperative agreement of up to $25 Million USD. CDP reserves the right to award more or less funding or make no award as is in the best interest of the U.S. Government.

Attached to this NOFO is Attachment 1 – Preliminary Scope of Work to inform organizations of the content needed for the Project Proposal Submissions. Attachment 1 overview:

A.1. Program and Desired Implementer Overview

A.1.1. Program Overview

The Technology Gateway Program (TECHGATE) is intended to establish a large-scale cyber and digital technology and knowledge transfer program that incentivizes eligible foreign governments’ purchase and use of trusted and American digital technology solutions in furtherance of both U.S. foreign policy and national security interests. Through this program and in partnership with the selected Implementer, the U.S. Government can provide a unique value by offering a “total package approach” that helps partners navigate issues of requirements identification, best value, technical and system complexity, absorptive capacity, and country-specific logistical and export/import controls. Capacity building and economic sustainability is an integral component of each part of TECHGATE’s structured procurement and delivery process to ensure that the recipient country gains relevant skills in requirements identification and assessment, research and procurement, logistics, deployment, and configuration. Upon delivery, a robust package of training and technical skills-uplift will ensure that recipients are prepared to adopt and integrate new technology packages into their environment.

This is a new program, designed to: 1) respond to foreign governments’ demands for access and capacity to American and trusted cyber and digital technologies; 2) streamline the Department’s ability to transfer new-to-market and proven, trusted Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) cyber and digital technologies; 3) design and execute robust packages of logistics/procurement, deployment, and technical knowledge-transfer that foster recipient capacity to independently modernize and secure systems; 4) provide clear parameters for cyber and digital technology supplier entry and eligibility; and 5) provide guidelines for foreign governments’ eligibility, including adherence to U.S.-supported best practices and policies in cyberspace.

A.1.2. Desired Implementer Overview

The Implementer may be a private company or a non-profit, but must have a deep bench of market experts, cyber and digital technologists, assessors, contracts experts, and existing relationships and distribution rights with suppliers. Applicants are encouraged to propose consortiums or partnerships to leverage a broad array of subject matter experts, companies or other providers for products, services, and capability sets.

Please note: The Implementer cannot sell its own products through this program unless specifically permitted in writing by the CDP Grants Officer in unique circumstances. The Implementer is a supplier-agnostic technology or systems integrator that exists to facilitate foreign governments’ purchase of trusted cyber and digital technologies by helping navigate issues of cost, project scoping, technical and system complexity, employee bandwidth and expertise, and country-specific logistical and deployment requirements. They will:

1. Assess partner capability gaps and technology requests.

2. Identify priority requirements and best value solutions.

3. Procure, deliver, and install hardware and software.

4. Provide sustainability roadmaps/plans/cost estimates.

5. Provide consulting services to assist with technology adoption, including change management services.

The Implementer will NOT be expected to select, identify, or reach out to potential foreign government recipients of assistance. This program is primarily demand-driven by foreign governments for eligible critical infrastructure and in accordance with their alignment with U.S. foreign policy and national security interests. Thus, the Implementer WILL be expected to respond adeptly to State-Department-initiated requests to provide assistance on a global basis. When applying, interested applicants should refrain from specifying where they will work unless it is an illustrative past case or hypothetical future example provided for the benefit of the Department’s assessment.

A.1.3. Recipient Overview

Eligible recipients are select foreign government civilian agencies; foreign government organizations providing or servicing civilian functions; civilian critical infrastructure owner/operators that provide critical services for the public or facilitate key government services; or other private sector entities identified on a case-by-case basis as important to regional or U.S. national or economic security. As part of a whole-of-government approach to partner capacity building, there may be instances when recipients may include security and military institutions/agencies, subject to funding authorities and additional CDP approval.

A.2. Program Goal, Objectives, Expected Outcomes, Requirements, Structure, and Activities

China undercuts trusted suppliers by subsidizing the export of Chinese technology, which may compromise critical infrastructure, individual privacy, data, intellectual property and national security. Foreign partners looking to break free from China’s heavily subsidized technologies require an assistance program to create a pathway for the adoption of trusted technology. This program will help ease the process for foreign partners to align with U.S. technology policy and will help them learn how to identify reliable and trusted suppliers to turn to once they've completed the program, thus generating long-term economic benefits to the U.S. economy.

A.2.1. Program Objectives and Expected Outcomes

TECHGATE is designed to ease the process for eligible foreign partners to align with U.S. cyber and digital technology policy and reduce the burden to obtain and adopt trustworthy technology by 1) increasing partner capacity to navigate regulatory, logistical, technical hurdles and 2) facilitating foreign partner access to key COTS technology on a quick-turn basis.

