USDA-FAS-10960-0700-10-22-0027.pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Foreign Agricultural Service

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

Kenya Solar Cold Storage

Deadline: July 18, 2022

A. Program Description OFSP is the most widely disseminated vitamin-A rich biofortified crop. A consistent, year-round supply of quality roots is critical to expanding availability of OFSP and derived products, especially to urban consumers. USDA is seeking to support identifying a sustainable, economically advantageous, solar powered, cold storage system to handle two commodities that can be used for OFSP roots (for processing into puree and fresh root use), and onions. The cold storage should be flexible to handle both local and imported agricultural products. The intention is to determine and establish the economic viability of small solar-powered containers to facilitate a year-round supply of root crops.

The recipient will work in collaboration with the USDA/FAS, the International Potato Center (CIP) and other Kenyan partners, such as the Kenyan government and other stakeholders in the Kenya Home Grown School Meals Program (HGSMP). It is anticipated that the recipient will obtain, install, and instruct Kenyan partners (i.e. the Ministry of Agriculture and a farmers organization) in their operation, analysis of pertinent value chains, and interpretation of findings.

The solar cold storage containers are expected to help strengthen local market systems (including producers, processors and traders) for root crops by reducing losses from decay, reducing energy costs, and improving nutrition by increasing access to and the use of various high quality, nutritious, and culturally appropriate foods in school meals.

Program Objectives

Anticipated products from this project are:

1. Two solar cold storage units manufactured in Kenya or elsewhere, and installed in Kenya, one with the Government of Kenya, and the other with a farmer organization

2. Train the Kenyan operators of the two facilities on how to store root and pureed sweet potatoes, and onions, and how to properly manage the facility using digital and airflow technology

3. Align this pilot project to complement other work in Kenya on OFSP and Onion value chains

NOFO Number

USDA-FAS-10960-0700-10.-22- 0027

Assistance Listing (formerly Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance)

10.960 Technical Agricultural Assistance

Authorizing Legislation National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, PL 95-113, as amended, 7 USC §§ 3291, 3319a

Announcement Type New Agreement

B. Federal Award Information

Total Available Federal Funding:

Up to $300,000 total The initial award is anticipated to be approximately $100,000; an additional amount up to a total of approximately $200,000 may be available over the lifetime of the award, including extensions, if authorized, subject to availability of funds

Anticipated Number of Awards: 1

Cost Share/Match Requirement: None/Not Required

Projected Period of Performance Start: August 22, 2022

Projected Period of Performance End: August 22, 2024 Extensions to this program are permitted, subject to approval. Refer to Section H for additional information.

Type of Assistance Instrument: Cost-Reimbursable Agreement

C. Eligibility Information

Eligible Applicants: State cooperative institutions or other colleges and universities in the United States, as defined at 7 USC § 3103

All applicants must have an active registration in the U.S. Government System for Award Management (www.sam.gov) by the closing date of the announcement; applicants with inactive, expired, pending, or excluded listings will be deemed not eligible. Exceptions, waivers, or extensions will not be considered. Please contact the program officer(s) listed in Section G if you have questions about this requirement.

Cost Share/Match: Refer to Section B. In-kind contributions are generally allowable towards meeting any cost share/match requirement.

D. Application and Submission Information This announcement contains all information necessary to apply.

Submission Dates and Times Application Submission Deadline: July 18, 2022 at 11:59pm EDT Applications received after this time will not be accepted. Applicants are advised to make their submissions 1-2 days before this deadline in case of technical problems.

http://www.sam.gov/

Anticipated Funding Selection Date: July 29, 2022

Anticipated Award Date: August 19, 2022

Content and Form of Application Submission A complete application package must include:

• Form SF-424, showing the Unique Entity Identifier, and signed by the applicant

• Form SF-424A, showing the budget categorization. Applicants are advised to consult 2

CFR 200 Subpart E for guidance on proper categorization of cost items. An improper categorization will not itself be grounds for denial of the application, but may delay approval and/or adversely impact the application’s scoring.