TECHGATE Program Objectives:

1. Facilitate international adoption of U.S. and – as appropriate – other trusted technology suppliers, including open-source platforms.

2. Improve the reliability of and increase the existence of trusted suppliers in foreign cyber and digital networks, particularly in civilian critical infrastructure key to partner stability, privacy, and safety.

3. Improve security of the systems and networks through which U.S. proprietary information may transit.

Expected Program Outcomes:

Achievement of TECHGATE Program Objectives will result in the following outcomes:

1. Short-Term: Recipients receive prompt access to key tooling and solutions required to harden and secure networks, access trusted digital infrastructure, and/or access AI compute and related tools and services.

2. Medium-Term: Recipients increase their ability to navigate the procurement of trustworthy technology and begin the longer-term effort to improve the security and reliability of their networks.

3. Long-Term: Recipients consistently seek to procure and deploy trustworthy technology across their networks.

A.2.2. Program Requirements and Structure:

PROGRAM REQUIREMENT 1: Implementer should promptly stand up (within six months) a robust and streamlined Technology Acquisition Process that ensures flexible and rapid delivery of products to approved foreign government partners in service of U.S. strategic priorities.

Implementer must be capable of identifying, evaluating, acquiring, shipping, deploying, and installing appropriate products for the categories listed below in the “TECHGATE Categories of Assistance.” Again, Implementers may propose consortia or partnerships to ensure their ability to deliver on all of the categories of assistance listed below.

TECHGATE Categories of Assistance:

1) Fundamental Hardware Solutions

a) Computers, including memory/storage/processors, and laptops;

b) Networking equipment, including but not limited to servers, consoles, memory, adapters, switches, routers, gateways, wireless access points, transceivers, cooling equipment, internet exchange points, cables, etc.;

c) Secure commercial teleconferencing solutions;

d) Satellite Internet equipment, including handsets, receivers, terminals, modems, etc.; and

e) Technology and software upgrades for telecommunications networks to remove known vulnerabilities (discrete upgrades only).

2) Foundational Virtual Infrastructure/Software and Licensing (Note that open-source solutions may be suggested in lieu of closed or proprietary software)

a) Systems software, including operating systems and drivers;

b) Application software that facilitates specific functions, primarily communications and data processing/management;

c) Enterprise management software; and

d) Storage, including cloud-based solutions and data back-up software.

3) Cybersecurity Solutions

a) Cloud security solutions;

b) Managed Endpoint Detection and Response (MDR) and monitoring services;

c) Perimeter or edge device security, including firewalls (physical and virtual) and intrusion detection and prevention systems;

d) Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM), including advanced authentication and biometric security;

e) Security Information and Event Management (SIEM);

f) Threat intelligence and monitoring;

g) Attack surface management; and

h) Virtualization solutions.

4) Digital Telecommunications Components*

a) Undersea and terrestrial cable components;

b) Data and cloud storage/management;

c) Cellular and Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) components; and

d) Satellite ground segment infrastructure.

5) Artificial Intelligence (AI) Enablement

a) AI-optimized compute hardware, storage, and networking;

b) Data pipelines and labeling systems;

c) AI models and systems; and

d) AI applications for specific use cases.

* Due to the significant cost of technology under Category 4, CDP anticipates that mechanism funding used for the category will be limited and for relatively small-scale procurement of digital infrastructure solutions/components. However, this does not preclude scaled procurements under this Category, subject to the availability other funding.

Activities under Requirement 1: To achieve the expected program outcomes, the program must include the following:

· Implementer is able to identify secure and relevant suppliers and COTS products and make available these products when required by CDP for the benefit of foreign partners. CDP may request that products meet a certain threshold of security (for example, compliance with NIST or FedRAMP requirements, etc.) and may also request additional analysis, third-party audits, or testing of products prior to purchase, or their substitution. Wherever possible the Implementer should select software and hardware solutions that offer a minimum of five (5) years of continued vendor support and security updates to their products at the time of sale (though CDP will itself not necessarily commit to ongoing O&M for that duration).

· Implementer is able to acquire or maintain the supplier relationships necessary to procure and deliver a wide range of relevant eligible products to foreign partners on-demand, by relying on in-house contracting expertise. Experience must cover – but is not limited to – negotiating rates, managing payments, collecting and awarding bids, sub-contracting, etc.

· Implementer is able to leverage its relationships, expertise, and relevant experience to navigate various challenges in the technology acquisition landscape in partnership with the U.S. Department of State– including challenges associated with exporting and importing technologies, laws or regulations including data requirements, and process requirements – and to rapidly identify and implement solutions. Implementer must be able to fully handle logistics associated with virtual and in-person deployments.

· Implementer will work closely with host governments and to provide transparency in the bid process. Implementer should iterate how they will impart knowledge-transfer and upskilling to foreign partner recipients in the areas of requirements identification and assessment, research and procurement, logistics, and deployment. Implementer must have the capacity to independently work hand-in-hand with host governments and commercial entities, in coordination with the U.S. Department of State, to achieve desired outcomes.

To achieve the expected program outcomes, the program could include the following:

· An online portal, database, tracking mechanism, or catalog of possible products; or other time-and-cost-saving tools for rolling out ambitious global programming.

Other Instructions for Applicants: Applicants are encouraged to shape their proposals according to their expertise and capabilities, and to clearly demonstrate their capacity to deliver on a broad range of products with uncertain timelines. Following the selection of an Implementer, the Implementer and CDP – possibly alongside other experts – will workshop an appropriate structure, process, timeline, and development workplan to execute Objective 1. They will also resolve any outstanding questions, including by not limited to the methodology for security validation of technology and how long support contracts should last following delivery and installation.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENT 2: Promptly stand up (within six months) and manage an effective Implementer-managed Technology Evaluation and Delivery Methodology to assess and validate requests for support. Implementer must be capable of nimbly receiving request from CDP or U.S. Embassies and evaluating, scoping, and issuing the best solutions for a given country – based on that country’s unique needs and capabilities – for a final proposal. Once proposal is approved by CDP, the Implementer must be capable of conducting delivery, installation, and training requirements with foreign partner.

Activities Under Requirement 2 To achieve the expected program outcomes, the program must include the following:

· Implementer is able to conduct technical assessments – either independently or working hand-in-hand with other donors or implementers – to identify whether the proposed request for support is appropriate for the goal it aims to achieve, impactful, and timely. This may be by means of an in-country assessment or indirectly by speaking with other third-party evaluators or donors.

· Implementer is able to conduct a feasibility assessment (in partnership with CDP as appropriate) to scope, identify, design, and effect successful deployment of solutions.

· Implementer is able to conduct a sustainability assessment to identify the recipient capability to invest and sustain the investment.

· Implementer is able to rapidly provide cost estimates at CDP’s request, to collect and adjudicate bids as appropriate.

· Implementer is able to facilitate and coordinate the delivery of products directly to the recipient – and to support the set-up and installation of supplier products; to robustly train recipients on new technology or subcontract the ability to do so; to provide change-management advice and activities, including training; and to provide any follow-on or ongoing services or appropriate O&M requirements as directed by CDP.

· Develop a long-term strategy for the recipient to procure and budget for the hardware and software solutions, after CDP’s assistance ends – and the ability to hand off the strategy to other U.S. Government or donor partner implementers.

*Please note that the U.S. Government and CDP will be responsible for identifying policy alignment requirements and legal/regulatory/policy hurdles or other diplomatic engagement or programmatic solutions that may be necessary to maximize success of procurements.

Other Instructions for Applicants: Applicants are encouraged to offer insight into their ability to pioneer or implement techniques that are in line with a cost-savings and burden-sharing ethos; to build off other work by donors, implementers, or the host country; or to otherwise modernize and expedite the delivery of products to recipients. Examples of past performance are encouraged.

A.3. Aligned Strategic CDP Goals and Objectives

TECHGATE should contribute to the following CDP strategic goal and objectives outlined in the Functional Bureau Strategy and all four DCCP Pillars.

CDP Strategic Goals and Objectives:

Bureau Goal 1: Advance cyber and digital policies that align with U.S. national interests and foreign policy objectives.

· Objective 1.3: Identify, enhance, cultivate, and develop strategic engagements across the private sector and multistakeholder communities.

· Objective 1.4: Increase secure and open digital connectivity and access to the Internet.

DCCP Pillars:

Pillar 1: Build Connections by promoting investments in secure, diverse, and resilient ICT infrastructure.

Pillar 2: Advance an Open, Interoperable, Reliable, and Secure Internet by promoting inclusive, rights-respecting, multi-stakeholder models of internet governance and pro-competition, pro-innovation digital economy policies and regulations.

Pillar 3: Grow Global Markets for U.S. ICT goods and services, especially high-quality, interoperable, secure ICT equipment, software, and services.

Pillar 4: Enhance Cybersecurity by increasing adoption and implementation of cybersecurity best practices.

A.4. Program Sustainability

On a project level, the recipient’s ability to sustain Implementer interventions is a key priority. Implementer should clearly define, ideally with past examples, how they propose to ensure sustainable gains by effectively assessing appropriate support and delivering it to recipients.