• A detailed illustrative budget, in which cost items are described in sufficient detail to enable FAS to determine that the proposed costs are reasonable and allowable for the project and consistent with applicable regulations.

o If indirect costs are included in the budget, attach a copy of the latest indirect cost rate agreement negotiated with a cognizant federal agency. If an agreement does not exist, please attach a description of the basis for the indirect cost calculation.

• A detailed project narrative or plan of operation o Project narrative should be no more than 6 pages. Supplemental documents and

CVs are not subject to the page limit.

• Form SF-LLL, if applicable to the applicant

Note: Several standard forms were discontinued as of January 1, 2020, and are no longer required, including the SF-424B, AD-1047, AD-1048, AD-1049, AD-1050, and AD-1052.

Unique entity identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) Each applicant is required to:

(i) Be registered in SAM before submitting its application;

(ii) Have assented to the federal assistance certifications in the SAM platform;

(iii) Provide a valid Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) in its application; and

(iv) Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal awarding agency.

The Federal awarding agency may not make a Federal award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and SAM requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time the Federal awarding agency is ready to make a Federal award, the Federal awarding agency may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant.

Intergovernmental Review For state and local government entities, including public universities, an intergovernmental review may be required pursuant to Executive Order 12372. Applicants requiring an https://www.govinfo.gov/link/cpd/executiveorder/12372 intergovernmental review must contact their state's Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to find out about and comply with the state's process.

Funding Restrictions Generally, funds may not be used in any manner that is prohibited by applicable regulations, including 2 CFR Part 200, 2 CFR Part 400, and the program-specific regulations identified in Section A (if any). Awards issued pursuant to this notice of funding opportunity may only be used for the purpose set forth in the award, consistent with the statutory authority for the award.

Capital expenses, such as the purchase of equipment, not entirely attributable to this award, must be pro-rated.

For example, agreement funds and other support may not be used for matching contributions for other federal grants or cooperative agreements, lobbying, or intervention in federal regulatory or adjudicatory proceedings. Federal employees are prohibited from acting as an agent of the applicant in any capacity (paid or unpaid) on any proposal submitted under this program. Also, federal funds may not be used to sue the Federal Government or any other government entity.

Compensation for personal services: Employees, consultants, or other personnel, including those of subrecipients, and regardless of the method of engagement, may not exceed the pro-rata equivalent of GS-15 on the General Schedule (for 2021, $143,598 per year, $550 per day, or $68.77 per hour). Non-monetizable fringe benefits, such as health insurance coverage, are not included to this ceiling.

Indirect Costs: In general, costs incurred for a common or joint purpose benefitting more than one cost objective but not readily assignable to specific awards, without effort disproportionate to the results achieved, are considered indirect costs. These may include facilities not specific to individual projects, enterprise-wide services such as IT, and enterprise management. For cost-reimbursable agreements, indirect costs may not exceed 10% of direct costs, as stipulated at 7 USC 3319a.

Pre-Award Costs: Costs incurred prior to the effective date of the Federal award, directly pursuant to the negotiation and in anticipation of the Federal award, and where such costs are necessary for efficient and timely performance of the scope of work, are not allowable.

Other Submission Requirements Applications should be submitted through the ezFedGrants system at https://grants.fms.usda.gov/

Applicants who require technical assistance should reach out to the program officer(s) listed in Section G at least 5 business days in advance of the application deadline. Applicants should provide as much detail as possible to facilitate resolution of the issue.

E. Application Review Information

Review and Selection Process In all cases, the agency will conduct an initial responsiveness review of all applications submitted to determine:

1) the application was submitted on time as specified in this announcement (See Section D. Application and Submission Information);

2) the applicant is eligible (see Section C. Eligibility Information);

3) all the required forms and documents are submitted timely as outlined (See Section D.

Application and Submission Information, Content and Form of Application Submission).

If an applicant is determined to be ineligible or an application is determined to be incomplete, the agency will notify the applicant. An applicant that feels such a determination is made in error may request reconsideration, highlighting evidence supporting their claim.

The agency will appoint a review panel, which may include both federal and non-federal reviewers, to review the eligible applications against the evaluation criteria described. The reviewers will ensure that the organization is capable of delivering the programs/activities as described in the announcement based on the applicant’s project narrative and assign a score and provide summary comments based on the evaluation criteria identified above. The review panel will make a recommendation list to the selecting official, who is not a member of the panel.