The intent of this program to procure at larger scale and avoid small-dollar, one-off procurements. Please note that, in situations wherein proposed hardware or software solutions require ongoing service contracts or similar ongoing service fees to sustain the individual product to ensure the feasibility of the program, CDP will expect the Implementer to cost out and enumerate the costs in the project proposal. CDP will use its discretion to determine if these costs meet the overall program objectives, and, subject to funding availability (including beneficiary’s own investment), will determine if they will be accepted on a case-by-case basis.

Projects shall be designed to ensure local sustainability by embedding solutions within institutions, strengthening local human capital, and promoting ownership of tools and processes. The Implementer must be able to maintain, in coordination with CDP, a creative and flexible advisory role to help the recipient prepare to assume the full cost of the program at an agreed-to time. Technical solutions must be built to meet size, capacity and local budgets, and to match hand-offs to local budget cycles to maximize sustainability over the long term. These must take into account interoperability and capability of local teams to manage over the long term and must be supported by documentation and institutionally embedded practices for knowledge transfer. Projects shall support the development of costed roadmaps and budgeting guidance to help partners sustain operations beyond the life of the assistance period. Projects shall promote enduring partnerships across government, civil society, and the private sector to strengthen the broader digital ecosystem and support long-term collaboration at national and regional levels.

A.5. Program Indicators and Performance Monitoring and Reporting

The selected implementing partner will conduct the following activities to ensure all relevant performance information is collected and submitted to CDP.

Quarterly Performance Reports and Indicators: The Implementer will prepare and submit quarterly performance reports using a standard template provided by CDP that includes qualitative descriptions of progress and results achieved in each quarter, next steps and progress planned for the upcoming quarter, any challenges or risks and how they will be mitigated, and quantitative data reported against relevant CDP indicators.

CDP standard indicators and disaggregates that the implementing partner will report for this project are listed below, but CDP will work with the selected Implementer to finalize these, and any additional project-specific indicators deemed relevant. CDP will also provide definition sheets for each CDP indicator below.

Outputs:

· CDP 1.12 - Number of cyber, digital, emerging technology, or related studies, assessments, or stocktaking exercises supported with USG assistance.

· CDP 2.8 - Number of benefitting organizations or institutions reached with CDP foreign assistance.

· Qualitative: Specify the name of each organization reached new / write in space needed

· Qualitative: Specify the home country of each organization reached

Outcomes:

· CDP 1.2 - Number of cyber, digital, emerging technology, or related deals/projects supported or finalized with U.S. Government assistance.

· Number involving a U.S. company

· Number finalized/signed

· Value of the finalized deal(s) (in USD)

· Qualitative: Description of what the deal was for or about

· CDP 3.5 - Number of instances when USG assistance or interventions were used to leverage or be a force multiplier of private sector investment in cyber, digital, emerging technology, or related issues.

· Value of the U.S. Government assistance (in USD)

· Value of the private sector investment (in USD)

· Qualitative: Subject/purpose of the investment

· Qualitative: Private sector company name(s)

Submitting Success Stories: CDP maintains a database of Success Stories that implementing partners, in coordination with their CDP project managers, can contribute stories to. CDP will provide a template and a link to the submission form. Whenever the Implementer and/or the CDP Project Manager determines that a success has occurred that would help tout the effectiveness, outcomes, or impact of the program, then a success story shall be drafted and entered into the repository and potentially shared externally depending on the nature of its content. There is no limit on the number of success stories that may be submitted, and they may be summative in nature such that they summarize a series of successes.

Participant Satisfaction Feedback: In addition to any knowledge or skill testing among recipients of formal training, the Implementer will also capture participant feedback on their impressions of and satisfaction with any training courses or workshops they attend, as well as any recommended improvements to the content or instruction.

A.6. Bureau Background

The Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy (CDP) leads the State Department’s efforts to ensure American technology expertise and leadership drive the adoption and deployment of critical and emerging tech globally, including on cyber and digital transformation. CDP’s foreign assistance programs strengthen international cooperation, support the deployment of secure and trusted digital technologies that underpin the digital economy, build markets for U.S. companies, reduce vulnerabilities posed by Chinese technology, assist in the defense of key foreign partners, and promote an open, interoperable, secure, and reliable Internet. CDP is committed to promulgating standards and norms that are fair, transparent, and support the rights-respecting use of technology. More information on CDP is available at https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/deputy-secretary-of-state/bureau-of-cyberspace-and-digital-policy/.

CDP’s foreign assistance programs are coordinated across the U.S. interagency under the Digital Connectivity and Cybersecurity Partnership (DCCP). More information on DCCP is available at https://www.state.gov/digital-connectivity-and-cybersecurity-partnership/.

Section B: Proposal Content and Review Scoring

B.1. Key Considerations

The following list of program considerations is provided to help applicant(s) develop a responsive, robust proposal. Strong preference will be given to applicant(s) that:

· Demonstrate highly developed administrative, logistical, and technical capacity and experience in administering successful and similar projects with a global participant base.