The selecting official may select applications out of rank order in consideration of strategic program priorities, such as geographical distribution, incorporation of minority-serving institutions, congressional directive, or other documented considerations. These determinations are final and cannot be appealed.

Prior to selection, the agency may contact the highest ranking applicants to seek clarification and to negotiate technical and programmatic aspects of the application. If an application includes a sub-awardee, FAS may request to speak with all parties included in the application to ensure sufficient planning and coordination has taken place prior to making an award.

Evaluation Criteria All responsive and eligible applications will be reviewed as described below:

1. FAS will assemble reviewers from FAS staff to review the eligible applications.

Reviews of submitted applications will be conducted either on site or by remote review.

2. Technical reviewers will review each eligible application against the evaluation criteria below.

Factor 1: Technical Approach and Feasibility 30 percent Factor 2: Management Approach 30 percent Factor 3: Cost effectiveness 20 percent Factor 4: Past Performance and Regional Expertise 20 percent

Factor 1: Technical Approach and Feasibility (30 percent)

i. The applicant’s technical approach will be evaluated based on the soundness, thoroughness of the approach to implementing the activities and achieving outcomes.

ii. Description of practical and best-practice methods for achieving the project’s objectives and outcomes.

iii. Description of specific outputs, outcomes, and a proposed turnaround timelines.

Factor 2: Management Approach (30 percent)

i. Outline of management approach that describes the management structure, relational links and lines of communication.

Factor 3: Cost effectiveness (20 percent)

The agency will consider the “value for money” in its evaluation of the program. This factor does not consider the cost alone, but rather the cost relative to the value for the work to be performed. Note that the agency’s available funding may not exceed the amount shown in part B.

Factor 4: Past Performance (20 percent)

Demonstration of country subject matter expertise. Past programs, with similar objectives, described by the applicant in their proposal, will be positively reviewed.

Scoring Criteria:

Score Range Rating Description 90-100 Excellent No deficiencies 80-89 Very good Slight deficiencies 70-79 Good Minor deficiencies 60-69 Fair Several deficiencies <60 Poor Major deficiencies in one or more aspects

3. The reviewers will ensure that the organization is capable of delivering the programs/activities as described in the announcement based on the applicant’s project narrative. The reviewers will assign a score and provide summary comments based on the evaluation criteria identified above. Evaluation Criteria: the evaluation criteria must be directly related to key aspects of the project. The criteria must be measurable with an associated point range. It is a best practice, but not required, that the entire review criteria score range should be out of 100. From the scoring process, a recommendation list or letter will be composed and sent to the selecting official.

Applications scoring less than 60/100 will not be considered for funding.

4. An application may be selected for a post-review quality control and possible rescoring if it received significantly diverging scores and comments from reviewers.

Integrity in Performance Prior to making a Federal award, the Federal awarding agency is required by 31 USC 3321 and 41 USC 2313 to review information available through any OMB-designated repositories of government-wide eligibility qualification or financial integrity information. Therefore application evaluation criteria may include the following risk based considerations of the applicant: (1) financial stability; (2) quality of management systems and ability to meet management standards; (3) history of performance in managing federal award; (4) reports and https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/31/3321 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/41/2313 findings from audits; and (5) ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements.

Prior to making a Federal award with a total amount of Federal share greater than the simplified acquisition threshold, currently $250,000, the federal agency is required to review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM (currently FAPIIS).

• An applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through SAM and comment on any information about itself that a Federal awarding agency previously entered and is currently in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM.

• The Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to the other information in the designated integrity and performance system, in making a judgment about the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in § 200.206

F. Federal Award Administration Information Federal Award Notices Applicants will be notified of the status of their application by email. This notification is not authorization to proceed, and such notification should be construed as provisional until

Administrative and National Policy Requirements All successful applicants for all grant and cooperative agreements are required to comply with the applicable Standard Administrative Terms and Conditions, which can be found at the link below. The applicant is presumed to have read, understood, and accepted these terms. Applicants with questions about the applicable terms should contact the program officer(s) listed in Section G.

https://www.fas.usda.gov/grants/general_terms_and_conditions/default.asp

The applicable Standard Administrative Terms and Conditions will be for the last year specified at that URL, unless the application is to continue an award first awarded in an earlier year. In that event, the terms and conditions that apply will be those in effect for the year in which the award was originally made unless explicitly stated otherwise in subsequent mutually-agreed amendments to the award.