· Demonstrate thoughtful project design capacity to address the key objectives and activities for the target beneficiaries – as well as flexibility in deploying effective and durable solutions according to understood best practices.

· Demonstrate capacity to develop and execute logic models and monitoring and evaluation and report results.

· Prove existing, collaborative, and successful partnerships with U.S. and foreign partners on issues and engagements related to cybersecurity and digital policy.

· Demonstrate capacity to deploy complex technical solutions.

· Demonstrate adherence to ethical best practices.

Applicants must have existing, or the capacity to develop, active partnerships local in-country partners, entities, and relevant stakeholders and have demonstrable experience in administering successful and preferably similar projects.

B.2. Application Requirements for Submission

Complete applications must include the following:

1. Completed and signed SF-424, SF-424A, as well as SF-424B, if applicable.

2. Organizations that engage in lobbying the U.S. government, including Congress, or pay for another entity to lobby on their behalf, are also required to complete the SF-LLL “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities” form.

3. Complete Attachment 2 - Project Proposal Template (not to exceed twenty-seven [27] pages as a Word Document or PDF). The Project Proposal Template captures and formats a majority of the content needed for this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) application.

The Project Proposal Template includes:

Cover Page and Brief Executive Summary (2 pages or less)

A. Project Overview (8 pages or less)

· A1. Introduction to the Organization

· A2. Summary of the Project Approach and Timeline B. Project Design and Logic Model (8 pages or less)

· B1. Problem Statement

· B2. Project Goal

· B3. Project Objectives, Activities, and Expected Outcomes

· B4. Logic Model and Theory of Change C. Project Performance Management (4 pages or less)

· C1. Indicators

· C2. Performance Management Approach D. Sustainability Plan (1 page or less) E. Risk Analysis and Mitigation Strategies (1 page or less) F. Contingency Plan (1 page or less) G. Summary of Key Personnel and Subject Matter Experts (2 pages or less)

4. Complete Attachment 3 - Detailed Line-Item Budget Template. Excel workbook strongly preferred. Please do not provide as a PDF. Entities and organizations are required to submit detailed budget information according to the OMB cost categories (see SF-424A as an example). Budget expenses should be submitted preferably as one Excel workbook and include three (3) columns describing the request to CDP, any required or voluntary cost sharing, and the total budget. Costs must be in whole U.S. dollars. Detailed line-item budgets for sub-grantees should be included as additional tabs within the Excel workbook (if available at the time of submission). Please see the details outlined in Attachment 3 for more information.

5. Complete Attachment 4 - Budget Narrative Template. Please provide as a Word Document. Entities and organizations are required to submit narrative information that explain the methodology considerations for each specific line identified in the Excel document. The budget narrative must support the activities described in the proposal and provide additional information that might not be readily apparent in the detailed line-item budget. Do not simply repeat what is represented numerically in the budget, i.e. salaries are for salaries or travel is for travel. If the detailed budget includes sub-awards, please include a separate budget narrative for each sub-award budget.

Provide details on the purpose of costs, reasonability of costs, cost price analysis, allocation methodology, explain any yearly variances in unit prices, and tie expenses to project activities and/or objectives where appropriate. Information should describe prices used when costs have been averaged for the purposes of the calculation; when or if there is a reduction in a typical cost due to leveraging other resources; when costs are inflated due to specific considerations; or when atypical costs are included due to special circumstances. Provide information on considerations such as translations, multi-media approaches as also described in the proposal narrative, procurement by local vendors or need to import due to unavailability, specific needs of different audiences, costs related to country limitations, etc.

6. Provide Support/Permission Documentation. Letters of support or official permission letters from project partners describing the roles and responsibilities of each partner, for any partner or partners identified in the proposal whose role is central to the project achieving its objectives. No letter of support is required for goods or services that are widely available commercially unless an identified provider is offering no-cost or uniquely favorable terms that will not be available commercially.

7. Additional Required Attachments:

· Audit: An audit or an explanation for the lack of an audit is required. Please review the bulleted items below carefully.

· If your organization meets the threshold as defined in 2 CFR 200 Subpart F, then your organization must submit a pdf of its most recent single audit.

· If your organization does not currently meet the 2 CFR 200 requirement and has not had a single audit within its most recent three fiscal years, then your organization must submit its most recent (within the preceding three fiscal years) independent financial audit, preferably a pdf.

· If your organization has not been independently audited within its three most recent fiscal years, then it must explain the reason for the lack of an audit and provide an independent confirmation of the adequacy of its internal controls.

· NICRA: If your organization has a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) and includes NICRA charges in the budget, your latest NICRA letter should be included as a PDF file. This document will not be reviewed by the Merit Review Panel but will be used by project and grant team if the submission is recommended for funding. Organizations that have previously established indirect cost rates must submit timely indirect cost proposals to their cognizant agency as required by Appendix III & IV of 2 CFR 200. If indirect cost proposals have not been submitted for re-negotiation, as required, out-of-date NICRAs may not be considered. If your proposal involves subawards to organizations charging indirect costs, please submit their NICRA, if applicable.

Applications that do not include the elements listed above will be deemed technically ineligible. To ensure that all applications receive a balanced evaluation, the review panel will review from the first page of each section up to the page limit and no further.

B.3. Proposal Review Scoring

The selected CDP review panel will evaluate each application individually against the following criteria, listed below in order of importance, and not against competing applications. Please use the below scoring as a reference, but do not structure your application according to the sub-sections.

Quality of Project Design (20 points)

· The project idea is well-developed and responsive to the policy and program objective(s) in the NOFO.

· The applicant clearly defines the problem; its causes; stakeholders; and existing research/data; the approach taken to solve the problem; realistic milestones to indicate progress.

· The program’s potential contribution to solving the problem is addressed in the problem statement.

Organizational Capacity (30 points)

· The application demonstrates an institutional record of successful projects in the content area proposed and relevant experience in the proposed country/territory/region.

· The organization has expertise in its stated field and has adequate staffing to manage the proposed project.

· The application demonstrates the organization’s capacity for responsible fiscal management of donor funding.

Project Planning and Ability to Achieve Objectives (30 points)

· Goals and objectives are clearly stated, and project approach illustrates logical and plausible pathways to achieving project outcomes.

· Proposed project activities are feasible, practical, and/or experiential in nature to encourage innovation.

· Key assumptions and risks have been identified and their potential influences described.

· If similar activities have taken place, the applicant explains how proposed activities will produce new impact and not simply duplicate past efforts.

Monitoring & Evaluation Plan (5 points)

· The proposal demonstrates a sound methodology for monitoring appropriate indicators to oversee the project’s timely progress toward stated objectives, capture key project results, and to assess and mitigate any challenges encountered in implementation.

· Includes output and outcome indicators, explains how and when those will be measured, and by whom.

Budget & Budget Narrative (10 points)

· The budget justification is a detailed and realistic financial expression of the proposed project and does not include estimated costs that are not allocable, reasonable, or allowable.

· Proposed costs are linked to project objectives and demonstrate efficient use of U.S. Government funds.

· Proposal budget, including salaries and honoraria, are explained, and justified for the work involved.

Sustainability of Impact/Multiplier Effect (5 points)

· The proposal clearly details how project activities will produce benefits and impact lasting beyond the funding period.

· Methods to ensure sustainability of project impact beyond the life of the award are clearly delineated.

Section C: Federal Award Information

Entities and organizations may submit one application in response to this NOFO. If more than one application is submitted, only the first application received will be reviewed for eligibility and funding.

The U.S. Department of State reserves the right to (a) fund any or none of the applications received; (b) reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase the budget in accordance with bureau proprieties and the availability of funds; (c) accept other than the lowest cost application.

The U.S. government may make award(s) based on initial applications received, without discussions or negotiations. Therefore, each initial application should contain the applicant's best terms from a cost and technical standpoint. The U.S. Government reserves the right (though it is under no obligation to do so), to enter discussions with one or more applicants in order to obtain clarifications, additional detail, or to suggest refinements in the project description, budget, or other aspects of an application.

CDP anticipates awarding a cooperative agreement. The final determination on award mechanism will be made by the Grants Officer.

The authority for this funding opportunity is found in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), as amended. Several funding restrictions apply, to include country applicant restrictions. Must at a minimum include citations for authorizing statutes and regulations (see on Cover Page).

To maximize the impact and sustainability of the award(s) that result(s) from this NOFO, CDP reserves the right to execute a non-competitive continuation amendment(s). The total duration of any award, including potential non-competitive continuation amendments, shall not exceed 54 months, or four and a half years. Any non-competitive continuation is contingent on availability of funds, and satisfactory performance of the program. A non-competitive continuation is not guaranteed, and the U.S. Department of State reserves the right to exercise or not exercise this option.

C.1. Cooperative Agreement Substantial Involvement

The distinction between grants and cooperative agreements revolves around the existence of “substantial involvement.” Cooperative agreements require greater federal government participation in the project. If a cooperative agreement is awarded, CDP will undertake reasonable and programmatically necessary substantial involvement. Examples of substantial involvement could include but are not limited to:

· Active participation or collaboration with the recipient in the implementation of the award.

· Review and approval of one stage of work before another can begin.