Before accepting the award the potential awardee should carefully read the award package for instructions on administering the grant award and the terms and conditions associated with responsibilities under Federal Awards. Recipients must accept all conditions in this NOFO as well as any Special Terms and Conditions in the Notice of Award to receive an award under this program.

Reporting Financial Reports, using form SF-425, must be submitted semi-annually, within 30 days of the end of the reporting period. A final financial report must be submitted within 120 days of the end date of the agreement.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/2/200.206 https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/2/200.206 https://www.fas.usda.gov/grants/general_terms_and_conditions/default.asp

Performance Progress Reports must be submitted semi-annually, within 30 days of the end of the reporting period. A final performance progress report must be submitted within 120 days of the end date of the agreement. The recipient may use any appropriate format for performance progress reports, provided the report includes:

a) a comparison of actual accomplishments to the for the period;

b) The reasons why established goals were not met, if appropriate; and

c) Additional pertinent information including, when appropriate, analysis and explanation of cost overruns or high unit costs.

Recipients are encouraged to include photographs and other supplemental material in performance progress reports. For awards in which the total lifetime value exceeds $500,000, additional reporting may be required as described in Appendix XII to 2 CFR 200.

Monitoring FAS through its authorized representatives, has the right, at all reasonable times, to make site visits to review project accomplishments and management control systems and to provide such technical assistance as may be required. During site visits, FAS will review grant recipients’ files related to the grant-funded program.

As part of any monitoring and program evaluation activities, grant recipients must permit FAS, upon reasonable notice, to review grant-related records and to interview the organization’s staff and clients regarding the program, and to respond in a timely and accurate manner to FAS requests for information relating to their grant program.

Close Out Within 120 days after the end of the period of performance, or after an amendment has been issued to close out a grant, whichever comes first, recipients must submit a final FFR and final progress report detailing all accomplishments and a qualitative summary of the impact of those accomplishments throughout the period of performance. After final reports have been reviewed and approved by the agency, and any residual amount due to the recipient or due to be returned to the agency, the award is subject to closeout. Acceptance of final reports by the agency constitutes a closeout of the award with no further notice or obligation to either party. This acceptance will indicate the period of performance has expired, and any remaining funds will be deobligated. Records must be retained for a minimum of three years after the final reports are submitted.

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact For all inquiries, contact:

Name: Clemen G. Gehlhar Email Address: clemen.gehlhar@usda.gov Phone Number: 202-720-1891 Hours of Operation: 7:00am-3:30pm https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/2/appendix-XII_to_part_200

H. Other Information Extensions Extensions to this program are allowed.

Applicants may request a no-cost extension in order to complete all project activities. The request must be submitted 60 days prior to the expiration of the performance period. Requests for extensions are subject to agency approval.

Budget Revisions Transfers of funds between direct cost categories in the approved budget when such cumulative transfers among those direct cost categories exceed ten percent of the total budget approved in this Award require written approval from the agency. The total budget amount may not be increased without a bilaterally executed amendment to the award.

The Recipient is not authorized at any time to transfer amounts budgeted for direct costs to the indirect costs line item or vice versa, without prior written approval of the agency.

Post-award program income In the event program income becomes available to the recipient post-award, it is the recipient’s responsibility to notify the FAS Program Manager to explain how that development occurred, as part of their request for guidance and/or approval. The Program Manager will review approval requests for program income on a case-by-case basis; approval is not automatic. Consistent with the policy and processes outlined in 2 C.F.R. Part 200, pertinent guidance and options, as determined by the type of recipient and circumstances involved, may be approved by the Grant Officer. If approval is granted, an award modification will be issued with an explanatory note in the remarks section of the face page concerning guidance and/or options pertaining to the recipient’s approved recipient’s approved request. All instances of program income shall be listed in the progress and financial reports.