· Collaboration on selection and/or review and approval of sub-award partnerships or sub-contracts beyond existing federal policy.

· Approval of the recipient’s budget or plan of work prior to the award.

· Review participant training program acceptance and rejection letters.

Section D: Eligibility Information

D.1. Eligible Applicants

CDP welcomes applications from

· U.S.- based non-profit/non-governmental organizations subject to sections 501 (c)(3) and 501 (c)(6) of the U.S. tax code

· U.S.-based for-profit organizations or businesses.

Applications submitted by for-profit entities may be subject to additional review following the Merit Review Panel selection process. The non-Federal entity may not earn or keep any profit resulting from Federal financial assistance, unless explicitly authorized by the terms and conditions of the Federal award. The allowability of costs incurred by commercial organizations is determined in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) at 48 CFR 30, Cost Accounting Standards Administration, and 48 CFR 31 Contract Cost Principles and Procedures. Please see 2 CFR § 200.307. for regulations regarding program income.

D.2. Cost Sharing or Matching

Providing cost sharing, matching, or cost participation is not an eligibility factor or requirement for this NOFO and providing cost share will not result in a more favorable competitive ranking. Per 2 CFR §200.306, items that are proposed for cost share must be allowable per 2 CFR §200, Subpart E—Costs Principles.

D.3. Other

To be eligible to receive an award, all organizations must have a unique entity identifier (UEI), as well as a valid registration on SAM.gov. Please see Section E.3 for information on how to obtain these registrations.

Applicants must have existing, or the capacity to develop, active partnerships, local in-country partners, entities, and relevant stakeholders and have demonstrable experience in administering successful and preferably similar projects.

Any applicant with an exclusion in the Exclusions section of the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) and/or has a current debt to the U.S. government is not eligible to apply for an assistance award in accordance with the OMB guidelines at 2 CFR 180 that implement Executive Orders 12549 (3 CFR, 1986 Comp., p. 189) and 12689 (3 CFR, 1989 Comp., p. 235), “Debarment and Suspension.” Additionally, no entity or person listed in the Exclusions section of SAM.gov can participate in any activities under an award. All applicants are strongly encouraged to review the Exclusions section in Sam.gov to ensure that no ineligible entity or person is included in their application.

Section E: Application Submission Information E.1. Address to Request Application Package

Applicants can find application forms, kits, or other materials needed to apply on www.grants.gov and SAMS/MyGrants (https://mygrants.servicenowservices.com) under the announcement title “Technology Gateway (TECHGATE) Program” and funding opportunity number “DFOP0017381. Once the NOFO deadline has passed, the U.S. Department of State may not discuss this competition with any applicant until the proposal review process has been completed. If requesting reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities or for security reasons, please contact CDP point of contact listed in Section H. Please note that reasonable accommodations do not include deadline extensions.

E.2. Application Submission Format

For all application documents, please ensure:

· All documents are in English, and all costs are in U.S. dollars. If an original document within the application is in another language, an English translation must be provided (please note the Department of State, as indicated in 2 CFR 200.111, requires that English is the official language of all award documents). If any document is provided in both English and a foreign language, the English language version is the controlling version;

· All pages are numbered, including budgets and attachments;

· All documents are formatted to 8 ½ x 11 paper; and,

· All documents are single-spaced, 14-point Calibri font, with 1-inch margins. Captions and footnotes may be 10-point Calibri font. Font sizes in charts and tables, including the budget, can be reformatted to fit within 1 page width.

Any prospective applicant who has questions concerning the contents of this NOFO should submit them by email to the contacts listed in Section H. Any updates about this NOFO will also be posted on grants.gov.

E.3. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM)

The Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) is one of the data elements mandated by Public Law 109-282, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), for all federal awards, the federal government's primary database for complying with FFATA reporting requirements is www.sam.gov. OMB designated www.sam.gov as the central repository to facilitate applicant and recipient use of a single public website that consolidates data on all federal financial assistance. Under the law, it is mandatory to obtain a UEI number and register in sam.gov before submitting an application. CDP may not review applications from or make awards to applicants that have not completed all applicable UEI and SAM.gov requirements.

The 2 CFR 200 requires that sub-grantees obtain a UEI number. Please note the UEI for sub-grantees is not required at the time of application but will be required before an award is processed and/or directed to a sub-grantee.

Note: The process of obtaining or renewing a SAM.gov registration may take anywhere from 4-8 weeks. Please begin your registration as early as possible and advise proposed sub-grantees to do so as well. Numerous errors require correction, such as an address mismatch, and can delay final registration.

If the application is not corrected within 90 calendar days of original registration/or renewal submission, it will be automatically deleted and the organization will need to re-start the process.

· Organizations based in the United States or that pay employees within the United States will need an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Also, a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code and UEI number is required and issued through SAM.gov. Once received continue with the remainder of the SAM.gov registration.

· Organizations based outside of the United States and do not pay employees within the United States do not need an EIN from the IRS but do need a UEI number prior to registering in SAM.gov. Please note that as of November 2022 and February 2023 respectively, newly registering organizations based outside of the United States that do not intend to apply for U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) awards are no longer required to have a NATO CAGE (NCAGE).

All organizations applying for grants (except individuals) must obtain these registrations. All are free of charge:

· NCAGE/CAGE code (if applicable)

· www.SAM.gov UEI and registration

If you are an organization based outside the U.S. and DO NOT plan to do business with the Department of Defense:

Step 1: Proceed to SAM.gov to obtain a UEI and complete the registration. SAM registration must be renewed annually.

If you are an organization based outside the U.S. and plan to do business with the Department of Defense:

Step 1: Apply for an NCAGE number

· NCAGE Homepage: https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/AC135Public/sc/CageList.aspx

· NCAGE Code Request Tool (NCRT): https://eportal.nspa.nato.int/Codification/CageTool/home

· For NCAGE help from within the U.S., call 1-888-227-2423

· For NCAGE help from outside the U.S., call 1-269-961-7766

· Email NCAGE@dlis.dla.mil for any problems in getting an NCAGE code.

Step 2: After receiving the NCAGE/CAGE Code, proceed to SAM.gov to obtain a UEI an complete registration.

Note: SAM.gov is not the same as SAMS/MyGrants. It is free to register in both systems, but the registration processes are different.

Please note, guidance on SAM.gov and the guidance on GSA’s website about requirement for registering in SAM.gov is subject to change at any time. Applicants should review the website frequently for the most up-to-date guidance.

E.3.1. SAM.gov and UEI Exemptions

An exemption from the requirements listed above may be permitted under the following circumstances:

· For any applicant or recipient: if the federal awarding agency determines that it must protect information about the entity from disclosure if it is in the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States, or to avoid jeopardizing the personal safety of the applicant or recipient's staff or clients.

· For a foreign organization or foreign public entity applying for or receiving a federal award or subaward for a project or program performed outside the United States valued at less than $25,000: if the federal awarding agency deems it to be impractical for the entity to comply with the requirement(s). This exemption must be determined by the federal awarding agency on a case-by-case basis while utilizing a risk-based approach and does not apply if subawards are anticipated.

· For an applicant: if the federal awarding agency makes a determination that there are exigent circumstances that prohibit the applicant from receiving a unique entity identifier and completing SAM registration prior to receiving a federal award. In these instances, federal awarding agencies must require the recipient to obtain a unique entity identifier and complete SAM registration within 30 days of the federal award date.

Organizations requesting exemption from UEI or SAM.gov requirements must email the point of contact listed in Section H of the NOFO at least two weeks prior to the deadline in the NOFO providing a justification of their request. Approval for a SAM.gov exemption must come from the warranted Grants Officer before the application can be deemed eligible for review.

E.3.2. Submission Requirements

Since SAMS/MyGrants interface with sam.gov, it is required that applicants obtain a UEI and complete the registration process in sam.gov before proceeding with the application process. The sam.gov registration process can take 4-8 weeks. START EARLY.

Applicants are encouraged to submit applications during normal business hours (Monday – Friday, 9:00AM-5:00PM Eastern Standard Time (EST)). If an applicant experiences technical difficulties and has contacted the appropriate helpdesk but is not receiving timely assistance (e.g. if you have not received a response within 48 hours of contacting the helpdesk), you may contact the CDP point of contact listed in the NOFO in Section H. The point of contact may assist in contacting the appropriate helpdesk.

SAMS/MyGrants Applications:

Applicants using SAMS/MyGrants for the first time will need their “New Organization Registration.” To register with SAMS/MyGrants, navigate to https://MyGrants.servicenowservices.com and click “Create an Account” under “New User?” On the pop-up select “Create a SAMS/MyGrants Applicant/Grantee Account” and complete all required fields. Once completed, an email will be sent to verify the account creation followed by an Okta Account set-up which will require the use of a smartphone for multi-factor authentication (MFA). If an applicant does not have accessibility to a smartphone during the time of account creation, please contact the helpdesk.

SAMS/MyGrants Help Desk: For assistance with SAMS/MyGrants accounts and technical issues related to the system, please contact the ILMS help by phone at +1 (888) 313-4567 (toll charges apply for international callers) or through the Self Service online portal that can be accessed from ILMS Self Service Portal. Customer support is available 24/7.

Grants.gov Applications:

Applicants who do not submit applications via SAMS Domestic may…